attention of the Congress to
the necessity of providing more precise and definite regulations for
counting the electoral vote.

It is of the gravest importance that this question be solved before
conflicting claims to the Presidency shall again distract the country,
and I am persuaded that by the people at large any of the measures of
relief thus far proposed would be preferred to continued inaction.

Our relations with all foreign powers continue to be amicable.

With Belgium a convention has been signed whereby the scope of present
treaties has been so enlarged as to secure to citizens of either country
within the jurisdiction of the other equal rights and privileges in the
acquisition and alienation of property. A trade-marks treaty has also
been concluded.

The war between Chile an4 Peru is at an end. For the arbitration of the
claims of American citizens who during its continuance suffered through
the acts of the Chilean authorities a convention will soon be
negotiated.

The state of hostilities between France and China continues to be an
embarrassing feature of our Eastern relations. The Chinese Government
has promptly adjusted and paid the claims of American citizens whose
property was destroyed in the recent riots at Canton. I renew the
recommendation of my last annual message, that the Canton indemnity fund
be returned to China.

The true interpretation of the recent treaty with that country
permitting the restriction of Chinese immigration is likely to be again
the subject of your deliberations. It may be seriously questioned
whether the statute passed at the last session does not violate the
treaty rights of certain Chinese who left this country with return
certificates valid under the old law, and who now seem to be debarred
from relanding for lack of the certificates required by the new.

The recent purchase by citizens of the United States of a large trading
fleet heretofore under the Chinese flag has considerably enhanced our
commercial importance in the East. In view of the large number of
vessels built or purchased by American citizens in other countries and
exclusively employed in legitimate traffic between foreign ports under
the recognized protection of our flag, it might be well to provide a
uniform rule for their registration and documentation, so that the
_bona fide_ property rights of our citizens therein shall be duly
evidenced and properly guarded.

Pursuant to the advice of the Sena