I have the honor to be, with high consideration, sir, your obedient
servant,
Hon. William Stuart, &c., &c., &c.
Mr. Chase to Mr. Seward.
Treasury
Department,
August 22, 1863.
Sir: I have the honor to return to you the
letter of Lord Lyons, covering the complaint of Messrs. Tootal,
Broadhurst & Lee, transmitted with your letter of 7th instant.
This correspondence was sent to the collector at New York for his
report, of which I send a copy.
The question at issue is the expediency and propriety of the Treasury
instructions to Collector Barney, of May 23, 1862, of which I send
you a copy. It is difficult to perceive upon what grounds British
merchants can claim in American ports any rights not conceded to
American merchants. It may be, however, that some merchants of every
nation may hesitate to give the bond required on the supposition
that the last clause of the second paragraph of the Treasury
Circular may impose responsibility for acts of parties not employed
by them, and not in any way under their control. Such is not the
construction given to the requirement in this department; and to
remove all pretext of complaint, the collector at New York and other
ports will be instructed to require only substantial security that
such goods, wares, or merchandise shall not be transported to any
place under insurrectionary control, and shall not, in any way, be
used to give aid or comfort to such insurgents with or by the
consent, permission, or connivance of the owners, shippers,
carriers, or consignees [Page 391]
thereof. This will exonerate exporters after the goods have arrived
at the port of destination and have been disposed of in good faith,
otherwise than in aid of the rebellion by the consignees, from all
responsibility for the acts of persons who do not derive their
control over the goods directly from the exporter.
With great respect,
S. P. CHASE, Secretary of the
Treasury.
Hon, William H. Seward, Secretary of State.
[Untitled]
Collector’s Office, Custom
House,
New York,
August 11,
1863.
Sir: I am in receipt of your letter of
the 8th instant, enclosing to me a letter to you from the
Secretary of State, which last covered a despatch from Lord
Lyons in regard to shipments, or proposed shipments, of goods
from this port to Nassau, by Messrs. Tootal, Broadhurst and Lee,
and at your request have the honor to report thereon.
I have caused inquiry to be made at the proper bureau of this
office, and cannot learn that those gentlemen ever shipped, or
proposed to ship, any goods from this port to Nassau, or
elsewhere in the Bahamas. It is possible, however, that they may
have done either the one or the other. At all events, if they
have, (and this will meet the main point of your inquiry,) no
unusual terms have been imposed, or suggested, in respect to any
shipment of goods, either made or proposed to be made by those
gentlemen to the Bahamas or elsewhere.
I return herewith the letter of the Secretary of State.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
C. P. CLINCH, Assistant
Collector.
Hon. S. P. Chase,
Secretary of the Treasury.
