GREAT BRITAIN.                          469

special favors from our Government should at least be exempt from the open
hostility
of its officials.
  It seems unfair for a representative of the United States at a foreign
government to
lend a willing ear and the influence of his office to the schemes of those
who have no
other interest in the business than the hope that something may be made out
of it.
But it seems still more unfair that the official charges reported by this
representative
to his Government, should be by the latter given to the public, with an implied
indorsement of their accuracy, without notice to the party charged; and without
inquiry as to the truth of the allegations.
      I have the honor:to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
                                             WILLIAM ORTON, President.


                                No. 280.
                      General Schenck to Mr. Fish.
No. 442.]              LE-GATION OF THE UNITED STATES,
                           London, July 7, 1873. (Received July 22.)
  SIR: My No. 398, in relation to charges on telegraphic-cable messages,
having been made public through the newspapers in the United States,
has also been copied and attracted attention here. On its appearance
in print, in the correspondence of the London Times, a letter of com-
plaint was addressed to me by the general manager of the Anglo-
American Telegraph Company in London, to which I replied. I send
you herewith copies of the communication of that company ýand my
answer thereto.
  You will observe that the Anglo-American Company, instead of meet-
ing and controverting the statement that there exists some arrangement
by which excessive charges are collected in London for the transmission
of cable-messages over the land-lines in the United States, attempts to
make with me an irrelevant issue in regard to some supposed reduction
of prices paid by the Government. This I do not permit. The system
of overcharges which I brought to your notice is that which relates to
exactions made here for sending intelligence over the wires within the
1United States to points south and west of New York.
  No response has been made by the cable company to my replysent
to them on the 30th June.
  The Western Union Company, I presume, will put forward some
,explanation or denial, now that my letter to you has come out and
provoked discussion, but I trust they will not answer aside from the
question which has been fairly raised.
       I have, &c.,
                                              ROB'T C. SCHENCK,

                            fInclosure 1 in No. 442.]
                        Mr. Weaver to General Schenck.
                        ANGLO-AMERICAN TELEGRAPH COMPANY LIMITED,
                               26 Old Broad Street, London, E. C., June 27,1873.
  Sir: Referring to your letter addressed to Mr. Hamilton Fish, upon the
subject of
'this company's tariff, which appeared in the Philadelphia correspondeuce
of the Times
of yesterday, and in which you state that the alleged "systematic imposition"
has
resulted in a large difference to the Government of the United States during
the past
year, I would draw your attention to the fact that, instead of being overcharged,
your
Government has only paid half the current rates of the company for some years
past,
a concession made by the companies to the American Government as a pure matter
of
eourtesy, which appears to me to be somewhat ill-requited by the unwarranted
stric-
:tures containned in yonr le~tter.
      I am, &c -, & c,
                                                       H. WEAVER,
                                                       General Manager.