_Washington, March 6, 1840_.
HENRY S. FOX, Esq., etc.:
By the directions of the President, the undersigned, Secretary of State
of the United States, communicates to Mr. Fox, envoy extraordinary and
minister plenipotentiary of Great Britain, the inclosed copy of a
report[65] made to the governor of the State of Maine by the agent
commissioned on the part of the authorities of that State to ascertain
the precise character and extent of the occupation of parts of the
disputed territory by troops of Her Britannic Majesty and of the
buildings and other public works constructed for their use and
accommodation.
By that report and the three depositions which the undersigned
informally communicated to Mr. Fox a few days since he will perceive
that there must be some extraordinary misapprehension on his part of the
facts in relation to the occupation by British troops of portions of
the disputed territory. The statements contained in these documents and
that given by Mr. Fox in his note of the 20th of January last exhibit a
striking discrepancy as to the number of troops now in the territory as
compared with those who were in it when the arrangement between Governor
Fairfield and Lieutenant-Governor Harvey was agreed upon, and also as
to the present and former state of the buildings there. The extensive
accommodations prepared and preparing at an old and at new stations, the
works finished and in the course of construction on the land and on the
water, are not in harmony with the assurance that the only object is
the preservation of a few unimportant buildings and storehouses for the
temporary protection of the number of troops Her Majesty's ordinary
service can require to pass on the road from New Brunswick to Canada.
The undersigned will abstain from any remarks upon these contradictory
statements until Mr. Fox shall have had an opportunity to obtain the
means of fully explaining them. How essential it is that this should be
promptly done, and that the steps necessary to a faithful observance
on the part of Her Majesty's colonial authorities of the existing
agreements between the two Governments should be immediately taken,
Mr. Fox can not fail fully to understand.
The undersigned avails himself of the occasion to renew to Mr. Fox
assurances of his high consideration.