Message of the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the Second Session of the Thirty-seventh Congress

Mr. Appleton to Mr. Seward.

[Extract.]

No. 18.]

Legation of the United States,
St. Petersburg, May 22, (June 3,) 1861.

Sir: I have the honor to enclose copies, which I have received unofficially, of two orders of the Russian government which have been recently issued for the guidance of its officers in respect to the flags and ships of the Confederate States. It will be seen that they conform to what was said to me on this subject by Prince Gortchacow in the conversation which I reported to the department in my No. 16. I ought to add that every American ship which has yet appeared at Cronstadt has shown the American flag and claimed the American character. In one case from a southern port the papers were not quite regular, but the irregularity was overlooked.

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I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN APPLETON.

Hon. William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington.

To the commander-in-chief of the port of Cronstadt:

His imperial highness the general admiral, foreseeing the possibility of ships belonging to the southern States of the American Union, which have seceded from the United States of North America, arriving at our ports during the present navigation, has directed me to inform your excellency, for your guidance, that, according to the opinion of the minister of foreign affairs, the flag of men-of-war belonging to the seceded States must not be saluted.

That there may be no obstacle in the way of commerce, merchant vessels of the seceded States are to be treated according to the rules acted on by us with regard to Italian merchant vessels sailing under the Italian flag; i. e., according to the treaties that are at present in force, (commercial treaty concluded between America and us December (6,) 10, 1832.) Should the crews of vessels belonging to the seceded States not wish to acknowledge the authority of the consuls appointed by the federal government of Washington, then, in case of dispute, they must abide by the decision of our local authorities, in the same manner as foreigners whose governments have no representatives in our empire.

General Major

GREIG,

Director of the Chancellery of the Ministry of Marine.

Circular addressed to the custom-houses on the White, Baltic, Black, and Azoff seas.

By order of the minister of finance, the department of foreign trade prescribes: In case any merchant vessels arrive in our ports belonging to the southern States of the American Union, the same not acknowledging the authority of the government of the United States of America, the said vessels are to be treated and received as hitherto, according to the treaty of 1832, should even their ships papers not be in order, which may occur in consequence of the present political condition of the United States of America.

General Lieutenant

PASHKOFF,

Director of the Department of Foreign Trade,
SORNIN, Chief of Section, &c.