Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward
Sir: The San Francisco, one of the corvettes built at Nantes for the confederates, has just made her trial trip. She had on hoard three officers of the imperial navy. She made but twelve miles an hour, and scarcely gave satisfaction. But the presence of the three officers of the imperial navy on board proves clearly that the French government intended to deal fairly with us in reference to the trial trip of this vessel. The Sphinx, one of the iron-clads at Bordeaux, is about to leave. Her name has been changed to Staerkodder. She goes out in charge of Captain Pater, the same person who took out both the Yeddo and Osacca, and it is surmised she is bound for Denmark. As to the report referred to by Mr. Bigelow, that one of these vessels entered Bremerhaven under the Prussian flag, and left immediately under the confederate flag, which Was copied into the Moniteur, it was in the first place untrue; and the government of France, if called upon for explanation, would have the ready response that this report was not published in the official part of the paper, but like any other news of interest, and for the accuracy of which they were not responsible. It is worse than useless, therefore, to make it the subject of inquiry. Scarcely a day, certainly not a week, passes in which there is not something in that journal which would call for inquiry more loudly than this.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward,