sidered the award
as not obligatory and advised me to open a further negotiation, the
proposition was immediately made to the British Government, but the
circumstances to which I have alluded have hitherto prevented any answer
being given to the overture. Early attention, however, has been promised
to the subject, and every effort on my part will be made for a
satisfactory settlement of this question, interesting to the Union
generally, and particularly so to one of its members.

The claims of our citizens on Spain are not yet acknowledged. On a
closer investigation of them than appears to have heretofore taken place
it was discovered that some of these demands, however strong they might
be upon the equity of that Government, were not such as could be made
the subject of national interference; and faithful to the principle of
asking nothing but what was clearly right, additional instructions have
been sent to modify our demands so as to embrace those only on which,
according to the laws of nations, we had a strict right to insist. An
inevitable delay in procuring the documents necessary for this review of
the merits of these claims retarded this operation until an unfortunate
malady which has afflicted His Catholic Majesty prevented an examination
of them. Being now for the first time presented in an unexceptionable
form, it is confidently hoped that the application will be successful.

I have the satisfaction to inform you that the application I directed to
be made for the delivery of a part of the archives of Florida, which had
been carried to The Havannah, has produced a royal order for their
delivery, and that measures have been taken to procure its execution.

By the report of the Secretary of State communicated to you on the 25th
June last you were informed of the conditional reduction obtained by the
minister of the United States at Madrid of the duties on tonnage levied
on American shipping in the ports of Spain. The condition of that
reduction having been complied with on our part by the act passed the
13th of July last, I have the satisfaction to inform you that our ships
now pay no higher nor other duties in the continental ports of Spain
than are levied on their national vessels.

The demands against Portugal for illegal captures in the blockade of
Terceira have been allowed to the full amount of the accounts presented
by the claimants, and payment was promised to be made in three
installments. The first