CONFEDERATE STATES. 



131 



State?, were transferred to the Confederate 

 Government, which thereupon became account- 

 able for the same. 



In like manner South Carolina transferred 

 the public property seized from the United 

 States by her authorities to the Confederate 

 Government. This was done on the 8th of 

 April. 



Texas transferred the same within her limits 

 on the 20th of March. 



Subsequently ArkariSas transferred the ar- 

 senal at Little Rock, and the site, buildings, 

 and appurtenances of the hospital at Napoleon, 

 subject to certain conditions and stipulations. 

 The States of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, 

 Florida, and North Carolina pursued the same 

 course. Mississippi transferred also the arms 

 obtained by purchase before her secession. 

 These were sufficient to supply ten or eleven 

 regiments. 



Early in the month of March commissioners 

 were sent to England, France, Russia, and Bel- 

 gium, to ask the recognition of the Confederate 

 - a? a member of the family of nations, 

 and to make with each of those powers treaties 

 of amity and commerce. These appointments 

 were made and the instructions given in pur- 

 suance of resolutions adopted at the previous 

 session of Congress. 



Commissionera were also sent to Washing- 

 ton, who arrived at that city on the oth of 

 March. They were John Forsyth, Martin J. 

 Crawford, and A. B. Roman, appointed under a 

 resolution of Congress requesting it, and for 

 the purpose of making a settlement of all ques- 

 tions of disagreement between the Govern- 

 ment of the United States and that of the Con- 

 federate States " upon principles of right, jus- 

 tice, equity, and good faith." Upon the arrival 

 of the commissioners at Washington, an in- 

 formal notice was given to the Secretary of 

 State, and the explanation of the object of 

 their mission was postponed to the 12th of 

 March. On that day they addressed Secretary 

 Seward, informing him of the purpose of their 

 arrival, and stating their wish to make to the 

 Government of the United States overtures for 

 the opening of negotiations, and assuring that 

 Government that the President, Congress, and 

 people of the Confederate States desired a peace- 

 ful solution of the questions of disagreement 

 between them ; and that it was neither their 

 interest nor their wish to make any demand 

 which was not founded on the strictest princi- 

 ples of justice, nor to do any act of injury to 

 their late sister States, 



A memorandum, bearing date March 15th, 

 was delivered, as the reply to this communica- 

 tion, on the 8th of April, and then upon the re- 

 quest of the secretary of the commissioners, for 

 an answer to their note. This length of time 

 was permitted to elapse by the commissioners, 

 who waived all questions of form with the de- 

 sign of avoiding war if possible. For the de- 

 tails of this correspondence see UXITED STATES. 

 All negotiation upon the basis on which the 



commissioners desired to place it, failed. Official 

 intercourse with them was declined by Secre- 

 tary Seward. 



Meantime the Government of the Confeder- 

 acy was becoming more completely organized. 

 All the courts, with the exception of those of 

 Mississippi and Texas, had been organized by 

 the appointment of marshals and district attor- 

 neys, and were prepared for the exercise of 

 their functions. The applications for patents 

 averaged seventy per month, although the laws 

 fully organizing the department had not been 

 enacted. Regulations were devised and put in 

 execution, respecting the collection of revenue on 

 goods brought by the various railways entering 

 the territory of the Confederate States. These 

 were carried into effect as early as the 20th of 

 March. The Circular of Instructions of Secre- 

 tary Memminger, provides for the location of 

 "revenue stations" near the frontier of the 

 Confederate States. At each station an officer 

 was appointed, to act as a " revenue guard," 

 whose duties were of a supervisory nature over 

 all merchandise introduced. "Revenue de- 

 pots" were also established, each having a 

 chief officer, with all the powers of collectors 

 of the customs over importations by sea at ports 

 of entry. The circular thus prescribes the du- 

 ties of the officers : 



" Immediately on the arrival of any railroad 

 carriage or train, from any foreign territory 

 contiguous to the Confederate States, at any of 

 the revenue stations, the conductor or other 

 person in charge shall be required to produce 

 to the revenue guard at the first station, a mani- 

 fest in triplicate of all the goods, wares, or 

 merchandise brought into the Confederate 

 States on board such railway carriage or train. 

 And it is made the duty of the revenue guard, 

 at the revenue station, to board all railway 

 trains arriving at said station, from said foreign 

 territory, at all hours of the day and night, to 

 receive the manifest, and on its presentation to 

 see that the goods described therein are placed 

 in separate cars from those in which mails or 

 passengers are conveyed, and to place on each 

 of said freight cars revenue locks of the Con- 

 federate States of America. The original mani- 

 fest, properly certified, shall be returned to the 

 conductor, and a duplicate forwarded, under 

 seal, to the revenue officer at the first revenue 

 depot to which the cars are destined by the 

 shortest route. 



" On the arrival of the railway train or cars 

 at the first revenue depot within the limits of 

 the Confederate States, the conductor shall de- 

 liver to the chief revenue officer residing there- 

 at, the original manifest presented to and en- 

 dorsed with the certificate of the revenue guard 

 at the station aforesaid, and also deliver to 

 the said chief revenue officer all the merchan- 

 dise described in said manifest, by either leav- 

 ing at said depot all the locked cars containing 

 the same, or depositing said goods in a ware- 

 house of deposit at said depot, to be provided 

 for that purpose, under the regulations no\v 



