The New York herald., 1872-11-16
HIS GROWING ACCOUNT.
Three Hundred Thousand Dollars De.
manded for Property Which Cost
One Hundred Thousand.
ARE WE RESPONS NSIBLE?
Is the Federal Government Bound to Maintain
Order and Liable to Penalty for Failing?-
An Offset for the Geneva Award
nrBLIN. Oct. L 1s1,

DUBLIN Oct. 7, 1872.
Pursuant to instructions, nave placed myselfin
communication with Mr. Valentine O'Bren O'Con.
nor, Deputy Lieutenant OF this city, and learned
from documents and alidavlts which he has placed
at my service the particulars OF his claim against
the government OF the United States Mr.. O'Connor
is esteemed one of the wealthlest in this city,
He has conducted for great number of years one
OF the most valuable mercantile concerns in the
country. He is engaged in all the great under
takings of the day and takes active part in Irish
railway and banking business. He is Chairman
of the Board OF Directors of the Royal Bank,
Chairman of the Cork and Bandon Railway,
director OF the Patriotic Assurance Company, OF
the Great Southern and Western Railway, OF the
Dublin, Wicklow and wexford Railway and OF the
Limerick and Foynes Railway He describes him.
self as general merchant of every class of
American goods-cotton, tobacco, rice drom In
dial, taow and oil. He is also East India ship.
owner. Mr.. O'Connors Offices in Beresford place.
opposite the Dublin Custom House, are not i'm
posing; they are, indeed, dingy and old-fashioned,
and the passer-by has but small notion OF the great
concerns directed from behind that rcketty desk,
at which Mr.. O'Connor's bury form is uusually to
be found.
AN UNPRoFITABLE SPECULATION.
That Mr.. O'Connor had lost a considerable sum of
money by transactions which tell out badly during
but his resources were also known to be immense.
There was no sympathy, because none needed.
The story was current as simple fact. lmmedi-
ately after the Court at Geneva had pronounced
their award Mr. O'Connor forwarded his claim to
the Commissioners appointed under the Twelfth
article of the Washington Treaty of 1871 On the
2Sth of September he made formal deposition Of the
facts before Mr.. Shapland Morriss Tandy, Com
missioner under the Irish Court of Chancery. The
United States Consul and vice-Consu were present
and DR.. Boyd of the Irish Bar, instructed by Mr.
Mill, attorney, examined Mr.. 0'Connor on behalf OF
she United States government. The deposltions
were signed by Mr. Tandy and forwarded to
Washington to the Secretary OF the Mixed Com
mission.
A PLUMP CLAIM.
From q perusal of copies or the affdavits am
enabled to state the details OF the case which Mr..
o'Connor advances in support of his claim for
f45 1872 1Ss. 3D. and eleven years. interest
the same. This gives a total OF nearly $30l, 900.
The claim arises solely out OF tobacco transactions
Mr.. O'Connor begins by proving that he is and
has been British subject; that he is sxty-one
years Old and has never sought to be naturalized
Mr.. X h. Dibreil, a German, a merchant, then re-
siding In Richmond, Va, to purchase quantity OF
tobacco and snip the same to Dublin. Mr. piorel
chased s25 nogsheads OF Virginia leaf tobacco and
made payment therefor by drafts drawn upon Mr..
O'ConnOr to the amount OF f21, ,66i These drafts
Mr.. OConnor paid. The S25 hogsheads consisted
in part of CAB hogsheads purchased between
Schedule to his ' case" NJ oSonnor SSo ex
hibts the invoice, and shows tnat they
and Direll warehouses, all in Richmond. The
warehouse number the mark, the shipping
number, the tare, the net weight the price and the
cost of each hogshead were all duly set forth.
These 643 hogsheads were utterly destroyed by
fire on the morning of the Sd OF April 1865" and
were totally lost to Mr.. O'Connor He aflirms that
they were destroyed in obedience to an order is
sued by certain persons acting under the Coned-
crate government and that these orders were
given in consequence OF belief that Richmond was
about to fall into the hands of the United
States government. In addition TO these 643 hogs
heads there were ga hogsheads purchased between
May and october, 1861. They were stored in the
public warehouse In Richmond and they were to-
tally DESTROY ed by fire the night OF the 10th of
OF March, 1868. Mr. O'Connor believes the fire to
have been accidental. but to have. occurred in
consequence OF the dstururbed condition oil affairs
at that time existing in Richmond" In addition
to these two lots Mr. oConnor claims for
levied by the Confederate government; for
one hogshead thrown into '.the Basinr at
purposes, and for seventeen hogsheads stored
In Randolph's warehouse, in FarmvIlle, Va, and
lost or destroyed in manner not known. The
TAG. At that time each hogshead was valued at
$50 lis Cd. Mr.: 0'ConIpr had meantime april 80,
1sop despatched the ship Queen OF England from
Waterford for the purpose OF taking OF the tobacco.
She arrived in the Hampton Roads late in June,
was warned OF by an armed vessel Of the United
States and compelled to return to Dublin Mr.
OConnor claims es0o on this count.
THE GROUND OF Ills CLAIM.
He charges that his losses are solely attributable
to the failure OF the United States OF America to
maintain and enforce the authority of the said
United States in the State OF Virginia and the city
OF Richmond and in consequence of the failure OF
the said United States to suppress the civil and
military disorders that at that time existed in
said State OF Virginia. Mr.. 0Connor pleads that
he attempted any violation OF the laws OF the
United States never attempted, directly or In
directly, to violate the blockade, and never
engaged with those Ct enmty with o.,s the
any sort of compensation for his losses;
and he pays for a45, lo2 l3s Cd, $4,000 interest
thereon and reasonable costs. Mr.. II. Howard,
Her Britannia MaJestys agent at Washington,
under date March 20, 1872. says:-"i hereby with
draw so much OF this clam as Is for property
alleged to have been destroyed by the so-caled
Confederate authorities" Ineed not point out the
effect OF these three lines upon Mr.. o'Connor's
case. should have mentioned that Mr. 0Connor
admits the receipt OF 10 hogsheads, the difference
between the number destroyed and lost GAO and
America The ship Hawatha with % hogsheads, was
captured in May, 1861, by the admiral OF the United
The remaining nfty-seven were brought home in
the Queen Victoria In July, 1868, the American gov
ernment having granted memorial forwarded by
SWELLING CLAIM
1t Is not quite clear from Mr.. 0'Connors case, as
submitted to the secretary OF the Mixed Commits
sion how he raises the sum claimed to CAS-, 1872 lie
says in place that the S25 hogsheads, purchased
place he puts the value ofthe 746 hogsheads alleged
10 have been lost or destroyed, at e26,s2l. | ind
IN one place date, april 81 there being but
thirty days in the month. other discrepancies are
discoyerable.
PRESIDENT LISCoLN's DIPLOMACY.
Perhaps may conclude this note as to the only
irish claim yet advanced against the United states
government by an anecdote given me by Mr.. 0'Con-
nor himself. In 1862 some tobacco got out OF Rich
mond In the Hiawatha. The captain was not very
civil to thsadmlral, who seized his cargo and his
ship and sent both to New York Lord John Rus
sell was then Sc ,rctary for Foreign Affairs and Mr.
O'Connor addressed HIS Lordshp as to his loss Tie
Foreign Secretary employed Lord Lyons and busy
correspondence running over twelve months en-
O'Connor that he had utterly failed to obtain de-
livery OF the cargo and MIR. O'Connor almost in
despair, indted brief note to President Lincoln
himself BY return OF post he had a letter from
inc President informing him that he could have
the ship and goods whenever he pleased. The story