Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1851-01-10
Secretary Of Sta 10 .Nr. Hulsemann.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE, }
WAsHIYGToy, Dec. 81, 1850.


The underigned, Sec retary of State of the
United States, had the honor to receive, some
time ago, the note of Mr. Hu!semann, Charge
dAtfares OF his Majesty the Emperor of Aus
tria, of the 3Oth September. Causes, not ari
sing from any want of personal regard for Mr..
llulsemann, or OF proper pect for his Govern
ment, have delayed an answer unil the present
moment Having subm ted Mr.. Halls ,manns
letter t. the President, the undersigned is now
directed by him to return the following reply .
The objects OF Mr.. llusemann's note are,
first, to protest, BY order of his Government,
against the steps taken by the late President of
the United States to ascertain the progress and
probable result Of the revolutionary movements
in Hungary; and, secondly to complain Of
some expressions in the instructions of the
late Secretary of State to Mr.. A. Dudley Mann,
a confidential agent If the United States, as
communicated by President Taylor to the SEN
ate on the 26,h Of March last.
The principal ground of protest is founded
on the idea, or in the allegation, that the Gov.
ernment of the United Stt.es, by the mission
of Mr.. Mann, aud his instructions, has inter- =
fered in the domestic affairs of Austria in
manner unjust or disrespertFul of that Power.
The Presidents message was a commune alton
made by him to the Senate transmitting cor
respondrrc, between the Executive Govern
ment and a confidential agent of its own
This would seem to be itself domcs ic trans
action, a mere instance of intercourse, bet ween
the President and the Senate, in the manner
which is usual and indispensable in communi-
cations between the different branches of the
! Government. 1t was not addressed either to
Austria or Hungary; nor was it any public
manifesto, to which any foreign State was call.
] al, II 4 ;t,
actions communicated by the Executive Gov
ernment to the Senate, at the request Of that
body made public, indeed, but made public
only because such is the common and usual
course of proceeding; and it may be regarded
as somewhat strange, therefore, that the Aus
| lrian Cabinet did not perceive that, by the in
structions given to M. llulsemann, it was it.
self interfering with the domestic concerns OF a
| foreign State,-the very thing which Is the
ground Of lis complaint against the United
Sales.
| This Department has on former occasions,
informed the. Ministers of Foreign Powers that
a communication from the President to either
House of Congress is regard as a domestic
communication, of which, ordinarily, no for
eign State has cognZance and, in more recent
Instances, the great inconvenience of making
such communications subjects of diplomatic
correspondence and discussion has been fully
shown. II it had been the pleasure of his Ma
! Iesty the f. nperor Of Austria, during the strug-
giles in Hungary, To have admonished the Pro-
visional Government or the people of that cour =
try against invoki ~ themselves in dis IStci 8
by following the evil and dangerous example of
the United Sites OF America IN making Efforts
for the Csa bli,hment Of independent Govern
menis. such an admonition from that = vereign
to his Hungarian subjects would not have o-ig-
enated here diplomatic correspondence. TIE
President might perhaps, on this ground have
declined to direct any particular reply to Mr..
| llusemanu's note but, out of proper respect
tor the Austrian Go !ernmenr, il has been thou t
better TO answer that note at length; and
! the more especially as the occasion is not
unfavorabe for the expression of the general
States upon the topics viii ch that note discus.
ses.
leading sui ject in Mr.. IlulSemann's note
is that of the correspondence between Mr..
ilulsemann and the predecessor of the un ler-
signed, in which Mr.. Clayton by direction Of
the President informed Mr.. llusemann "that
Mr.. Mann's mission had N other obi 'ct in view
than to obtain reliable Information as TO the
true state of affairs in Hungary, by persona
observation" MIR. llulsemann remarks tha
"Tnis explanation can hardly be admitted, lo
! il says verv little as to the cause of the ankle
ty which was felt to ascertain the chances -
the reyolulioniSts." As thi-, however, is the onl