To the House of Representatives:
In answer to two resolutions of the House of Representatives of the 23d instant, in the following words, respectively--
Resolved . That the House of Representatives respectfully request the President of the United States to urge upon the Canadian authorities, and also the British Government, the release of the Fenian prisoners recently captured in Canada;
Resolved , That this House respectfully request the President to cause the prosecutions instituted in the United States courts against the Fenians to be discontinued, if compatible with the public interest--
I transmit a report on the subject from the Secretary of State, together with the documents which accompany it.
ANDREW JOHNSON.
Andrew Johnson, Special Message Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/202436