[Translation.]
Mr. de Geofroy to Mr. Seward
Legation of France to the United
States, Washington,
January 3, 1865,
Sir: In many places, pertaining to Illinois,
Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, the municipal authorities have
recently assessed a tax, the product of which is especially intended as
compensation to volunteer recruits, in order to avoid carrying the
conscription law into effect.
A great number of our subjects, who are menaced with being subjected to
this tax, have addressed his Majesty’s consul at Chicago in remonstrance
against this measure, and their letters may be summed up in that of Mr.
Saguin, of which I have the honor to transmit, hereto annexed, a copy to
your excellency. The population of certain counties, towns and villages
comprises many French, who remain such, who have purchased and
cultivated a noticeable part
[Page 353]
of the land; such are the townships of Belleville, county of Dane,
(State of Wisconsin,) and the county of Lee, (State of Illinois,) where
French colonies have been formed, each member of which has religiously
preserved his nationality.
It is evident that it would be veritable injustice, if for the personal
exoneration of themselves from conscription—that is to say, from an
individual duty inherent in their qualities—the American citizens in the
above-mentioned localities, in the subdivision made by themselves of
this tax, should cause it to bear upon foreigners; in other words, it
would be contrary to the principles of equity, that whilst admitting
that foreigners cannot be, against their will, compelled to do military
duty, they can be obliged in any way to furnish substitutes.
I, in consequence, call the attention of your excellency to this subject,
and pray you to be so good as to give the orders necessary that in
future French subjects who reside in the United States, and have
retained their nationality, be not subjected by the municipal
authorities of the State they inhabit to a tax, which evidently can only
concern American citizens.
Accept, sir, the assurances of my high consideration.
Hon. William Seward, &c., &c., &c.
[Translation.]
Mr. d’Elpeux to Mr. Saguin
Vice-Consulate of France at Chicago.
Copy of a letter addressed to the
vice-consul of France at Chicago by Mr. Saguin, physician and
land-owner at Amboy, Lee county, Illinois.
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that I
have been some days informed upon the mode of subdivision of a new
tax which our county is about to levy to meet a sum of about
$40,000, which is intended to pay for substitutes necessary to avoid
a draft.
If I am well informed, foreigners, not naturalized, will have to pay
their part as well as citizens, and in case of refusal their
property will be immediately sold.
As this kind of law can only emanate from some local functionaries, I
have room to believe that it is possible for us to evade such a
vexation. If “foreigners should never be made soldiers against their
will,” (last message of the President of the United States,) it is
quite natural that they cannot be held to pay for substitutes either
directly or indirectly.
Many French people having asked my opinion on this subject, I have
promised to inform them by the 1st January, the time assigned for
paying the first annual payment on this impost. Consequently I
request you, very humbly, Mr. Vice-Consul, to be so good as to let
me know what we would have to do in such a case if it should be
sought to make us contribute to the payment of the impost.
I have the honor to be, & c.
A copy certified by the undersigned, vice-consul at Chicago, 17th
December, 1864.
[Translation.]
Mr. de Lhuys to Mr. de Geofroy
[Communicated by the French
legation.]
No. 1.]
Department of Foreign Affairs,
Political Direction, Paris,
January 5, 1865.
Sir: You know
that the representatives in Japan from France, Great Britain, the
United States, and the Netherlands, having deemed it to be
indispensable to inflict, without further delay, on the Prince of
Nagato, the chastisement called for by his attacks on foreign flags,
the expedition in which the French, English, and Dutch ships-of-war,
and an American mail-boat, took part, obtained the most complete
success. Tae Daimio of Chio Chion recognizing
[Page 354]
at once his powerlessness, bound
himself to respect the freedom of navigation of the Strait of
Simonosaki, and to pay the ransom of that city and the costs of the
expedition. As soon as the cabinet of Yedo heard the result of the
expedition it hastened to enter upon conferences with the agents of
the four powers, and our last intelligence informs us that these
had, at the date of 22d October, signed at Yokohama, with the
plenipotentiary of the Taikoon, a convention which fixes at three
millions of dollars (eighteen millions of francs) indemnity for the
war made by the admiral on the Prince of Nagato, for the payment of
which the Japanese government become guarantee. It is declared that
this amount represents the sum of all claims, of every kind soever,
based on the act of aggression by the Prince of Nagato, either in
the way of indemnity, of ransom of the city of Simonosaki, or of
expenses caused by the expedition of the allied squadrons. However,
it is stipulated at the same time that the Taikoon can offer, in
place of the indemnity offered, the opening of the port of
Simonosaki or of any other port in the neighborhood situate on the
inland sea; but that it shall belong to the signing powers to accept
this offer or to hold to the payment of the indemnity in cash.
The colleagues of Mr. Leon Roches, after having at first had the
intention of settling between themselves, in concert with the
admirals, the part inuring to each one of the powders whose flag was
present at the affair at Simonosaki, have thought with him that it
Was the better course to refer the care of settling this point to
the four governments interested. They have decided, besides, that
there shall be specially reserved to us, in the repartition of the
indemnity, the sum of $140,000, which I had required, in my
arrangment with the last Japanese mission to Paris, as reparation
for the attack made in July, 1863, on the French mail-boat Kian Chan
by the forts of the Prince Nagato on passing the strait. You will,
moreover, find herewith a copy of the convention and of the
memorandum signed by the French, English, Netherlands, and American
agents.
The convention leaving to the signing powers the right to choose
between the payment of the indemnity indicated and the opening of
the port of Simonosaki, I have been led to think, after mature
investigation, that it would be most politic and most advantageous
to rest upon the first alternative.
I could not, in fact, consider the opening of the port of Simonosaki
or any other neighboring port in the inland sea as a substantial
compensation for the abandonment of our indemnity. Simonosaki is,
without doubt, in fact an important strategic point; but it does not
appear to me to fill any of the conditions necessary to the
development of commerce. The navigation of the strait is very
dangerous; the roadstead does not offer, it is said, sufficient
depth of water, and the communications of the city with the interior
are very difficult. It is therefore of little moment that the Prince
of Nagato may have manifested, personally, a disposition favorable
to the opening of Simonosaki to foreign commerce. What was essential
was that this Dairnio should no longer believe that he had the right
and the power to interdict access to the inland sea to European
flags. The lesson he has received must have convinced him of his
powerlessness in this respect. It is, therefore, no less than
probable, and such also is the opinion of the admirals, that he
would like to fall back from his former attitude, and were it
otherwise, that the temporary apparition of a ship-of-war would make
him understand the danger. Things would not go on thus if a new port
were opened on his shores; it would require thought about the means
for the permanent protection of the foreigners who would go there to
establish themselves; and the new expenses which would result
therefrom would not be in proportion to the advantages which would
be derived from it.
The immediate opening of Hioga and Asacca would have been alone of a
nature, in our view, to justify the abandonment of the indemnity.
Asacca, of which Hioga is the port, is in fact the most important
commercial point in Japan. All the agricultural and manufacturai
productions of the country abound there; there the rich bankers and
great native merchants reside. One might have been justified in
hoping for profit enough from this measure to feel warranted in
substituting it without hesitation for the indemnity. But since it
has not seemed opportune to claim as yet the execution of the
article of our treaties which gives us the right to begin at Asacca,
it is better to wait the now sufficiently near expiration of the
time we have granted to the Japanese government, and then exact the
opening of this port, without seeking elsewhere advantages which in
reality we shall only find there.
In my opinion, it would, therefore, be well to declare to the cabinet
of Yedo that we hold to the payment of the indemnity stipulated; the
opening of a port such as that which is in reserve to be offered to
us being in our eyes of secondary importance, whilst we have not yet
access to those which our treaties should open to us in full
right.
I desire you to communicate these opinions to Mr. Seward. I should
see with pleasure, if his manner of regarding it should, as I hope,
accord with mine, that he would be pleased to instruct the
representative at Japan, Mr. Pruyn, about it.
Accept, sir, the assurances, &c.
Monsieur de Geofroy, Chargé de Affaires de Fi-ance.