Hon. William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
Earl Russell to Mr. Adams.
Foreign Office,
June 30, 1864.
Sir: With reference to my note of the 19th
of March, I have the honor to transmit to you a copy of a despatch
which has been addressed by Mr. Vice Consul Butterfield to her
Majesty’s consul at New York, explaining his proceedings with regard
to Edward T. Rich, which formed the subject of your note of the 8th
of the same month.
I have the honor to add—that it appears to her Majesty’s government
that Mr. Butterfield’s conduct in this matter has not been such as
to merit their animadversion.
I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your
most obedient, humble servant,
Charles Francis Adams, Esq., &c., &c., &c.
Mr. Butterfield to Mr. Archibald.
British Vice Consulate,
Key West,
May 6, 1864.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your despatch of April 23, enclosing a despatch from Lord
Lyons, containing an extract from a despatch of Admiral Bailey to
the Hon. Gideon Welles, in which he complains of my proceeding in
the case of Edward T. Rich. Admiral Bailey observes, “that Rich
having been refused a pass by him to go to Havana, he sought and
obtained the aid of the British vice consul, obtaining from him a
certificate addressed, to the Spanish consul asserting that Rich was
a British subject, and requesting for him, as such, Spanish
protection.”
In reply to this statement I have the honor to inform you that E. T.
Rich did, by oath, (which would now appear to be false, ) declare
himself to be a British subject, and belonging to Falmouth, England,
and obtained from me a British certificate, but not until I had
carefully examined him, and had every reason to believe that he was
bona fide a British subject; but in
regard to my affording him aid to make his
escape from the island, I have only to state that Such a thing was
not possible, from any certificate that I could give him; as no one can pass the guard ship to leave the
island, unless he has a pass from the provost marshal of the city,
as well as from the admiral himself, and that, therefore, even
should I have given a certificate to one who had no claim to it, it
could in no way have been of any use to him as a means of
escape.
The admiral also states that the certificate was addressed to the
Spanish consul, requesting his protection. In reply to this, I have
only to state that it was neither addressed to that official, nor
did it ask of him any assistance or protection.
It is also stated by the admiral that Rich made his escape in a
vessel “owned by a Spaniard residing at Key West.” To this statement
I have the authority of the Spanish consul in replying that there
are no Spaniards residing here who are owners of vessels, and, also,
that the only vessel that left this for Havana on the 27th January
(the day named by the admiral) was the United States steamer Perry,
of the quartermaster’s department.
In support of the statement that I have made, that it would be
impossible for any one to pass the guard ship merely on producing a consul’s certificate which had not
attached to it the provost marshal’s pass, as well as that of the
admiral, I would beg to mention the following cases, (the facts of
which I have from the Spanish consul:) Two Spanish subjects took
passage on the 26th of January last at this port for Havana in the
schooner Aristides. There were twenty-eight passengers, all the
papers of which were right with the exception of those held by these
two men, and they were left behind at the last moment, because,
although they had a pass from the Spanish consul as well as from the
provost marshal, they did not have any from
the admiral.
Should the statement made by the admiral as regards the nationality
of Rich be correct, it would appear that, notwithstanding my efforts
to the contrary, I have given a certificate to an improper person;
still, however much I should regret this, as well as justly incur
the displeasure of her Majesty’s government, I must again beg to
say, that his having my certificate gave him no facility whatever for escape, and that he could have got
away quite as well without it as he appears to have done with
it.
I need not, I am sure, remind you of the very peculiar position in
which I am often placed here as regards the rights and claims made
by British subjects, or those professing to be such, and of the
great difficulty I have at times in knowing from whom and to what
extent to seek for information concerning them.
I would also remark, that until yesterday, when I received your
despatch, I had no knowledge of any dissatisfaction on the part of
the admiral at what I
[Page 204]
had
done relative to Rich, or that he had made his escape; but had the
admiral thought fit to represent to me that Eich was an American,
when he saw that he had my certificate, (which he says in his
despatch he did see, ) I would at once have deprived him of it, or
at least until investigation could have been had as to his real
nationality.
I have, &c., &c., &c.,
E. M. Archibald, Esq., &c., &c., &c.
