Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-10-16

Mobile to transact business un0fficially. He
then said that he had called at the Office of the
"Whis" to make similar explanation to the
editor Of that paper, with 4 view to the cnrrec-
tion Of the erroneous impression created by
its article, and accordingly on the next day an
article appeared in that journal announcing
that it had received the assurance from MIR.
Cridland that he was going to Mobile 'to look
after British interests in that quarter in an
unofficial way,' and that he was "without
commission from the Queen or exequatur from
Washington"
waa, therefore, quite surprised at receiving
fran the Secretary Of the Navy official com
municaton Of telegram received by him
from Admiral Buchanan, informing the Sc
eretarv that Mr.. CridIand had been officially
introduced to him by the French Consul as
Acting English Consul at Mobile, and had
shown the Admiral "an official document
signed by Lord Lyons, appointing him Act
Ing English Consul at Mobile / append
copies of this telegram, and of the two articles
above referred to. extracted from the Rich
mond "Whis."
These, however, are not the only exception
able features which mark this affair. Other
circumstances. to which your attention is
invited, have been brought to the notice of the
Department by official COMMUNICATIONS f:om
tho Governor of Alabama.
On the lth November last, the Bank of
Mobile, as agent for the State Of Alabama,
addressed a communication to Consul Magee,
ut Mobile, informing him that that State would
1--WE, during the ensuing year, to British sub
iects interest coupons on the State bonds to
the amount of some forty thousand pounds
| sterling: that this interest was payable in
London at the UniGn Bank and at the counting
house Of the McSSrS. Ro:hschildS, and request
ing 10 know whether the Bank would he
allowed 10 place in the hands of the Consul, in
coin. the sum necessary for transmission to
England. at the expense Of the State, for the
purpose mentioned.
On tie Ilth November. Consul Maeee re-
piled that he had sent to Her Britanric Maesty's
Consul at New Orleans to ask il Hor Majesty s
steamship Rnaldo could not be sent to Mobile,
TO receive the specie and take it to Havana. to
be forwarded thence by the Consul General Of
Great Britain to London.
The specie. was not conveyed by the Rinaldo
but by Her Maiesty's ship "Vesnyiu.," and was
accompanied by a certificate of the President Of
the Bank Stating that the remittance of the
"rhiriy-one kegs of specie containing each five
Thousand dollars. together SI55,000. is
fIr the purpose of pay ing dues to British sub.
acts from the State Of Alabama and is the pro.
pert. and belongs to the subjects of Her Britain
| ne Majesty
The shipment was accompanied by letter
addressed by the Bank as agent Of the State OF
Alabama, to W. w, Scrimgeour, Esq. Manager
OF the Union Bank of London, directing It's ap
| preparation to the payment of the interest due
| TO British and other foreign holders of the State
Bonds, with statement Of the dates at which
| the several instaments of the interest would be-
| come due and Of tho places in London where
| they were to be paid.
So little doubt seems to haze been enter
| taincl OF the propriety of this transaction by
| all that were engaged in it, that the Comman-
| der Of the ''NcSuvius" informed the comman-
der Of the United States blockading squadron
that the British consul had money to send by
him, and NJ objection nor protest was IaaIc.
Among the papers annexed you will find the
| account given by Commodore Hitchcock HIM
| self of his conversation with the commander
| of tn. "Vcsnvius," written after the dismis-
sal Of Consul Magec, and therefore at period
| VIXEN the Commodore could certainly have no
motive for giving coloring tc, four nEative
| adverse to what was then knI.,l Of .I,rr. the
view Of his Government on the subject.
Under these circumstances, he'"Vesuvins"
! resolved and conveyed the specie which has
since been received in England, and, as stated
| in tue public journals, paid in whole or in
| part t. British subjects, thus establishing the
| hona GdeS of the conduct of all the parties to
| :hc transaction.
1t now appears that no sooner was the in
| tention Of making this remittance commun-
Gated 10 Her Brtanic Maiestys Minister at
Washington than he took active measures to
| prevent it hy sending dispatches to Mobile
| iorbidding the shi ipmcnt. They, however,
| failed to arrive before he departure Of the
"Ncsuvius" with the specie, whercupon Con-
sui Ma.ce was dismissed from Office for re-
| cei:ing and forwarding it: and the vacancy
thus created in the Office of British Consul,
at Mobile. was filled by Lord Lyons by the
issue Of commission to Mr.. Cridland, and
his departure for Mobile under the circum-
stances already explained.
These facts are Of 4 character so grave as to
have attracted the earnest attention of the
| President, and it is my duty to apprisc you Of
| The conclusions at which he has arrived, in
order that you NAV lose no time in laying
them before Her Majesty's Government, in
tthc hope that IL renewed examination of the
| subject, and n knowledge Of the serious COM
r:catinns which the present anomalous rcla-
| tinns between the two governments may in
volvc. will induce the British Cabinet to re.
view its whole policy connected with those
relations, and 10 place them on tac sole foot
ing consistent with accomplished facts that
are tro notorious and too firmly established to
be much longer ignored.
BY the principles Of the modern public code
| debts due by State are not subject tn the Op.
Grafton of the laws Of war, and are considered
- sacred as to be beyond the reach of conf1
cation. An attempt Mt such confiscaton would
| he rcrroljatcl by mankind. The United States
alone in modern times have courtcd such re-
pro5ation, and just detestation has been
universally Y expressed of their confScatlon laws
passed during the pending war. The Govern
mcnt of Great Britain on the contrary, has at
all times manifested its abhorrencc of such
breaches Of public faith, and in the Crimean
war gave tn the world memorable example
of its own high regard for public honor By pay
ing over to its enemy money which it we'll
knew would be Immediately employed in wa
gins hostilities against itself. Tho States of
this Confedcracy are emulous of examples of
honor. and they accordingly refrained on the
breaking out of hostilities from even the tenn
rorary scquestration OF the dividends OF their
public debt due to their enemies. 1t waI not
until they had received notice ofthe contsca-
ton law passed by the United State on the 9th
August, 1861, and they consented to the tenn
porary se1uestration of the property Of their
enemies and even then the sequestration was
declared to be for sole purpose of securing Il
fund to indemnify the sufferers under the con.
tiScatioa law Of the United States.
The following clause of our law, exempting
public debts from its operation, is extracted as
Il proof of the sacred regard for public faith
manifested by these States under strong temp
ta:inn n retaliate and under all the exaspcra-
ton Of the savage warfare then actually wased
.ainst them: "Proyided further, that the
provisions of this act shall not extend to the
stocks or public securities of the Confederate
Government or any of the States of this Con-
federacy, held or owned by any alien enemy,