Mr. Pike to Mr. Seward.

[Extract.]

No. 2.]

Sir: I have taken the earliest opportunity to have an interview with the minister of foreign affairs upon the condition of the internal concerns of the United States, and also upon the subject matter of your despatch No. 2, to which I referred in my last.

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I assured him of the determined purpose of the United States government to put down the rebellion of the seceding States at all hazards, and stated its determination to adopt whatever measures are necessary to accomplish that object. I explained to him the character of the rebellion, and showed it to be merely a war in behalf of African slavery, and that if we had no slavery we should have no war and no rebellion. I further explained that the government possessed extraordinary means of ending the rebellion whenever it chose to employ them. The union of the States could be restored whenever the government saw fit to render the institutions of the several States homogeneous. For when they were once made free States there would be no wish to separate and no tendency to separation. But I observed that the government was desirous to adopt only moderate measures, and hoped that such measures would be sufficient to cause the leaders of the rebellion to succumb and to restore peace. But to accomplish the high object of maintaining the government and preserving the territory of the country from dismemberment, it was ready to make any sacrifice of mere material interests that necessity demanded. I showed that the government had abundant resources, and more men offering for the military service than it could employ.

The minister of foreign affairs, in reply to my inquiries, informed me that no agent or agents of the seceding States had appeared here, though he had heard they were in London. He said they would receive no countenance if they were to come. He observed that the Dutch government had considered the question of the proposed letters of marque to be issued by the seceding States, and were upon the point of issuing a proclamation and orders forbidding the use of their ports by privateers, a copy of which he said he would furnish me as soon as issued.

He expressed the opinion that the powers of Europe were unanimously in favor of the Paris declaration abolishing privateering, and said if the United States would concur in it, that privateers would have to be regarded as “sea-robbers.” He believed there would be no opposition to negotiating treaties, based on the propositions of the Paris conference, with all the European powers which had agreed to them, of which Holland was one.

The minister seemed to be aware of the causeless character of the rebellion in the seceding States, and of the ability of the government to deal with it, concurring in the opinion that we had more men than were needed.

He informed me that his government had ordered four ships-of-war to be in readiness to sail for America to look after its commercial interests there, and that the first ship would be despatched on the 15th instant, and that the others would speedily follow. I subsequently learned from the minister of marine that the fleet would consist of two frigates and two brigs-of-war, and that after the flag-ship had communicated with the Dutch minister at Washington, the fleet would rendezvous at Curaçoa, and spend the winter in the West India seas.

I forebore to press the question of the immediate negotiation of a treaty in reference to privateering. Having satisfied myself of the favorable disposition of the government in respect to the question, and having learned its intention to issue the proclamation and orders referred to, and intimated with sufficient distinctness the ground the United States government was now disposed to occupy on that subject, I thought it prudent to await further developments of the question by our ministers at the courts of France and England, whose example Holland would be sure to wait for. I did not deem [Page 352] it advisable to ask the government here to take a lead to which I was aware it would be adverse. I shall be on the alert to seize the proper moment to recur to this subject.

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I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant,

JAMES S. PIKE.

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