Mr. Hammond to Mr. Hamilton.
Sir: In the letter from Messrs. Klingender & do., of Liverpool, to Captain T. A. Blakely, in London, dated Liverpool, June 26, 1863, which was published at page 8 of the papers headed “Vessel Gibraltar,” presented to the House of Commons in the month of July, 1863, the following passage occurs: “This action on the part of her Majesty’s government is based upon the suspicion that ultimately your fort guns may find their way into the southern confederacy; the collector,” (i. e., the collector of her Majesty’s customs at Liverpool,) “in reply to our question, having informed us that if the fort guns were for the federal or northern government, no obstacles would be placed in the way of their being shipped; stating at the same time that such shipments to New York were of common occurrence.”
As this passage has been twice quoted in the House of Commons, and has received no contradiction, Lord Russell requests that you will move the lords commissioners of her Majesty’s treasury to have the goodness to ascertain from the collector of customs of Liverpool whether this statement correctly represents what he said to Messrs. Klingender & Co.; and if not, what he really did say.
I am, &c.,