Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-01-20
Mr. Benjamin TO Ar. SHdeu.
[NO. 6. CoNFED STATES or AMERICA !
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
KlCIIMOND, Oct N. 1861

RICHMoND, Oct II, 1862
SIR: Since my No. q, of the Goth ult..
of which duplicate is herewith forworded
some circumstances of a very remarkable
character have come to the knowledge of the
President to which your earnest attention
is invited.
On the 7th instant the President received
from Gov. Lubbock. of Texas, a letter Of
which copy is annexed, marked A.. with
enclosures Nos. l, and2
The very singular nature of this CORES
Pondeuce initiated as you will perceive. by
NJ. II. Theron, French Consular Agent
and Spanish Vice Consul at Galveston.
naturally excited II lively interest, but we
had not yet arrived at any satisfactory
conclusion as to the nature and extent. oor
the source of the intrigue evidently on foot.
when, on the 18th instant, the President
received from Hon. W. S. Oldham, Senator
from Texas. letter, of which a copy.
marked B, is herewith enclosed.
The concurrent action of TWO French
consular officers, Mt points so remote from
each other as Galveston and Richmond;
the evident understanding which exists be-
tween them; the similarity of these views
and conduct; the choice of Mr. oldham as
the body to be approached, he being gpner-
ally considered as iHentitied with the party
opposed to the Administration, while Mr..
WlRtall Is its supporter; all concur in salts
lying me that there is not only concert of
action between these officials, but that
their conduct has been dictated bv some
common superior. In plain language. we
feel authorized to infer that the French
Government has, for some interest of it's
own, instructed some of its consular agents
here to teel the way, and if possible to
provoke some movement on the part Of the
At Of ,snI. .
withdrawal from the Con.ederacy. It is
difficult, if not impossible, on any other
hypothesis to account for the conduct of
these agents.
have, in accordance with the instruc-
tions of the President, expelled both Mr..
Theron and Mr.. Sabuelle from the Confed-
eracy, and have forbidden their return
without the previous permission of the
Government. enclose you copies of tho
orders OF expulsion marked C andD.
In endeavoring to account for such
course of action on the part of the French
Government, can only attribute it to one
or both of the following causes:
1st. The Emperor of the French has de-,
termined to conquer and bold Mexico as n
colony, and IS desirous of interposinr a
weak power between his new colony and
the Confederate States, in order that he
may feel secure against any interference
with his designs on Mexico.
I'd. The French Government is desirous
OF securing for itself an independent source
of cotton supply, to Offset that possessed by
Great Britain in India, aRd designs to ei-
feet this purpose by taking under it's pro.
lection the State of Texas, which. after he
ing acknowledged as an independent re-
public, would, in its opinion, be In effect
as dependent on France and as subservient
n EFnuHh i1ka :
1t is more than probable that both these
considerations would have weight in the
councils of the French Cabinet, and we are
not without suspicion that the tortuous di-
Plomacy of Mr. Seward may have had some
lnnuence in inspiring such designs. The
desire to weaken the COnfederacY, to exhibit
it to tho world Us ga rope of sand, :" with
out consistence or cohesion, and therefore
not worthy of recognition as an indepUn-
dent member of the family of nations,
would afford ample motives for the adop.
tion of such course by the Cabinet of
the United States, which is driven to a di.
plomacy OF eIpedients in the desperate eff
fort to avert the impending doom which
awaits the party now in power at Wash
ington. -
One other suggestion occurs to me, which
you may receive as purely conjectural ON
my part. 1t is known to me personally
that at the date of the annexation of Texas
to the United States, Mr.. Dubois de Salip.
ny, the present French Minister in Mexico.
and who was at that time French Charge
E.d'Afaires to the Republic of Texas, wSs
vehemently opposed to the annexation, aud
was active in endeavoring to obstruct and
Preventit. Even at that date the dcspatcb-
es of Mr.. Guizot, which had au .opporu.
nifty of reading, were filed with arguments
TO show that the interests of Texas were
identical with those of France, aud that
both would be promoted by the mainte-
nance Of separate nationality In Texas
The intrigue now on foot, therefore, accords