DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE AND FOREIGN RELATIONS. 



321 



reports reading the despatch of Mr. Seward to 

 M. Drouyn de L'huys, who thanked him, though 

 he felt obliged to say he derived neither pleas- 

 ure nor satisfaction from its contents. 



Mr. Seward, in a letter to Mr. Bigelow, dated 

 December 14, 1865, says : "I have to acknowl- 

 edge the receipt of your despatch of November 

 25. "While it is very interesting, it seems to 

 discourage any expectation on our part of an 

 early withdrawal of the French forces from 

 Mexico. It is to be remembered, however, 

 that the opinions on that subject which you 

 have received from M. Drouyn de Lhuys were 

 expressed by him not only without the positive 

 sanction of the Emperor, but also in the ab- 

 sence of knowledge on the part of the French 

 Government of the definitive conclusion of the 

 President on the subject discussed. It is desir- 

 able to leave no part of those conclusions open 

 to misapprehension, and it is equally desirable 

 that we shall be authorized to infer that such 

 expositions of the Imperial views as are given 

 us in the name of the French Government are 

 made with the Emperor's approval. I trust 

 that both these ends will have been accom- 

 plished before you receive this despatch." 



Mr. Seward, December 16, says it is the 

 President's purpose that France should be re- 

 spectfully informed upon two points : First, 

 that the United States earnestly desire to culti- 

 vate sincere friendship with France. Second, 

 that this policy would be brought into imminent 

 jeopardy unless France could deem it consistent 

 with her interests and honor to desist from the 

 prosecution of armed intervention in Mexico 

 to overthrow the domestic Republican Gov- 

 ernment existing there, and to establish upon 

 its ruins the foreign monarchy which has been 

 attempted to be established in the capital of 

 that country. In conclusion he says, the United 

 States will not recognize Maximilian, even if 

 the French troops should be withdrawn from 

 Mexico. 



The despatches include letters from the 

 French Legation with reference to Mexican 

 refugees in New York and "Washington prepar- 

 ing a movement in favor of Juarez. The first 

 one is as far back as July, 1865. 



The papers submitted include a confidential 

 letter from M. Drouyn de L'huys to Le Marquis 

 de Montholon, dated Paris, October 18, 1865, 

 saying that he had renewed the assurance of 

 the French Government to' withdraw its aux- 

 iliary corps as soon as circumstances would 

 allow it. The French Government had been 

 ready to adopt without' a moment's delay tho 

 basis of an understanding with the Government 

 at Washington. "What is asked of the United 

 States was to be assured that it is not their in- 

 tention to impede the consolidation of the new 

 order of things found in Mexico, and the best 

 guaranty that the French Government could 

 desire woiild be the recognition of the Emperor 

 Maximilian by the Federal Government. 



Mr. Seward, under date of December 6, 1865, 

 writes: "After a review of all the facts, the 

 VOL. v. 21 A 



President is gratified with the assurance yon 

 give of the Emperor's good disposition. I re- 

 gret, however, to be obliged to say the condi- 

 tion which the Emperor presents is one which 

 seems to be impracticable." 



In regard to the recognition of Maximilian's 

 Government a communication, addressed by 

 Senor Arroyo to Mr. Corwin, dated March 2, 

 1865, expresses a desire to see Mr. Seward 

 extra officially, and to ascertain whether the 

 recognition of consuls can be obtained be- 

 cause of the embarrassments which exist in 

 consequence of their non-inhabitation, while in 

 Mexico the exercise of their functions has been 

 continued without embarrassment to American 

 consuls, and stating the government, which was 

 that of Don Benito Juarez, does not exist either 

 de facto or dejure. 



August 1st Minister Romero informs Acting 

 Secretary Hunter that Don Luis Arroyo assumes 

 to act as Commercial Agent in New York with- 

 out an exequatur or other recognition by the 

 United States Government, and asks whether 

 Government recognized the right of Maximilian 

 to make such appointment, or whether, as he 

 believes is the case, this Government only sees 

 in the Republic of Mexico a war between it and 

 France, without recognizing Maximilian even 

 as a government de facto. The charge, he in- 

 timates, may seem to show that the Govern- 

 ment of the United States tacitly recognizes 

 French intervention in Mexico. 



Mr. Seward replies, August 9th, that no law 

 of the United States prevents a person from 

 advertising himself as Consul, but that the 

 Government in all its official correspondence 

 has recognized no other Government in Mexi- 

 co except that of Juarez, and assures him that 

 such Commercial Agent can perform no Consular 

 act relating to the affairs of his countrymen in 

 the United States. To prohibit him from at- 

 testing invoices and manifests, says the Secre- 

 tary, would be tantamount to an interdiction 

 of trade between the United States and those 

 Mexican ports which are not in possession of 

 the Republican Government of that country. 

 The Consuls of the United States in Mexico 

 who have their exequaturs from that Govern- 

 ment, only themselves discharge their duties as 

 Commercial Agents in the ports which are not 

 under, the control of that Government, in all 

 respects like those which the person Arroyo, 

 in the same way and to the same extent, claims 

 to do in New York,, in respect to said ports. 



Senor Romero, on the 12th, explains that no 

 positive answer is given to his inquiries, and no- 

 tifies Mr. Seward that he has submitted the cor- 

 respondence to his Government, and will wait 

 for his instructions. Mr. Seward makes formal 

 acknowledgment of the receipt of this commu- 

 nication, without further explanation. 



A memorandum by Mr. Seward notes that 

 Marquis Montholon, on the 17th of July, called 

 at the Department of State, saying that a special 

 agent had arrived from Mexico, bearing a letter 

 from Maximilian to the President of the United 



