Mr. Dayton to Mr.
Seward
No. 456.]
Paris,
April 22, 1864.
Sir: I have the honor to send you herewith a
translation of a communication from Count Manderstrom, minister of
foreign affairs for the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway, to Mr.
Haldeman, United States minister at that court.
This communication expressly denies the allegation made by Mr. Arman to
M. Drouyn de l’Huys that a contract had been entered into between him
and the government of Sweden for the sale of certain of the rebel
vessels building at Bordeaux.
I have just enclosed a copy of this communication, together with a copy
of Mr. Haldeman’s letter to me accompanying it, to M. Drouyn de
l’Huys.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward
Secretary of State, &c., &c.,
&c.
[Translation.]
Mr. Manderstrom to Mr. Haldeman
Stockholm,
March 15, 1864.
Sir: By a letter dated yesterday, you did
me the honor to inform me that Mr. Dayton, minister of the United
States at Paris, having learned that certain “clippers,” and two
“iron-clad vessels’ were In the course of construction at Bordeaux,
by Mr. Arman, and being apprehensive that they were destined to
[Page 78]
a use prejudicial to his
government, had made representations upon this subject to the French
government, from which Mr. Dayton had received the assurance that
the construction of the said vessels would not be authorized, or, at
least, that they should not be delivered to the Confederate States
or to their agents. You add that, in a letter of the 8th of this
month, Mr. Dayton has written to you that the constructor, Mr.
Arman, had the day before given M. Drouyn de l’Huys the assurance
that these vessels-of-war had been sold to Sweden; that the contract
had been finally concluded, and that he had offered to show it to M.
the minister of foreign affairs.
In answer to this communication on your part, it is my duty to state,
in the most explicit manner, that no vessel-of-war or iron-clad ship
has been ordered at Bordeaux by the government of Sweden and Norway,
or constructed in that city on its account, and that, therefore, no
contract can have been made with Mr. Arman or any other constructor
of vessels at Bordeaux. I believe I should add that offers to this
effect were made to the government of the King some months since on
the part of Mr. Arman, but that they were declined in a manner to
leave no doubt as to the intentions of the government of the King
not to profit by them.
There is, then, as far as we are concerned, in the declaration of Mr.
Arman a manifest error, which, in our desire to maintain the
excellent relations which have always existed between our
governments and that of the United States of America, it is
important for us not to allow to exist.
In authorizing you, sir, to make whatever use of this letter you
shall judge proper, I seize the occasion to renew to you the
assurances of my most distinguished consideration.
Mr. Haldeman,
United States Minister at Stockholn.
