I would also direct the attention of Mr. Secretary Seward to the provisions of the imperial act 6 and 7 Vic., C. 76, passed for the purpose of giving effect to the treaty of Washington, and among them to the necessity of proving that the crime was committed within the jurisdiction of the United States a fact which I am advised should appear upon the face of the requisition. I have, &c., J. HUME BURNLEY, Esq., &c., &c., &c. RAWSON W. RAWSON, Governor. Mr. Burnley to Mr. Hunter. WASHINGTON, April 18, 1865. SIR: I communicated to Governor Rawson copies of Mr. Seward's note of the 3d of March, and of its enclosure, relative to the movements of a schooner called the Gypsy, and I have now the honor to enclose a copy of his excellency's reply. I have the honor to be, with high consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant, Hon. W. HUNTER, &c., &c., &c. J. HUME BURNLEY. Governor Rawson to Mr. Burnley. GOVERNMENT HOUSE, NASSAU, April 3, 1865. SIR: In reply to your despatch of the 8th instant, enclosing a letter from Mr. Secretary Seward upon the movements of the schooner Gypsy, I have satisfaction in reporting that the apprehensions entertained by the United States consul at Havana appear to have been groundless, and the information which excited them incorrect. The Gypsy arrived in this port on the 2d of March with seven passengers, and cleared out in ballast for Havana on the 14th of the same month, under the command of the same master. Of the seven passengers, one was a medical officer in her Majesty's service, and another a tradesman of this place. I have, &c., J. HUME BURNLEY, Esq., &c., &c., &c. RAWSON W. RAWSON, Governor. Mr. Burnley to Mr. Hunter. WASHINGTON, April 18, 1865. SIR: I have the honor to lay before you copies of correspondence which have been communicated to me by his excellency the governor of the Bahamas, respecting the movements of United States ships-of-war, in contravention of her Majesty's proclamation in the roadstead off Matthew town, Inagua, one of the out islands of the Bahama group. Governor Rawson informs me that he has requested the United States consul to represent the irregularities committed by the officers of these ships to the United States admiral at Key West, enclosing at the same time the answer of this official, of which I enclose the copy. As the United States government appears to have given instructions to their officers cruising in those seas to pay respect to her Majesty's desire that belligerent vessels-of-war should refrain from visiting the islands of that colony, I feel convinced that they will see the necessity of taking proper measures to see that their orders are executed. I have the honor to be, with high consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant, Hon. WILLIAM HUNTER, &c., &c., &c. J. HUME BURNLEY, Mr. Kirkpatrick to Mr. Nesbitt. UNITED STATES CONSULATE, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your favor of yesterday's date, en. closing me a copy of a letter from W. H. Pinder, esquire, acting resident justice at Matthew town Inagua, in regard to infractions said to have been committed of her Majesty the Queen's proclamation, and desiring me to forward a copy of Acting Justice Pinder's letter to the admiral on this station. Present my compliments to his excellency the governor and say that I shall immediately lay before Admiral Stribling your letter, and the copy alluded to. And I have no doubt he will cause steps to be taken to ascertain why these irritating irregularities were committed by these officers, and see that future ones are prevented. I shall also lay a copy of yours and Justice Pinder's letters before the government at Washington, that steps may be taken there also to prevent similar occurrences. I have, &c., Hon. C. R. NESBITT, Esq., &c., &c., &c. THOMAS KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Pinder to Mr. Nesbitt. MATTHEW TOWN, MAGUA, March 11, 1865. SIR: I have the honor to report to you, for the information of his excellency the governor, the arrival of the. under-mentioned United States gunboats in the roadstead off this town, they having had frequent communication with the shore, but none whatever with the local authorities, viz: the Gallatea, Commander Nickelson, arrived on the 1st instant at 2 p. m., and left on the same day at 6 p. m., and arrived again on the 7th instant at 8 a. m., leaving at or about 6 p. m., without coming to an anchor, steaming, however, up and down over the anchorage places, within one-quarter of a mile of the shore. The Neptune, Commander Sanford, anchored off the town on the evening of the 8th instant, and remained at anchor until the morning of the 11th, when she left. I have, &c., Hon. J. R. NESBITT, Esq., &c., &c., &c. H. H. PINDER, Acting Resident Justice. Mr. Burnley to Mr. Hunter. WASHINGTON, April 18, 1865. SIR: I communicated to Governor Rawson a copy of Mr. Seward's note of the 8th ultimo, relative to five vessels supposed to have been fitted out at the Bahamas for purposes hostile to the United States, and I have now the honor to transmit a copy of his excellency's answer. I have the honor to be, with high consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant, J. HUME BURNLEY. Hon. W. HUNTER, &c., &., &c. Governor Rawson to Mr. Burnley. GOVERNMENT HOUSE, SIR: In reply to your despatch of the 10th instant, enclosing a letter from Mr. Secretary Seward, relative to the movements of five blockade-running steamers which are stated to have recently cleared from Nassau, and which are suspected of being engaged in illegal and hostile operations against the commerce of the United States, I have much satisfaction in reporting that there is no reason for believing that there is any truth in the information which he has received. From the date of Mr. Seward's letter, 8th March, I presume that he must refer to steamers which left this port in the month of February. If so, I find that all the blockade-running steamers which cleared from Nassau to St. John's, New Brunswick, in that month, have returned hither, and were in port when his letter was written, except two which were captured in Charleston harbor, one which returned to this port, after having attempted unsuccessfully to run the blockade, and one which is now at Havana. If Mr. Seward refers to vessels which cleared for St. John's, New Brunswick, in January, I find that every one of them have returned to this port with cargoes of cotton, proving that they were not employed in the manner suspected by Mr. Seward's informant. I am very glad of this. The anxiety expressed by the United States government regarding the equipment of vessels within this colony, and the rumors afloat on the subject, have made me very desirous of ascertaining whether there were any real grounds for either. After careful inquiry and a strict watch, I am led to believe that up to the present time nothing of the kind has been done or attempted in this harbor since the beginning of the year. With regard to the Ajax, which was the subject of your despatch of the 16th February, she was under observation during her stay here, until her departure on the 29th ultimo, when she left for Bermuda in ballast, with a moderate number of seamen and firemen. Nothing took place during her stay here to excite suspicion with regard to her, and I have reason to believe, on very good information, that she was neither intended nor adapted for a war vessel, but for a tug only, for which employment she was fitted up. I have, &c., J. H. BURNLEY, Esq., &c., &c., &c. R. W. RAWSON, Governor. Mr. Burnley to Mr. Hunter. WASHINGTON, April 18, 1865. SIR: With reference to my note to Mr. Seward, of the 3d instant, I have the honor to transmit copies of a despatch, and of its enclosure, which I have received from the governor general of Canada, from which it would appear that there is no foundation for Mr. - -'s statements. I have the honor to be, with high consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant, Hon. W. HUNTER, &c., &c., &c. J. HUME BURNLEY. Viscount Monck to Mr. Burnley. GOVERNMENT HOUSE, - SIR: In my despatch of the 28th March I informed you that I had taken measures for investigating the truth of the statements made by respecting the organization at Amprior, in Canada West, of persons alleged to contemplate hostile incursions into the United States. The reports by the officers instructed to make inquiries on the subject lead me to believe that there was no foundation for -'s statements. and that no such designs as he mentioned had any existence. I have the honor to transmit to you copies of these reports. I have, &c., &c., J. H. BURNLEY, &c., &c., &c. MONCK. Mr. Kemp to Lieutenant Colonel Ermatiargur and Mr. Clarke. MONTREAL, April 4, 1865. GENERAL: I have the honor to report, in accordance with instructions, that on the 25th of March last I proceeded to - in the county of Carleton, Upper Canada, to confer with Mr. on the subject of the raid said to have been in progress of organization at Amprior or a descent upon Ogdensburg and Rochester, in the State of New York. The honorable T. F. Potter, consul general of the United States of America, furnished me with the copy of a letter from to the Hon. W. H. Seward, Secretary of State of the United States of America, and copy of a despatch from the Secretary of State, Mr. Seward, to Consul General Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter gave me a letter of introduction to Mr. After interview with Mr. I then proceeded to investigate the matter of the contemplated raid. Mr. gave me a statement in his handwriting, which I hereunto annex, marked A. I then made arrangements with him to go to Amprior on Saturday, the 1st April, instant. I then returned to Montreal, and reported that from all appearance there might possibly be some truth in the projected raid. On Thursday, March 30 last, I received a telegraph from the said intimating to me to await a letter he had sent by mail. Having received no letter from him, as intimated to me, I left Montreal for Amprior on Friday, the 31st of March last, and on my arrival at the station, as it had been previously agreed upon, I there met with I should say that from the appearance of, I am satisfied that he did not expect me. I then proceeded to Amprior with him. After the interview with John R. Fitzsimmons, he (Fitzsimmons) made the statement hereunto annexed, marked B, which was written by Since my return to Montreal I have received a letter from copy. of which I subjoin a From the information I have been able to gather, I have great reason to doubt the truth of the statement made by , who, I learn, is not a reliable person. What said of Goodall with reference to his having been paymaster to the refugees was greatly exaggerated. All Goodall ever paid, I find, was $5 to one McFayden, to meet him at Kingston, at one Johnson's, whenever he would write to him to come there; but he never wrote, and of course McFayden did not go. statement with regard to the Rev. O. S. Hackett is also very unreliable, for I ascertained that that gentleman had no relations with Goodall whatever. On the whole, I do not see that any credence should be given to statements. Fitzsimmons, and McFayden are spoken of, from all I could learn, as three persons of the worst possible character; and Î would add that was looked upon in his neighborhood as a troublesome and dangerous person-so much so, that having lately given great offence, he was, on the 1st of March, tarred and feathered. I sincerely believe that in giving information as to the meditated raid, he expected to bring the parties he suspected of having maltreated him to trouble and annoyance, and hoped besides to obtain favors and some notoriety. . County of Carleton. STATEMENT OF PLOT AS IT CAME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNDERSIGNED. About the 1st of March I was informed that a plot was being concocted at Amprior for the purpose of making a raid simultaneously with persons from Kingston, Gananogue, and Diebreuson's Landing, to cross over the St. Lawrence, attack Ogdensburg, and unite at that point, seize the railroad, proceed to Rochester, take that city, and if endangered, to recross the St. Lawrence and disperse and bring all the plunder (especially that of the banks) to the Canada side. I did, on the 12th of March, write to the Hon. W. H. Seward, stating the existence of a plot for that purpose, at the head of which is the Rev. O. S. Hackett, a refugee from the State of Arkansas, and one F. S. Goodall, from Tennessee. This F. S. Goodall is cashier. On the 24th of March a letter was written to me from Amprior by F. R. Fitzsimmons, wishing me to go there and influence some parties to join the raid, offering money to do so. (A nearly verbatim copy of this letter I herewith subjoin.) This letter I sent on Saturday last to the State Department at Washington. On the 27th I met with Messrs. Galloway and Kemp, who were sent by the United States government, or rather the United States consnlar general, to confer with me on the subject, and by mutual arrangement I agreed to go to Amprior on Saturday, the 30th, and obtain sufficient proof to convict the attempted perpetrators of a gross outrage. I must say that I did expect a communication from the Secretary of State acknowledging the receipt of my communication and making arrangements according to my expressed desire; but as they have thought it more conducive to the general good to act otherwise, I bow to their decision and will do everything in my power to have this contemplated raid frustrated and its concoctors punished. Mr. KEMP. B. COUNTY OF RENFREW, (one of the united counties of Lancaster and Renfrew :) I, John Robert Fitzsimmons, of the incorporated village of Amprior, in the county of Renfrew, &c., inn-keeper, do declare and say, that there was an attempt made to induce certain shantymen, by a person calling himself J. S. Goodall, to join what the said John S. Goodall said was intended to be a raid to plunder certain of the towns on the front; that he wished me to join his party, which I declined; that he heard that a report had been sent to the United States government of the intended raid, and that he left for Kingston, saying that all his plans were "burst up." I further say, that certain parties here, hostile to whom I will not mention, offered me a handsome sum of money to induce him to use his influence with certain parties in the township of to join the said raiding party, for the purpose of inveigling him into a trap, so that they could prosecute him for breach of the neutrality law; that I consented to it at first, but when Mr. came to Amprior to-day I repeated and told him the whole conspiracy on condition that I should not be prosecuted. J. S. Goodall, aforesaid, before he had heard of the plot being discovered, said he could furnish arms, ammunition and money, if he could get some to join; but when he discovered, about a fortnight ago, that information had been given to the United States government, he said all was burst up, and they would make no attempt this year. Had the enterprise gone on I believe I would have assisted. I make this declaration solely upon the condition that I shall not be prosecuted, and Mr. has promised that I should not. I further state that I have often seen the said J. S. Goodall (who while he was here called himself Henry Smith) in frequent and earnest conversation with the Rev. O. S. Hackett, who is a confederate refugee. The letter I wrote to Mr. -, on the 24th March, is also to be included in this exemption from the prosecution aforesaid, as it was written for the purpose of inveigling the said in a trap, as before mentioned.' Signed in presence of us, this 1st day of April, A. D. 1865. JOHN R. FITZSIMMONS. SIR: We are getting on prosperously. We are to make the attempt after the 10th or 12th of April. Goodall furnishes plenty of money, and is gone to Kingston to get the boys ready there. We met in Hackett's house, and in my place there are a great many who would join if you would come here and press them. If you do come we will pay you well for your trouble. I know you would not join us, but a great many say if you were here they would abide by what you would say; so do come. We will pay all your expenses and more too. If you say the word, forty or fifty of the young men of the township would join us. I will let you know all the scheme, if you come down, when I see you. Yours truly, J. R. FITZSIMMONS. RICHMOND, Thursday, March 29, 1865. DEAR SIR: I have made all the arrangements necessary. I have hired a conveyance to take me to Franktown on Friday evening, so that I shall be in Amprior by the 11 o'clock |