individuals, or perhaps governments, may not agree as to what these bearings really are.  Great Britain has discussions, if not controversies, with other great European states upon the subject of visit or search.  These states will naturally make their own commentary on the treaty of Washington, and draw their own inferences from the fact that such a treaty has been entered into.  Its stipulations, in the mean time, are plain, explicit, and satisfactory to both parties, and will be fulfilled on the part of the United States, and, it is not doubted, on the part of Great Britain also, with the utmost good faith.

Holding this to be the true character of the treaty, I might, perhaps, excuse myself from entering into the consideration of the grounds of that claim of a right to visit merchant-ships for certain purposes, in time of peace, which Lord Aberdeen asserts for the British government, and declares that it can never surrender.  But I deem it right, nevertheless, and no more than justly respectful toward the British government, not to leave the point without remark.

In his recent message to Congress, the President, referring to the language of Lord Aberdeen in his note to Mr. Everett of the 20th of December, 1841, and in his late despatch to Mr. Fox, says:  “These declarations may well lead us to doubt whether the apparent difference between the two governments is not rather one of definition than of principle.”

Lord Aberdeen, in his note to you of the 20th of December, says:  “The undersigned again renounces, as he has already done in the most explicit terms, any right on the part of the British government to search American vessels in time of peace.  The right of search, except when specially conceded by treaty, is a pure belligerent right, and can have no existence on the high seas during peace.  The undersigned apprehends, however, that the right of search is not confined to the verification of the nationality of the vessel, but also extends to the object of the voyage and the nature of the cargo.  The sole purpose of the British cruisers is to ascertain whether the vessels they meet with are really American or not.  The right asserted has, in truth, no resemblance to the right of search, either in principle or practice.  It is simply a right to satisfy the party who has a legitimate interest in knowing the truth, that the vessel actually is what her colors announce.  This right we concede as freely as we exercise.  The British cruisers are not instructed to detain American vessels under any circumstances whatever; on the contrary, they are ordered to abstain from all interference with them, be they slavers or otherwise.  But where reasonable suspicion exists that the American flag has been abused for the purpose of covering the vessel of another nation, it would appear scarcely credible, had it not been made manifest by the repeated protestations of their representative, that the government of the United States, which has stigmatized and abolished the trade itself, should object to the adoption of such means as are indispensably necessary for ascertaining the truth.”