Mr. Adams to Mr. Seward
Sir: You will receive in due course, from the consul at Dublin, Mr. West, the reports of the proceedings at Sligo in the trial of Colonel Nagle. It appears that in consequence of a failure to obtain a sufficient number of aliens to constitute half of the jury, it has been decided to change the venue, and to postpone the case to a future day. All the necessary measures for the defense of Colonel Nagle, specified in your instructions, were adopted by Mr. West, and he was authorized by me to draw upon the department for the amount required to defray the expense. At the same time I have cautioned him to exercise his discretion in regard to the extent of his engagements, for the sake of security against exorbitant demands upon the national treasury.
The trials in the five or six other cases of prisoners taken from the Jacmel will now probably proceed. Reports of these will be forwarded to the department in proper course. I have not thought it worth the expense to employ any one to watch the proceedings, as the reports of Mr. Adair, at Dublin, varied little from those obtained through the public press.
The government have liberated several of the prisoners and offered terms to more, but they were not willing to abide by the conditions prescribed. I have never considered it proper to take official cognizance of these proceedings, as they depend for their validity upon the voluntary waiver of those claims by the parties to which alone it is my duty to respond.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
P. S.—Since the foregoing was written, the newspapers announce the postponement of the remaining trials.