Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward.
Sir: In a note dated the 16th ultimo you did me the honor to request me to inform you whether a communication of a desire to anchor on the part of a belligerent ship is required to be made to minor officers of ports in the Bahama islands.
The governor of those islands, to whom I referred your note, states to me that he considers that the spirit of the orders and directions of the Queen, which were promulgated at Nassau by proclamation, dated the 11th March, 1862, evidently requires that permission be asked and obtained before any belligerent man-of-war anchors off any of the Bahama islands.
The governor proceeds to inform me that he communicated to the United States consul his wish that the commanders of United States men-of-war should ask and obtain permission from the local authority when they desired to anchor at places in the Bahamas, such as Abaco, Inagua, Eleuthera, Long island, and Rum cay, where there are officers of the position and character of the revenue collectors and police magistrates. His excellency observes that the Queen’s orders distinctly forbid any belligerent vessel to enter or remain in the port of Nassau, or in any other port, roadstead, or waters of the Bahama islands, except by special leave of the governor; and he points out that if this prohibition was strictly carried out, every commander of a United States ship-of-war ought to go to Nassau to obtain the required leave. His excellency has, however, substituted the permission of a responsible public officer at the out islands for a special permission from himself to be given at Nassau in each particular case; and he remarks that the condition which he has thus imposed is of much easier fulfilment than that which would be required by the letter of the Queen’s orders.
The governor further informs me that it appears from a report from Mr. Resident Justice Burnside that the conduct of the United States ship Rhode Island has been repeated by the United States ship Mercedita; and his excellency adds that this double infraction of the Queen’s orders seems to him to indicate the necessity of insisting upon a strict adherence to the rules which those orders establish.
I have the honor to be, with high consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State.