HENRY DUNANT, Originator of the Geneva Convention, Honorable Lnternalional Secretary to General Schenck , Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America at London, December 12, 1874

Delegates of the Anti-Slavery Committee to General Schenck.

Sir: We have the honor to request your excellency to have the kindness to transmit to the Government of the United States of America the inclosed memorandum, of the international antislavery committee, sitting at London. We hope that the Government of the United States will condescend to entertain the respectful request of the international antislavery committee, for the sake of humanity, which is its only motive. We are happy to be able to add that the committee has great hopes of seeing at the conference mentioned in the memorandum delegates ad audiendum et ad referendum of the powers who were signers of the declaration of the congress of Vienna relative to the abolition of the slave-trade, which it would he so desirable to see reiterated with the participation therein of all civilized states.

Accept, sir, the assurance of profound respect with which we have the honor to be,

Your excellency’s most humble and obedient servants, the delegates of the executive committee,