The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-03-12
EXTRA SESSION OF THE SENATE.
TUESDAY, March IL, 1851


EXTRA SESSION OF THE SENATE.
TUESDAY, March IL, 1851.
ADJOURNMENT sINE DIE.
Mr.. RHETT submitted the following resolution:
Resolved, That the Senate will adjourn sine die
at IL O'Clock to- morrow, and that committee be
appointed by the Chair to wait upon tho President
nation on the part of the Senate and to know from
him whether he has any further communications
to make to the Senate.
Mr.. MANCUM objected, and the resolution was
laid over.
KossurH AND HE COMPANIONS
The CHAIR laid before the Senate a message
from the President Of the United States in response
to resolution of the Senate calling for copies OF
all correspondence between the State Department
and the American minister at Constantinople, con-
corning Kossuth
Among the documents communicated are the
following:
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, February %, 1851.
Dragoman 81 he United State. Legation a. Con-
stanttnope.
SIR Being DESTROYS to know the exact condition
in which the Hungarian exiles are, and what the
intentions OF the Turkish Government are supposed
to be in regard to them, would be obliged TO you
if you would give such information on this SUBJ
ject az you may posssss.
Yours, respectfully.
DANlCA w Guo En-.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WAsHINoToS, February %, 1851.
Hon. DANIEL WxBsrxR,
Secretary Of STATE Of the United States
SIR: have had the honor to receive your letter
Of the AID instant, in which you are pleased to re-
quest that should communicate to the Department
whatever information may possess respecting the
circumstances connected with the detention of Mr.
Louis Kossuth and his companions, now in Kutay-
ich, in Asia Minor, and consequently beg leave to
lay before it the following statement:
When, in September, lS49, Mr.. Koasuth and his
in the dominions of tho Sultan Of Turkey from the
united forces of Austria and Russia, they (the
Poles and Hungarians togcther) amounted to some
four thousand in number, You are aware that the
Sultan of Turkey, whose protection they had
claimed, should deliver them up, and that the Sui
tan generously refused to accede to their demands.
The Sultan, however, a. q matter of compromise,
addressed to each of these sovereigns an autograph
letter, offering to expel from his empire, to de-
tain in il under surveillance any of the refugees
whom they might designate. The Emperor Of Rus
STA requested that all the Poles should be expelled
from Turkey; and consequently the Sultan sent 10
Malta some two hundred and fifty Poles, in ofhis
own steamers. and thoy have dispersed throughout
asked the detention in Turkey Of such of the Hun
garian chiefs a. he might name in a list, which
would be given TO the Porte by the Auatrian lega-
ton at Constantinople. In the mean time, large
through the generous connivance of the Turkish
authorities, and made their way to the different
parts OF Europe, and even to the United States In
this manner the original number of the refugees
soon became very much diminished.
In the Sultan's offer to detain the Hungarian
chiefs, he made allusion to any period of time,
and its duration consequently depends wholly
upon himself. Notwithstanding the pressing de-
mAnds of the Austrian government that Mr..
Kossuth and the others named in its list should
be detained for life, the humane and generous Sui
tan promised only one year: The Austrian gov
eminent subsequently diminished its demand to
twenty, fifteen and ten, and finally to five years;
but the Sultan remained firm at his offer of
year. II was questioned, previous to my depart
the Sultan should commence and when terminate;
and as the refugees had crossed the Danube and
entered Turkey in the month of September, lS49,
1t might commence with that event, and end in the
commence with the date Of the list of the indvidu
ais whom the Austrian government desired should
be detained that 10 70 say, at the end of May,
1900 lwhsn the List was, By mutual agreement, to
ton would terminate with the month of May of
the present year.
In the mean time Mr.. Kossuth, with some
twenty five or thirty others named in the list, and
about forty more, who, at their own request, were
allowed to share in the exile of their late governor
were removed by the Sultan's order from Shumla,
in Roomelia, TO Kutayieh, the place fixed upon for
their residence, and where they yet remain under
that surveillance. Tho Hungarians who remained
at Shumla continued to receive rations and
email monthly stipend out of the Sultans treasury
Those who escaped to the capital, and did not leave
the country, forfeited this pecuniary assistance,
and consequently soon fell into very destitute cir
cumstances. Many of the latter found employ
ment in the service of benevolent Mussulmen;
good number embraced Islamism, in the hope of
receiving military Prcferment. Contributions
were made among the foreign legations, and many
Of the foreign residents in Peru the relief of the
and he Tnrk tah min iota
failed TO aid those whose peculiar restitution
made known TO them.
This the position of the affair when left
Constantinople, May Doth of last year, and in the
expectation that the year for which Mr.. Kossuth
was to be detained would terminate in the month
Of last September. fully believed that he would
ere this have been released, and in the enjoyment
of the blessing Of liberty in the United States
II was the Sutan's promise. contained in
his autograph letter to the Emperor Of Aus
tria, which prevented his government from
accepting the generous offer Of the late la
mcnted President, to convey MIR. Kossuth and his
friends to tho United States in one of our public
vessels, which offer made in March last through
the minister resident of the United States at Con-
stantinople. The Sultan, cannot but feel conf
dent, has desire interest in the detention Of
Mr.. Kossuth, and would be most happy, believe,
TO be released from the expense and inconvenience
which it occasions him. And whilst the Turkish
government decided NOT to permit him to be con-
veyed to this country in the steamer mississippi"
which vessel was proposed to it for that purpose,
some OF the Sultan's ministers expressed the most
positive assurances, in which still place conf
dence, that his detention should not be prolonged
beyond the period of one year.
During the last summer the Turkish govern
mcnt offered to the minister resident to send
tho Hungarians to Liverpool in one of the Sui
tan's steamers, in case his government would pro-
vide means for their conveyance to this coun-
try. and from the circumstance that the period of
their departure from Turkey would have been
about the month Of September, one year from tho
date Of their entrance into the Sultan's dominions
am induced to believe that Mr.. Kossuth would
have been of their number. The minister resident
not feeling himself at liberty TO bind the govern
ment, from the want Of any authority to do so, the
the Austrian government at the time made serious
opposition TO his release, and that the Sultan was
induced by it to defer il until favorable OPP
portunity should olIer
am privately informed from Constantinoplc,
under date Of the Ith ultimo, that the Sultan had