I have just now received from the Secretary of the Navy, by which it appears that the Iroquois will forthwith go out to strengthen the United States naval forces in European waters. I approve of your instructions to Captain Winslow. It will be proper for you, nevertheless, while informing M. Drouyn de l'Huys that I do so in a spirit of courtesy towards France, to go further, and inform him that the United States do not admit a right of France to interfere with their ships-of-war at any distance exceeding three miles. Especially must we disallow a claim of France so to interfere in any conflict that we find it necessary to wage in European waters with piratical vessels like the Alabama, built, armed, manned, and equipped, and received as a belligerent in opposition to our persistent remonstrances to commit depredations on our Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this date, enclosing a copy of a despatch from Mr. Dayton, United States minister at Paris, on the subject of the insurgent steamer Alabama, and desiring to be informed whether it is the intention of the Navy Department to order to Europe the additional naval force to which Mr. Dayton refers. In reply, I would state that the United States steamer Niagara, Commodore T. T. Craven, sailed from New York early in June for Antwerp, and orders have to-day been issued for the United States steamer Iroquois, Commander C. R. P. Rodgers, to proceed immediately to Brest. In advising you of the movements of these steamers, I must be permitted to state, with due deference to the opinions of others, that I cannot see of what advantage their presence in European waters will be. They will be denied. access, except at stated periods, to European ports; they can commit no hostile act in them, nor are they allowed to blockade them. Thus they will be of but little service in arresting the course of the rebel privateers, which have every advantage in their favor. Even were it advisable to attempt a blockade of any of the ports, a large force would be required. From actual experience on our own coast we know the difficulty of maintaining a blockade-fifteen or twenty vessels being required in some instances to make it effective. If I mistake not, Mr. Adams, our minister at London, has frequently intimated that the presence of our men-of-war in European waters was only a cause of irritation, and of but little practical benefit. Very respectfully, &c., Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, GIDEON WELLES, No. 504.] Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward. PARIS, July 7, 1864. SIR: Yours, No. 565, advising me to inquire of Mr. Carvallo, the minister of Chili at Brussels, if it shall be pretended that the rams now being built at Bor deaux have been ordered by Chili, I have received, and shall not fail to ac upon it, if it become necessary. But Chili has a minister here, Mr. Rosales, who is my immediate neighbor, and with whom my relations are very good. He was at one time, on the part of Chili, making all necessary inquiries about these vessels, and, if I remember rightly, got the contracts under which they were built, or copies of them, from me. I will have no difficulty in learning from him whatever may or may not be done here for Chili. But Europe is so disturbed just now that this class of vessels, and vesselsof-war indeed of any kind, may find purchasers. The newspapers assume it as a fact settled, that the two clipper ships which have left, or are about to leave, Bordeaux for Amsterdam have been bought by Prussia. This I hope may be so, but I am by no means sure of it. In the Gironde, published at Bordeaux on the 5th instant, is the communication in the accompanying slip, which I send you as containing the substance of all the newspaper notices on this subject. I am, sir, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, &c., &c., &c. WM. L. DAYTON. P. S. Since writing the above, M. Drouyn de l'Huys has assured me that the Yeddo has gone into the possession and ownership of Prussia; and that this vessel carries her flag, and has a Prussian crew aboard; which, by the way, he says is against his intention, and in direct violation of Arman's promise to him to deliver this ship to a neutral in the port of Amsterdam. But Arman's misstatements to his own government have been so often repeated that it is difthcult to understand how a man of M. Drouyn de l'Huys's sagacity could have permitted himself to be again deceived by him. D. [Translation of slip from the Gironde of the 5th of July, 1864.] The following communication relative to the Yeddo, a vessel-of-war built by Mr. Arman, has been addressed to us: BORDEAUX, July 4, 1864. 66 MR. EDITOR: I have just read in the last number of your estimable journal an article concerning the steamer Yeddo, which left here on the 22d of June, as it was alleged, for Amsterdam. It is with astonishment that I. find you so ill-informed in this matter, for, since Saturday, at least, it has been no longer a secret that the Yeddo had arrived at Bremershaven, after a passage of three days, and that she now forms a part of the Prussian navy. We read, in fact, in the Boersenhalle of Hamburg, of the 29th of June, as follows: Arrived at Bremershaven the French corvette the Yeddo, Huet, commander, from Bordeaux." And again: "The arrival of the French steam corvette the Yeddo, Huet, commander, at Bremershaven, is signalized to us; this vessel has displayed, since her arrival in port, the Prussian colors." All the newspapers, including the Gironde, speak of two vessels-of-war bought by Prussia in France, and expected shortly in one of the German ports of the North Sea. These vessels were to bear the names of Augusta and Victoria; one of them, therefore, has already arrived, and is of course the Yeddo, which will receive the name of Augusta. The other vessel, intended to be baptized Victoria, is the Osacca, not yet finished at Bordeaux, but which will go to sea in a few days. These two vessels, destined originally for the confederates of America, were acquired by Prussia about two months ago. At that time there were two officers of the Prussian navy at Bordeaux, who purchased them of Mr. Arman, the builder. It seems that the building of vessels-of-war by Mr. Arman has been very satisfactory to the Prussian officers, and it is certain that Mr. Arman has received heavy orders from the Prussian government. Assuredly the fact that Mr. Arman has for a week been at Berlin will not negative this assertion. Accept, &c., SOLBET Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward. No. 505.] PARIS, July 8, 1864. SIR: Your despatch, No. 585, in reference to the movements of the Japanese ambassadors, and the completion in the United States of the ships-of-war for Japan, was duly received. I believe you are already apprised of the fact that the ambassadors have unexpectedly returned to their own country, and that they will not at present visit the United States. There is no necessity, therefore, to ascertain their number with a view of preparing sufficient and proper accommodations for them on their return, as requested in Mr. Weed's letter. M. Drouyn de l'Huys informs me that their sudden return was unexpected to him, as he was informed, when they came, that after visiting France they would go to England, and thence to other countries. Their immediate return to Japan must have been equally unexpected to their own government, for since their departure their government has sent, through our consul at Kanagawa, to my care, as I am informed, for them, five boxes and one parcel, which arrived at Marseilles two or three days after they left that port. I have directed our consul at Marseilles to retain possession of the boxes, &c., until he can receive further instructions from Japan. I am, sir, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. WM. L. DAYTON. Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward. No. 506.1 PARIS, July 8, 1864. SIR: When thanking M. Drouyn de l'Huys, as directed in your despatch, No. 584, for the conciliating counsel given by this government in the difficulty between Spain and Peru, he took occasion to say that he did not think Spain was disposed to press any unjust claim or demand against Peru; that she asked only a disavowal of one or two acts or wrongs, and she would at once abandon the Chincha islands and enter into friendly negotiations again. M. Drouyn de l'Huys did not clearly explain, or at least I did not clearly understand, the extent and scope of those acts the disavowal of which was demanded. He seemed, however, to be impressed with the idea that the controversy between the two countries was susceptible of settlement without serious difficulty. I am, sir, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. WM. L. DAYTON. No. 507.] Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward. PARIS, July 8, 1864. A copy of the despatch of Mr. Mansfield to your department, dated 10th of February last, was transmitted by me, according to instructions to the minister of foreign affairs, as stating more explicitly the character of injury suffered by Mr. Mansfield, and the reparations demanded. Herewith I transmit to you a translation of M. Drouyn de l'Huys's answer to his and your last communication. I am, sir, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. WM. L. DAYTON. Mr. Drouyn de l'Huys to M. Dayton. [Translation.] Memorandum. JULY, 1864. The minister of foreign affairs of the Emperor has examined the letter of Mr. Mansfield to Mr. Seward, which M. the minister of the United States has been pleased to communicate to him. This paper has enabled M. Drouyn de l'Huys to account better than he had been able to do up to the present time, in the absence of all information of the occurrence relative to M. the consul of the United States at Tabasco. It appears from it that Mr. Mansfield, without valid reasons, and simply in consequence of false imputations, has been taken from his consulate, imprisoned, and maltreated; and that, though at the time he was writing he had been permitted to return to his consulate, still he was not permitted to go away from it, nor to resume his official functions, nor to put himself in relations with his fellow-countrymen. The proceedings of which Mr. Mansfield complains have, without any doubt, a most regretable character, since this agent engages his word that nothing in his conduct, nor in his language, has been of a nature to justify them. M. Drouyn de l'Huys congratulates himself, however, upon learning that the first information which was given to him by Mr. Dayton is not confirmed; and that it is not at Vera Cruz, as was at first supposed, that the American consul, after having been sent there, had been shut up and condemned to one year's imprisonment. If, indeed, this had been so, it would very probably have been for the French authorities to furnish the explanations which the measures taken, apparently, if not by themselves, at least with their assent, admit of. It appears, on the contrary, from the despatch of Mr. Mansfield, that he has not quitted Tabasco, and that it is solely from the authorities of this city that an account is to be asked for the proceedings of which he has been the object. But these authorities were Mexican; they were not constituted with the concurrence of the French forces, who have not occupied Tabasco, and they do not act with their support. No participation in their acts could then be ascribed to these latter, who, if they have momentarily shown themselves at Tabasco, (of which the government of the Emperor is as yet ignorant,) have never established themselves there, and have never been able to intervene in any manner whatever in the events of this locality. Hence it does not appertain to the government of the Emperor to judge of the facts which have taken place there; much less can it be responsible for acts emanating from an authority, more or less regular, over which it has exercised no control. It can only deplore the acts of violence with which the accused Mexicans are reproached, and it is not to be wondered at; moreover, that at a point where internal struggles still continue, one of these illegalities should occur-one of these violations of international law of which Mexico has so sadly multiplied examples for a number of years past. This is the fruit of the anarchy to which this country has so long been a prey, and a reason for every one to wish the establishment and consolidation of a more moral and a stronger government. There is reason to think, moreover, that the position of Mr. Mansfield must have changed a short time after the period at which he wrote, for the Mexicau chiefs who at that date, that is to say, in the month of February last, occupied Tabasco, were no longer there in the month of May, having evacuated the place. Whatever the case may be, and although the French consul at Vera Cruz has evidently not been able, up to the present time, to transmit the information upon this affair which had been asked of him, the minister of the Emperor, at Mexico, will be written to again concerning it, as he will be requested to proceed as far as shall lie in his power to an inquiry into this regretable occur rence. No. 601.] Mr. Seward to Mr. Dayton. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, July 8, 1864. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 20th of June, No. 492. I thank you sincerely for the very interesting and detailed account which you have given me of the engagement between the Kearsarge and the Alabama, which ended in the destruction of that troublesome piratical vessel. I approve of all that you have done in relation to that affair, and especially of your instructions to Captain Winslow in regard to the captured crew of the Alabama. This government regards with eminent satisfaction the heroism and skill which were exhibited by Captain Winslow, and the officers and men under his command, and the whole country awards to them tributes of praise and gratitude. Nevertheless we hear, with deep regret, that Captain Winslow, without waiting for your reply to his inquiries on the subject, paroled and released most of the prisoners which fell into his hands. The President's disapproval of that important proceeding will be made known to the captain through the Navy Department. It will be your duty to inform M. Drouyn de l'Huys of that disapproval in order to prevent injurious inferences which otherwise might be drawn from the transaction. You will at the same time inform M. Drouyn de l'Huys that this government does not regard the Alabama, nor any other vessel wearing the same character, as belonging to a recognized or lawful belligerent. I am, sir, your obedient servant, WILLIAM L. DAYTON, Esq., &c., &c., &c. WILLIAM H. SEWARD. No. 602.] Mr. Seward to Mr. Dayton. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, July 11, 1864. SIR: Your despatch of June 22, No. 493, has been received. I have communicated to the Secretary of the Navy the information it contains concerning the naval engagement between the Kearsarge and the Alabama. |