, 1862-06-12
Interesting Rebel confessions
THE FOREIGN COMMISSIONERS
GIVING Up THE SHIP.

L HE VIHAU1p @VAA1~A@A-0 1
GIVING Up THE SHIP.
The Lamentations and Confessions
Of Commissioner Rost'
The following very interesting document
reaches US from the State department at Wash
inptou. which it seems to have reached instead
of the department at Richmond, for which 1t
WIS evidently intended. II is most curious
and important disclosure Of the utter hope
leseness of the rebel cause abroad:
Hon. r n. T. Hunter, &C., &c:
COMMISSION OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF
AMERICA, MADRID, March q, 1854. / |
SIR: I have the honor to inform you that I |
arrived in Madrid, accompanied by Mr. Fearn, |
as the news Of our reverses WAS being rtceiy- |
ed. After waiting some time III the expecta- |
tlon Of learning Its real nature and extent !
through Southern papers, ! applied foz and |
hntcs, the Spanish Secretary Of Foreign At |
fairs, whose reception IVES kind and friendly. |
told him at the outset that my government
had been anxious from the beginning to form
friendly relations With Spain, and had sent me
in August last Instructions to proceed to this
and Slidell had prevented me from obeying
sooner. ] stated the nature of these instruc-
tons, and rcntured the hope that the object
Of my mission might be attained without too
!:rcaI dtlay. after expressing his grati6ca-
;ion at ny safe arrival. and the assurance that
Would lie pleased with thc society OF Madrid,
as oil previous American ENJOYS Ind been, he
asked me whether had any authentic accounts
OF our recuut reyerses, and expressed :,rcat
surprise that 600 Confederates should
nayc surrendered without greater re-
disaster vas !calcuIated to have upon
the ntvra!t OF our troops. 7 told him
I Lad no authentic information, but had no
doubt tEe number Of prisoners Eas greatly
exaggerated, as from what had seen In yari-
QUE American papers the real number must be
| under six thousand; that the enemy WAS vast
| II superior in numbers and the resistance Of
! Gen. Buckncr al that could be desired. I un-
| folded him q map of the United States, aud
pointed out the localities of Somerset, Fort
| Henry aud Fort Donelson, showed him the
ard Texas, alorg the line Of the Mississippi
River, which the invading army intended to
follow. I stated that throughout this dis
tance there, were no roads upon which the
materiel Of an army could be effected, While
nc had nearly three thousand leagnes Of ral-
way which could be used for purposes OF de-
fense, and destroyed as the enemy advanced
and that, besides, the Northern troops could
stand neither the heat OF our summer nor the
maladies incident to the climate. 1 concluded
by safing that, even without these natural OBJ
s1ac,es need not tell Spanish Minister thai
a bravesand uniied people, fighting for thei
nationality and INDEPENDENCE, could not bt
subjugated; the armies Of Napoleon gaineS
many important victories In Spain, and TO
! years occupied its capital and fortresses; bu
when the Spanish armies had been nearl,
! ! destroyed, the entire people 1853 in thei
might, and drove the imperial 1eglons beyon
, the Pyreuees; so 1t would be with us la til
: | eld. He was well pleased with the a1lusion
! and said he had no doubt Of our ultimats
SUCCESS, provided our people could stand th
! bring upon them. He went On to say, tho
= on the question Of right he had no doubt
is clearly with the South, IS much rs it ha
been with Spain in the French invasion, q
j, with the present Queen in the contest wit
= Don Carlos; but the question with whic
Z tion OF fact, not Of right; VIC asked TO =
!. recognized rs government lie jacfo; Y
! must show, as Spain aud the Queens pa1t
I had shown, not only that we had the ri Sht I
!. but that We had the power to n1alntain
> , agalnst oil efforts Of our opponents; and {
\ thus far it could not be eaid that NC had mai
- that proof, farther time must e1apse befo
Il l. the Queens government could recognize our
Is Confirming the conversation, he asked II
= what had been the result Of the interview
II Messrs. Mason and Slidell aud u. Tohuyens
= / said these interviews had led to no result
~ that the Emperor Napoleon considered the di
:, | ruption Of the Union and Of its rising na'
y as great misfortune to France, aud WAS,
>. late, inclined to hope that it might be reco
" structcd; and further, that he would und
70 10 circumstances, incur the enmity of t
North By taking the lead in recognizing IL
81 while the present administration in Elgla
=. was to great extent composed Of the .abo
n&1lA H. &eft 4 1,r.
- tiou faction for its maintenance in power, d
Il L. }uding itself it at the same time with the Va
W hope that if the civil war Was protracted, a
cd the culture Of cotton ceased, IN I
h, whole Or in part, the monopoly
~ States TO India, as a compensation for t
- present su1Ierirgs Of the British Hlanufaetl
- ing population. But Spain was dilteren
80 situstcd her interest was that Nor.h Amer
H. should be possessed by two great Powe
le. were not taiuted with the Puritan fanatics
Il and surely she had no interest that
he monopoly Of the cotton supply should P:
from US to England Spain was our natn
ally and f1ieno, and her paramount inter
pe Vas that VIC should become an indersnd
be power. Wien re were recognized, similar
be | Of Institutions ideas and socl:I habits wo
IN: to1m between us more corlial friendship
i've ailiancc than had Iycr existed between t
"A. people. Hc said be hoped it would be SO.
inc had always been friendly, while the Sol
vas ever hostile to Spain; that while
i'd North was their best customer for tile sug1
ent their colonies, and supplied them win
and they wanted in exchange, no private exp
~. tions lad ever sailed from their ports for
~, invasion Of Cuba, but invariably from thos
ole the South, aEd that if the Confederate ST.
E,ttamc hereafter strong government, tt
toa first attempt at conquest would be that ls!a
and ] answered that tho representations
wi Mr. Seward we're d1sioSeElous and init
cts Formerly, the North SIS we'll as
ot South wanted Cuba. The North waI
"' it, and will ever want it, for the profits Of
any commerce; the South wanted it to N
int three new States OF it, and thus obtain in
ture Federal Senate six more members, vi
The would, Tor time, have equalizsd the po
,2er ot the FREE and 6laveholdlog States in
bna bo6y. With the construction Of the I'm
the motive Of the South would necessarily
Pi"' ylve, but it does not now, and never will a:
n1n- exist, provided that the Independence Of
was Confederate States Is recognized and seen
a1ler &stabli=hed The South would then deer
ou,d its interest that great country like 8
zt.- should continue slave power. The t 80
cov. g,tEer with Brazil, would have the mono
snb- lr+srtrnn;ca1 auerics, sn;i The reeions "a;
heo- ing ii available to the uses of man, and
great extent OF the rich products Of tha
thst bor. Nothing in the past could give IN
and Of the careeT Of the prosperity and p
mid which would thus be opened to US. The
ch to W.. ~ oorr., ayni3s;ra1r 1v;th;n the Al
d. rs t;ou ct hrr 1oaitsty,e poye,1ment. hut .
con- be assured that, wien that time arrived
ossd recognition would not be MAIZE dep1u
;nder | upon the action' Of other powers. AT
-r IT time Of the instruction Of the Spanish
,rtea nies, the United States had recognized
as Independence long before any otner pc
aud there is no doubt that the moral ans
4 70 t.rial ih1lucuce derived from that recogni
C Of greatly aided them in achieving their lndt
# il aeEce. C2aiu Assnse ~ soHer9lneul 9nWa
1nc example in their own good tine, witho1
n the | gard TO the course Of other nations: L
Emo he would not make q positive ansT
a,;z. simply said: "Spain, as you are avs
o.~~ slow-s1ower. perhaps, than other matte
tnus coming to decision IN matters Of import
. Mr. hut, alter she does, she carries that de<
,.aty. through without regard to consequences.
1hicA + S @ a1'as,,a w. ~: +t,, ~ 10y - ~
lining Us.
st the I then observed that the threat Of Mr..
X xaa ard that our recognition by foreign p
wouId be considered q clsuS 6e9!i had
'"nee falsifed by 3 subsequent declaration Q
ly be- Lincoln that he could not carr; on tWt
). the 1T time, and TINT if her Malesty's g
ae+ad ment bad been uccessibleto such fears it
not have reauneXed St Domingo to the c
scts OF aEd taken lead in tue Mexican e4pcd
L had that those measures had created il tnc
at all / deep feeling Of hostility asuiast Spai
trat willie the recognition Of our goycri
"a pe- would rot involve this country in war,
lay ws.uld diminish the Intensity of tls
Al NJ, lcg. He Eaid he had no fear from tha: Of
ard werc fully prepared for any emcrge
they bad done NO act which Was not in
lc tetc- conformity With the law Of nations- 4
r%nu L. %AA