DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE AND lOKKK.N' RELATIONS. 



The ports of Matamoras, and all those of tho Northern 



frontier which have withdrawn from their obedience to the 



, nod coasting truffle during 



uch time as the laws of the empire shall not be therein ru- 

 instatod. 



AT. a Mcrchandlie proceeding from the ssld port* on 



arriving at any uthor where the excise of the empire is col- 



lected, ihall pay the duties on importation, Introduction, and 



i-iiim, and on satisfactory proof of contravention 



ball be Irrepros-iibly confiscated. 



Oar Mini-tier of the Treasury Is charged with tho punctual 

 n i-f this ! 



Given at Mexico the 9th of July, I860. 



And Whereat, The dccrco thus recited, by declar- 

 ing a belligerent blockade, unsupported by compe- 

 tent military or naval force, is in violation of me 

 neutral rights of the United States, as defined by 

 the law of nations as well as of the treaties existing 

 between the United States of America and the afore- 

 said United States of Mexico : 



Now, therefore, I, Andrew Johnson, President of 

 the United States, do hereby proclaim and declare 

 that the aforesaid decree is held, and will be held by 

 the United States, to be absolutely null and void 

 M against the Government and citizens of the 

 United States, and that any attempt which shall be 

 made to enforce the same against the Government 

 or citizens of the United States will be disallowed. 

 In witness whereof I have hereunto set my band, 

 and caused the seal of the United States to be 

 affixed. 



Done at the City of Washington, on the 

 seventeenth day of August, in the 

 year of our Lord one thousand eight 

 [L. s.] hundred and sixty-six, and of the in- 

 dependence of the United States of 

 America the ninety-first. 



ANDREW JOHNSON. 

 By the President : 



WM. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. 



Mr, Bigdmo to Mr, Seward. 



LEG A.TIO.V OF THK UinxBD STATES, ) 

 FARM, October 12, 1866. f 



Sin : The Marquis de Moustier received the diplo- 

 matic body yesterday for the first time. In reply to 

 a question of mine, he said that the policy or his 

 government toward the United States and Mexico 

 would not undergo any change in consequence of 

 the change of his department. His excellency 

 wished me to understand and report to you that 

 he saw the emperor at Biarritz ; that his majesty 

 expressed his desire and intention to retire from 

 Mexico as soon us practicable, and without reference 

 to the period fixed in the convention with Maxi- 

 milian, if shorter time will suffice. His excellency 

 \vent on to say that the " dissidents," accord- 

 ing to late reports, are gaining ground, but that it is 

 nt the intention of the emperor to undertake new 

 and distant expeditions to reduce them ; that there 

 was some talk of retaking Tampico, but what was de- 

 cided upon had not yet transpired in Paris. He said 

 the position of France was a delicate one, and that 

 there was nothing the emperor desired more than to 

 disembarrass himself of all his engagements with 

 Mexico as soon as he could with dignity and honor, 

 and that with our aid upon which he counted tho 

 time might be very much shortened. 



The instructions to Mr. Campbell, the rain- 

 to Mexico, dated October 20, 1866, order- 

 ing Lira to proceed on his mission with Lieut. - 

 Gen. Sherman, direct " that, as a representative 

 of tho United States, you are accredited to the 

 republican government of Mexico, of which Mr. 

 Juarez is President. Your communications as 

 such representative will bo made to him, 

 wheresoever ho may be, and in no event will 

 you officially recognize either tho Prince Maxi- 

 milian, who claims to bo emperor, or any other 



person, chief, or combination, as exercising the 

 executive authority in Mexico, without having 

 first reported to this department, and received 

 instructionfl from tho President of the United 

 States. Secondly, assuming that the French 

 military and naval commanders shall bo en- 

 gaged in good faith in executing the agreement 

 mentioned for the evacuation of Mexico, 

 the spirit of the engagement on our part in re- 

 lation to that event will forbid the United 

 States and their representative from obstructing 

 or embarrassing tho departure of the French. 

 Thirdly, what the Government of the United 

 States desires in regard to the future of Mexico 

 is not tho conquest of Mexico, or any part of it, 

 or the aggrandizement of the United States by 

 purchases of land or dominion ; but, on the oth- 

 er hand, they desire to see the people of Mexico 

 relieved from all foreign military intervention, 

 to the end that they may resume the conduct 

 of their own affairs under the existing republi- 

 can jcovernment, or such other form of gov- 

 ernment as, being left in the enjoyment of per- 

 fect liberty, they shall determine to adopt in 

 the exercise of their own free will, by their 

 own act, without dictation from any foreign 

 country, and of course without dictation from 

 the United States. It results, as a consequence 

 from these principles, that you will enter into 

 no stipulation with the French commanders, or 

 with the Prince Maximilian, or with any other 

 party, which shall have a tendency to counter- 

 act or oppose the administration of President 

 Juarez, or to hinder or delay the restoration 

 of the authority of the republic. On the other 

 hand, it may possibly happen that the President 

 of the Republic of Mexico may desire the good 

 offices of the United States, or even some 

 effective proceedings on our part, to favor and 

 advance the pacification of the country so long 

 distracted by foreign combined with civil war, 

 and thus gain time for the re'Ostablishmcnt of 

 national authority upon principles consistent 

 with a republican and domestic system of gov- 

 ernment. It is possible, moreover, that some 

 disposition might be made of the land and 

 naval forces of the United States without inter- 

 fering within the jurisdiction of Mexico, or 

 violating the laws of neutrality, which would 

 bo useful in favoring the restoration of law, or- 

 der, and republican government in that country. 

 You are authorized to confer upon this subject 

 with tho republican government of Mexico and 

 its agents, and also to confer informally, if you 

 find it necessary, with any other parties or 

 agents, should such au exceptional conference 

 become absolutely necessary, but not otherwise. 

 You will by these means obtain information 

 which will be important to this government, 

 and such information you will convey to this 

 department, with your suggestions and advice 

 as to any proceedings on our part which can 

 be adopted in conformity to the principles I 

 have before laid down. You will be content 

 with thus referring any important propositions 

 on the subject of reorganization and restora- 



