Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1865-02-17
FARMER.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE ON THE PEACE CONFER
ENeE

WASHINGTON, February 10.
| To the Honorable the House of Represen-
tGtlUeS:
In response to your resolution of the 9th
inst, requesting information relative to the
conference recently held in Hampton Roads.
have the honor to state that gave Fran
els p. Blair, ST.. card written on as follows:
ALLOW the bearer, F. P. Blair, Sr., to pass
our lines to go South and return.
"[Signed] A. LINCOLN"
That at the time | was informed that Mr..
Blair sought the card as a means of getting to
Richmond, Va, but he was given no authori-
ty to speak or act TOR the Government, nor
was I informed Of anything he would say or
do on his own account or otherwise. Mr..
Blair told me that he had been to Richmond,
and had seen Davis, and he Blair at the
same time left with me manuscript letter, as
follows, tO-wit:
JEFF. DAVIS LETTER TO BLAIR.
RICHMOND, Va, Jan. IL.
F. p. Blair, Esq.
SIR have deemed it proper and proba-
bly, desirable to you. to give you in this form
the substance Of the remarks made by me to
be repeated by you to President Lincoln. l
have no disposition to find obstacles in forms,
and am willing now az heretofore to enter into
negotiations tor the restoration of peace.
am ready to send Commission whenever |
have reason to suppose it will be received, or
to receive q Commission if the United States
Government shall choOse to send one. Not
withstauding the rejection of our former Offers,
would if you could promise that Commiss-
iOner, minister or other agent would be re-
eeived. appoint one Immediately and renew
the effor, TO enter into conference with a view
to secure peace To the two countries.
Yours etc, JEFFERSON DAVIS.
THE PRESIDENTS INSTRUCTIONS TO BLAIR.
Afterward. with u view that it should be
shown to Davis, | wrote and delivered to Mr..
Blair a letter as follows:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18th, 1865.
F. p. Blair Esq:
SIR: You having shown me Mr.. Davis
letter to you on the 9th instant, you may say
TO him that / have constantly been, am now
and shall continue ready to receive any agent
whom he or any other influential person now
resisting the national authority may informal
ly send me with view of securing peace to
the people of our common country.
(signed) A. LINCOLN.
Aherward Mr.. Blair dictated for and au-
thorized me to make an entry on the back Of
my retained copy oil the letter last above re-
cited, which is as follows:
JAN. 2s.-To-day Mr.. Blair tells me that on
the 2lst inst, he deliverered to MIR. Davis the
original, Of which the within is a copy and
left it with him; that at the time of delivery
Mr.. Davis read it over twice in Mr.. Blair's
presence, at the close of which he (Blair) re-
marked that the part about one common
country related to the part Of Mr. Davis let
ter about the two countries, to which Mr.. Da
Wis replied he so understood it.
(Signed) A. LINCOLN.
Here follows number OF letters and des-
patches which passed between the President
and Gen. Grant, Maj. Eckert and the rebel
Commissioners, in reference 10 their passage
through our lines, the character in which they
came, aud the point at which the conference
was to have taken place, which possess but
little interest and are omitted. 1t was agreed
the conference should take place at Fortress
Monroe, aud il was also understood it should
be informal and unofficial, the aVOwsd object
on the rebel Commissioners being to confer
with view Of AscertAining il an adjustment