Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session Thirty-eighth Congress, Part II

Mr. Hunter to Lord Lyons.

Department of State, Washington, November 4, 1864.

My Lord: Referring to Mr. Burnley’s communication of the 7th ultimo, relative to the refusal of the collector of the port of New York to grant a clearance of certain merchandise shipped by Messrs. Darrell & Nash to Nassau, in the Bahama islands, I have the honor, in reply, to enclose for your lordship’s information a copy of a letter of the 29th ultimo from the Secretary of the Treasury.

I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, my lord, your obedient servant,

W. HUNTER, Acting Secretary.

Right Hon. Lord Lyons, &c., &c., &c.

Mr. Fessenden to Mr. Seward.

Treasury Department, October 29, 1864.

Sir: I have the honor to state, that on the receipt of your letter of 13th instant covering a copy of the note of J. Hume Burnley, esq., of the British legation, relative to the case of Darrell & Nash, this question was again submitted to the collector at New York for consideration and report, of which report I send you enclosed a copy.

In view of the facts as stated, I approve his action in the premises, and the same course would have been pursued against the citizens of the United States.

With great respect,

W. P. FESSENDEN, Secretary of Treasury.

Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State.

Mr. Draper to Mr. Fessenden.

Custom House, New York, Collector’s Office, October 24, 1864.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 13th and 14th instants, with their enclosures, in reference to the matter of Messrs. Darrell & Nash, British merchants of this city. The principalfacts in this case were set forth in the reports made by my late predecessor to the department on the 3d and 6th of August last, and to which you are respectfully referred.

The circumstances stated in the protest of the master of the vessel, and of the passenger, Albert Orlando Stone, of Charleston, S. C., that the Trendt put into Nassau for repairs, &c., are now relied on as an excuse for not proceeding to the original port of destination; but it appears that the vessel did not leak badly, and that the cargo was only slightly injured. Besides, it does not appear .that any efforts were subsequently made to complete the voyage, and no excuse is offered for not doing so.

These gentlemen admit that they shipped goods to Nassau via Turk’s Island, as stated in the report of my predecessor of August 3, above referred to, and they allege that they did so to obviate the necessity of giving bonds, which they would have been required to give had they shipped their goods directly to Nassau.

The enclosures contained in your letters are herewith returned.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

S. DRAPER, Collector.

Hon. William P. Fessenden, Secretary of the Treasury.