The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-27 00:00:00

(Copy.)

" City of New York."
TO MESSRS. J. LAIRD, SONS, AND CO., BIRKENHEAD.
New York, Sept. 20, 1861.
Dear Sirs,—Your valued favours of 3d, 28th, and 31st
ult. with the accompanying drawings were received during
my absence in Vat) Far West with General Fremont's divi-
sion of the army, where 1 have been delayed far beyond my
expectations.
Immediately on my return I went to Washington with
your tracings, and laid them before the Secretary of the
Navy, and I trust that before long I shall be able to send
you an order for the construction of one or more gunboats.
The Secretary was rather disappointed that you have not
sent any response to the memorandum in reference to a shell
and shot proof battery for use in our Southern harbours.
I may say to you in confidence, intended to force an en-
trance into Charleston Harbour, defended by Forts Sumter
and Moultrie.
I hope that you may be able to send me a plan for such a
battery, and the terms on which you will construct such a
ship.

I am glad to learn that you are so busy, and so well and
rightly appreci!ted.

?'rusting to hear from you soon, I am, dear Sirs, yours
faithfully,

(Copy.)

TO MESSRS. JOHN LAIRD, SONS, AND CO., BIRKENHEAD.
New York, Oct. 25, 1861.
My dear have your valued favour, also the slips
containing very interesting accounts of your new works, all
of which give me much pleasure. _

if ne agt eo
df
a byn i your
Government in entrustingdyimo
ensions, as well as the trans-
port ab
uai nl
di
I congratulate you on the cuonwifitdhenthcee
plated ships of such large
port ship, and I have no doubt buttheaetnytoirue swfisetiotfuarntnhem
out, as you always have done, to th
of
thethe Aotdhmerisralthtyoy.
plrotprousse.tthat you may get the contract for
Navy _
I cannot but regret that you did not
Department,estimat as
e for the
floating batteries required by our
it
would have been a step in the right direction,
haveand
on
giaadoyfoaur
laws
succeeded, as I know you would, it would
towards relaxing the stringency of our navigation in
reference to the buying of foreign-built ships.
I sent your last letter received yesterday to the Secretary
of the navy, who was very desirous to have you build the
iron-plated and bomb-proof batteries, and I trust that he
boats.
may yet decide to have you build one or more of the gun
It is my present in to visit England again for a
hurried I
ho pe to hav© the trip; leaving here in the Africa 6:h November, and 1
if so,
pleasure of seeing you about the
18th proximo,--With kind regards to all, I am, &c.,
(Signed)

.
......_....-_
........

(Copy:)
yadt,hAe April
newspapersll, 1863.
My dear Sir,--You Will havi3Orskeeeushbe
the
report of the discussion in the Rouse of C
Alabama case, on the 27th of March last,
aneammons on the
that I named
in part of my speech the fact, that my late firm had had
application from the Secretary of the Navy of the Federal
Government, through a friend of mine, to build vessels of
war for them.
I do not wish to bring your name before the imbue, or to
publish the correspondence, except in the event of the
Federal Government denying the statement I made, in
which case I shall have in self-defence to do so, which I
shall regret.

I think ii they do deny the negotiation it will be treating
you unfairly, more especially as your letter to me and its
enclosures handed to you by them show that they entered

very fully with you into the class of vessels required, and
the object these vessels were intended to accomplish.
The American Government, as you also informed me per-
sonally and by letter, May, 1861, had employed Captain C.
to endeavour to purchase suitable vessels for blockading
purposes, and that you were in communication with him on
this subject.

I did not name the negotiation I had with the Federal
Government through you, until forced to do so by their
friends in the House of Commons, notwithstanding the re-
peated attacks made on myself and toy sons in the Ameri-
can and English press, and by the partisans of the North at
public meetings and elsewhere.
To have remained longer silent would have been con-
strued into an admission that the charges made against me
were correct, and, therefore, I felt the time had arrived when
I must make some statement on the subject.

I hope your family are all well, and remain, my dear sir,
yours very truly,

(Signed) JOHN LAIRD,