370 



FEAKKFOET. 



FEEEDMEN AND EEFUGEES. 



emnly proclaimed the abolition of slavery. France, 

 which forgets no noble page of her history, offers up 

 sincere wishes for the prosperity of the great Ameri- 

 can Republic, and for the maintenance of the amicable 

 relations which will soon have had a century's du- 

 ration. 



The emotion produced in the United States by the 

 presence of our troops on the Mexican soil, will be 

 pacified by the frankness of our declarations. The 

 American people will comprehend that our expedition, 

 to which we invited them, was not opposed to their 

 interests. Two nations equally jealous of their inde- 

 pendencej ought to avoid every step which might 

 affect their dignity and their honor. 



In Italy the French Government began to 

 execute the " September Convention," and 

 to withdraw its troops from Eome. It offered 

 at the same tune to the Pope its assistance to 

 facilitate the recruitment and organization of 

 his military forces. As regards the Pontifical 

 debt, the French Government expressed in the 

 " Blue Book " a hope that soon an understand- 

 ing would be arrived at with the Italian Cabinet, 

 which the Holy See might accept without 

 sacrificing its dignity. Prince Couza, of the 

 Danubian Principalities, was advised by France 

 to respect European treaties, " which are based 

 upon mutual rights," and are a guarantee of 

 friendly relations between the different Euro- 

 pean Powers. 



FEANKFOET, a free city in Germany. 

 The government is vested in a Senate and a 

 Legislative Assembly. The former is composed 

 of four syndics and twenty-one members elect- 

 ed for life. The Legislative Assembly consists 

 of fifty-seven members chosen by the burghers 

 of the city, of twenty permanent representa- 

 tives of the burghers, chosen by the common 

 council of the city, and of eleven members 

 chosen by the rural communities. The Senate 

 is presided over by two burgomasters, who are 

 elected in the month of September, for the 

 term of one year. First burgomaster in 1865, 

 Senator and Syndic, Dr. P. F. Gwinner ; second 

 burgomaster, Senator, Dr. J. A. Spelta. Area, 

 forty-three square miles. Population in 1861, 

 83,390; in 1864, 91,180 (in the city 78,177; in 

 the rural districts, 13,003); increase, 9.34 per 

 cent. In religious denominations, the in- 

 habitants were, in 1858, divided as follows : 

 Lutheran, 43,946 ; Evangelical Church, 1,416; 

 German Eeformed, 5,448 ; Calvinists, 460 ; Eo- 

 man Catholics, 15,788; German Catholics, 428; 

 Israelites, 5,733 ; other denominations, 164. The 

 receipts in the budget for 1865 were estimated 

 at 2,853,565 florins, and the expenditures at 

 2,424,546 florins. Public debt in 1865, 7,300,220 

 florins; railroad debt, 6,745,300 florins; com- 

 munal debt, 1,278,800 florins. 



A meeting of deputies of the several German 

 .Legislatures, which the Senate allowed to be 

 held, in September, notwithstanding the re- 

 monstrances of Austria and Prussia, called forth 

 from these two powers a threatening note 

 (dated October 8th). The Senate replied by a 

 note of October 21st, energetically repelling 

 the imputations made by the two powers. (See 



FEEEDMEtf AND EEFUGEES. In the 

 ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 1864, allusion was 

 made to an interview held by Gen. W. T. Sher- 

 man and Secretary Stanton, at the beginning 

 of the year 1865, with the representatives of 

 the colored men of the coast region of Georgia 

 and South Carolina. The result of this inter- 

 view was the publication of the following spe- 

 cial field order by Gen. Sherman : 



Special Field Orders JHo. 15. 



HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ) 

 IN THE FiELDj SAVANNAH, GA., January 16, 1865. J 



I. The islands from Charleston, South, the aban- 

 doned rice-fields along the rivers for thirty miles 

 back from the sea, and the country bordering the St. 

 John's River, Florida, are reserved and set apart for 

 the settlement of the negroes now made free by the 

 acts of war and the proclamation of the President of 

 the United States. 



II. At Beaufort, Hilton Head, Savannah, Fernan- 

 dina, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville, the blacks may 

 remain in their chosen or accustomed vocations but 

 on the islands, and in the settlements hereafter to be 

 established, no white person whatever, unless mili- 

 tary officers and soldiers detailed for duty, will be 

 permitted to reside ; and the sole and exclusive man- 

 agement of affairs will be left to the freed people 

 themselves, subject only to the United States military 

 authority and the acts of Congress. By the laws of 

 war, and orders of the President of the L nited States, 

 the negro is free, and must be dealt with as such. 

 He cannot be subjected to conscription or forced 

 military service, save by the written orders of the 

 highest military authority of the Department, under 

 such regulations as the President or Congress may 

 prescribe. Domestic servants, blacksmiths, carpen- 

 ters, and other mechanics, will be free to select their 

 own work and residence, but the young and able- 

 bodied negroes must be encouraged to enlist as sol- 

 diers in the service of the United States, to contribute, 

 their share toward maintaining their own freedpir.. 

 and securing their rights as citizens of the United 

 States. 



Negroes so enlisted will be organized into compa- 

 nies, ibattalions, and regiments, under the orders of 

 the United States military authorities, and will be 

 paid, fed, and clothed according to law. The boun- 

 ties paid on enlistment may, with the consent of the 

 recruit, go to assist his family settlement in procur- 

 ing agricultural implements, seed, tools, boots, cloth- 

 ing, and other articles necessary for their livelihood. 



III. Whenever three respectable negroes, heads 

 of families, shall desire to settle on land, and shall 

 have selected for that purpose an island or a localitv 

 clearly defined, within the limits above designated, 

 the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations will 

 himself, or by such subordinate officer as he may 

 appoint, give them a license to settle such island or 

 district, and afford them such assistance as he can to 

 enable them to establish a peaceable agricultural 

 settlement. The three parties named will subdivide 

 the land, under the supervision of the Inspector, 

 among themselves and such other as may choose to 

 settle near them, so that each family shall have a 

 plot of not more than (40)*forty acres of tillable 

 ground, and when it borders on some water channel, 

 with not more than 800 feet of water front, in the 

 possession of which land the military authorities n^ll 

 afford them protection, until such time as they can 

 protect themselves, or until Congress shall reirulata 

 their title. The Quartermaster may, on the requisi- 

 tion of the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, 

 place at the disposal of the Inspector, one or more 

 of the captured steamers, to ply between the settle- 

 ments and one or more of the commercial points 

 heretofore named in orders, to afford the settlers the 

 opportunity to supply their necessary wants, and to 

 sell the products of their land and labor. 



