Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty, and the fiftyfifth of the Independence of the United possessions in the West Indies, on ANDREW JACKSON. M. VAN BUREN, and their cargoes, upon the terms, By the President: and according to the requisitions, of the aforesaid act of Congress : "Now, therefore, I, Andrew Secretary of State. Jackson, President of the United Circular to the Collectors of Cus States of America, do hereby declare and proclaim that such evidence has been received by me; and that, by the operation of the act of Congress passed on the twentyninth day of May, one thousand eight hundred and thirty, the ports of the United States are, from the date of this proclamation, open to British vessels coming from the said British possessions, and their cargoes, upon the terms set forth in the said act; the act entitled 'An act concerning navigation,' passed on the eighteenth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, the act supplementary thereto, passed the fifteenth day of May, one thousand eight hundred and twenty, and the act, entitled 'An act to regulate the commercial intercourse between the United States and certain British ports,' passed the first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and twentythree, are absolutely repealed; and British vessels and their cargoes are admitted to an entry in the ports of the United States, from the islands, provinces and colonies of Great Britain, on or near the North American continent, and north or east of the United States. Given under my hand, at the city of Washington, the fifth day of October, in the year of our SIR: You will perceive by the proclamation of the President, herewith transmitted, that, from and after the date thereof, the act, entitled 'An act concerning navigation,' passed on the 18th of April, 1818, an act supplementary thereto, passed the 15th of May, 1820, and an act, entitled 'An act to regulate the commercial intercourse between the United States and certain British ports,' passed on the 1st of March, 1823, are absolutely repealed; and the ports of the United States are opened to British vessels and their cargoes, coming from the British colonial possessions in the West Indies, on the continent of South America, the Bahama islands, the Caicos, and the Bermuda or Somer islands; also from the islands, provinces, or colonies of Great Britain on or near the North American continent, and north or east of the United States. By virtue of the authority of this proclamation, and in conformity with the arrangement made between the United States and Great Britain, and under the sanction of the President, you are instructed to admit to entry such vessels, being laden with the productions of Great Britain or her said colonies, subject to the same duties of tonnage and impost, and other charges, as are levied on the vessels of the United States, or their cargoes, arriving from the said British colonies. You will, also, grant clearances to British vessels for the several ports of the aforesaid colonial possessions of Great Britain, such vessels being laden with such articles as may be exported from the United States: in vessels of the United States and British vessels, coming from the said British colonial possessions, may also be cleared for foreign ports and places other than those in the said British colonial possessions, being laden with such articles as may be exported from the United States in vessels of the United States. I am, Sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, S. D. INGHAM, Secretary of the Treasury. [Here follows a copy of the above proclamation by the President.] Extract of a letter from Mr McLane to Mr Van Buren, dated London, Nov. 6, 1830. I received on the 2d instant, your despatch, number 22, of the 5th October, transmitting the proclamation of the President, and instructions from the Treasury Department to the collectors of customs, executing, on the part of our Government, the proposed arrangement with this, for the restoration of the direct intercourse with the British West Indies. I communicated these documents to the Earl of Aberdeen on the 3d instant, and have the honor to transmit herewith his answer thereto, and an order of the King in Council, completing the proposed arrangement on the part of Great Britain, and fully closing the negotiation upon this important part of our relations. This arrangement has already produced, and will continue to produce, considerable dissatisfaction in the British northern provinces, and with those interests which have been incidentally fostered by the omission of our Government to comply with the terms of the act of 5th July, 1825, and the British order in Council of July, 1826. It may be expected, therefore, as I have already stated in my former despatches, that some attempt will be immediately made to reconcile those interests to the restoration of the direct intercourse. Some of the duties in favor of the northern productions will, doubtless, be increased, but others will be reduced. I cannot, however, at this moment, speak fully or with entire certainty of the intentions of this Government in that respect. It may be proper for me to inform you, that, by the act of Parliament of the 2d of July, 1827, entitled An act to amend the laws relating to the customs,' the importation of salted beef and pork is admitted into Newfoundland free of duty, and into all the other British ports at a duty of twelve shillings sterling the hundred weight. Under the present arrangement, by which the colonial ports are now opened to our vessels, we shall be entitled to the benefit of this act, and in that way acquire a valuable branch of trade, which we could not have enjoyed by the famous act of 5th same terms; and that the alien July, 1825. Mr McLane to Lord Aberdeen. 9, Chandos St., Portland Place, November 3, 1830. duties, in the ports of the United States, on British vessels and their cargoes, and also the restrictions United States of 1823 to the diin the act of the Congress of the rect intercourse between the United States and the British West India colonies, are abolished. The undersigned has the honor to state further, that these acts have been performed by the President in conformity with the letter of the Earl of Aberdeen of the 17th of August last, and that, by accepting the assurance of the British Government, with the accompanying explanation, as a compliance with the requisitions of the act of Congress of the 29th May, 1830, and doing all that was necessary on the part of the United States to effect the proposed arrangement, he has adopted, without reserve, the construction put upon the act of Congress both by the Earl of Aberdeen and the undersigned. The undersigned, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States, has the honor to transmit herewith to the Earl of Aberdeen, His Majesty's principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a proclamation issued by the President of the United States on the fifth of October last, and, also, a letter of instructions from the Secretary of the Treasury, in conformity thereto, to the several collectors of the United States, removing the restrictions on the trade in British vessels with the ports of the United States and the colonial possessions of Great Britain. And the undersigned takes leave to add, that, although these papers appear to be sufficiently clear and explicit, he will take much pleasure in making any futher personal explanation of their import that may be considered desirable. It will be perceived, however, derived great satisfaction from the that, by virtue of the forego- candor manifested by his Majesing proclamation, and the oper- ty's Ministers in the course of the ation of the act of Congress of the negotiation; and that, having thus 29th May, 1830, the restrictive given effect to the arrangement acts of the United States are ab- on the part of the United States, solutely repealed; that the ports he does not doubt that Great Britof the United States are open to ain, acting in the spirit and terms the admission and entry of British of the proposition submitted by vessels coming from any of the the undersigned, and accepted in British ports mentioned in both the letter of Lord Aberdeen of sections of the said act, with the the 17th of August last, will as same kind of British colonial pro- promptly comply with those terms, duce as may be imported in on her part, and remove the exAmerican vessels, and upon the isting obstructions to the renewal In communicating these documents to the Earl of Aberdeen, the undersigned is instructed to inform him that the President has of the intercourse between the ports of the United States and the British colonial possessions. In conclusion, the undersigned takes leave to state, that, from the date of the proclamation of the President, the vessels of Great Britain have been and are actually in the enjoyment of all the advantages of the proposed arrangement, while the vessels of the United States are and must remain excluded from the same until the requisite measures shall be adopted by this Government. The undersigned has the honor to ask, therefore, that the Earl of Aberdeen will enable him to communicate the adoption of those measures to his Government, by the opportunity which will offer for that purpose on the 6th instant. The undersigned avails himself of this occasion to renew to the Earl of Aberdeen the assurance of his highest consideration. LOUIS MCLANE. To the Right Hon. the Earl of ABERDEEN, &c, &c, &c. Lord Aberdeen to Mr McLane. Foreign Office, Nov. 5, 1830. The undersigned, his Majesty's principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the note of Mr McLane, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States at this court, of the 3d instant, in which he incloses a proclamation issued by the President of the United States on the 5th ultimo, and also a letter of instructions from the Secretary of the Treasury, in conformity thereto, to the several collectors of the United States, removing the restrictions on the trade in British vessels with the ports of the United States and the colonial possessions of Great Britain. Mr McLane observes, that by virtue of the proclamation in question, and the operation of the act of Congress of the 29th May, 1830, the restrictive acts of the United States are absolutely repealed; that the ports of the United States are opened to the admission and entry of British vessels coming from any of the. British ports mentioned in both sections of the said act, with the same kind of British colonial produce as may be imported in American vessels, and upon the same terms; that the alien duties in the ports of the United States on British vessels and their cargoes, and also the restrictions in the act of Congress of the United States of 1823, to the direct intercourse between the United States and the British West India colonies, are abolished. Mr McLane adds, that, in perof the United States has adopted, forming these acts, the President without reserve, the construction put upon the act of Congress of the 29th of May, 1830, by himself, and by the undersigned in his note of the 17th of August last. The undersigned having stated to Mr McLane, in his above-mentioned note, that, under such circumstances, all difficulty on the part of Great Britain, in the way of the renewal of the intercourse between the United States and the West Indies, according to the proposition made by Mr McLane, would be removed, he has now the honor to transmit to Mr Mc A Lane the accompanying copy of such permission should be subject an order issued by His Majesty to certain conditions, it is therein council this day, for regulating fore enacted, that the privileges the commercial intercourse between the United States and His Majesty's possessions abroad. The undersigned avails himself of this occasion to renew to Mr McLane the assurances of his highest consideration. thereby granted to foreign ships shall be limited to the ships of those countries which, having coThe undersigned cannot omit lonial possessions, shall grant the this opportunity of expressing to like privilege of trading with those Mr McLane the satisfaction of possessions to British ships, or His Majesty's Government at the which, not having colonial possespromptitude and frankness with sions, shall place the commerce which the President of the Unit- and navigation of this country and ed States has concurred in the of its possessions abroad upon the view taken by them of this ques- footing of the most favored nation, tion; and at the consequent ex- unless his Majesty, by his order in tension of that commercial inter- Council, shall in any case deem it course which it is so much the in- expedient to grant the whole or terest of both countries to main- any of such privileges to the ships tain, and which His Majesty will of any foreign country, although alway be found sincerely desirous the conditions aforesaid shall not to promote by all the means in his in all respects be fulfilled by such power. foreign country:' And whereas, by a certain order of his said late Majesty in Council, bearing date the 27th day of July, 1826, after reciting that the conditions mentioned and referred to in the said act of Parliament had not in all respects been fulfilled by the Government of the United States of America, and that, therefore, the privileges so granted as aforesaid by the law of navigation to foreign ships could not lawfully be exercised or enjoyed by the ships of the United States aforesaid, unless His Majesty, by his order in Council, should grant the whole or any of such privileges to the ships of the United States aforesaid, his said late Majesty did, in pursuance of the powers in him vested by the said act, grant the privileges aforesaid to the ships of the said United States, but did thereby provide and declare that such privileges should absolutely cease and determine in His Ma ABERDEEN. LOUIS MCLANE, Esq., &c, &c, &c. At the Court at St James', Whereas, by a certain act of Parliament, passed in the 6th year of the reign of his late Majesty King George the fourth, entitled An act to regulate the trade of the British possessions abroad,' after reciting that, 'by the law of navigation, foreign ships are permitted to import into any of the British possessions abroad, from the countries to which they belong, goods the produce of those countries, and to export goods from such possessions to be carried to any foreign country whatever, and that it is expedient that |