The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-01-08
Mr., Webster to Mr.. Hulsemann.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASIfINGTON. Dee. u. 1Sh(

SDllS lllnc NHo, inc more OF NIf. llulSCnlunn.
Charge fAilaires of His Majesty the Empe-
'or Of Austria, Of Sept. 3d. Causes, not A.
rising from any want of personal regard 70,
MIR. Hulsemann, or OF proper respect for his
Government, have DELAYED an answer until
the present moment Ilaring submitted Mr.
Hulscmann's letter TO the President, the I'm.
dersigncd is now directed by him to return
the following reply:
The objects of Mr.. Hulscmann'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 nsiruc.
tions OF the late Secretary of State to MIR.
n. Dudley Mann, confidential agent of the
United States,as communicated by President
Taylor 10 the Senate on the 2Sth of March
last.
The principal ground of protest is founded
on the idea, or in the allegation, that the
Government of the United States nv the
mission of Mr.. Mann, in his instructions. has
intcrfered in the domestic ail'iirs of Austria.
in n manner unjust or disrcspcctful toward,
that power. ! he Presidents message was
communication made bv HIM 10 the Senate.
transmitting a correspondence between the
Executive Government and a confidential
agent of its own. This would seem to
be itself domestic transaction, mere in
tercourso between the President and the
Senate, in the manner which is usual and in
dspensabc in communications between the
different branches of the Government. 1t
was not addressed either to Austria or Hun.
gary; nor was it any public manifesto to
which any foreign State was called on to re-
ply. 1t was an account of its transactions
communicated by the Executive Government
to the Senate, at the request of that body g;
made public, indeed, but made public only
because such is the common and usual prac.
tice of preceding and it may be regarded
as somewhat str1nI &c, therefore, that the Aus.
trian Cabinet did not perceive thai, by the
instructions given to MIR. lIulsomann, it was
itself interfering with the domestic concerns
of foreign State, the very thing which is
the ground Of its complaint against the Uni
ted States
The Department has, on former occasions.
informed the Ministers of Foreign Powers
that a communication from the President to
either House CT Congress is regarded ms do
meslic communication, Of which, ordinarily,
no foreign State has cognizancc and in more
recent instances the great Inconvenience OF
making such communications subjects of di-
pomatic correspondence AMI discussion has
been fully shown. Ii it had been the pleas
IRE Of Ills Majesty the Emperor of Austria,
during the struggles in Hungary, to have al
monished the Provisional Government or tic
people OF that country against involving
themselves in disaster, by follow ig the evil
and dangerous example of the United States
Of America, in maxi ing efforts for the cstab.
lshment OF independent Governments, such
an admonition from that sovereign TO his
Hungarian subjects would not have oricinat-
ell here diplomatic correspondence. The
President might, perhaps, on this ground,
have declined to direct any particular reply
10 Mr.. llulsemann's note but out of proDcr
respect for the Austrian Government, it has
been thought better to answer that note a;
length and the more especially as the occa.
'!on Is not untavorable for the expression of
the general sentiments of the Government
OF the United States upon the topics which
that note discusses.
a leading subject in Mr. IIulseman's note
is that OF the correspondence between MIR.
llulsemann and the predecessor of the I'M
dersigned. in which NJ. Clayton, by direc>
ton of the President, informed Mr. Huse-
mann " that Mr.. Manns mission had no 9TH
err object in view than to obtain reliable in.
formation as to the true state Of affairs in
Hungary, by personal observation Mr..
Ilulsemann remarks that ills explanation
can hardly be admitted, for it says very little
as 10 the cause OF the anxiety which was felt
to ascertain the chances of the revolutionists "
As this however, Is the only purpose which
can with an! appearance Of truth be atlrb.
uied to the agency as nothing whatever is
alleged by Mr. lluisemann to have been eli
thor IOpp n n said l.N- ,i,o
with such an object, the undersigned con-
ceves that Mr.. Clayton's explanation ought
to be deemed rot only admissible, but quite
satisfactory,
MIR. Hulsemann states, in the course Of his |
note, that his instructions TO address, his nres.
ent communication to Mr.. Clayton reached |
Washington about the time OF the lamented |
death OF the late President, and that he de. |
layed from sense Of proprieiy the execu-
ton OF his task until the new Administration |
should be fully organized: "a DELAY which |
Inc now rrlolces at. as it has given him the |
opportunity OF aScertaining from the new
President himself, on the occasion of the re-
ceplion OF the diplomatic corps, that the fun
damental policy of the United States, so fire.
qnenty proclaimed, would guide the rela.
tons OF the American Government with 9th
er Powers" Mr.. lIusemann also observes
mat It Is in his power 10 assure the under
s'Sned that the Imperial Government is dis
posed to cultivate relations of friendship and
good understanding with the United States"
The President receives this assurance of
the disposition of The Imperial Government
with great satisfaction, and. in consideration
OF the friendly relations of the two govern.
monts thus mutually recognized, and of the
peculiar nature Of the incidents by which
their cool understanding is supposed bv MIR.
tiulsemann TO have been for a moment dis
tnrbed or endangered, the President rep,ets
that MIR. llulsemann did not feel himself at
liberty wholly 10 forbcar from the execution
OF instructions which were of course trans.
mltted from Vienna without any foresight Of
the state of things under which thew Would
reach Washington If Mr. Ilulsemann saw.
III The address OF the President 10 the diplo.
matte corps satisfactory pledges OF the senti-
ments and the polio, of this Government. in
regard to neutral rights and neutral duties
It might, perhaps, have been better not to
bring on discussion of past Transactions
But the undersigned readily admits that |
this was question fit only for the consider
alton and decision Of Mr. IIulsemann him.
self and although the President does not see
that any good purpose can be answered by
re-opcning the inquiry into the prof. riety OF {
the step taken by President TAYLOR, to ascer. I
tain the probable issue of the late civil war {
in Hungary. justice TO his memory requires (
the undersigned briefly TO re-state the histo-
ry Of those steps, and to show their consis- g
tency with the neutral policy which has in d
variably guided the Government of inc G
United States in its foreign relations, rs well J
as with the established and well settled prin- f