388 



DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



together again. This belief, he intimated, was 

 a principal reason why this concession of belli- 

 gerent rights was then granted. The close of 

 this conference is thus reported by Mr. Dayton : 

 " Without expressing any opinion upon these 

 matters, he said he would think of them, but 

 hoped in the meantime that something would 

 bo done by us to relieve the difficulties here 

 growing out of the want of cotton." 



Mr. Seward, writing to Mr. Dayton on the 

 26th, says, relative to a former inquiry of the 

 Emperor whether cotton will come: "Upon 

 this point you may safely assure him that all 

 apprehensions are, in our view, groundless." 

 Mr. Seward was mistaken. The cotton did not 

 come to any amount of importance even with 

 the port of New Orleans open. (See COMMERCE.) 

 Mr. Dayton writes on March 31st, " That (cot- 

 ton) is now the great and leading point of inter- 

 est between them (the French Government) and 

 us." " The French Government has come to 

 the conclusion, I think, that we will get pos- 

 session of the cotton ports, but they seem now 

 to be troubled with grave doubts whether, in 

 that event, even, cotton will be forthcoming." 

 He then relates a conference with M. Thou- 

 venel, at which he again called his attention to 

 the propriety of his Government's retracing its 

 steps in regard to its concession of belligerent 

 rights to the Confederates. 



On the 22d of April, Mr. Dayton writes that 

 M. Thouvenel had returned from a visit to the 

 manufacturing districts, and assured him that 

 it was painful to see the immense establish- 

 ments not at work and the population unem- 

 ployed ; the distress was great and the demand 

 for cotton most urgent. 



On the 16th of May, Mr. Dayton writes : 

 " "Without a still further change for the better 

 in the condition of things at home, or some 

 encouraging information from Mr. Adams, I 

 hesitate to urge the point further (revoking the 

 concession of belligerent rights). It might be 

 considered as savoring of importunity, or, at 

 all events, as wanting in that diplomatic for- 

 bearance which this Government would have a 

 right to expect." He closes with a postscript, 

 stating that a communication from Mr. Adams 

 had just been received, which, he says, "in- 

 forms me that the British Government had ' no 

 intention to vary the policy' adopted hereto- 

 fore ; and he states further, ' the answer was 

 that the great ports were not yet in our posses- 

 sion, and the issue appeared yet uncertain.' " 



In a despatch dated August 18, Mr. Seward 

 thus states tho position of the United States, 

 relative to the war between France and Mex- 

 ico: " This Government, relying on the expla- 

 nations which have been made by France, re- 

 gards the conflict as a war involving claims by 

 France which Mexico has failed to adjust to 

 the satisfaction of her adversary, and it avoids 

 intervention between the belligerents." 



The quiet posture of affairs between the two 

 Governments continued undisturbed, notwith- 

 standing numerous rumors relative to media- 



tion or intervention by France in American 

 affairs. On the 6th of November, Mr. Dayton 

 had a conference with M. Drouyn de 1'Huys, 

 who, on the 13th of October, succeeded M. 

 Thouvenel, which he has thus related to Sec- 

 retary Seward : 



I have to-day had a conversation of some length with 

 M. Drouyn de 1'Huys in reference to our affairs. I 

 told him that circumstances were such as to induce me 

 to ask him distinctly whether any action was in con- 

 templation by France, or by France conjointly with 

 other powers, in reference to the condition of things in 

 our country. He said no ; that everything remained 

 as it had done for some time past. That France, in 

 common with the other powers of Europe, very much 

 regretted the war and its continuance, but they had no 

 purpose to intervene or interfere in any way. I then 

 said to him I had seen it stated that France, England, 

 and Russia were conferring upon the propriety of offer- 

 ing mediation. He said that the wish that the war 

 could be ended, or that something could be done, with 

 the assent of the belligerent parties, had been spoken 

 of, and it was yet spoken of, but nothing had been re- 

 solved upon. In further conversation he said that 

 France reserved to herself the right to express this wish 

 to the parties if it should be thought advisable to do 

 so, or that good would grow out of it. I told him that 

 this at once brought us hack to the starting point ; that 

 the expression of such wish would be, I presumed, but 

 an offer of mediation in another form. He said no ; if 

 there were any word which could express less than 

 " mediation," that such word should be used in its 

 place. 



To test the character of this offer or suggestion, 

 which he reserved to himself the right to make, I said : 

 suppose your offer or suggestion, if made, shall be re- 

 fused, what will be the consequences? He said: 

 " nothing ;" that we would be friends, as we had been 

 before. I told him that I had just seen it stated in the 

 English press, that some such offer of mediation was to 

 be made by the three Powers, and, in the event of our 

 refusal to accept it, the independence of the South was 

 to be acknowledged. He said that was not so ; that no 

 such consequences would follow a refusal upon our 

 part; that things would remain as before. I told him 

 that we should look upon an acknowledgment of the 

 South as but a form of intervention. To this he as- 

 sented, and said they did not think of intruding into 

 our affairs in any way, or intervening in any form ; 

 that their intent would be comprised in the expression 

 of a wish to be useful, if it could be done with the as- 

 sent of both parties. I told him that the Emperor, at 

 an early day, had expressed such wish, and that he 

 had been willing to act the part of a friend between 

 the two, if they should mutually request it. He said 

 that such was yet his disposition, and nothing more, 

 except that the calamities of this civil war nad in- 

 creased and strengthened the wish on his part. 



I may add that I said to M. Drouyn de 1'Huys, un- 

 officially, however, as I told him, that such an offer, if 

 it should even be made, would come to nothing. 



The correspondence with the Government of 

 France contained in the volume published by 

 the order of Congress, closes on the 6th of No- 

 vember. Subsequently, Congress called for the 

 continuation of the correspondence, and it was 

 published in a separate form. It embraces the 

 action of the respective governments on the 

 subject mentioned in the note of November 6th 

 above. 



On the 17th of November, Mr. Dayton writes 

 to M. Drouyn de 1'Huys, stating that the occasion 

 of his letter is found in some questions asked 

 by M. Drouyn de 1'Huys relative to the popula- 

 tion of the Southern States, of tho United States, 



