Honourable Secretary of State, William H. Seward, apprehensive lest, "under the pretended authority of the so-called Confederate States of America," privateers might be fitted out in the ports of this Kingdom for the purpose of aggression on the commerce of The United States, instructed you, on the 20th of April last, to be vigilant in preventing any such unlawful purpose; to make known to the proper authorities of this Government the proclamations issued by the President; impart to them all facts upon the subject which might come to your knowledge; and to ascertain from the King's Government, officially, what course they intended to pursue with regard to vessels of that description frequenting the King's waters, or touching for supplies or repairs at any of the ports in His Majesty's dominions; all which instructions you carried out very fully, and with great courtesy, in your precited despatch, and in the facts, no less important to The United States than to this Kingdom, which you were pleased to impart to me verbally on the occasion of its delivery.

In reply, I have the honour to refer you to the proclamation of the late King, of 16th May, 1854, asserting his neutral rights within the whole extent of his jurisdiction, declaring all captures and seizures made within that jurisdiction to be unlawful, and prohibiting his subjects from engaging, either directly or indirectly, in privateering, under the penalty of being treated and punished as pirates; to the resolution of his late Majesty, in Privy Council of 15th June, 1854, prohibiting the sale of prizes within his jurisdiction, and to the resolution of his late Majesty, in Privy Council of the 17th July of the same year, prohibiting all privateers, and prizes made by them, from entering the ports of this kingdom, unless in such circumstances of distress that their exclusion would involve a sacrifice of life, and then only under special permission of the King, after proof to His Majesty's satisfaction of such circumstances of distress; copies of all which you will find in your archives, for they were duly passed at the time to the Honourable David L. Gregg for his own and the information of his Government.

I have the honour to enclose a copy of the reply to the honourable judges of the Supreme Court, dated yesterday, in reply to my letters to them of the 5th, 10th, 13th, and 24th instant, from which you will see that, in their opinion, the said proclamation and resolutions are in accordance with the rights of the King, and with His Majesty's duties, as a neutral Sovereign, to The United States; and that under the same neither can privateers be fitted in the ports of this kingdom, nor can its ports be used as a depôt for the spoils, or the prisoners made by the privateers.

Therefore it only remains for me to make known to the King, who is at Kailua, your despatch and its enclosures, also the opinion

of His Majesty's judges of the Supreme Court, and to suggest to His Majesty that he be pleased to issue a proclamation revalidating the aforesaid proclamation and resolutions, with an order that copies of such proclamation be published in the "Polynesian," and served immediately by the pilots or harbour-master upon any belligerent vessel that may appear in His Majesty's waters, until the conclusion of the civil war now unhappily devastating The United States,

You can assure the Honourable Secretary of State of your Government that the King, knowing well his obligations and responsibilities to The United States under the law of nations and the existing Treaty, will neglect no means to fulfil them to the utmost extent of his power; but destitute as you know him to be of either army, navy, or forts, that power is only moral, and if armed vessels should enter his waters, disregarding alike his neutral rights aud the law of nations, captures might be made within his jurisdiction contrary to his proclamation, and in spite of all the efforts that he could make to prevent them.

Therefore I repeat what I had the honour to state to you verbally, that in a port where many millions of value in American whale-ships, oil and bone, and in merchant vessels, are often to be found, and which might be captured or burnt by one strong privateer in defiance of all the King's forces, it is of urgent necessity that Honolulu should not be left without the presence of a vessel of war of The United States of sufficient power to deter any such privateer from committing aggressions on the ships or property of the citizens of The United States within the King's jurisdiction. I was happy to understand from you that you had not neglected to make such a recommendation to your Government.

In conclusion, let me assure you that in this and every other international matter it will afford me the utmost pleasure to confer and concert with you with all that frankness and confidence that, according to Martens and other publicists, ought to exist between a foreign Representative and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country to which he is accredited and sent; but more especially be assured of the high consideration, &c.

Hon. T. J. Dryer.

SIR,

R. C. WYLLIE.

(Inclosure.)-Messrs. Allen and Robertson to Mr. Wyllie. Honolulu, July 26, 1861.

I HAVE the honour to receive your communications of the 1st, 10th, 13th, and 25th instant, and their enclosures. The justices of the Supreme Court have examined the proclamation issued by Her Britannic Majesty the Queen, and also the proclamation issued by the President of The United States, issued in consequence of hostilities having arisen between the Government of The United States

and certain States styling themselves the Confederate States of America, together with the communication of the Secretary of State, Mr. Seward, and the Commissioner of The United States at this Court accompanying them.

Mr. Seward is apprehensive that efforts may be made to fit out privateers in our ports for the purpose of aggression on American commerce. To permit it would unquestionably be a breach of neutrality and in derogation of our duty; neither can our ports be used as a depôt for the spoils or the prisoners of privateers.

We have also examined the proclamation issued in 1854 by His Majesty the King, proclaiming neutrality in the war then pending between the great maritime Powers of Europe, and the resolutions of the Privy Council which accompanied it, and we are of opinion that similar declarations at this time will be in accordance with our rights and duties as neutrals.

I beg to return to you the enclosures which accompanied your communications. I have, &c.

H.E. R. C. Wyllie.

ELISHA H. ALLEN.
G. M. ROBERTSON.

PROCLAMATION of the King of the Hawaiian Islands, declaring the Neutrality of the Hawaiian Islands in the War between The United States and the so-called Confederate States.-Kialua, August 26, 1861.

Be it known to all whom it may concern, that we, Kamehameha IV., King of the Hawaiian Islands, having been officially notified that hostilities are now unhappily pending between the Government of The United States and certain States thereof, styling themselves "The Confederate States of America," hereby proclaim our neutrality between said contending parties.

That our neutrality is to be respected to the full extent of our jurisdiction, and that all captures and seizures made within the same are unlawful, and in violation of our rights as a sovereign.

And be it further known that we hereby strictly prohibit all our subjects, and all who reside or may be within our jurisdiction, from engaging either directly or indirectly, in privateering against the shipping or commerce of either of the contending parties, or of rendering any aid to such enterprises whatever; and all persons so offending will be liable to the penalties imposed by the laws of nations, as well as by the laws of said States, and they will in no wise obtain any protection from us as against any penal consequences which they may incur.

Be it further known that no adjudication of prizes will be enter

tained within our jurisdiction, nor will the sale of goods or other property belonging to prizes be allowed.

Be it further known that the rights of asylum are not extended to the privateers or their prizes of either of the contending parties, excepting only in cases of distress or of compulsory delay by stress of weather or dangers of the sea, or in such cases as may be regulated by Treaty stipulation.

Given at our marine residence of Kialua, this 26th day of August, A.D. 1861, and the 7th of our reign.

By the King: KAAHUMANU.

KAMEHAMEHA.

By the King and Kuhina Nui: R. C. WYLLIE.

CORRESPONDENCE between The United States and the Netherlands respecting the Admission of Privateers of the so-called Confederate States into Dutch Colonial Ports.— Case of the Sumter.-1861.

(Extract.)

Mr. Pike to Mr. Seward.

The Hague, August 28, 1861. THE mails of to-day bring intelligence from America that the privateer steamer Sumter, bearing the so-called Confederate flag, has been permitted by the authorities at Curaçoa to enter and replenish her exhausted stock of fuel and supplies with which to renew her career of depredation upon the commerce of The United States.

I have instantly called the attention of this Government to these reports, and have assured the Minister of Foreign Affairs that, if they shall be borne out by the facts of the case, in view of the recent prompt and friendly action of the Dutch Government in relation to privateering, they will be regarded by the Government and people of The United States with equal regret and surprise.

I think it will prove that the orders of the Dutch Government to their colonial authorities to exclude privateers from their ports, which were issued about the middle of June, and of which I apprised you on the 16th of that month in my despatch, have by some means failed to reach Curaçoa. The ships which were sent out were expected to rendezvous at Curaçoa and winter in those seas. But they may be delaying their visit to avoid the heats of summer. I hope to be able to afford you more detailed information by the next mail, which want of time prevents me from obtaining now in season for this.

I thought of suggesting the publication in our newspapers of the Dutch proclamations, copies of which I forwarded to you with the

despatch referred to, but I concluded the department did not need my suggestions on that head.

JAMES S. PIKE.

Mr. Pike to Mr. Seward.

SIR,

The Hague, September 4, 1861. SINCE writing to you on the 28th ultimo in regard to my action on the strength of the public reports in respect to the steamer Sumter, I have received your despatch, under date of the 15th of August, and also its duplicate.

I immediately addressed a communication to this Government presenting the substance of that despatch. I have since had two interviews with Baron Van Zuylen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the questions involved and likely to be involved in the case. Mr. Van Zuylen has informed me that his Government has received a brief communication from the Governor of Curaçoa, stating that the vessel in question put into the port of Curaçoa in distress, and was not a privateer.

In the course of our first interview Baron Van Zuylen dropped the remark that it was probable the vessel was regarded as a shipof-war of the so-called Confederate States, but he subsequently seemed to desire to withdraw the suggestion.

I felt it to be my duty to protest against the idea that aid and countenance could be afforded by a friendly power to the Sumter, though she did assume the character of a ship-of-war of the insurgents. I claimed that were she afforded shelter and supplies on this ground by the authorities at Curaçoa, and should the Dutch Government approve the act, it would be, substantially, a recognition of the Southern Confederacy, and that in my judgment such an act would be regarded by The United States as an unfriendly, and even hostile act, which might lead to the gravest consequences. I held that nothing more need be asked by the so-styled Confederate States, as a practical measure of recognition, than that a ship like the Sumter, claiming to be a national vessel of those States, should be permitted to enter the neighbouring ports of foreign nations, and there obtain the necessary means to enable her to depredate upon the commerce of The United States. That such a course on the part of any Power, aggravated by the fact that she was unable to obtain such supplies at home, so far from being neutral conduct was really to afford the most efficient aid to the men who were in rebellion against their own Government, and plundering and destroying the vessels and property of their fellow-citizens on the high seas. I protested against such a doctrine as tending necessarily to the termination of all friendly relations between our Government and any Government that would tolarate such practices, whether