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

Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward.

Washington, April 18, 1864.

Sir: In a note dated the 6th instant, announcing the release from Fort Warren of two officers and three seamen who had been captured on board the British steamer Don, you did me the honor to inform me that measures were being taken for the discharge of all bona fide foreign subjects captured in neutral vessels seized for breach of blockade.

I deem it to be my duty, with a view to hastening the release of British subjects comprised in this category, to ask your immediate attention to the enclosed list of persons captured, as I am informed, on board British vessels, and claiming British protection, who are held as prisoners by the government of the United States.

I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant,

LYONS.

Hon. William H. Seward, &c., &c., &c.

Mr. Archibald to Lord Lyons.

British Consulate, New York, April 7, 1864.

My Lord: I have the honor to report to your lordship that the persons whose names are mentioned in the subjoined list, and who state themselves to be British subjects, are detained here as prisoners in the county jail. The seven first-named persons were captured on board the British steamer Scotia while on a voyage from Wilmington to Nassau. Two of them report themselves to have been passengers in that vessel.

The seven last-named persons were captured in the British steamer Don, of London, while on a voyage from Nassau to Wilmington. One of them states himself to have been a passenger on board the Don. The whole thirteen persons were lodged in the county jail on the 25th ultimo. The Scotia was brought to this port for adjudication, as reported in my despatch of the 9th ultimo. The Don was taken to Boston. I see no reason for the detention of these prisoners here. I have caused them to be examined by a clerk from this office, and believe them to be all British subjects and entitled to British protection. There is likewise in the county jail a British subject named Adolphus Russell, a native and resident of Green Turtle Bay, Bahamas. He states himself to have been a passenger on board the sloop Racer, of Green Turtle Bay, which was captured on the 1st of January last and taken to Key West. Russell was kept on board the United States bark Roebuck from the time of his capture until he was sent here and lodged in the county jail, about three weeks since. He is suffering from ill health.

Besides the above-mentioned persons, there is in the county jail, where he has been imprisoned since the 2d of February last, a man named William Patterson, master of the sloop Gopher, of Green Turtle Bay, Bahamas, which was captured and sent to Key West on the 12th of December last. He states himself to be a native of Denmark, is now of the age of forty-six years, and has resided twenty-eight years in the Bahama islands, where he became naturalized as a British subject in the year 1850.

I have, &c.,

E. M. ARCHIBALD.

The Lord Lyons, &c., &c., &c.

Name of prisoner.		Name of ship.	Where imprisoned.	Papers relating to the case.
1.	John Smith	Steamer Scotia	County jail, New York	}	Despatch from her Majesty’s consul at New York, dated April 7, annexed hereto.
2.	William Stearne	do	do
3.	Robert Fernando	do	do
4.	Richard Risley	do	do
5.	William L. Paine	do	do
6.	John McKinley	do	do
7.	A.W. Stein	do	do
8.	J. A. Bedwell	Steamer Don	do
9.	W. H. Hall	do	do
10.	Bernard Harding	do	do
11.	Samuel Bostock	do	do
12.	Frederick Tiger	do	do
13.	John Temple	do	do
14.	A. D. Clagett	do	do
15.	Adolphus Racer	Racer	do
16.	William Patterson*	Gopher	do
17.	W. Owens Neill	Nutfield	Carroll prison, Washington	}	Note to Mr. Seward, March 24; notes from Mr. Seward, March 29 and April 7.
18.	John McCarthy	Dee	do
19.	William Austic	do	do
20.	John Wertley	do	do
21.	John Murphy	do	do
22.	William Stephens	do	do
23.	Gustavus Krotch	do	do
24.	James Garvick	do	do
25.	John King	Paul	U. S. ship Princeton, at Philadelphia.	}	Note to Mr. Seward, March 13; notes from Mr. Seward, March 17 and 22.
26.	J.D. Coleman	Rossiter	do
27.	W. H. Thompson	do	do
28.	Isaac Fisher, (colored.)	Not stated	do	Letter from Fisher to her Majesty’s consul at Philadelphia, of March 22, annexed hereto.

Mr. Fisher to Mr. Kortright.

Philadelphia Navy Yard, United States Receiving Skip Princeton, March 22, 1864.

Sir: I do very respectfully request to see you, if you could make it convenient at any time to come, as I am here among strangers, and in a strange country. As a statement of my case, and how I came here, was: I volunteered my services in Nassau for two pounds a month, of which I signed for, but at the same time being quite ignorant of the destination of the schooner I was in. To my great misfortune I was captured, and brought here on board of the receiving ship Princeton, and I should like to see you, for I could explain things more correct to you. I have no one to look to, as I am a colored man, and my situation is but very little pitied, and I am under a thousand obligations to you if you could aid or help me in any way, for I have no one to look to, as I am a British subject, and a perfect stranger here, and I would thank you as your humble servant for your kindness; so please aid or help me if you please.

Respectfully, &c.,

ISAAC FISHER, Colored.

C. R. K. Kortright, Esq., Her Britannic Majesty’s Consul.

1. This man is stated to be a native of Denmark.