HENRY DUNANT, Originator of the Diplomatic Geneva Convention, and founder of the Bed Cross in Europe, Honorable International Secretary to To His Excellency the Secretary for Foreign Affairs Of the United States of North America, at the Foreign Office, Washington, December 12, 1874

Delegates of the Anti-Slavery Committee to Mr. Fish.

Sir: We have the honor to inform you that the international antislavery committee, constituted in London by special delegates of the British and Foreign Antislavery Society and the Universal Alliance, have charged us to call your attention to the inclosed “memorandum,” and to express the hope that you will appoint a delegate ad audiendum et ad referendum to the conference which it is proposed to hold in London on the 1st of February, 1875, with the view of renewing, by a diplomatic act, participated in by all the civilized powers, the declaration of the congress of Vienna, dated February 8, 1815, relative to the slave-trade, and the resolutions adopted by the diplomatic conference of Verona, dated November 28, 1822. The overtures already made, in accordance with the mission confided to us, to the other governments, signatories of the said treaties, having been favorably received, the conference will have to take into consideration the best means to be adopted in order to renew a declaration so conformable to ideas of civilization and humanity.

Accept, sir, the assurances of respect, with which we have the honor to subscribe ourselves, &c.,

The delegates of the said committee,