Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward.
Washington, D. C., October 12, 1861.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 4th instant, relative to communications between ships-of-war and the ports in the southern States, now under blockade.
You have apprised me in that note that information has reached the Department of State that foreign vessels-of-war which have entered those ports since they were blockaded, have in some instances carried passengers, and in others private correspondence. You were so good as to assure me verbally, yesterday, that no British ship-of-war was included among those to which your note thus referred. Indeed, I have every reason to believe that, with a single exception, no British ship-of-war has communicated with any of the ports under blockade. The ship which I except is the “Steady;” of my intention to request the commander of this ship to leave official despatches at Charleston, I had the honor to inform you on the 18th of last month. The “Steady” accordingly sailed for Charleston a few days afterwards. She carried no letters except official despatches from me or other authorities of foreign governments in the United States, and no passenger excepting Mr. Fullaston, her Majesty’s acting consul at Savannah, who was landed at Charleston on his way back to his post.
As several of my colleagues have expressed to me their desire to send official despatches to the consuls of their respective governments by any of her Majesty’s ships which may hereafter convey despatches for me to the ports under blockade, I shall be much obliged if you will inform me whether you see any objection to my forwarding to those ports, by her Majesty’s [Page 169] ships, despatches addressed by official authorities of foreign countries to other official authorities of their own countries.
I have the honor to be, with high consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant,