Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-07-31
RIGHTS or NEUTRALS.
Letter from Secretary Fish to Count Bis.
marok, Touching Private Properly
on the High Seas.
Caleb Cushing on the Wharf.-The Mutual
Maritime Relations of France
and Prussia.
The Conference of the Five Great Powers
---Why the United States did not Ac-
cede to its Terms---The Com.
MERGE Of the NeutraIs.

The Secretary of State has trans
mitted the following communication
to the Minister of North Germany:
WASHINGTON, July 20, 1S70.-Sir:
l have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt OF your letter of the 9th inst,
communicating to this Government
the text of a dispatch from Count
Bismarck, to the effect that private
property on the high seas will be eX-
empted from seizure, by ships of His
Majesty, King of Prussia.
In regard to reciprocity, and in
compliance with the request further
contained in your note, the commune
cation has been officially made public
from this department. 1t is now nearly
a century since the United States,
through Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin
Franklin and John Adams, their
plenipotentiaries, and under the
guidance of Great Frederick, of Prus-
STA, entered into q treaty of amity
and commerce, to be in force for ten
years from its date, whereby it was
agreed that if war should uuhappily
arise between the two contracting par
ties, all merchant and and trading
vessels employed in exchanging pro-
ducts of different places and thereby
rendering necessaries, conveniences,
and comforts of human life more easy
to be obtained, and more generally,
should be allowed to pass free and I'M
moleSted, and that neither of the con-
tracing parties should grant or issue
any commission to any private armed
vessels empowering them to take or
1n1frAvr g1Yah fraAfnr uA5gal1 nv Infnr-
rupt such commerce.
The Government of the United
States received with pleasure this re-
newed adherence of the great and en-
lightened German Government, prin-
ciples temporarily established by the
treaty of 1895, since then advocated
by this Government whenever the
opportunity has offered.
In 1854 President Pierce, in his an
nual message to Congress, said that
should the leading powers of Europe
concur in proposing as a rule of inter-
national law 10 exempt private prop
erty upon the Ocean from seizure by
public and armed cruisers as well as
by privateers, the United States Gov
eminent will heartily meet them on
that broad ground. In 1856 this Gov
eminent was invited to give its adj
hesion to the declaration of Paris.
Mr.. Marcy, then Secretary of State,
replied: 'The President proposes to
add to the first proposition in the dec
laration of the Congress at Paris the
following words: And that the pri-
vate property of subjects or cit
liens of belligerentS on the
high seas shall be exempted from
seizure by the public armed
vessels of other belligerents unless
it is contraband.' Thus amended the
Government of the United States will
adopt it, together with the other three
principles contained in that declara-
ton" Again, in 1861, Mr.. Seward
renewed the offer to give the adhesion
of the United States to the declaration
of Congress at Paris, and expressed
his preference that the same amend
ment. should be incorporated. Count
Bismarck's dispatch, communicated
in your letter of the 9th inst, shows
that North Germany is willing to re-
cognize the principle even without
reciprocity, in the war which is now
unhappily broken out between that
Government and France. This gives
a reason to hope that the Government
and people of the United States may
now be gratified by seeing it univer-
sally recognized as another restraining
and humanizing influence imposed by
modern civilization upon the art of
war. Accept, sir, the renewed assur-
ance of my distinguished cOnsidera-
ton. HAMILTON FISH,
Secretary of State.