Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session Thirty-eighth Congress, Part I

No. 4.

(Extract.)

Lord Lyons to Earl Russell.—(Received January 8, 1864.)

Washington, December 24, 1863.

I have the honor to transmit to your lordship further papers relating to the affair of the Chesapeake.

The note dated the 20th instant, which contains the formal demand of the United States government for the extradition of the men engaged in the affair, was put into my hand by Mr. Seward at the State Department yesterday, with a request that I would inform the authorities in Brunswick and Nova Scotia as speedily as possible that the demand had been made.

Mr. Seward then gave me a paper, a copy of which forms enclosure No. 3 in this despatch. It was, he said, the decipher of a letter from a confederate agent at New York to Mr. Benjamin, the secretary of state at Richmond. Some of the proper names were, he observed, undecipherable, but the rest of the letter had been made out, and it showed that there were plots to seize two other steamers besides the Chesapeake, and to make use of the neighboring British territory to further the nefarious designs of the enemy.

Mr. Seward went on to say that the statement in the letter that a large number of rifled muskets had been sent to Halifax, and other facts which had come to his knowledge, made him apprehensive that the Chesapeake might not be safe at that place. He begged me to warn the authorities, and to ask whether the vessel would be made over at once to her owners if they applied for her with the sanction of the United States government. In consequence of this request, I despatched to Major General Doyle a telegram.

Mr. Seward said that the plots to get possession of United States steam-packets by sending confederate emissaries on board them in United States ports in the guise of passengers rendered it necessary to take extraordinary precautions at the ports, and to enforce restrictions there which might, he feared, cause some inconvenience to foreigners as well as to Americans, but the matter was too urgent and too important to admit of the neglect of any means of frustrating the nefarious designs which had been conceived.

[Enclosure 1 in No. 4, Mr. Seward to Lord Lyons, printed elsewhere.]

[Enclosure 2 in No. 4.]

Lord Lyons to Lieutenant Governor Gordon (and Major General Doyle.).

Washington, December 21, 1863.

Sir: I have this afternoon had the honor to send to your excellency by telegraph a summary of the contents of a note from the Secretary of State of the United States, demanding, in the usual form, the extradition of John C. Braine and others, concerned in the affair of the Chesapeake. I have the honor to transmit to you herewith a copy of that note. It is dated the day before yesterday, but was delivered only to-day.

I have, &c.,

LYONS.

[Enclosure 3 in No. 4.]

[Untitled]

Office of U. S. Military Telegraph, War Department, Washington, December 21, 1863.

Translation of a letter in cipher forwarded to the Secretary of War by Postmaster Wakeman, New York city.

New York,December 18, 1863.

——— is here. The two steamers will leave here about Christmas. Lamar and Boners left here via Bermuda two weeks ago. The 1,000 rifled muskets came duly to hand, and were shipped to Halifax as instructed. We will be able to seize the other two steamers as per programme.

——— has followed the President’s orders. We will have ——— under arrest before this reaches you; cost —000 dollars.

We want more money. How shall we draw? Bills all forwarded to Slidell and receipts received. Write as before.

J.H.C.

Hon. J. P. Benjamin.

Please detach and forward as before. Telegraph when return answer is received. Very important.

J. H. C., per T.

A. Keith, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

30 c