Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-10-19
eFPHGHAL C0RREsPONDEEOE
or fbe state DeDarfssese EReEsffre 70 fhe
ASiSnsisEaE Of fss EsgffisA GOsshsfs'
mR. BEEJAMIH TO MR. sIIDELL.
CONFEDERATE STATS OF AMERICA, 4
Department Of State, Riehu.ond, va,
O.tnh.r s I.el

/ H3IsnsfssaE 81 fsse Esgffisb COsisHts.
Mr.. BEEJAMIH TO MR. sLIDELL.
CONFEDERATE STATES OF ANEKcA,
Department Of State, Richu.ond, Va,
October 8, 1868
sfR: The conduct of the British censnlsr
agents in the Coaisderaey has compelled The
President to take the decisive step Of sxPslling
them froH1 our country, aud it is deemed proper
TO put yoR ia uassessisa Of the causes which
have produced this result, that you may hsva II
/ in your power TO correct any misTepr5sen atoms
on the subject. To this end it is necessary TO
review the Whois course Of she British Govern
Hasns and that Of the Confsderscy, In relation 70
I these officials.
WHEN the Csnfedsracy was irst formed, there
were IN cur ports q number of British eoBsUis
and consular agents, who had been recognizes as
1 such, not only by the G5Terument OF the United
/ States, which Wss then she suthsrzsd agent OF
/ the several Safes for that purpose, but BY the
State eu herities themselves. UadeT the law OF
nations, these officials are net entitled 70 exercise
/ political or diplomatic functions, nor aTe they
ever accredited TO the sOvsreigus within whose
dsminions they reside. Their only Wsrsnt Of
I ushsdty 10 the commission Of their own Gov
I ernaens; but usage requires that those who
haFs the full grade Of the consul should not ex-
orciss their fuaetions within the territcry of any
sovereign before receiving his permission in the
foTH OF Al szsfEatRr; while consular sgsHts OF
inferior grade simply nstify the local authorities
of their intention 70 act ia That capacity Il
has not been customary upon suy change Of
government to interfere with these coD-
| DeTeial officials already established IL
the discharge Of their dutiss, and it is shsir
/ recognized obligation to treat 81 GO7ecBments
which may be established, &c facf0, over the
ports where they reside, as governments de jsrrs.
The British consular officials gsye no cause Of
complaint on this score, and the President in
] a IL
/ Of their functions. On other grounds, however,
various causes Of complaint suRsaqasatly arose,
and in the case of Consul Moore il was found
necessary to revoke his sTegaGtlsT, for his dare
gard Of the legitimate request Of this departneRt
! ikss he shoUld abstain frem further scti0n as
. esRsul until be had Submitted his commission
/ fer inspection, and because Of his offensive re-
marks touching the e0Rduct Of the Confederate
Authorities in relation to two enlisted soldiers,
ss falIy explained IN = published dispatch sf this
j government. AlteHiien was alSs called IL that
/ dispatch (which was communicated to the Brit
ish Csbinet,) to the Objectionable ceHduet Of
1 Briiish funetienaries in the snemy's country
who assumed asthority within the limits Of the
/ COnfa9erAey, thereby implying that these States
4 were still members Of the Union 70 which those
! fuHctionsries were accredited, and ignoring the
existence Of this Government within ths terri
| tory over which It was exercising Rnqzestioued
I ,
! this complaint, ths President confined himself
/ ts rsorshsnding this eoHduet, and 10 informing
! the British GeTsrn@ent that he had forbidden,
| for iAe future, any direct oommunieatioR BE-
/ tween British eOnsuls here and British officials
| in the United States And here it may net be
improper to observe that although this dispatch
! was published at the lime Of its date, and was
| communicated TO the foreign ofics in LsndoR,
| her Msjastey's ministers made the strange mis-.
/ ,,e sb-k
/ Mr Moore's dismissal was connected, in SONS
usy, with alleged eruelties committed on enc
! BslshaT, Of whose existence the Department
wss ignorant till the publication of the debate,
/ szd concerning whom no representation exists
en- its files.
Soon after that dispatch was forwarded. the
| President wss spprissd By the Governor Of
/ Alsbsma that her msjssty's Government had
visited with severe displeassre sHd hsd renewed
| from Office the British consular sgent at Mobile,
| because he had received and forwarded from No
/ bile on an Engiish asn-of-war, money due by
/ the Slate of AlsbamA TO British subjects fer in
| terest or the public debt of the State; and that
tde British Minister at Washington, after falling
IN sctivo efforts to prevent the remittance OF
this moaey, had assumed ths power Of appoint
/ ing a consular agent within the COufeier2ey 70
| replace the officer at Mobile, who bad incurred
| esnsuze and punishment for the discharge Of
/ 90 be dstsstefUl TO the United States. a copy
/ Of the dispatch on this subject communicated
/ to the Btiiish Government, Is enclosed. snd you
/ will perceive that the action of the President
/ was maTEsd By extreme foTbe sgeHee, aud that
| he coudned himself to refusing permission that
/ &r Cridaud sheuld act under Lord Lyons in
| struc ions, and to expressing the confident hope
that her Hsissty's Government would in the fu-
turs choose some other mode Of transmitting it's
/ oEders snd exercising its authority ever its
| agents within the CoRisdeTsey, than BY deegat-
ing to functioRaries, who reside among our ems
mics, the power to givs orders or instructions to
those who reside among Us.
Ia his answer 20 this dispatch, (of which a
copy is also inelOssd, Esrl RSsssIl while se-
| kncwledging the Hstics Of our rem0nstraDee
/ against the assumption Of authority by Lord
| Lyons, defends the action of the British Gov
| srnment in the matter of the Mobile eonsulste
by maintaining thst the transmission Of the
| specie by Consul Mzeee, under the eircuE-
stances above explained "bsd the character, IN
The eyes Of her Msjasty's Government, Of aid
izz one Of the belligerants against the other." 3"
/ This statement clearly assumes that the trans
mission sf specie from enc Of these S.ates to
Great Britain ia payment of pubic debt to
| Brieh subjects Is act of hostility against the
/ United States, which officials cannot pgOnote
with due regard to nsHTal obligations, because
it aids one of the Bslgerent against the other.
No reason IS given for this conclusion, which
! appears to US at vaTisncs with all received re-
/ ions OF International lAw The States Of the
Confsderacy have gRder the most adverse cir
| eumstsnees msde great efforts and sacrifices to
effect puHctEal payment of their debts to neu-
trails and these efforts do not seem to US to be
properly characterized as being bslligereut acts
| aersinst our enemies. We can bat regret that
her Msiasty's Government have determined 50
| 20 regard them, and to discourage the discharge
Of duty in which British subjects are so deeply
interested.
Within the last few days the President has
been informed by communications addressed 90
the State aRd Confsdersle authorities by two out
Of the three British consular agents remaining
here, that they hsd received Instructions from
their Government to pursue q course Of conduct
ia regard to persons OF British origin now resi-
dent within the Cenfsderscy, which it has been
impossible to tolerate Il seems scarcely probs-
Bic that the instrsctieas of Earl Russell have
been properly understood By his agents, but we
have no means of communicating with the
British Government for the correction of mis-.
understandings. You are aware that Crest
Britain has no diplomatic sgent accredited to
Us, and that Earl Rassell having declined per-
sonal interview with Mr.. Mason, ths latter,
after ssme time spent in an unsatisfactory inter-
change OF written communications, has been
relieved of mission which had been rendered
painful to himself, and was productive Of no
benefit to his country. the President was,
therefore, compelled to take the remedy into his
own hands.
A brief statement viii suffice for your fall
comprehension of the matter. In April, lso2,
Congress passed law directing draft tor the
army Of ''sll white men who are residents OF the
Confederate States, between the sges OF eighteen
ard lorty-hve years, and not legally exempted
from military service" The draft was made, a.
stated IN ths law, IN view Of the absolute neess.
si.y ''of placing in the field large additional
iorce to meet tho advancing columns Of Che eBe-
nay now invading our soil 5" in other words, al
residents capable of bearing arms were called
on TO protect their own homes from invasion
Lheir own property from plnnder, their own