Mr. Seward to Lord Lyons.
My Lord: Having submitted to the Secretary of the Navy a copy of your note of the 25th ultimo, and of its accompaniments, in reference to a previous correspondence, on the subject of firing shot across the bows of her Majesty’s vessels by the vessels of our blockading squadrons, Mr. Welles states, in reply, that instructions were given to the commanding officers of these squadrons, on the 10th of April last, to observe the customary rule of firing a blank cartridge across the bows of vessels approaching the blockaded ports or coast, and that, on the 4th instant, he referred to those instructions, and communicated to the said officers the extract from Vice-Admiral Milnes’s circular memorandum, which accompanied your note.
I have the honor to be, with high consideration, your lordship’s obedient servant,
Right Hon. Lord Lyons, &c., &c.