PRISONERS, EXCHANGE OF. 



sarily cruel. The enemy, in palliation of these 

 complaints, allege that the Union prisoners are 

 placed on an equality, as respects rations and 

 clothing, with their own soldiers, and that they 

 do not receive the comforts which might bo 

 reasonably expected, simply because it is not 

 in the power of the Confederate authorities to 

 give them. This, in the opinion of several ex- 

 changed surgeons, who were in the habit of 

 making daily visits to the prison hospitals in 

 Richmond, will not account for the dreadful 

 mortality in those buildings, averaging, at cer- 

 tain periods, upward of 50 persons a day. 

 Toward the close of the year, the Federal Gov- 

 ernment was permitted to send supplies of food 

 and clothing to these prisoners; but charges 

 of misappropriation of them having been made, 

 the permission was, in December, revoked. 



A somewhat remarkable episode in the his- 

 tory of the year, was the plot set on foot by 

 the rebel authorities to liberate 2,500 of their 

 officers confined on Johnson's Island, in Lake 

 Erie, and in connection with this act to burn 

 or destroy Buffalo and other lake cities. The 

 expedition intended for this purpose was to 

 rendezvous in Canada, surprise the Federal 

 garrison on Johnson's Island, liberate the pris- 

 oners, convey them to Canada in vessels pro- 

 vided for that purpose, and forward them by 

 Halifax to Nassau or Bermuda; the greater 

 part of the funds being specially devoted to 

 paying their passage to one of these points. 



These facts coming to the knowledge of the 

 American consul-general in Montreal, he at 

 once laid them before the governor-general 

 of Canada. The Canadian authorities gave the 

 subject immediate attention, and, by November 

 llth, enough had been discovered of the plans 

 of the rebels to authorize the governor-gen- 

 eral to inform Lord Lyons, the British min- 

 ister at "Washington, by telegraph, of the 

 existence of the plot. Lord Lyons at once 

 communicated his despatch to the United 

 States Government, and at midnight of the 

 llth the following despatch was sent by Sec- 

 retary Stanton to the mayors of Detroit, Buf- 

 falo, and other "Western cities : 



The British minister, Lord Lyons, has to-night 

 officially informed the Government that, from tele- 

 graphic information received from the governor- 

 general of Canada, ^there is reason to believe that a 

 plot is on foot by persons hostile to the United States, 

 who have found an asylum in Canada, to invade the 

 United States and destroy the city of Buffalo ; that 

 they propose to take possession of some of the steam- 

 boats on Lake Erie, to surprise Johnson's Island and 

 liberate the prisoners of war confined there, and to 

 proceed with them to attack Buffalo. This Govern- 

 ment will employ all the means in its power to suppress 

 any hostile attack from Canada; but, as other towns 

 and cities on the shore of the lakes are exposed to the 

 same danger, it is deemed proper to communicate this 

 information to you, in order that any precautions, 

 which the circumstances of the case permit, may be 

 taken. 



The governor-general suggests that steamboats 

 should be watched, and that any steamboat or other 

 vessel giving cause for suspicion, by the number or 

 character of the persons on board, be overhauled. 



You will please acknowledge the receipt of this tele- 



PRIZE. 



765 



gram, and communicate to this department any infor- 

 mation you may now or hereafter have on this subject. 

 (Signed) EDWIN M. STANTON, Sec'y of War. 



The prompt movement of troops to the 

 scene of danger, and the precautions taken by 

 the local authorities in the lake cities, had the 

 effect of averting the threatened catastrophe, 

 and in a few days tranquillity was restored. 



PRIZE, any property captured at sea in 

 virtue of the rights of war. During the exist- 

 ing war between the United States and the 

 States in insurrection, calling themselves the 

 " Confederate States of America," the law of 

 prize, as an established branch of the law of 

 nations, has been administered by the courts 

 of the United States in reference to the ques- 

 tions of blockade and of contraband of war. 

 On the 19th of April, 1861, President Lincoln, 

 by proclamation, announced a blockade, "in 

 pursuance of the laws of the United States and 

 of the laws of nations," of the ports within the 

 States of South Carolina; Georgia, Alabama, 

 Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The 

 proclamation contained the following language : 

 "For this purpose a competent force will be 

 posted so as to prevent entrance and exit of 

 vessels from the ports aforesaid. If, therefore, 

 with a view to violate such blockade, a vessel 

 shall approach or shall attempt to leave any of 

 the said ports, she will be duly warned by the 

 commander of one of the blockading vessels, 

 who will endorse on her register the fact and 

 date of such warning ; and if the same vessel 

 shall again attempt to enter or leave the block- 

 aded port, she will be captured and sent to the 

 nearest convenient port, for such proceedings 

 against her and her cargo, as prize, as may be 

 deemed advisable." A like blockade of the 

 ports of Virginia and North Carolina was an- 

 nounced by proclamation of President Lincoln, 

 issued on the 27th of April, 1861. In the pro- 

 gress of the war, captures soon began to be 

 made, by the cruisers of the United States, of 

 enemy vessels and neutral vessels, engaged in 

 breaking the blockade, and in carrying contra- 

 band of war to the enemy. Several important 

 questions in regard to the blockade soon came 

 before the district courts of the United States, 

 where the proceedings in prize were instituted, 

 and were decided in favor of the United States. 

 From these decisions appeals were taken, and 

 the cases came before the Supreme Court of 

 the United States in December term, 1862. It 

 was decided by that court : 1st, that the Presi- 

 dent had a right to institute a blockade of ports 

 in possession of persons in armed rebellion 

 against the Government, on the principles of 

 international law, as known and acknowledged 

 among civilized States ; 2d, that the property 

 of persons domiciled or residing within the 

 States in rebellion, was a proper subject of 

 capture on the sea, as enemy property, without 

 regard to the question whether such persons 

 were personally loyal or disloyal to the United 

 States. It was also decided by that court, in 

 those cases, that the warning and endorsement 



