Mr. F. W. Seward to Mr. Adams.
No. 794.]
Department of State,
Washington, December 27, 1863.
Sir: Referring to instruction No. 791, of the
26th instant, I enclose a copy of a despatch of the 12th instant, No.
70, from the consul at Cork, in regard to the alleged violation of the
foreign enlistment act of Great Britain in the case of the Kearsarge,
and which was received subsequent to the writing of No. 791.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
F.W.SEWARD, Acting
Secretary.
Charles Francis Adams, Esq.
[Untitled]
No. 70.]
United States Consulate,
Queenstown, Cork, December 12, 1863.
SIR: I have the honor to inform you that on the 7th instant the
United States steamer Kearsarge called off this harbor and sent
ashore sixteen men in a pilot-boat, with a note to me. I returned on
board the Kearsarge in the pilot-boat, saw the captain, and from him
I obtained a statement, a copy of which I enclose. These men, it
seems, stowed themselves away on board the Kearsarge, while in this
port, in hopes to be shipped when at sea, instead of which the
captain took them to Brest, sent them ashore, and then retook them
on board and enlisted them in the service, of the United States for
the term of three years, as I understand.
It seems then he feared he had done wrong, and, afraid of trouble,
when he got up steam, came across here, and put these men ashore,
with scarcely any explanations.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State.
I certify that the United States steamer Kearsarge arrived in
Queenstown on the night of the 2d of November, 1863, and that on
the following day I left the ship for Cork. On my return to
Queenstown, accompanied by the American consul, I called upon
the admiral in command, and in course of conversation reference
was made to a paragraph in the papers that the Kearsarge had
come in for the purpose of enlisting men, when I informed the
admiral that I had received notice from the executive officer of
the Kearsarge that many persons had applied to be shipped, and
in response I had directed him to notify all persons that no
enlistments would be made, and instructions were given in
accordance. On the night of the 5th of November, 1863, while
blowing heavy, with thick rainy weather, the Kearsarge went to
sea. On the following day report was made to me that several men
had been discovered on board, and investigation showed that they
had concealed themselves in the ship during the thick
[Page 372]
and rainy weather of
the day or night previous, and, disguised in this way, proceeded
in the ship, hoping to be enlisted in the service of the United
States after she got to sea. The Kearsarge was on important
duty, watching the Florida at Brest, and it was therefore
impracticable to return the men to Queens-town immediately. I
directed the men to be held at Brest, in apprehension, if they
were turned ashore, they would join the Florida, resolving as
soon as the Kearsarge left Brest again to put them ashore at
Cork. The Kearsarge left Brest again on the 5th of December,
1863, and, in accordance with my resolution, I have this day
sent sixteen men ashore in the pilot-boat Petrel, with a list of
their names as given to the American consul.
JOHN A. WINSLOW, Captain.
U.
S. Steam-Sloop Kearsarge,
Off
Queenstown, December 7,
1863.
[Untitled]
United States Steamer
Kearsarge,
Off Cork Harbor, December 7, 1863.
Sir: I beg leave to state, in accordance
with your request, that on or about the 3d of November, 1863,
several men from Queenstown came on board of this ship as applicants
for enlistment in the naval service of the United States. In the
absence of yourself and of any definite instructions in regard to
such applications I told the men that if they were physically
qualified for enlistment they might remain on board until your
return, when you would decide. Upon your return your instructions
were not to enlist them; they were accordingly sent out of the
ship.
Many applications of a similar nature were made, but their enlistment
was in every case refused, in accordance with your instructions.
During the time we were at anchor the ship was surrounded by boats
filled with men desiring to enlist. Orders were given and executed
not to allow them alongside. On the evening of the 5th this was the
case until after dark, and until the ship was underway. The ship
went to sea on the evening of the 5th of November. It was storming
and blowing hard. In accordance with the usual custom of the ship
and with the necessities of the case, (as I thought, ) before
tripping the anchor, all strangers were ordered out of the ship. The
master-at-arms, with the ship’s corporal, and others of the police
force, executed the order, finding men stowed away in the hold, in
the carpenter’s locker and elsewhere. These men were put out of the
ship, in some cases by force. As soon as the ship was reported
cleared, the anchor was tripped, and the ship went to sea. On the
next day several men were discovered who were strangers in the ship.
These men, probably with the connivance of the crew, had been so
securely concealed as to elude the vigilance of the police force.
Upon receiving this information you decided to land these men at
Brest, whither you were bound. The men were sent out of the ship at
Brest, in accordance with this determination, but pleading
destitution they returned, and were permitted to remain on board
till this morning, when they were landed at Queenstown by the
pilot-boat Petrel.
I would add that the names of these men upon their return to the ship
while in Brest harbor were placed upon the ship’s books for the
purpose of their support and comfort, they being otherwise utterly
destitute.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JAMES S. THORNTON, Lieut. Com’der U. S. N.
and Executive Officer.
