departure from the reciprocity of conduct, stipulated for by the treaty
of February the 6th, 1776. The effect of that treaty is, to place each
party with the other, always on the footing of the most favored nation.
But those who framed the acts, probably did not consider the treaty as
restraining either from discriminating between foreigners and natives.
Yet this is the sole effect of these acts. The same opinion, as to
the meaning of the treaty, seems to have been entertained by this
government, both before and since the date of these acts. For the
_Arret_ of the King's Council, of August the 30th, 1784, furnished
an example of such a discrimination between foreigners and natives,
importing salted fish into his Majesty's dominions in the West Indies;
by laying a duty on that imported, by foreigners, and giving out the
same, in bounty, to native importers. This opinion shows itself more
remarkably in the late _Arrets_ of the 18th and 25th of September,
which, increasing to excess the duty on foreign importations of fish
into the West Indies, giving the double, in bounty, on those of
natives, and thereby rendering it impossible for the former to sell in
competition with the latter, have, in effect, prohibited the importation
of that article by the citizens of the United States.

Both nations, perhaps, may come into the opinion, that their friendship
and their interests may be better cemented, by approaching the condition
of their citizens, reciprocally, to that of natives, as a better ground
of intercourse than that of the most favored nation. I shall rest with
hopes of being authorized, in due time, to inform your Excellency that
nothing will be wanting, on our part, to evince a disposition to concur
in revising whatever regulations may, on either side, bear hard on
the commerce of the other nation. In the mean time I have the honor to
assure you of the profound respect and esteem, with which

I have the honor to be,

your Excellency's

most obedient and most humble servant,

Th: Jefferson.

LETTER CXXXVII.--TO LISTER ASQUITH, November 23, 1785

TO LISTER ASQUITH.

Paris, November 23, 1785.

Sir,

I have received your letter of the 14th instant. It was not till the 8th
of this month, that I could obtain information from any quarter, of
the particular court in which your prosecution was instituted, and the
ground on which it was founded. I then received it through the hands of
Monsieur Desbordes, at