many, and is expected here by the end of the week. His presence, together with that of M. de Brouckere and of M. Cumont, an invalid, will give the required quorum (one more than half the whole number of members) and majority to enable the cabinet to carry its measures. It is probable, therefore, that the remaining sections of the budget and the bill of M. Orts will be passed immediately upon his arrival. I hardly think that this will lead to any more serious steps than a manifesto on the part of the "conservative" party. The dissolution of the Chambers will probably take place in any event in October, and new elections held with a better prospect, in view of the addition of members to be given by the bill of M. Orts, of obtaining a small majority for the cabinet. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. Mr. Sanford to Mr. Seward. No. 202.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: It was believed that the house of representatives would be able to proceed with business on the 9th instant, the presence of M. Tesch, with that of M. Cumont, the invalid member, assuring the necessary quorum of fifty-nine and a majority of one for the government. M. Cumont, who was to have been transported to the house on that day, was unable to be present, and the fifty-eight members separated to meet again on the 12th. On the 10th M. Cumont died. The government is consequently left without a majority, and the house without a quorum in the absence of the conservative members. On the 12th they again came together, and, after calling the roll, the president announced that due notice would be given of the next sitting. The following day the senate, after completing the business before it, received communication of a royal decree closing the legislative session of 1863-'64; a decree of dissolution of the house and ordering new elections will doubtless soon follow, and the canvass cannot but be a very excited one. The government thus finds itself without the usual appropriations for the department of public works; it is the most important of all, the administration of the railroads of the state falling under this head; but I presume the public service will not be permitted to suffer, and that the cabinet will direct the usual expenditure to be made, relying upon subsequent sanction by parliament. I understand that the dissolution of the house of representatives will be announced immediately, and elections ordered for early in September. This, however, does not appear to me to be a solution of the difficulty; the elections will be closely contested, and if the conservatives come into power, it will probably be by a small majority. They will have against them the senate, where there is a "liberal" majority of six, and the only recourse would appear in such event to be a dissolution of that body, with the chances of failure to replace it by a senate having a majority of their friends. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. No. 203.] Mr. Sanford to Mr. Seward. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Brussels, July 14, 1864. SIR: The Niagara frigate, Commodore Craven commander, came up the river Scheldt, anchored off Antwerp on the 27th, the day of the exchange of the ratification of the treaty for the extinguishment of the Scheldt dues. She attracted great attention, and the effect of her presence, it being the first appearance, I believe, of any American ship-of-war at that port, has been excellent. Some information, which I transmitted to her commander, of a rumor that the Florida had been seen in the channel, occasioned her departure on the 2d for a short cruise. By despatch from Commodore Craven, under date of yesterday p. m., I learn that she had just entered Flushing, and would be there for four days. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. Mr. Sanford to Mr. Seward. No. 205.] LEGATION OF the United STATES, SIR: The King, travelling incognito under the name of Count d'Ardennes, left Brussels for Paris on the 19th instant, and after visiting the Empress, the following day proceeded to Vichy, where the Emperor has been for some days past. He will probably, I understand, remain there a week or two. This visit has naturally given rise to many conjectures, among which the settlement of the Danish question, a new phase in the relations between France and Great Britain, and the possibility of a marriage between the Count de Flandre, now in Paris, and the Princess Anna Murat, are most prominent. The country meanwhile is absorbed in preparations for the coming electoral struggle. It is proposed, I understand, on the part of the liberals, to nominate all the members of the late house, supporters of the government for re-election. The opposition is making unusual efforts, and the struggle bids fair to be a most exc ted and bitter one, and does not promise to give to either party a very decided majority. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. Mr. Sanford to Mr. Seward. No. 206.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, . Brussels, July 21, 1864. SIR: I have had the honor to receive your despatch, No. 133, under date of the 4th instant, with enclosures. The Niagara and Sacramento are now at Antwerp; have been well received, and no objection offered to their frequent visits, to taking supplies, or getting 17 C repairs; on the contrary, I have reason to believe that their visits afford gratification to the authorities, as their presence has been of excellent effect upon them and the people of the country generally. So long as the policy of Great Britain and France forbids the usual courtesy and aid to our national ships, which we extend to those of all friendly powers, the Scheldt, with its easy access, commanding position, safe shelter, and abundant supplies, would seem to afford all the facilities which are denied them elsewhere. I am informed by Commodore Craven and Captain Walke that the authorities at Flushing have also given them a hearty welcome, and extended to them every accommodation, and I cannot but express the hope that we shall ask as little hospitality as is compatible with the exigencies of the public service in the ports of those countries which give it so grudgingly. Supplies of all kinds can be obtained, probably cheaper than at any other port, at Flushing or Antwerp. Arrangements can easily be made here or in England for the delivery of coals alongside the ships at stated places, and the Belgian coals are, I believe, preferred by our engineers. The ships could appear constantly off the French and English ports, communicate with our officials, and exercise all necessary vigilance without entering them, save by stress of weather, if this treatment of our national flag is to continue. There seems, however, to be a disposition not to insist upon a rigorous application of the existing regulations to our ships-of-war, judging from the fact that the Kearsarge is permitted, without objection, to lie in wait for the Rappahannock, now at Calais, from the opposite port of Dover. The destruction of the Alabama by the Kearsarge, and the frequent appearance of our ships-of-war in or off neighboring ports, has been productive of good effects on the public mind. Attention has been thus drawn to our naval strength, and details concerning our vessels, their armament, &c., are given in the press and eagerly sought by the public. An end, too, has been put to the reproach often made, that while making so frequent reclamations touching the building or harboring of rebel craft we did not show interest enough in their capture to keep even a force equal to that of the "confederates" within ten days' sail of our principal navy yard; that but one steamer, the Kearsarge, was in the waters off the French and English coast, when three confederated war vessels, and seven more rapidly approaching completion, were in ports of France. In this connexion I would again call your attention to the possibility of procuring seamen for our navy in this country. As has been before observed, there is no legal impediment in Belgium to the engagement of soldiers or sailors for our service. Apart from the easy access from the Baltic ports, where the best sailors of Europe are to be found, there are many Belgians employed on the canals here who have been for the most part sailors or fishermen on the high seas, and who now, owing to the competition of the railways, finding their calling unremunerative, would, if opportunity offered, seek, I doubt not, service in our navy. If we had, as suggested in a previous despatch, a receiving-ship in the Scheldt (say at Flushing) to which sailors could be directly sent, and from which they could be transferred for distribution to our navy yards or to other vessels, I think a great saving might be made in the bounties now given for seamen, as well as of time in procuring the crews we so urgently need. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. No. 209.] Mr. Sanford to Mr. Seward. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Brussels, August 12, 1864. SIR: The King returned here from Vichy on the 9th instant. The general elections for the house of representatives, held on yesterday, passed off, although amid great excitement, more quietly than had been apprehended. The incomplete returns, obtained through unofficial sources, are more favorable to the "liberal" party than its partisans even seem to have anticipated. It has carried, by small majorities, its whole ticket in the two districts where the elections were most bitterly and sharply contested-Bruges and Ghent-and M. Dechamps, the leader of the " conservative" party, has been defeated at Charleroi. The cabinet is thus secure in its place, and will, it is now believed here, have a majority of twelve votes in the house. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c.. &c. P. S.-I have had the honor to receive your despatch No. 134. H. S. S. No. 210.] Mr. Sanford to Mr. Seward. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Brussels, August 19, 1864. SIR: The election returns confirm the report in my last despatch of a majority of twelve for the cabinet in the house of representatives. There will be, probably, some contested seats, but I hardly think this majority will be materially changed. The election has been a very close one, the majority of "liberals" on the aggregate vote of the whole country, which was over 83,000, appearing to have been about 500. The strongholds of the "liberal" party continue to be the great centres of trade and industry, while those of the "conservatives" are the rural districts. In Brussels and other districts, with two or three exceptions, where, heretofore, these have rarely made opposition on account of the overwhelming strength of their opponents, they have put up their candidates for election, and have thus been able to count pretty correctly their strength in the country. 66 Since 1857 the liberal" party has been gradually losing ground, and but for the act of the "conservatives" in breaking up the house of representatives by their organized abstention from its sessions-an act not approved by the whole party, while it united the "liberals," and gave them a cause of complaint before the country-the probabilities were that the "conservatives" would have come into power. If the leaders of the "liberal" party will profit by their narrow escape, and turn their attention rather to measures touching the industrial and commercial affairs of the country than to questions which bring them in collision with the faith and religious belief of a large portion of the population, and which the natural jealousy of the influence of the Church of Rome in their internal affairs has excited, I think that they are assured a long lease of power. It is the acrimonious discussions which have been raised on questions touching the privileges and powers of the church, or institutions under it, which have created the profitless bitterness and rancor between parties, and which, in case of the victory of the "conservatives," would, doubtless, have led to acts of violence in some places. The country is very prosperous; its people have a larger measure of liberty, greater freedom of political action, and, in their municipal life, approach more nearly self-government than in any monarchy in Europe. There would seem to be no reason why, with more attention paid by political parties to the material interests of the country and the wants of the masses, and less to questions which clash with faith or religious scruples or liberty, this country should not continue to be the freest, least taxed, and most prosperous on the hemisphere. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. Mr. Sanford to Mr. Seward. No. 213.] UNITED STATES LEGATION, SIR: The new house of representatives met on the 3d instant, and, after three days' animated debates on contested elections, was organized on the 6th by the re-election of its former officers. The credits left in suspense by the dissolution of the last house were voted; the proposition of M. Orts, increasing the popular representation in the national legislature, with a modification providing for an additional senator from Brussels, instead of, as originally proposed, from Louvain, was reported from the sections for first reading, lies over, and will probably be acted on next session, and the house adjourned sine die on the 3d instant. There were two incidents in this short session worthy of notice the first was a discussion upon an interpellation by M. Coomans, touching the organization in this country of a Belgian legion for service in Mexico, for details of which I beg to refer to my despatch No. 214; and the other the debate upon the supplementary credit of 5,575,000 francs for the completion of the fortifications of Antwerp. This latter question, upon which the liberal party is not united, gave rise to a lively and acrimonious discussion, and was decided by a close vote in favor of the government, which would seem to owe to the abstention of some members, and the absence of others, an escape from a possible defeat. This long-agitated subject of the fortifications of Antwerp thus seems to be finally disposed of, saving at Antwerp, where local interests will probably for some time to come be occupied with it. I enclose from the Moniteur the debate, which is interesting, especially the able defence by General Chazal, the minister of war, of the system and policy of fortifications. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, H. S. SANFORD. Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. |