Immediately on the receipt of it I addressed the following note
to the minister of foreign affairs.
[Untitled]
“The Hague,
October 8,
1861.
“Sir: I have just received a
communication from the American consul at Paramaribo under
date of the 4th of September last, which I lose no time in
laying before your excellency.
“The consul states.”
[See above.]
“The reappearance of the Sumter in a port of the Netherlands,
after so brief an interval, seems to disclose a deliberate
purpose on the part of the persons engaged in rebellion
against the United States government to practice upon the
presumed indifference, the expected favor, or the fancied
weakness of the Dutch government.
“During a period of forty-six days, during which we have
heard of this piratical vessel in the West Indies, it would
appear that she had been twice entertained and supplied at
Dutch ports, and spent eighteen days under their
shelter.
“This can be no accidental circumstance.
“In the multitude of harbors with which the West India seas
abound, the Sumter has had no occasion to confine her visits
so entirely to the ports of one nation, especially one so
scantily supplied with them as Holland. And the fact that
she does so is, in my judgment, not fairly susceptible of
any other interpretation than the one I have given.
“I feel convinced that the government of the Netherlands will
see in this repeated visit of the Sumter (this time, it
appears, without any pretext) a distinct violation of its
neutrality according to its own views, as laid down
[Page 376]
in your
excellency’s communication to me of the 17th of September
last, and a case which will call for the energetic assertion
of its purpose expressed in the paper referred to, namely,
not to allow its ports to be made the base of hostile
operations against the United States. For that the Sumter is
clearly making such use of the Dutch ports would seem to
admit of no controversy.
“In view of the existing state of the correspondence between
the United States and the Netherlands on the general subject
to which this case belongs, and of the questions and
relations involved therein, I shall be excused for the
brevity of this communication upon a topic of so much
importance and so provocative of comment.
“The undersigned avails himself,” &c., &c.
I called to-day upon Baron Von Zuylen, but he was absent, and
I shall not therefore be able to see him again before the
close of the mail which takes this. And I do not know that
an interview would in any way affect the existing state of
things or give me any new information. This government’s
intentions are good; and it desires to avoid all difficulty
with the United States, and with everybody else.
As I stated in my despatch of the 25th September, I have
confidence that orders have been given that will impede the
operations of these vessels in Dutch ports hereafter, and
probably drive them elsewhere.
I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most
obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington.
