its accompanying plates of various signal flags before the Secretary of the Navy, with the request that he will furnish this department with such information regarding the subject as is desired by her Majesty's government. I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your obedient servant, WILLIAM H. SEWARD. Hon Sir FREDERICK WRIGHT BRUCE, &c., &c., &c. Mr. Hunter to Sir F. Bruce. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, July 24, 1867. SIR: Having submitted to the Secretary of the Navy the communication of the 3d instant addressed to this department by yourself on the subject of the signal code of the navy of the United States, I have the honor to enclose, in reply, a copy of a letter of the 15th instant from the Secretary of the Navy, and of the paper which accompanied it. I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your obedient ser SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 8th instant, transmitting one from Sir Frederick Bruce asking to be informed whether the flags represented on plate No. 1 (transmitted) are those officially authorized by the United States government as the signal flags to be used on board American ships of war. The plate referred to is headed "American marine signal flags," designed and patented by H. J. Rogers of Baltimore, United States of America, and arranged for communicating by the "commercial code." In reply, I have the honor to say that the book from which this plate is taken is authorized by the Navy Department to be placed on board of United States vessels of war, to enable the commanders to communicate by signal with such merchant vessels as may have it on board. The Navy Department has not authorized the adoption of the commercial or any other code of signals adapted to the use of the mercantile marine, as all matters relating to commerce are under the control of the Secretary of the Treasury. Transmitted herewith is a copy of a communication from this department on the same subject, dated 21st September, 186€. The letter of Sir Frederick Bruce is herewith returned. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. GIDEON WELLES, Secretary of the Navy Mr. Welles to Mr. Seward. NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, September 21, 1866. SIR: In reply to your communication of the 31st of July last, transmitting a copy of a communication from the British minister in regard to the establishment of a system of marine signals, and asking to be informed whether in my opinion any benefit would arise from its adoption in the navy, I have the honor to state that its adoption would not be of any material benefit to the navy, and further, that as the code of signals designed to be international by the English and French governments was prepared especially for the benefit of the mercantile marine, the subject belongs properly to the Treasury Department. I return herewith the copy of the work which accompanied your communication. I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. GIDEON WELLES, Secretary of the Navy. Mr. Seward to Sir F. Bruce. AUBURN, July 27, 1867.. MY DEAR SIR: In view of my recent preoccupations, you were kind enough to defer until now the presenting to me of Lord Stanley's letter of the 24th of May, on the subject of the Alabama claims. You are authorized to inform him that immediately after my return to Washington, I will take the President's directions, and I feel sure that I shall be able to reply to his lordship's suggestions in the friendly spirit in which they are conceived. I am, my dear sir, with high consideration, your obedient servant, Hon. FREDERICK WRIGHT BRUCE, &c., &c., &c. Sir F. Bruce to Mr. Seward. WASHINGTON, August 2, 1867. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 24th of July, enclosing the observations of the Secretary of the United States. Navy on the subject of a code of international marine signals. As it appears that the subject belongs to the Treasury Department, I should feel much obliged if you would refer my previous note, addressed to you on the 13th of July, 1866, together with its enclosures, for the consideration of the Secretary of the Treasury. I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant, SIR: The melancholy intelligence will have already reached you of the sudden death of Sir Frederick Wright Bruce, G. C. B., her Britannic Majesty's late accredited minister to the government of the United States. In fulfilling the painful duty of announcing officially to you the decease of the head of her Majesty's mission at Washington, I have the honor to express the hope that, pending a formal introduction to you from my government constituting me her Majesty's chargé d'affaires ad interim, you will permit me to hold such communications with you as the transactions of business between the Department of State of the United States and her Britannic Majesty's legation may render necessary. I avail myself of this opportunity to express to you the assurance of my high est consideration. FRANCIS CLARE FORD, Secretary to her Britannic Majesty's Legation. Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, &c., &c., &c. Lord Stanley to Mr. Seward. FOREIGN OFFICE, September 21, 1867. SIR: The melancholy intelligence which reached this country yesterday morning, of the death of Sir Frederick Bruce, her Majesty's envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, renders it necessary that I should acquaint you that until the arrival of his successor Mr. Ford, her Majesty's secretary of legation at Washington, will be intrusted as chargé d'affaires with the direction of her Majesty's mission in the United States; and in recommending him to your good offices, I beg that you will give entire credence to such communications as he may make to you on behalf of her Majesty's government, and more especially when he shall assure you of their earnest desire to maintain the most friendly relations with the government and people of the United States. I cannot omit, in writing to you on this subject, to acquaint you that the Queen and her Majesty's government highly appreciate the friendly tone of the communication in which, on behalf of his government, Mr. Adams made known to me the death of her Majesty's late minister, and the gratification which her Majesty's government feel at such proof that the manner in which Sir Frederick Bruce, with the entire approbation of the Queen, discharged his duties as her Majesty's minister at Washington, secured for him the respect and esteem of the President and government of the United States. I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, &c., &c., &c. STANLEY. Mr. Seward to Mr. Ford. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 21, 1867. SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your note of this date, officially announcing the decease of Sir Frederick Wright Bruce, her Britannic Majesty's late accredited minister to this government. This department had previously been apprised of that very unexpected event, which there is so much reason for both our countries to deplore. Great, however, as may be the loss which her Majesty's government has thus sustained in a faithful, experienced, and accomplished diplomatic officer, it need not be anxious lest its affairs in this country should suffer through the temporary absence of a representative of the official rank of the late Sir Frederick. It will afford me pleasure to hold with you any intercourse which may be necessary for the transaction of customary business, until you shall have been formally introduced to me as charged with the affairs of the legation. I avail myself of this occasion, sir, to offer to you the assurances of my very high consideration. FRANCIS CLARE FORD, Esq., &c., &c., &c. WILLIAM H. SEWARD. Mr. Ford to Mr. Seward. WASHINGTON, September 25, 1867. SIR: I have the honor to inform you that the late Sir Frederick Bruce having reported to her Majesty's government the assurance you had expressed to him, that the President of the United States would cause directions to be given to the United States authorities in Mexico to use their good offices, ad interim, in favor of foreigners, including the subjects of her Britannic Majesty who were deprived of their natural representatives, I fulfil a pleasing duty in complying with the instructions received from my government, and conveying to you the thanks of her Majesty's government for this friendly act on the part of the United States government. I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to you est consideration. Hon, WILLIAM H. SEWARD, &c., &c., &c. the assurance of my high FRANCIS CLARE FORD. Mr. Ford to Mr. Seward. WASHINGTON, September 25, 1867. SIR: I have the honor to inform you that the government of the Tycoon of Japan having solicited a delay of two years in the payment of the outstanding balance of the Simonosaki indemnity, her Majesty's government have acceded to their request, on the condition that the sum, amounting to $1,500,000, is repaid by the month of May, 1869, and that in the interval interest is paid, the rate of which her Majesty's government have left to the decision of her Majesty's minister at Yeddo, in conjunction with the representatives of the other powers concerned. I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to you the assurance of my highest consideration. Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, &c., &c., &c. FRANCIS CLARE FORD. Mr. Seward to Mr. Ford. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 26, 1867. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of yesterday upon the subject of the delay solicited by the Japanese government for the payment of the outstanding balance of the Simonosaki indemnity. In reply, I have the honor to inform you that some time since this department received a despatch from Mr. Van Valkenburg, the United States minister in Japan, accompanied by an application from that government upon the subject. Mr. Van Valkenburg was informed in answer that the President was not indisposed to accede to the request, but that as the term fixed for the payment was contained in an article of a treaty which has been approved by the Senate, the President alone had no authority to extend the time. Mr. Van Valkenburg was consequently furnished with a power to negotiate and conclude an additional article, providing for the extension referred to, and was instructed to embrace in it the same terms upon the subject which might be offered to the Japanese government by the other parties to the original treaty. Sufficient time has not since elapsed for further information in regard to the matter to have been received from the United States legation in Japan. I avail myself of this occasion, sir, to offer to you the assurances of my very high consideration. WILLIAM H. SEWARD. FRANCIS CLARE FORD, Esq., &c., Sr., &c. Lord Stanley to Mr. Ford. Foreign OfficE, LONDON, October 12, 1867. SIR: I have received your despatch No. 1 of the 23d ultimo, confirming the melancholy news which you had previously conveyed to me by telegraph of the death of Sir Frederick Bruce. I have already in reply to your telegram directed you to convey to the gov ernment of the United States the acknowledgments of her Majesty's government for the expressions of sympathy with which the United States legation in this country was instructed to communicate to her Majesty's government the intelligence of this sad event; but I am glad to avail myself of the opportunity afforded me, in acknowledging the receipt of your despatch, to repeat my instruction and to desire you to make known to Mr. Seward, and if you have an opportunity of doing so, directly to the President, the high value set by her Majesty's government on the kindly feelings which they have shown on this occasion and on the general concern manifested by the public in the United States for the severe loss which her Majesty has sustained by the death of her able and faithful servant. Her Majesty's government are glad to recognize in the feelings which this event has called forth the regard felt by the government and people of the United States not only for the person and character of the deceased minister but also for the country which he so ably represented and whose policy and wishes he so effectually carried out in cultivating the friendship and good will of those among whom he was commissioned by her Majesty to dwell. But not only to the government and people of the United States generally are the acknowledgments of her Majesty's government due. They have their special thanks to render, of which they desire you to be the organ, to Mr. Gilpin, the gentleman who so considerately accompanied Sir Frederick Bruce from Narragansett to Boston, and to the numerous gentlemen at Boston whose kindness towards the deceased during the short period which intervened between his arrival at Boston and his death, and whose attendance at the funeral ceremonies with which his remains were honored before their departure from the United States entitle them to their warmest acknowledgments. To Mr. Sumner, to the governor of Massachusetts, and to the mayor of Boston and other distinguished persons in that city, to the physicians, clergy, and others who did honor to the remains of the Queen's late minister, her Majesty's government are sincerely grateful, |