nd to comply with the
call of the House would be to make public through that channel, and to
communicate to Mexico, now a public enemy engaged in war, information
which could not fail to produce serious embarrassment in any future
negotiation between the two countries. I have heretofore communicated to
Congress all the correspondence of the minister of the United States to
Mexico which in the existing state of our relations with that Republic
can, in my judgment, be at this time communicated without serious injury
to the public interest.

Entertaining this conviction, and with a sincere desire to furnish any
information which may be in possession of the executive department, and
which either House of Congress may at any time request, I regard it to
be my constitutional right and my solemn duty under the circumstances of
this case to decline a compliance with the request of the House
contained in their resolution.

JAMES K. POLK.

WASHINGTON, _January 21, 1848_.

_To the Senate of the United States_:

I herewith communicate to the Senate, for its consideration, a declaration
of the Government of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, bearing
date at the city of Schwerin on the 9th December, 1847, acceding
substantially to the stipulations of our treaty of commerce and
navigation with Hanover of the 10th June, 1846.

Under the twelfth article of this treaty--

The United States agree to extend all the advantages and privileges
contained in the stipulations of the present treaty to one or more of
the other States of the Germanic Confederation which may wish to accede
to them, by means of an official exchange of declarations, provided that
such State or States shall confer similar favors upon the said United
States to those conferred by the Kingdom of Hanover, and observe and be
subject to the same conditions, stipulations, and obligations.

This declaration of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin is submitted
to the Senate, because in its eighth and eleventh articles it is not the
same in terms with the corresponding articles of our treaty with
Hanover. The variations, however, are deemed unimportant, while the
admission of our "paddy," or rice in the husk, into Mecklenburg-Schwerin
free of import duty is an important concession not contained in the
Hanoverian treaty. Others might be mentioned, which will appear upon
inspection. Still, as the stipulations in the two articles just
mentione