Mr. Seward to Mr. Geofroy
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 11th instant, in which you state that, according to information which has reached the Emperor’s government, three regiments of the United States army have lately been sent to Matamoras under the pretext of protecting the consul of the United States at that port, and have there established the Juarist authority by driving out therefrom General Cortinas, who had pronounced against it there. You proceed in your note to observe that this news, the official confirmation of which, however, had not been received by the French government, has fixed the attention of the Emperor’s government; that the alleged proceedings constituted a violation of the neutrality on which the assurances of this government has authorized France to rely, and would also be opposed to the instructions which were addressed by this department to Major General Banks, who commands the United States forces on the borders of Mexico, and therefore you ask proper explanation thereupon.
In reply to your note, I have the honor to say that the attention of the President was first directed to the transaction you have mentioned by a note which was written to this department by Don Matias Romero, the minister plenipotentiary of the Mexican republic residing at this capital, on the 6th of February last. Mr. Romero, in that note, represented that the dispute at Matamoras, which was the occasion of the proceeding of General Herron, now complained of, was a dispute between two military leaders, each of whom acknowledged the authority and acted under the orders of the Mexican republic. Taking that view of the subject, Mr. Romero insisted that the proceeding of General Herron was a flagrant violation of Mexican sovereignty, as well as a violation of the before-mentioned instructions of this department to Major General Banks.
Upon receiving these representations of Mr. Romero, I called upon the Secretary of War for such information concerning this transaction as he possessed, and further requested that a full investigation thereof might be instituted. I have received from the Secretary of War certain papers which bear upon the transaction in question, but not yet the full report which has been requested. I have now the honor to place copies of these papers before you, namely, a report of Major General Banks, with the documents annexed, and to add to them an extract from a despatch of the United States consul at Matamoras, which has been received at this department.
A declaration of the views of this government upon the proceeding of General Herron is necessarily reserved until the result of the investigation which has been ordered shall have been ascertained. I shall be happy, in the mean time, to receive any information upon the subject which the government of France shall find it convenient and desirable to submit in support of the views of that government, which conflict with the representations of the Mexican government, as well as with the statements made by the military authorities and the consul of the United States.
I will add that General Banks has again been specially charged to do whatever is practicable to avoid any collision between the forces under his command and either of the belligerents in Mexico, and even to guard, so far as may be possible, against suffering any occasion to arise for dispute or controversy between his command or the authorities of Texas, and either or both of these parties.
Accept, sir, the assurances of my high consideration.
Mr. L. de Geofroy, &c., &c., &c.