The New York herald., 1875-10-09
The Clews Exnosures.

then kept relating TO the withdrawal Of our
financial agency abroad from the Barings,
who had held it since the foundation of the
government, and its transfer to the mush-
room house of Henry Clews Il Co. These
recollections are of great interest in connec-
ton with the recent testimony before the
Register in Bankruptcy which proves that
the transfer was a corrupt transaction. Had
the change been a fit thing in itself the
services of a paid lobby and q corrupt
division of the profits would not have been
needed to secure it, The remarkable reports
of conversations and extracts from cor
respondence which we are permitted to pub
lish show that every distinguished man
whose Judgment was entitled to weight
strongly reprobated that scandalous antic OF
President Grants administration. The
two persons best qualified to judge
of it were Nh. Seward, then in London,
who gave his views with great emphasis, and
Secretary Fish, whose disapproval was
strongly expressed The then recently re-
tired Secretary of State and the Secretary of
State in Office were the two most competent
judges of the expediency of such change
1t appears from these revelations that even
Mr.. Boutwell, thought it great mistake and
that his opinion was overruled by the only
officer who had authority to control him.
One of the writer's of the letters from which
extracts are given called on Mr.. Seward in
London when the news of the change was
fresh, and the veteran statesman with much
warmth and vigor denounced the change and
said it would be a great misfortune to the
United States, and he proceeded to state his
reasons, which readers will find in the ex-
cerpts which we print. He went on to
recount instances which had occurred during
his administration of the State Department
where the Barings had gone beyond the rules
of business and taken voluntary risks in
advancing money to the United States in
critical emergencies. On subsequent occa-
sion, at dinner given in Paris by Minister
Washburne, at which Mr.. Seward and other
notabilities were present, Mr.. Seward asked
Mr.. Washburne through what agency he
drew his salary, and when it was replied,
Through Messrs. Clews Habicht & Co.,
of London, agents of the State Department
Mr. Seward asked, 'Who is Habicht?" and
on Mr. Washburne telling him that Habicht
had been the Swedish consul at New York,
Mr.. Seward replied, ''Why, when I,was
Secretary Of State l withdrew his exequatur,
because we caught him in blockade run
ming" A precious successor to the old,
solid, responsible and honored house of the
Barings
When the writer of one of these letters
expressed his opinion of this change in
Washington the Secretary of the Treasury
spoke in praise of the Barings and said che
was not responsible for the change" The
inevitable inference is that it was the Presi-
dents own act, as nobody but the President
could have coerced Secretary Boutwell, to
act against his judgment. The same cor
respondent explained to Secretary Fish the
embarrassments that had resulted to the
public credit from the withdrawal of the
agency from the Barings, and ''Mr. Fish
deprecated the change, but said it was not
of his making" All who take an interest in
the subject will, of course read this cor
respondence. The strong disapproval Of
Messrs Seward, Fish and Boutwell, proves
that the change was absurd, and the fact,
recently come to light, that it was procured
by corrupt means, puts the high officer who
enforced it in most unenviable light. This
is, perhaps, the most humiliating exposure
that has ever been made in the history of
our government