The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-12-16

In our edition Of Friday last appeared :
special teiearaphic dispatch, briefly referrins
70 the subj ,tned LETTER. Ne publish it entire
as IL Is a matter OF some importance 1t tai
1 tima:
Mr.. Rswsso TO Mr.. pATroS.
pspAR,MBST OF STATE,
| Was hing ton, Sapt. 10, lSGl
| Sir: Your dispatch of August - mo II
has been received. learn from IL that MIR
| Thonvenel is unwilling to negotiate for a,
| accession by the United States to the declara
| ton OF The Congress OF Paris concerning th,
| rights of nentrals in maritime war exec;
| on - instinct understanding that it is t(
| have no bearing, directly or iudi rectly, Oh
the question OF the domes tie difficulty now
| existing In our country and tn Il to rendel
| tAe Inatfer certain Mr.. Thouvrnel prop Jses
| To make written dec lar dtion simultaneous
4 ly with his execution of the projected con
| vention for that accession.
| You have sent me copy of a note to this
| eh4ct, addressed to you by MIR. Thouvenel
| and have also represen ted to Cfiicial
! conversation which he has held with you
/ upon the same subiact. The deci ration
| which Mr. Thouvenei thus proposes to make
| is III these words
DRAFT OF DECL ARATIoN.
In afhxtag his signature to the convention
| concluded on date of this day between France
| aud the United States, the undersigned de
| ciares, in execution of the orders of the Enl.
| peror, that the Government OF his Majesty
| does not intend to undertake by The said con
vehtion any engagements of !. IA ture to m
piicaie II, directly or indirectly, in the inter
nat CONNECT now existing in the Unit ed STATE
| My dispatch of the Eth day of August last
| mo. 4l which yOu must have received some
time ago, Will already have prepared yon 10
| expect my approval OF the decision to wait
for specific instructions IN this new cmer-
| gency At which you have arrived.
The ooscnrity OF the text of the dee IN RI ton
which Mr. Thonrenel submits TO us is sutiiti
emily relieved oy his verbal explanations
According 10 your report OF tn Conyrrsatiun
before referred to. he said that both France
and Great Britain had already announced
thai they would take no part in our dome tic
! controversy. and they thought frank and
open declaration in advance of the execution
Of the projected conventi On might save di!h-
Guilty and dmiscoreeption hereafter. He fur
ther said, III the way of specitica ion, that the
provisions of the conventlon Standing alone
might bind England and France to pursue
and punish the privateers Of the South rs
pirates that they Are unwilling 10 do this
and had SO declared. He said also, that We
could deal with these people as we cnooaa,
and jley tEngland ana France could only
expires their reg rets On the score Of hEinani-
~. Il we should deal with them az pirates,
bnt thai they could rot participate IN sucl a
| y1nrse He aided that although Engl and Il u
France are en1ioass to have aiheslon of tbe
! United Sta tes - The deeiaraton OF Paris, vet
thai tney Woald ra ther q dfspen se with il alto
| getner tu2n De drawn into our domestic con
trOSersy. lie insisted somewhat ppin t. Il V
that we.cont Id take no Just exception To this
outside declaration. To De made sInn famous
~ with the execution Of the convention, un.
less We intended that they n.ngl.ni a al
France) shall i,e made parties 10 our con tro-
Hersy, and thar the very facts of your hesiI; .
tion was an addiionai reason why they
should insist upon making such cctempora-
neous declarations AS they proposed.
| These remarks OF Mr.. Tnouvenei Ger
| tainly distinguished by entire frauhness. IT
shall he my effort 10 reply u Them with 4uod-
Grafton and candor.
| In 1896 France, Great Britain Russia, Prts.
| sia, Sardinia. and Turkey, being assem- bted in
Congress at Paris, with a View to modify the
law OF nations 40 as u melorate the evils
| OF maritime war, ad opted and set forth !
declaration, which ~ i'll the following
words -
/ rr.vataering tx and rem aims abolished
. The neutral f,g covers enemy's gods,
with the exception OF cOntrtbanu of WAT.
). Neutral goods. will the exc spt,on Of con =
trahand OF war, are not liable 10 captu e an
der anetny's nag.
! 4 Blockades, in order to be binding, must
be enectiye-that is To say, maintained by
forces Sufficient really to prevent access 10
the coast OF the enemy.
The states which constit ted lie Congress
mutually agreed 10 ubnlt the declaration 10
All other nations, and invite them TO accede
TO il. II was lo be subj. tied as special or
narrow treaty between particular states tor
limited or speciai purposes OF advantage, or
under pacitl'ar circunls tances but, Oh the con-
trary, tts several articles were by voluntary
acceptance bg matitiine powers To constitute a
lew chapter III the law or nations, and each one
of the articles vas 10 be univer sal and eternal
| In is application and Obligation France es-
peclally invited the United States to acCeie to
these articles An invitation was actually V
rendered 10 all other civilized nations, ana
the articles have been already adopted by
lorty -one ot the powers thus invited The
United States hs stated, but only tor lii. pun
pose of making an effort 10 induce the other
parties to enlarge The beneficient scope of the
declaration
Having failed III that effort, they now, af-
ter u delay not unusual in such great inter
national discussions, OFT IT their adhesion To
that declaration, pure and simple, in the
form, words and manner in which it was
originally adopted and accepted by all OF tue
forty six nations which have become parties
| TO IT. France declines Ia receive that Hdhe-
on unless she be allowed TO make 4 sIe,.ia
declaration, which would constitute add =
i0nal and qnalifl ing article, limiting the Oh
| iIg toms of France to the United States 10 {,
narrower range than the obligations which
| the United States must assume towards
France and towards every other one of the
forty six sovereigns who are parties il,
| and narrower than the mutual bligatlons OF
All those parties, including France herself
! If we should accede 10 that condition, i!
manifestly would not be the declaration OF
the Congress of Paris to which we would be
| adhering, but 4 different and special and pc
| culiar treaty between France and the United
States only. Even as such a treaty it would
be unequal. Assuming that Mr.. Thouvenel's
| reasoning Is correct, we should, in that case,
be contracting an oblig gation, directly or indi
| rectly, to implicate ourselves in any internal
conflict that may now be existing, or thai
| may hereafter occur III France, while she
| would be distinctly excused by from any
| similar duty towards the United States.
| know that France is Il friend, and means
| to be Just and ,qfal towards the United
| States. l must assume, therefore, that She
| means not to make an exceptional arrange
| meut wi h us, but TO carry out the same II r
/ ant N "a tIAn .,F S,t
| cations of the declaration of the Congress oi
| Paris in regard To other Powers. Thus car
| ried out, the o@ciaratiun OF Paris Wouid ~
| ex pounded 50 IS 10 exclude all in tarnal con
| Act in States from the apple ca ton Of the
| articles OF that celebrated deciara ZION. Mos
| Of the WaIe of modern times-perhaps of all
| times-haye been ihsurrectioniry wars, or
| internal conHic,S." =" If the position nov
| assumed by Feance should thus be taken by
| all the other parties to the declaration, then
| i.wouid follow that the first article of tha
| Instrument instead of being, In fac, u uui-
V-Is Il ani eItectual IN hi bi ton OF the practice
| OF p4vateering, would sbrosata il only ir
| wars between foreign nations, while it would
| eDl)y universal tsieration IN civil and socia
| Wars.
! With great Difference | cannot but think
| that, thus modified, the declaration of The
| congress of Paris would Lose much of the
| reverence which ~ has hi hero received from
christian natioEs II - were proper for me
To pursue the argument farther, | might add
that 81 dition, insurrection and treason would
| II I'd in such new reading of the d-ciatra tiou
| ~ Paris. encouragement which would tend II
render the most stable and even the mos
| benefigient systems OF government inSec ure
| Nor do l know on wnat grounds it can be
| contended tn practices more &c estrue i've 70
| property ana life ought to be tolerated in civil
| or fratrieidai wars than are allowed in wars
| between independent nations.
| lcannot, indeed admit that the engagement
| which France is required to make, withou!
| the qualifying declara iion in question, would
| directly or Indirectly tmplicats her In our in .
| ternN conflicts. Hut II sscn should he lis af
l n ix1t h vNIo "a ofnty