, 1861-08-03

H. &1&X ~ Xx86o IRON 3AAe 0&T& -
*4.EsT11ss4e4AsAs - 1stAe9&Rs T.
Tns ipliowiax ixstho letter accompanying.
the hss oftrues 4 Itch csme to President na->
eo'n +: I'll s.: I|:::A -R.ourosD, Jul, .; 1ast..
To A1ahxas LtaasEs, Rsrsiszsrt ND dasano.dts+
e ca*fefM' A,ny and Mary q tht UasssI I
sis: :' Hai.s,ipg 1earnea that The schooner a.
vaa9ah pz.vste .tsd vssss aa , the sesE'e
.hortty at the Confederate statee nf:s America,
had been captured by one Of The ;vesse1a FORM.
ing the blockading squadron off Charleston
haIbor, l directed proposition to be made to
the officer commanding that squadron for N
exchange Of the officers and crew Of the 3d.
erE1nent "scco1diDg to number and rank"
To this proposition, made On the. 18Th ult,
CBpt. Mercer, the officer IN command Of the
blockBding EqnBd1on, made snsWer On the
came day that 8 the prisoners {reterred to- 4re
rot On bas5d ofaaJ of The ye'.ek !; under my
Hnow appears by statements made without
contradiction by newspapers published in
New York. that The sp1fSonere above mention
ed were conveyed to lhat city, and have there
been treated, not Is prisoners Of WE, but rs
criminals; Tint they haTe been put In irons,
Justice On ehHGEee h piracy and t1eason, aadit
IL even 1umored thxt they have beeal actually
convicted Of the offences charged for no othsr
resson than that they bore arms In defence Of
the rights Of this Government, md under the
authority Of ite commission: =
could not Wtthsut grave dlscouftesy- have
made the, newspaper statements above r.
ferTea to the subject Of this commune alton II
the thre8t of treating ~ pirates the citizens
OF this Confederncy, a1med for It's serqice on
The high seas, had not been contained In your
proclamation Of the - 'of. April 1aet4 That
$Fsa al
ficient justification for considering these Ruo-
lhhed statements u otdeF0id Of pfopaoahty.
It tR the dfaIre Of this Government 80 70
| cona1etzthe war now existing as TO mitigate
its horrors -4s fr - nay BE- 2pos4hle snn.
with this intent, its t1oatxaent OF the ptsouees
canfured bV,its forces his bean marked BY the
greatest humanity and lepiency consistent
|. with pubIlc obligation. Some, have been par
1nitted to return home on parole, othefs 70 r.
main at large under el1nlIar CONDITION W1tnl4
| vith ratioas for their subsistence, such IS hre
| allowed to our oWn troops- It is only since
the uews has been received of the treatment
! Of the: prisoners taken On the Savannah that |
| have been compelled to withdraw these indul:
| gtnsies, and:to hold the pr1sunere taken by "a
Il: :iust regard to humanity aud to the honor
! of this Government Row requires me to stata
| explicitly, that, painful az will be the necessf.
| ty, this Government Will deal out to theprfs
O1crs Reid by It the same treatment ann thf
aame fate as aha4 be- experienced by those
| captured on the Savannah; and If driven tt
| the terrible necessity Of retaliation by youl
! execution Of sny Of the officers or the crew O
! the Savannah, that retaliation will be extend
| ed so lar as 1t shall be requisite to secure tn
abandonment of a practice unknown to th'
| warfare Of civilized man and so barbarous q
to diFgrace the nation which shall be guilt,
OF in2ugurat1pg It. =
With this view, and because It may not hav
reached yen, now renew the propagation
i made to the commander Of the blockadin
squadron, to exchange for the prisoners take
On the Savannah, an equal number OF thss
.noW held by us, according to rank.
I am, Sir, yours, &c, ::
JKFFERsoN DAVE,
Presi1ent, and Commnnder-i Chief Of. th
Army and Navy Of the Confederate States.
Colonel Taylor, the bearer Of tho flag, mad
report at the same time, In which he ssys
delivered the letter to General NcDowel
who delivered 1t to General Scott. Aftt
reading it, General Scott handed the letter
President Lincoln, aud told Colonel Tay1t
that the President would reply to It IS SOC
a. pnaa1ble