The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-22 00:00:00

PRESIDENT BUCHANAN.

The following is President Buchanan's reply to the
Commissioners from South Carolina :

Washington City, Dec. 30, 1860.
Gentlemen,—l have had the honour to receive your com
munication of 28th inst., together with a copy of your
full powers from the Convention of the people of South
Carolina, authorising you to treat with the government of
the United States on various important subjects therein
mentioned; and also a copy of the Ordinance, bearing date
on the 20th inst., declaring that " the Union now subsisting
between South Carolina and other States, under the name
of the United States of America, is hereby dissolved."
In answer to this communication, I have to say that my
position as President of the United States was clearly de-
fined in the Message to Congress on the 3d inst. In that I
stated that, " apart from the execution of the laws, as far
as this may be practicable, the Executive has no authority
to decide what shall be the relations between the Federal
Government and South Carolina. He has been invested
with no such discretion. He possesses no power to change
the relations hitherto existing between them, much less to
acknowledge the independence of that State. This would
be to invest a mere Executive officer with the power of
recognising the dissolution of the Confederacy among our
thirty-three sovereign States. It bears no resemblance to
the recognition of a foreign de facto government—involv-
ing no such responsibility. Any attempt to do this would,
on his part, be a naked act of usurpation. It is, therefore,
my duty to submit to Congress the whole question in all
its bearings."
Such is my opinion still. I could, therefore, meet you
only -as private gentlemen of the highest character, and
was entirely willing to communicate to Congress any pro-
position you might have to make to that body upon the
subject. Of this you were well aware. It was my earnest
desire that such a disposition might bo made of the whole
subject by Congress, who alone possess the power, as to
prevent the inauguration of a civil war between the parties
in regard to the possession or the Federal forts in the har-
bour of Charleston, and I, therefore, deeply regret that, in
your opinion, " the events of the last twenty-four hours
render this impossible." In conclusion, you urge upon m•
the immediate withdrawal of the troops from the harbour
of Charleston," stating that "under present circumstances
they are a standing menace, which renders negotiation
impossible, and, as our recent experience shows, threaten
speedily to bring to a bloody issue questions which ought
to be settled with temperance and judgment."
The reason for this change in your position is, that since
your arrival in Washington, "an officer of the United
States, acting as we (you) are assured, not only without,
but against your (my) orders, ilas dismantled one fort and
occupied another—thus altering to a most important extent
the condition of affairs under which we (you) came." You
- also allege that you came here " the representatives of an
authority which could, at any time within the past sixty
days, have taken possession of the forts in Charleston har-
bour, but which, upon pledges given in a manner that we
(you) cannot doubt, determined to trust to your (my)
honour rather than to its power."
This brings me to a consideration of the nature of those
alleged pledges, and in what manner they have been ob-
served. In my message of the 3d of December last, I:stated
in regard to the property of the United States in South
Carolina, that i t " has been purchased for a fair equivalent,
by the consent of the Legislature of the State, for the erec-
tion of forts, magazines, arsenals, &c., and over these the
authority ' to exercise exclusive legislation' has been ex-
pressly granted by the Constitution to Congress. It is not
believed that any attempt will be made to expel the United
States from this property by force; but if in this I should
prove to be mistaken, the officer in command of the forts
has received orders to act strictly on the defensive. In such
a contingency, the responsibility for consequences would
rightfully rest upon the heads of the assailants." This
being the condition of the parties, on Saturday, Bth De-
cember, four of the representatives from South Carolina
called upon me, and requested an interview. We had an
earnest conversation on the subject of these forts, and the
best means of preventing a collision between the parties, for
the purpose of sparing the erasion of blood. I suggested,
for prudential reasons, that it would be best to put in writ-
ing what they said to me verbally. They did so, accord-
ingly, and on Monday morning, the 10th inst., three of
them presented to me a paper signed by all the represen-
tatives from South Carolina, with a single exception, of
which the following is a copy :
To his Excellency James Buchanan, President of the
United States,

In compliance with our statement to you yesterday, we
now express to you our strong convictions that neither the
constituted authorities, nor any body of the people of the
State of South Carolina, will either attack or molest the
United States forts in the harbour of Charleston, previously
to the act of the Convention, and we hope and believe not
until an offer has been made through an accredited repre-
sentative, to negotiate for an amicable arrangement of all
matters between the State and the Federal Government,
provided that no reinforcements shall be sent into those
forts, and their relative military status shall remain as at
present. JOHN MCQUEEN.
M. L. BONHAM.
W. W. BOYCE.
LAWRENCE M. KEITT.

Washington, Dec. 9, 1860.

And here I must, in justice to myself, remark that at the
time the paper was presented to me I objected to the word
"provided," as it might be construed into an agreement on
my part, which I never would make. They said that no-
thing was further from their intention—they did not so un-
derstand it, and I should not so consider it. It is evident
they could enter into no reciprocal agreement with me on
the subject. They did not profess to have authority to do
this, and were acting in their individual character. I consi-
dered it as nothing more, in effect, than the promise of highly
honourable gentlemen to exert their influence for the pur-
pose expressed. The event has proven that they have faith-
fully kept this promise, although I have never since received
a line from any one of them, or from any member of the
Convention, on the subject. It is well known that it was ray
determination, and this I freely expressed,not to reinforce the
forts in the harbour, and thus prod nee a collision, until they
had been actually attacked, or until I had certain evidence
that they were about to be attacked. This paper I received
most cordially, and considered it as a happy omen that
peace might be still preserved, and that time might be thus
given for reflection. This is the whole foundation for the
alleged pledge.
But I acted in the same manner as I would have done
had I entered into a positive and formal agreement with
parties capable of contracting, although such an agreement
would have been, on my part, from the nature of my official
duties, impossible. The world knows that I have never
sent any reinforcements to the forts in Charleston harbour,
and I have certainly never authorised any change to be
made "in their relative military status." Bearing upon
this subject, I refer you to an order issued by the Secretary
of War, on the 11th inst. to Major Anderson, but not
brought to my notice until the 21st inst. It is as follows :
MEMORANDUM OF VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS TO MAJOR
ANDERSON, FIRST ARTILLERY, COMMANDING FORT
MOULTRIE, S. C.

•
You are aware of the ereat anxiety of the Secretary of
War that a collision of the troops with the people of this
State shall be avoided, and of his studied determination to
pursue a course with reference to the military force and
forts in this harbour, which shall guard against such a col-
lision. He has, therefore, carefully abstained from increas-
ing the force at this point, or taking any measures which
might add to the present excited state of the public mind,
or which would throw any doubt on the confidence he feels
that South Carolina will not attempt by violence to obtain
possession of the public works, or interfere with their occu-
pancy.
But as the counsel and acts of rash and impulsive persons
may possibly disappoint these expectations of the Govern-
ment, he deems it proper that you should be prepared with
instructions to meet so unhappy a contingency. He has,
therefore, directed me, verbally, to give you such instruc-
tions.

You are carefully to avoid every act which would need-
lessly tend to provoke aggression, and for that reason you
are not, without necessity, to take up any position which
could be construed into the assumption of a hostile attitude;
but you are to hold possession of the forts in this harbour,
and if attacked you are to defend yourself to the last extre-
mity. The smallness of your force will not permit you,
perhaps, to occupy more than one of the three forts, but an
attack on, or attempt to take possession of either of them,
will be regarded as an act of hostility, and you may then
put your command into either of them which you may
deem most proper to increase its power of resistance. You
are also authorised to take similar steps whenever you have
tangible evidence of a design to proceed to a hostile act.

- -
D. P. BUTLER, Assistant Adjutant-General.
Fort Moultrie, S.C., Dec. 11, 1860.
This is in conformity to my instructions to Major Buell.
JOAN B. FLOYD, Secretary of War.
These were the last instructions transmitted to Major
Anderson before his removal to Fort Sumter, with a single
exception, in regard to a particular which does not in any
degree affect the present question. Under these circum-
stances it is clear that Major Anderson acted upon his own
responsibility, and without authority, unless, indeed, he
had "tangible evidence of a design to proceed to a hostile
act" on the part of South Carolina, which has not yet been
alleged. Still, he is a brave and honourable officer, and
justice requires that he should not be condemned without a
fair hearing. _ _ _

Be this as it may, when I learned that Major Anderson
had left Fort Moultrie and proceeded to Fort Sumter, my
first promptings were to command him to return to his for-
mer position, and there to await the contingencies pre-
sented in his instructions. This would only have been
done with any degrel of safety to the command by the con-
currence of the South Carolina authorities. But before
any step could possibly have been taken in this direction,
we received information that the " Palmetto flag floated out
to the breeze at Castle Pinckney, and a large military force
went over last night (the 27th) to Fort Moultrie." Thus
the authorities of South Carolina, without waiting or ask-
ing for any explanations, and, doubtless, believing, as you
have expressed it, that the officer had acted not only with-
out, but against my orders, on the very next day after the
night when the removal was made, seized by a military
force two of the Federal forts in the harbour of Charleston,
and have covered them under their own flag instead of that
of the United States.

At this gloomy period of our history startling events
succeed each other rapidly. On the very day, the 27th
instant, that possession of these two forts was taken, the
Palmetto flag was raised over the Federal Custom-house
and Post-office in Charleston; and on the same day every
officer of the Customs—collector, naval officer, surveyor,
and appraiser—resigned their offices; and this, although it
was well known from the language of ray Message that,
as an Executive officer, I felt myself bound to collect the
revenue at the port of Charleston under the existing laws.
In the harbour of Charleston we now find three forts con-
fronting each other, over all of which the Federal flag floated
only four days ago ; but now, over two of them this flag has
been supplanted, and the Palmetto flag has been substituted
in its stead, It is under all these circumstances that lam
urged immediately to withdraw the troops from the harbour
of Charleston, and am informed that without this negotia-
tion is impossible. This I cannot do—this I will not do.
Such an idea was never thought of by tae in any possible
contingency. No Bush allusion had been made in any com-
munication between myself and any human being. But
the inference is that I am bound to withdraw the troops
from the only, fort remaining in the possession of the
United States in the harbour of Charleston, because the
officer there in command of all of the forts thought proper,
without instructions, to change his position from one of
them to another.

At this paint of writing I have received information by
telegraph from Captain Humphreys, in command of the
Arsenal at Charleston, that "it has to-day (Sunday, the
30th), been taken by force of arms." It is estimated that
the munitions of war belonging to this arsenal are worth
half a million of dollars.

Comment is needless. After this information, I have only
to add that whilst it is my duty to defend Fort Sumter, as
a portion of the public property of the United States, against
hostile attacks, from whatever quarter they may come, by
such means as I possess for this purpose, I do not perceive
how such a defence can be construed into a menace against