Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1863-06-24

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Richmond, 9th June, 1868.
SIR: Herewith you will receive copies
of the following papers:
A. Letter of George Moore, Esq, Il.
B. Ms Consul in Richmond, to this De-
partment, dated 10th February, 1868.
B.. Letter from the Secretary of State to
Consul Moore, Goth February, 1868.
C. Letters patent by the President, revo,
king the exequatur of Consul Moore, 9th
June, 1868.
D. Letter enclosing to Consul Moore .
copy of the letter, patentreyoking his exc
quatur. ~
It is deemed proper to inform you that
this action of the President was influenced
in no small degree, by the communication
to him of an unofficial letter of Consul
Moore, to which I shall presently refer.
1t appears that two persons, named Molo-
ny and Farrell, who were enrolled as con-
scripts in ourservice, claimed exemption on
the ground that they were British subjects,
and Consul Moore, in order to avoid the
difficulty which prevented his correspond
ing with this Department asset forth in the
paper B, addressed himself directly to the
Secretary Of War, who was Ignorant Of the
request made by this Department for the
production of the nsul'scommission. The
Secretary of War ordered an investigation
of the facts, when it became apparent that
the two men had exercised the right Of suf-
frage in this State, thus debarring them.
selves of all pretext for denying their citi-.
zenship; that both had resided here for,
eight years, and had settled on and were
cultivating farms owned by Themselves
You will find annexed the report of Lieut..
Col. Edgar, marked E, and it is difficult
to conceive a case presenting stronger proof.
of the remuneration of native allegiance,
aud of the acquisition of de Jacto citizen
ship, than are found in that report 1t is
in relation tosuch case that it has seemed
proper to Consul Moore to dsnounce the
Government of the Confederate States to,
one of its own citizens as being Indifferent
"to cases of the most atrocious cruelty. -
A copy of his letter to the Consul of the
two men is annexed, marked +.
The earnest desire of. this Governments
to entertain amicable relations with all ma,
tions, and with none do its interests invite
the formation of closer ties than with Great
Britain Although feeling aggrieved that.
the Government. of Her Majesty has pur.S
sued policy, which, according to the con.'
tessions of Earl Russell himself, has In
creased the disparity Of strength which he
considers to exist between the belligerents,
and has conferred signal advantage on our
enemies in a war in which Great Britain an
nouuces herself to be really aud not nomi-
nally neutral, the President has not deemed
it necessary to interpose any obstacle to the
continued residence of British Consuls with
in the Confederacy, by virtue ofexequaturs
granted by the former Government His
course has been consistently guided by the
principles which underlie the whole struc-
ture of our Government. The State Of
Virginia having delegated to the Govern
ment of the United States, by the Constitu-
ton of 1857, the power of controlling its,
foreign relations, became bound by tbe>ac
,tion of that Government inits grant Of an
exequator to Consul Moore. When Vir-
ginia seeded, she withdrew the power del
egated to the Government Of the U. States,
and conferred them on this Government,
the exequatur granted to Consul Moore was
not thereby invalidated.
An act done By an agent while duly au-
thorized continues to bind the principal af-
ter the revocation of the agents authority.
On these grounds the President has hither-
to steadily resisted all influences which have
been exerted to induce him to exact of for
eign Consuls that they should ask for an
exequatur from this Government as con-
dition of the continued exercise of their
functions. 1t was not deemed compatible
with the dignity of the Government to ex-
tort, by enforcing the withdrawal Of nation.
al protection from neutral residents, such
iuferential recognition of its independence
as might be supposed to be implied in the
request for an exequatur. The Consuls of
foreign nations, therefore, established with
in the Confederacy, who were in possession
Of an exequatur Issued by the Government
of the United States prior to the formation
of the Copfederacy,f have been maintained
and respected in the exercise of their le-
gitimate functions, and the same protection
and respect will be accorded to them in fu.
ture, so long as they confne themselves to
the sphere of their duties, and seek neither
to evade nor defy the legitimate authority
of this Government within its own juris-
diction. .a
There has grown up an abuse, however,
the result of this tolerance on the part of
the President, which is too serious to be
longer allowed. Great Britain has deemed
it for her interest to refuse acknowledging
the patent fact of the existence of this Con-
federacy as an Independent nation. 1t can
scarcely be expected that We should, by our
own conduct, imply assent to the justice or
propriety of that refusal. Now that the
British Minister accredited to the Govern
ment of our enemies assumes the power to
issue instructions and exercise authority
over the Consuls of Great Britain residing
within this country; nay, even of appoint