Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-01-17
, sir, respectfully. your obedient servant,
j. J.. BENJAMIN, s cretary OF State
Nr. Beaianain 10 Nr. Mum.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

NO. DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Richmond, dRQHst II, 1862.
Hon. A. DUDLEY MANN &c. &c, Brussels Belgium
SIR We informed that arrangement has been
recently concluded between the Government of The United
States and that OF Denmark transferring the Danish
Colonies in the West Indies Africans who msy be captured
from saver and brought into the United States We are
not informed Of the PRECISE terms Of this agreement and
can, OF course have objection to offer its execution
If confined the cl4s Of persons above that H.
to Africans released by tSc Unted States from vessels en-
gagged in the slave trade in violation of laws and treaties
1t hi, however been sugges ed 20 the President that
under Of this agreement tn United States may
pose upon the good faith of the Government of Denmark
and make the inviting and Innocent participant in the
now waged against The recent legislton Of the
Congress Of the United States and the acton Of its milf
tsry horiies beray The desgu Of converting The war
into campaign ofiEdiscrminaie robbery and murder
enclose herewith atter OF the Pr sden to the General
ling inchef Of armies, and general order ha
subject Of the conduct Of Maj Gen Pope commanding
nenys frces in Northern Virginia that you may f,m
faint idea of the atrocities which are Threatened
The act OF Congress of the United Stairs (of which copy
enclosed decreasing the conscbt0n If the property az
all persons engaged ia what that law terms rebellion
cudes you aware the entire OF all the ci-
zens OF the Conederacy The same law DEGREES subsan-
italy the emancipation Of all our slaves; and an executive
order Of President Luc0ln directs the commanders Of his
armies to employ them aboTsrs in the military service
liz is well kaown 0Sever, that Notwithstanding the
stretye terms Of this order several OF hs generals openly
employ the slaves 10 bear against their tiers aud
have thus paagrat,d, far lies 10 their power
vile Of whose horrors mankind has had checking ex
ample within The memory Of many living. The per.
dy yid civeness aud savage cruelty with which this war
is waRed against us, have had bu few parallels in tie an
nails Of nations.
The Government of the United Stttes however finds
itself gcea'y embarrasse in the execution Of Tia schame
by the d fculty Of dsposing Of the slaves seizel re
troops AMI subjected 10 coD catOn by it, habarous laws
The prejudice against the negro is 10 the Northern
States 0thse and deeprDoted that the migration of o
slaves INTO those Sta'es would act with violent oppoon
both from their people and hci auholi les Already
riots becoming f, in the Northern cities arising ont
Of conflicts and rivsfies between their white labornp
population and the slaves Nho have bceu carried from Vr
gina by the army OF the United States Yet these slaves
nspprecable fraction OF the negro population If
the South 1t is thus perceived that the single obstacle
presented by The difficulty of diepospg ~ slaves seized Tor
cnn6sc ton i Of itself sufficient 10 check in very great
degree the execution OF tho bsrbarous policy
by our enemies
The repeated instances o. shameless perfdy exhibited
by the Government q the United States dung the prose-
cuon Of the justify 10 the suspicion that bad faith
upderes every act their part having bearing how
ever reno, the hostiies pending When, there
FORE te President received at the tine information
Of two important facisone, that the United States
suffering grave embarrassment from the presence within