Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1861-02-23
P0AD1 aoAls,
EXECUTIVE pocuMENTs.


NJ. Hlyne to the PctiCiGm Of he United. Stal<s
hy.3 WAsuINGroN, Jan. 81, 1861
To His Excellency James Buchanan, Pres.
Sir: had the honor to hold short inter
view with you on the, 18th instant, ,inforunl
and unofficial. Having previously been in
formed that you desired that whatever was Of
fetal should be- on both siiGs, conducted by
written, communications [ did not at that
tune present my credentials but verbally In
formed you that bore a letter from the Gov,
crnor OF South Carolina In regard to the oc
cupation of Fort Sumter, which | would de.
liver the next day under cover of a written
COMMUNICATION from myself 'The next day,
before such Communications could be nlade I
was waited upon by Selintor from Alabama,
who stated that he came on the part of all the
Senators then in Washington from the States
which had already scccdcd from the United
States, or would ccrtriny have iohe so before
the lst day OF February next. The Senator
from Alibalnp urged that he and they were
Interested in the subject of my mission in
almost an equti degree, with the authorities
of South Ctroliho He said that, Fhostlitics
con ncnccd betwaeti South Carolina and your
Govern nent w5ual necessarily involve tho
States represented by themselves. in civil
strife, and fearing that the action Of South
Ciroina might ,conplic,teS the soIations of
ynnr Gtverhntnt to the sccedat and sece
ding States. aud, therefore Interfere" with a
peaceful solution Of existing difficulties. these
Sen tors requested that [ would Withhold nv
message to YOURSELF until consultation among
themselves coula be Had 10 this agreed,
and the result of the consultation wis the let!
ter of these Senators addrcsSed to me, dated
18th Januiry, a copy Of which IL in your'p pms.
session." This correspondence, AS I am 'inforg
med, was made the. subject ofFa cbiilinunica
ton from Senator's Fitzpatrick, Mallory and
Slideli, addressed. TO you, and yourattentiod
called to the contents These gentlemen re-
ceiyed on the day of January reply to
their application, conveyed in Il lttter address
cd to tlicin, dated -, sighed by the rTon!'J
Holt, Secretary of War dt1 Interim, 3 Gf this
lcttor you, of course, have copy This let
tor from Mr.. Holt was communicated TO me
under edyar of Il letter from all the Senators
of the seeded and scecding States, who still
remained in Washington :. and Of this letter
too, am infof:m'd you have bocn furnished
with copy. This reply of yours through
the Secretary Of Wnr'aa mte,Tnt to tie nppli-
cation made by the Senators was entirely IN
satisfactory tonne. Itappcared to INC td be
not only rejection, IN Advance. Of the main
proposition made by these Senators, to wit:
that Z" an arrangement should Dce agreed on
between tho authorities of South GaYAimi and
your Government, at leastuntil the 13th'Feb
ruary next, by which time South Carolina
and che States represented BY the Senators
might in Convention devise n wise, just and
peaceable solution of existing idifIicdlries -
I'm the meantime" they say, ."@wo, Think
that's, these Sonator4 that yohr State FSouti
lahn 80 A 4
trin necessary supplies of food, fuel or water,
and enjoy free communication by. post o.. spe
cial mGssenScr with the President, upon the
understanding that thI President will not
send him Teinforecmcnts durin9 the sane pc!
rlod !" but, besides this rejection of tllc main
proposition, there was in Mr.. .Holt's letter a
distinct refusal to lnakeapy stipulation on
the subject ,of reinforcement, evea for tho
ashogt time that might be required to cop,mp-
}nieate With my, ,Goyernment, This reply to
the Senators vas, as I have stated, sltogetbes
unsatisfactory tome, and I felt sure that it
would be 80. To- tho authorities whom I repre-
seutcd It was not, however, addressed TO
me, or 10 the authorities of South Carolina,
and Us South Carolipe had addressed nothing
2 to your Government, and had asked nothing
atyom, bands, I looked not to Mr. Hollis let
tor, bat to the, nots addressed to me by the
Senators Of the seeded aud ,secedipg States
] had iconse0ted to witbHo)d my message at
theit instance, provided they could. get assu-
rances satisfactory to them that 20 reinforce
4 ments would be sent to Fort Sumter lin the
interval, and that tho peace shoyld not be dis
t.rbed by any act of hostility, The Senators
expressed iT.their note to pe of the '23d lust,
their I" entire confidence that no reinforce
nlents will be sent TO Fort Sumter, nor win