UNITED STATES. 



727 



as seemed to be necessary, tho respective rights 

 and oMi^jitions of tho belligerent parties and 



of citi/ciis. (.fa PCBLIO DOCUMENTS.) Slll>- 



itly, ou tho appearance of French arm. d 

 vessels in tho waters of N. u York, and tho 

 apprehension of a practical blockade of tho 

 port by tho same as against German merchant- 

 men, tho President, on October 8th, again 

 issued a proclamation, declaring that any fn- 

 quontiiitf and use of the waters within the ter- 

 ritorial jurisdiction of the United States by 

 the armed vessels of either belligerent (Franco 

 or tho North-Gorman Confederation and its 

 allies), whether public ships or privateers, for 

 the purpose of preparing for hostile opera- 

 tions, or as posts of observation upon the ships- 

 of-war or merchant-vessels of tho other bel- 

 ligerent lying within or being about to enter 

 the jurisdiction of tho United States, must be 

 regarded as unfriendly and offensive, and in 

 violation of that neutrality which it was the 

 determination of the Government to observe; 

 that ships-of-war of either belligerent should 

 not leave any port of the United States within 

 twenty-four hours after the departure of a 

 merchantman of either bejligeront ; that war- 

 vessels of either belligerent should not remain 

 longer than twenty-four hours in any port of 

 the United States unless for needed repairs 

 and supplies; and that no vessel-of-war of 

 either belligerent, after having entered one 

 port and left it, should roenter such port or 

 another of the United States until after having 

 visited a European port or a port of its own 

 government. The making of American ports 

 depots for supplying materials of war to bel- 

 ligerents was also prohibited; and the proper 

 officers were instructed to carry ant the proc- 

 lamation. This was substantially the law of 

 neutrality proclaimed, but not enforced, by 

 England as her law of neutrality between the 

 United States and the Confederate States in 

 the late civil war. The position was taken by 

 the Prussian Government that private property 

 on the high-seas should be exempt from seizure, 

 and instructions to that effect were given to 

 her naval officers. The communication of these 

 instructions to the Secretary of State, by the 

 Prussian minister at Washington, called forth 

 the following letter of congratulation from the 

 former : 



DEPABTITKNT or STATE, ) 

 WASHINGTON, July 22, 1870. ) 



Bismarck to the effect that private property on the 

 high-seas will be exempt from seizure by the ships 

 of his Majesty the King of Prussia, without regard 

 to reciprocity. 



In compliance with the request further contained 

 in your note, this communication has been officially 

 made public from this department. It is now nearly 

 a century since the United States, through Thomas 

 Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, then 

 plenipotentiaries, and under the guidance of the great 

 Frederick of Prussia, entered into a treaty of amity 

 and commerce, to be in force for ten years from its 

 date whereby it was agreed that, if war should un- 



break out between the two contracting par- 

 ti. -, tifl merchant and trading vessels employed in 

 exchanging the products of different places, and 

 thereby rendering tin- necessaries, convenience*, ami 

 comforts of human life more easy to be obtained and 

 more general, should bo allowed to pass free and un- 

 molested, and that neither of the contracting powers 

 should grant or issue any commission to any private 

 armed vessels, empowering them to take or destroy 

 such trading-vessels or interrupt such commerce. 

 The Government of the United States receives with 

 great pleasure this renewed adherence of the great 

 and enlightened German Government to the princi- 

 ples temporarily established by the Treaty of 1786, 

 and since then advocated by this Government when- 

 ever opportunity offered. In 1854 President Pierce, 

 in his annual message to Congress, said : " Should 

 the leading powers of Europe concur in proposing a 

 rule of international law to exemot private property 

 upon the ocean from seizure by public armed cruisers, 

 as well as by privateers, tho United States will readily 

 meet them on that broad ground." In 1866 this Gov- 

 ernment was invited to give its adhesion to the decla- 

 ration of Paris, and Mr. Marcy, then Secretary of 

 State, replied that tho President proposed to add, to 

 the first proposition in the declaration of the Con- 

 gress at Paris, the following words : "And that the 

 private property of the subjects or citizens of a bel- 

 ligerent on the high-seas shall be exempted from 

 seizure by the public armed vessels of the other bel- 

 ligerent unless it be contraband." Thus amended, 

 the Government of tho United States will adopt it, 

 together with the other three principles contained in 

 the declaration. And again, in 1861, Mr. Seward re- 

 newed the offer to give the adhesion of the United 

 States to the declaration of the Congress of Paris, 

 and expressed a preference that the same amendment 

 should be retained. Count Bismarck's dispatch, 

 communicated in your letter of the 10th inst.^ shows 

 that North Germany is willing to recognize this prin- 

 ciple, even without reciprocity, in the war which has 

 now unhappily broken out between that country and 

 France. Tnis gives reason to hope that the Govern- 

 ment and people of the United States may soon be 

 gratified by seeing it upiversally recognized as an- 

 other restraining and humanizing influence imposed 

 by modern civilization upon the art of war. 



Accept the renewed assurance of my very high 

 consideration. (Signed) HAMILTON FISH. 



To Baron GEROLT, etc. 



On Juno 20th, the Attorney-General, E. 

 Rockwood Hoar, of Massachusetts, resigned 

 his position, and was succeeded by Amos T. 

 Akerman, of Georgia. J. D. Cox, of Ohio, 

 also resigned as Secretary of the Interior, and 

 was succeeded by Columbus Delano, of Ohio. 



The admission of Senators and Representa- 

 tives in Congress from Virginia, Texas, and 

 Mississippi, completed the work of reconstruc- 

 tion, as it had been undertaken by Congress, 

 and the subject became one of less prominence. 

 The attention of the public mind was turned 

 more directly to questions of taxation, protec- 

 tion, and the reduction of debt. Some impor- 

 tant points incidentally connected with the for- 

 mer of these subjects were presented for deci- 

 sion before the Federal Supreme Court. In the 

 case where the question presented was whether 

 or not the payee, or assignee, of a note made 

 before the lth of February, 1862, was obliged 

 by law to accept in payment United States 

 notes equal in nominal amount to the sum due, 

 according to its terms, when tendered by the 

 party bound to pay, tho extent to which green- 



