The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-28
FRANCE AND THE SOUTHERN CON-
FEDERACY.
Vaccinations Between The French Minister
and q Confederate Congressman

and t0n1eutIHbe 0oHR IossAHhh'
turom 4 Letter by the Hon. James Lyons. ~
iIirbrnnnd. to Col Magruder OF Ballmote'
viii relate d conversation had ~ ny
bnuaa I,ab,lrn,,m. near Richmond, VIII ouhnt ~
Marriar tbe French Minister. In the monl ~, Il,
MAY on early party Of June looz ~ nermis-
M Iecnllerted. visited RchinoIu nS III ILL., III IN
iardinted from holding direct inteico',ls. W.
President Davis or any OF his oap ., anu v
spent nearly two days 2 W. AL I nc the 60
n .l iii n disclose, he was sent here ny M
I ~, r with 4 view To make peace IN the
o',,,se If DAYS discussion In my library ne
asllad me great many gnestiohs' h.lons
ot nsa,, ~, To whip Mcclellan II who was then
living with an army OF 100000 men within SIX
,ggiiaa If Richmond, confronted ~ Gen. Lee,
told him in reply that felt sure " we gc could
and would and i the Emperor q t M ri nnen
wa vo,,id march TO New York, and not ask
the loan If a man OF dollar. With great
animation he .spraug 70 his feet, and sald ~
French:
10 uvacible But why do you think you
ui,4mared, because the President and
la4f'l,ee tell inc they believe we Will
mary mon are bearing upon Richmond 6
replied. "1he President thinks there are
100000 Gen: Leo thinks not 50 many, but
more than 100000"
To which no replied, They are DOM nus
taken, There are 22500O" Gen. Burnslde's
force ut Port Royal 10 a part 81 the iorce
hearing ,,pon Richmond to Port Royal
merely In the hope Of inducing Cen Lee 10
detach part Of his army TO meet IL. , am an
iust from the War Office and have all the
Statistics here" holding UP paper which ne
drew from his pocket but NO added. Qan ,
this war be stopped2 CANT you come back
under the old tiag2'
said: Il suppose that 10 lmpossioie' ioI
Mr.. Seward would not permit us 20 90 so
without the abolition OF slavery, ana IL would
be useless TO propose that to the men IRON
the extreme South" =,
10 that he replied: You are MISTAKEN Ii
YOU will only return and acknowledge the nag,
MIR. Seward will permit you TO return Without
'iWhati'' said I, with the institution OF
slayeryl'
+ then said. "But there Is yet one thing
more TO be considered. To use the phrase
which was 80 much hackneyed with rrespeet.
10 the northeastern boundary question Oh
indemnity for the past and security ior me
future we can't ask, know, Indemnity ,oI
the past, but we must have security for the
future We cannot live hereafter Ia the state
of harassment and excitement tn which we
have lived for some years past.
Then drawing his hand across ss p'ece a I he
Der lying upon tho library table, upon Ihe
opposite sides OF which we were Sitting. ne
said. ,4 ,a,r
mir. Seward will allow you to write your
own guarantees ,-.,,. ~ ,,,,
cent to those terms. had been IN favor 81
fhn Southern convention which South
Carolina proposed through Mr., Mem
mnger. her co9mmissoner, bel believing ing
ijrmed, that II all the Southern States met
In convention. as proposed by Soutn caro-
lima. such guarantees would be asked Oh the
Northern people as they would grant, ana
which would protect U.s. and ~ that event
there would be no secession, and certainly
did not wish secession If we could be protect,
"a I'm the endowment Of our constitutional
rights. md that ! believe was the general
sentiment Of the South. ] believe have
given you now almost, II not exactly, yer
hatim. these conversations to which re-,
ferred In my conversation with you. Will
add that the day following the conversation
with the French Minister, large company
rf gentlemen dined with him at my house,
and he left there after 10 o'clock ut night In
rain. I'm order, as he said, to send dispatch
10 Norfolk to fire up steamer when eouio
take him on his dispatches. forget which, TO
New York before the next Atlantic steamer
sailed. .,.,
battles around Richmond occurred not long
nftorward. and had no doubt Of our acknowl-
edgment by the French government, anu was
Some time afterward the French consul.
Mons. Paul. drove up to my house on sun
day afternoon, and very soon entered into
conversation about the Acknowledgements %
the Confederate government ny the emperor Emp ,,et
pass some bin for the gradual abolition OF
slavery In fifty or sixty years Maybe II
might do even II 1t was longer. and satn that
II that were done the Emperor would lmme-
diately acknowledge us, but that the french
peope would not be satisfied without such
nrpyision for the abolition of slavery They
did not care how distant II was. SO the fact
was secured as the price OF recognition, ana
the Emperor would be fully l,isti,i,l,ed. :.
aecede to those terms, and promised to SEQ
tho President upon the subject next morning
when went into Congress-, ana II ne agreed
with me would Immediately Introduce blll
for the purpose.
"Bnt. said /, monsieur Paul, what quar-
anfce rnn Won give us that. II we take so i'm
portant step, the Emperor will acknowledge
us2"
He repled "Mr. Lyons, nobody can quar-
antee tho Emperor, but you may he sure that
the Emperor will do what tell you he will
40" which considered as but another mode
of saving that he had been authorized to do
what he had done. sH-
him next morning at his own house, before
Congress met MS soon rs ! went into town.
and told him what had passed between the
French consul and myself. Ills answer was .
Il should concur with you in accepting these
terms but for the constitutional difficulty
You know that Congress has no Jurisdiction
over the subject of slavery" "Trne," said,
"but that difficulty may be gotten over, In my
opinion, without any violation Of tho eonstil-
tuition. Let the bill providing for the grad
ual abolition Of slavery also provide that II
shall not take effect until the States have. by
acts of their respective legislatures, duly
passed, approved and ratified it, which you
know will be Just as good as II passed before
hand. authorizing Congress to do the thing:
Will not be guilty Of the presumption OF
Offering such d bill. upon my Simple RESPONSE
bility, but if | may say that you concur with
mo | will introduce tho bill tomorrow lie
then asked me why the French government
could not deal with tho States In the matter,
so rs 10 avoid all constitutional questions.
told him ! had put that very question 70 the
French consul, and his answer was: France
does not know the States. but she knows the
Confederate government and President
Davis.
Mr. Davis then said "Well ! must consult