Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1863-10-23
Dismissal Of the British Consul.

densed view 9; the letters Of Mr. Benjamin
in reference toit which we insert below
mr.. BENJAMIN. TO MR. sL1DELL
Secretary Benjamin, writing to Mr. Sill
dell, Oct. 9Th, 1868, says:
''The conduct Of the British consular
agents in the Confederacy has compelled
the President to take the decisive step Of
expelling them from our country, and it is
deemed proper to put you in possession Of
the causes which have produced this result
that you may have it in your power to cor
rect any Misrepresentation OH the subject,
10 this END it is necessary to review the
whole course Of the British Government.
and that Of the Cenfederacy, in relation to
lhese officials.
Mr.. Benjamin explains that it has not
been the custom Of nations to interfere with
Consuls, who are merely commercial agents,
upon any change Of the Government, and
it is their duty to treat all Governments
which may be established, dc facto over
the ports where they reside, as Govern
neuts dc jure. The British consular off
cials gave no cause of complaint on this
score, and the President interposed no OBJ
lection to the continued exercise of their
functions. The first interruption of tie
harmony was the case Of Mr.. Moore, who
was dismissed becau.e Of his failing to sub
nit his commission to the inspection of the
State Department, aud because Of his often
sive remarks touching the conduct of the
Confederate authorities in relation to two
enlisted soldiers, as fully explained in a
published dispatch Of the Government. Mr.
Benjamin says:
land herei may not be improper to
observe that although this dispatch was
published at the time Of its date, and was
communicated to the Foreign Office ID Lon
don, Her Majesty's Ministers made tie
strange mistake of asserting in the House
of Commons that Mr.. Moore's dismissal was
connected, in some way, with alleged cruel
ties committed on one Relshaw, Of whose
existence the Department was ignorant till
the pus lication Of the debate, aud concerns
ing whom no representation exists on its
files"
The dismissal of Mr. Magee, the Consul
at Mobile, by the British Government for
forwarding the interest on the State debt Of
Alabama by the British frigate Vesuvius,
is next noticed, and Mr. Benjamin passes
to the consideration Of the recent action OF
British Consuls with reference to foreigners
enlisted in the Confederate army. He
says:
Within the last few days the President
has been informed by communications ad-
dressed to the State and Confederate au-
thorities by two out Of the three British
Consular Agents remaining here that they
had received Instructions from their Gov>
ernment to pursue course of conduct in
regard to persons of British origin now res
ident within tue Confederacy which It has
been impossible to tolerate I, seems
scarcely probable that the instructions of
Earl Russell have been properly understood
by his agents; but we have no means Of
communicating with the British Govern
ment Tor the correction of misunderstood
lngs. You are aware that Great Britain
has no diplomatic agent accredited to us.
and that Earl Russell having declined a
personal interview with Mr.. Mason, the lat
ter, after some time spent in an unsatisfac-
| tory interchange Of written communications.
has been relieved Of a mission which had
| been rendered painful to himself, and was
fprodnctlye OF no beueht TO his country.
The President was, therefore, compelled to
take the remedy into his own hands.
XVI hoe tyua n II
sell was not understood to Insist on apy
thing more than that British subjects, res
ident within the Confcderacy, should be al
lowed reasonable time to exercise the op-
/ ton Of departing from the country, if un-
willing to be enrolled in its service; and
10 point Of fact, this option had never been
refused them, and many had availed them.
selves OF it. Nor was it believed that IIer
Majesty Government expected very fa-
yorablc response to their appeal to this
Government for the exercise of the comfy
between ''independent" States supposed 10
be involved in this subject, whilst Great
Britain was Professionally refusing to rccog
nlze the independence which aloue could
justify the appeal.
/ Since the date of those two letters nu-
merous requests have been made by Brit
lsh Consular officials for the iuterposition Of
the Coy rDment in behalf Of persons. aleg-
ed to be British subject wroDgful;y SUBJ
Jec!ed to draft. Relief has always been af
torded when warranted by the facts; but it
soon became known that these gentlemen
regarded their wn certificates MS conclu
sive evidence that the person named III then.
were exempt from military service, and
that these certificates were freely issued on
the simple affidavid of the Interested par
ties Thus Consul Moore was deceived IN.
to claiming exemption for two men who
to be citizens Of the Confderacy, aud to
have been land owners and voters for a Sc
rles OF years prior to the war.
Much Inconvenience was occasioned be-
fore these abuses could be corrected. but
they afterwards assumed shape which for
babe further tolerance The correspon.
dence of the Acting British Consuls at Sa
vannah and Charleston already referred to.
asserts the existence Of instructions from
their Government, under which, instead of
advising British subjects to resort to the
courts OF justice, always open for the re-
dress OF grievances, or to apply to this Gov
ernment for protection against any harsh or
unjust treatment by its subordinates thew