Mr. Seward to Sir F. Bruce. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, November 20, 1866. MY DEAR SIR: I beg leave to ask your attention to a copy of a despatch which has just been received at this department from Mr. Thurston, United States consul at Toronto, and the correspondence appended to the same. From these papers I learn that although the government of Canada very cheerfully announced its determination to comply with the wish of this government for a copy of the records of convictions in the so-called Fenian cases in Canada, yet that some difficulties have arisen there in regard to the furnishing of the testimony taken in the several cases, which need to be removed. It can hardly be necessary to say that the records, without the testimony, would be of no use in enabling this government to ascertain the regularity, legality, and justice of the convictions. It must be equally unnecessary to say that the saving of time is of essential importance in this matter, insomuch as the 13th day of December next is understood to be fixed for carrying into execution the sentence of capital punishment. I think that the difficulties to which I have alluded are merely technical, or legally professional, and it is supposed that they could be promptly removed by an order from the executive government of Great Britain, or from that of Canada. In this belief I make this communication informal, not doubting that you will cheerfully bring the subject to the notice of the Canadian authorities. I am, my dear sir, yours very faithfully, WILLIAM H. SEWARD. The Hon. Sir FREDERICK W. A. BRUCE, &c., &c., &c. Mr. Seward to Sir F. Bruce. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, November 26, 1866. SIR: I have the honor to enclose a copy of a letter of the 13th instant from his excellency Paul Dillingham, the governor of the State of Vermont, and the original certified copy of a joint resolution of the legislature of that State, on behalf of Robert B. Lynch, John McMahon and others, convicted of treason against the government of Great Britain in Canada. I also enclose a copy of a similar communication of the 15th instant to the President, consisting of a letter from A. H. Boerman, esq., the city clerk of the city of Chicago, Illinois, and a certified copy of a preamble and appeal of the common council of that city on behalf of Robert B. Lynch and John McMahon. I beg that you will be so good as to communicate these papers to his excellency the governor general of Canada, and copies of them to those of her Majesty's authorities whose province it may be to deal with the subject thereof; and I will thank you to make known the desire of this government that they may receive favorable attention. I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your obedient servant, WILLIAM H. SEWARD. The Hon. Sir FREDERICK W. A. BRUCE, &c., &c., &c. Gov. Dillingham to President Johnson. State of VERMONT, Executive Chamber, Montpelier, November, 13, 1866. DEAR SIR: By the direction of the legislature of Vermont, I enclose herewith a preamble and joint resolutions, passed by them at their present session, addressed to the executive government of Canada, on the subject of convicted Fenians. Will you be so kind as to forward these resolutions to the governor general of Canada, adding such words in their favor as shall seem to you proper? I am happy to know that we are all in accord on this subject of saving these brave but mistaken men from capital punishment. Please accept my personal regards, and believe me, your obedient servant, ANDREW JOHNSON, President of the United States. JOINT RESOLUTIONS relating to the pardons of Robert B. Lynch, John McMahon, and others. Whereas Robert B. Lynch and John McMahon, citizens of the United States, have been recently convicted in a Canadian court, and sentenced to death upon a charge that they were parties in the attack made in the month of June, A. D. 1866, at Fort Erie, in the province of Canada; and Whereas other citizens of the United States are held for trial upon charges for similar offences against the Canadian government; and Whereas we believe that if the lives of the persons charged and convicted could be spared, through the humane and generous action of the Canadian government, it would do more to allay the animosity felt towards the English government by the countrymen of said Lynch and McMahon, and to secure immunity against further aggressions, than a rigid execution of the law: Therefore, Resolved by the senate und house of representatives, That we, prompted by the same benevolent spirit which has moved the government and statesmen of Great Britain to apply for clemency in behalf of their subjects under similar circumstances to the United States government, in no unfriendly spirit, most earnestly recommend tenderness, amnesty, and forgiveness on the part of the Canadian government towards the persons charged and convicted. Resolved, That the governor of this State be requested to cause a copy of this preamble and resolution to be transmitted to the President of the United States, as the expression of the sentiment of the legislature of the State of Vermont; and that the President of the United States be requested to transmit the same to the governor general of Canada, commending the subject-matter thereof to the earnest consideration of the Canadian government. JOHN W. STEWARD, Speaker of the House of Representatives. President of the Senate. STATE OF VERMONT, Secretary of State's Office. I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of a joint resolution adopted by the general assembly at its annual session, A. D. 1866, as appears from the files and records of this office. In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name and affix the seal of this office, at Montpelier, this twelfth day of November, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six. [SEAL.] GEORGE NICHOLLS, Secretary of State. CITY CLERK'S OFFICE, SIR: I am directed by the common council of the city of Chicago to send to your excellency a certified copy of the action thereof, in relation to the accompanying preamble and appeal. Respectfully, &c., His Excellency ANDREW JOHNSON, President of the United States of America. A. H. BODMAN, City Clerk. IN COMMON COUNCIL, November 5, 1866. Alderman Talcott presented a preamble and appeal in relation to the late conviction, by a Canadian jury, of Colonel R. B. Lynch and John McMahon, priest, for an alleged act of treason against the rights and privileges of the Canadian government, and their having been sentenced to death under the aforesaid convictions. Alderman Clarke moved the passage of the preamble and appeal. The mayor directed the ayes and noes to be called, and the motion of Alderman Clarke prevailed by the following vote: AYES.-Aldermen Knickerboker, Carter, De Wolf, Wicker, Barrell, Wilmarth, Calkins, Kaun, Finnucan, Hatch, Wallworth, Moore, Schuyler, Talcott, Woodard, Bixly, Holden, Russell, Ackhoff, Gastfield, Proudfert, Enzel, Shackford, Lawson, Clarke-25. NOES.-None. The preamble and appeal passed, are as follows: Whereas Colonel Robert B. Lynch and the Rev. John McMahon have been tried at Toronto, Canada, and condemned to be hanged as participators, aiders, and abettors in aid of an alleged armed invasion of Canadian soil by persons and citizens from the United States; and whereas, as far as we are advised or can learn, no positive proof was adduced upon said trials of the participation in the said invasion, by them or either of them, and it is a well established fact that the former was there as a spectator and correspondent, and the latter, as in duty bound by his most sacred obligation as a minister of God, in the discharge of those important Christian duties which pertain to his high and holy calling, and especially to administer spiritual consolation to persons professing a like Christian faith with himself; and whereas the offence charged against these men is only political in its character; and as the subjects of Queen Victoria, both in Canada and in England, have urged upon our government mercy and clemency in the treatment of prisoners whose offence, unlike that charged against these men, was not political, but that of rebellion and treason against their own government: therefore, pleading the precedent sought to be established by Englishmen and Canadians, and following their example, we, as the common council of the city of Chicago, and the representatives of the citizens, do appeal to the English government, through the legally constituted authorities in Canada, and urgently and respectfully ask that the clemency so frequently and persistently sought by British subjects for rebel prisoners in our hands, be by them and their government extended at this time to the Rev. John McMahan and Colonel R. B. Lynch. And we do most respectfully request his Excellency the President of the United States to take such action in the premises as this government may legally adopt in behalf of these citizens of the United States, to relieve them from the extreme penalties of the law as administered by Canadian court and jury. Alderman Knickerbocker moved that the clerk be instructed to send certified copies of the preamble and appeal, just now passed, to the governor general of Canada and the President of the United States. Carried." STATE OF ILLINOIS, city of Chicago, ss: I, A. H. Bodman, clerk of the city of Chicago aforesaid, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true copy of a preamble and appeal passed by the common council November 5, A. D. 1866. I further certify that I am intrusted with the safe-keeping and custody of the preamble and appeal of which the above and foregoing is a true and certified copy. Witness my hand and the corporate seal of the city of Chicago this 15th day of November, A. D. 1866, [SEAL.] A. H. BODMAN, City Clerk. Sir F. Bruce to Mr. Seward. WASHINGTON, November 27, 1866. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt this morning of your note of yesterday's date, covering resolutions which have been passed by the legislature of the State of Vermont, and the common council of the city of Chicago, on behalf of Robert B Lynch, John McMahon, and others, convicted of treason against the government of Great Britain in Canada. In compliance with your request I have forwarded the documents to his excellency the governor general of Canada, and copies of the same to her Majesty's government. I may state, however, that in accordance with a recommendation to that effect from her Majesty's authorities in Canada, instructions have been given by the home government not to carry out the capital sentences passed on the convicts Lynch and McMahon; and from my knowledge of the sentiments of the governor general of Canada, I entertain no doubt that the other prisoners against whom sentence of death has been recorded will enjoy the benefit of a similar recommendation, and that her Majesty's government, in revising their sentences, will be actuated by a like spirit of clemency. I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your most obe dient, humble servant, Hon, WILLIAM H. SEWARD, &c., &c., &c. FREDERICK W. A. BRUCE. FRANCE. No. 197.] Mr. Bigelow to Mr. Seward. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: I received some time since information from persons interested, that there was a sum of money in dispute at Montpelier, to which the United States were supposed to have some claim. The object of my informants was to obtain from me some expression which might be construed into a relinquishment of such claim. My refusal to answer their inquiries in that sense induced the direct application, of which I enclose a translation, from the agent of the notary in whose hands the deposit now lies. From this memorandum it will be seen that Mr. Grasset, notary at Montpelier, is in possession of 20,000 francs, deposited on the 8th of April, 1863, by an engineer named Raymond Thomassy, to secure the payment of wages to four French salt-makers whom he had hired to assist in the execution of a contract made with the insurgent government at Richmond, 8th January, 1863, to work the salt lands of Clarke county, in the State of Alabama. Thomassy having died on the journey at Havana, and the workmen having returned to France, they now claim the payment of the sum deposited by him as compensation for their lost time and labor. Grasset, the notary, declines paying them the money, as it was deposited with him to be paid only on the certificate of the insurgent government, and as he apprehends a reclamation on the part of the United States, the parties now desire a formal relinquishment of the claim by our government. As the money appears to have been advanced by Thomassy in pursuance of a contract that never was executed, and as the laborers never reached the United States, our claim, if made, would probably lead to litigation, the result of which might be doubtful. I have the honor to submit the matter for your your instructions in regard to it. Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. consideration and to request Mr. Mancomble to Mr. Bigelow. JOHN BIGELOW. PARIS, November 17, 1865. SIR: You have requested of me a memorandum in relation to the affair of the salt-makers, of which I had the honor to speak to you yesterday morning. I hasten to furnish it. The following are the circumstances under which was deposited in the hands of Mr. Grasset, notary at Montpelier, the sum of 20,000 francs, the delivery of which is now desired by parties interested: By the terms of an agreement made at Richmond, the 8th of January, 1863, with the general commission of subsistence of the Confederate States of America, Mr. Raymond Thomassy, engineer, engaged to furnish to Captain Grant, engineer, of the Confederate States, the plans, specifications, and instructions necessary to the working of the salt lands situated in Clarke county, Alabama. He was also to come to Europe and engage for the service of the confederate government five workmen, skilled in the manufacture of salt, and to return with them to the place of the projected works, of which he was to be superintendent. Mr. Raymond Thomassy came to France and hired four workmen, Clot, Clerc, Marchandon, and Stobiac. To gain the confidence of these workmen, a sum of 20,000 francs was deposited the 8th of April with Mr. Grasset, the notary who framed the articles of agreement, who pledged himself not to deliver it to the said workmen except on a certificate from the confederate government that they had fulfilled their obligations. They set out, and Mr. Thomassy died at Havana, in July, 1863. After many vicissitudes, the salt-makers returned to France, and they still await the payment of the wages promised them. In the name of justice and humanity, I will be obliged to you, sir, if you will obtain from your government the authorization which Mr. Grasset desires for the delivery of these funds. This authorization should be framed in the most simple terms. I submit a form to your judgment: I, the undersigned, minister of the United States, declare personally that I will not intervene in behalf of my government in the division which may be made among those entitled to it of the sum of 20,000 francs, deposited the 8th of April, 1863, in the office of Mr. Grasset, notary at Montpelier, on account of the salt-makers, Clot, Clerc, Marchandon and Stobiac, and that I will not prosecute nor molest the said notary in the matter of said division." I do not doubt, sir, that in your wisdom and justice you will do all in your power to give satisfaction to the claims of our countrymen. And 1 beg that you will accept in advance the assurance of the profound respect with which I have the honor to be, yours, most devotedly, E. MANCOMBLE, Advocate, 11 Rue Lafitte. JOHN BIGELOW, Esq. Mr. Bigelow to Mr. Seward. No. 198.] LEGATION OF the United States, SIR: The Moniteur of yesterday contained an official account of the arrival of Admiral Pareja with his fleet at Valparaiso, on the 17th of September last, and the correspondence which had passed between him and the Chilian government up to the 24th of that month. I felt impelled to call at once upon Mr. Rosales, the Chilian minister at this court, to express my surprise and regret at the apparently harsh and unreasonable conduct of the Spanish admiral, which I ventured to assure him would produce a very painful impression in the United States. I also expressed to him the hope that his country would be able to maintain her national integrity and honor. Mr. Rosales seemed very much gratified by my visit and by the language I had used. He proceeded to give me a history of the differences which had come to such an unexpected issue, of which you are doubtless informed long before this, and then said the war thus commenced was likely to be a long and bloody one; that in his opinion there was no chance of an arrangement. The feelings of the Chilians towards the Spaniards had become so bitter that the nation would be but as one man against the invaders, in evidence of which he gave several striking illustrations. The debt of Chili, he said, was only about $18,000,000; the admiral would not be allowed to land a man upon the coast, to take a drop of water or an ounce of coal from their territory, though he were to burn every house within reach of his guns, and that before long Chili would have vessels as formidable as those of her enemies. Mr. Rosales also informed me that special agents had already been sent to California and Washington, as I inferred, though he did not distinctly say so, to get steamers to arm. The impression left here upon the minds of all, as you will see by the press, is most unfavorable to the Spaniards, who seem recently to have relapsed into the old predatory habits contracted two or three centuries ago by her navigators on the coast of America. The conduct of Spain since the commencement of our war is calcalated to inspire a distrust of all the European states having or |