serter from the Canadian gunboat Michigan, and to inform you that your explanation of the matter is very gratifying and entirely satisfactory to this govern ment. 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. Mr. Seward to Sir F. Bruce. Department OF STATE, Washington, August 4, 1866. SIR: I beg your attention to the enclosed extract from a communication of the 20th ultimo, from D. Thurston, esquire, the United States consul at Toronto, relating particularly to the case of John Sheridan, now under arrest in Canada on a charge of Fenianism, and relating generally to the position of all persons claiming the protection of the United States who are similarly held, and against whom sufficient proof has not been adduced to support the charges of complicity in the late movement. I trust that there will be no further delay in any cases coming within that category, in the liberation of the parties. 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. No. 114.1 Mr. Thurston to Mr. Seward. [Extract.] UNITED STATES CONSULATE, Toronto, July 20, 1866. SIR: I have the honor to transmit the enclosed letter from D. C. Wiley, from Lansing, Michigan, who has been employed by the friends of John Sheridan, now in prison here, on a charge of being a Fenian, as his attorney. I beg to say that it seems a great injustice to these parties claiming to be American citizens, and against whom no proof that they are or ever were Fenians exists, that they should be so long confined in prison without trial, or that they are not discharged on the evidence submitted to the government of Canada of their innocence. It is reported that the government intend to send the prisoners before a military tribunal. I am, with respect, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, * * * D. THURSTON, United States Consul. * Secretary of State, Washington. Mr. Wiley to Mr. Thurston. TORONTO, July 20, 1866. DEAR SIR: I desire to call your attention to the case of a citizen of the United States now confined in jail at this place by the name of John Sheridan, charged with Fenianism. His father and brothers are citizens of the United States, and reside in Ingham county, in the State of Michigan. At the request of his father I came from Lansing, Michigan, to investigate the case, and find that the accused had been working on a railroad in Pennsylva nia during last spring, and had just engaged to work upon a railroad in the State of Illinois as an overseer, and had made his preparations to enter upon the work, when a slight circum. stance brought him in contact with the Canadian officials, and thus his arrest, which was as follows: Some time previous to his arrest he had become acquainted with a young lady residing at or near Fort Erie by the name of Fowler, to whom he was engaged to be married; that, hearing of the Fenian raid at Fort Erie, he naturally felt concerned for the welfare of the young lady, and twice telegraphed to her at Fort Erie, inquiring after her welfare; but not hearing from her, he then telegraphed to a friend at Buffalo, but received no direct tidings from her. This, I think, was the 2d of June. He then came to Buffalo, and on the 5th of June procured a pass from the British consul to visit Fort Erie to see her. He then went over to Fort Erie; but, before he had been there one hour and a half, he was arrested and sent to this place, where he has been confined. He was arrested standing on the hotel steps, where he had gone to inquire for Miss Fowler. Unarmed, and quietly pursuing his own business, by the permit of the British consul, he was taken, and has since been confined as a prisoner. The charge against him is by a detective, who says Sheridan identified himself with the Fenian movement in February last while at Fort Erie. I have had a personal interview with him to-day, and he absolutely denies ever having been a Fenian, or having been in the least manner identified with the movement. He has the pass from the British consul, and a pass on the railroad to take him to his place of employment in Illinois. He also has the telegram received from his friend at Buffalo, and the correspondence from Miss Fowler, all of which show conclusively that he had no part in the Fenian movement, and was in Canada for no other reason than as before stated. SIR Referring to my communication of the 16th of July last, and to your note of the same month, upon the subject of the detention of James Diamond in the Old Jail at Toronto, I have now the honor to enclose, for the consideration of her Majesty's government in Canada, additional evidence in the favor of Mr. Diamond, who, it appears, has been, previous to his capture by the Canadian authorities, a faithful soldier in the service of the United States. Requesting you to return the original papers to me after you have satisfied yourself as to their contents, 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. Mr. Seward to Sir F. Bruce. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, August 9, 1866. SIR: I have the honor to enclose for your information a letter of the 21st ultimo, and its accompaniments, in regard to the case of John McMahon, a Catholic priest, who, it appears, was arrested in Canada by her Majesty's authorities during the late Fenian invasion of that province, and is now detained in prison in Toronto on suspicion of complicity with the movement. It is stated in the papers which accompany this communication that McMahon is a naturalized citizen of the United States, and that he is not a member of the Fenian association. Under these circumstances, I desire to avail myself of your good offices to bring the matter to the attention of the government of Canada. 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. P. S.-I will thank you to return the original papers whenever you shall have satisfied yourself as to their contents. Mr. McMahon to Mr. Frazee. TORONTO, July 21, 1866. DEAR SIR: I have received your kind letter of the 17th, which gave me much pleasure to hear from you, and that you have not forgotton me, although now a prisoner in jail, but I thank God that I never was guilty of any crime that I should be in jail for. However, I am in now, but, thanks be to God, I am innocent of being a Fenian, for no priest can be a Fenian. I must tell you how I became to be in prison. I had a brother who was a rich storekeeper in Montreal, who died about three years ago; he never had any family, only his wife. Before he died he brought in the executors, and made his will; he had four brothers and one sister living there; he left his legacy to be divided among these, his wife and the orphans of St. Patrick's church, Montreal. I having heard that the Fenians were going to take Montreal, I thought that I would go and see my sister-in-law, for fear that she would be in any trouble, as she thought that I would go to see her every summer since my brother died; so I left home on the 30th of May, came into Buffalo on the 31st, crossed over to Fort Erie on the 1st of June to take my passage for Montreal, as the Grand Trunk railroad comes to Fort Erie. I was just going to the office to get a ticket when there came a large number of Fenians, and took me by force, as that there was not any train going out that day to any place, and the steamboat that crossed me over had stopped. I had to stay there. The next day the fighting began, and no chance to get away, so I had to stay until I was taken. On Sunday, the 3d day of June, the British soldiers came to the house where I was stopping, waiting for the train to come. They asked me my name, and where I lived; I told them; they then took me with them on the suspicion of being a Fenian; they took me to their camp ground, and kept me there the most part of that day. It seemed as if it was for exhibition for the troops and all the people to come and see the Roman Catholic priest that they had got. You would think they never saw one before; but to make a long story short, I suffered for the ten first days more than you would like to hear, and all for no reason. You mentioned that you would write to Washington; I hope you will, and make no delay, and mention in your letter that I will go straight as soon as I can to Washington, and satisfy the government both there and here that I never was a Fenian, and then the Catholic church, and then forget and forgive all my enemies, for it seems that they don't know themselves, nor what they do. So we look for nothing but cruelty; there is no other appearance. When you write to Washington, you can tell them that I declared my intentions upwards of twenty-five years ago, in the marine court in New York city, and all the time since observed the rules and laws of the country. I heard that Governor Morton has witten for me, but do you all you can, and as soon as you can, and please write to me when you get this. The people in Winchester did well for me; Union, Muncie, Anderson, Middletown, the same. Hence, I am very thankful to you and all my friends. Hoping to hear from you soon, I remain your humble servant and faithful friend, Mr. W. D. FRAZEE. REV. JOHN MCMAHON. STATE OF INDIANA, County of Randolph : We, the undersigned, have been acquainted with the above-named John McMahon for some years past; we have known him intimately, living in the same part of the city a portion of the time, and being intimate with him all the time; we were intimate with him until he left here in May last, and we never have heard him say anything on politics, and we feel satisfied that no one else ever has. He is an American citizen, and has been for more than twenty years, having declared his intention in marine court, New York city, about the year A. D. 1841. We have heard the letter herewith attached, written by him from Toronto, the 21st July, A. D. 1866, and are satisfied of the truth of it. He told us before he left We never Winchester that he was going to see his sister-in-law, and we knew about his brother departing this life; and the facts set forth in that letter by him we feel assured are true. have heard him speak favorable of the Fenians. This July 28, 1866. PATRICK MCLANE. [SEAL.] [SEAL.] [SEAL.] July 28, 1866. WINCHESTER, RANDOLPH COUNTY INDIANA, STATE OF INDIANA, Randolph County, ss: Subscribed and sworn to before me this July 28th, 1866. I also certify that the persons whose names are hereunto attached are persons who live near me, in the city of Winchester, and I consider them men of good character for truth and veracity. WILLIAM D. FRAZEE, Justice of the Peace. Mr. Seward to Sir F. Bruce. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, SIR Referring to your communication of the 25th of July, and to my reply of the 31st of that month, relative to the intention of her Majesty's government to terminate the present postal convention between the two countries on the 1st of January, 1868, simultaneous with the expiration of the Cunard contract, and at the same time expressing the readiness of her Majesty's government to enter into negotiation for a new and improved postal arrangement, I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of a letter of the 6th instant from the Postmaster General, from which it will be seen that he is prepared to receive and take into consideration such proposals as her Majesty's postal authorities may desire to offer. 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. Mr. Randall to Mr. Seward. No. 9518.] POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 31st ultimo, transmitting copy of a communication of the 25th ultimo from Sir Frederick Bruce, giving notice as provided by article 22 of the postal convention between the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, signed at London on the 15th of December, 1848, of the purpose of her Majesty's government to terminate said convention on the 1st of January, 1868, simultaneously with the termination of the Cunard mail subsidy contracts. I have the honor to request that you will please inform his excellency, the British minister that this department has received, with satisfaction, this notice for terminating the existing convention, accompanied by an expression of the readiness of her Majesty's government to enter into negotiations for a new and improved postal arrangement to be carried on directly between the post departments of the two countries, and that I am prepared to receive and consider such proposals as the British post department may desire to offer as a basis of a new arrangement, securing to the public of both countries the advantage of reduced rates of postage and increased mail facilities. I am very respectfully your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. ALEXANDER W. RANDALL. Mr. Seward to Sir F. Bruce. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, August 24, 1866. SIR: I have the honor to transmit to you a copy of a letter of the 17th instant, which is addressed to this department by the wife of the Reverend David F. Lumsden, of Nunda, in the State of New York, from which it appears that he is now held in confinement at Toronto, Canada, on suspicion of having been a Fenian spy. Upon an examination of the list of prisoners who have been bailed, or have received permission to apply for bail, a copy of which you were good enough to leave with me a few days since, the name of the person above referred to does not appear therein. I will consequently thank you to invite the considerate attention of the Canadian government to the subject. 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. Mrs. Lumsden to Mr. Seward. NUNDA, August 17, 1866. SIR: I write you, asking, if consistent with the duties of your office, your interference in behalf of my husband, the Rev. Daniel F. Lumsden.. He has been a prisoner, first at Brantford, now at Toronto, for eleven weeks, arrested on suspicion of being a Fenian spy. If he is, as I believe him to be, innocent of any complicity with the Fenians, I suppose it is the duty of his government to demand his release. The facts of his arrest as he has written me are these, though I would first say that no British subject could be more opposed to the Fenian movement, more bitter against the movers, than he has been from the first. He was in Buffalo on business with Bishop Coxe during the week of the raid into Canada, having little to do, waiting the action of the bishop in an ecclesiastical matter. On the Tuesday previous to the raid he crossed to Fort Erie to see the clergyman there, Rev. Mr. Greenham, and spent the night at the hotel there, forming the acquaintance of several gentlemen of the place, and in the evening returned to Buffalo. On Friday morning, on coming down from his room he heard that the Fenians had crossed the river and were in possession of Fort Erie, and in company with other of the citizens walked down to the river to see what could be seen from this side, not then thinking of crossing; but seeing the Fenians directly in the rear, as it seemed to him, of Mr. Greenham's house, he thought he might be of some service to him. He with this intention crossed and offered his assistance; but Mr. Greenham's family had already crossed the river, and finding he could be of no assistance to him, he walked up the street, and finding the people much alarmed and some in real trouble, did what he could to relieve them. At one place, seeing a Fenian about to take a horse from a young lady, a Miss Thomas, he interfered and saved the horse. The mother, Mrs. Thomas, then asked his assistance or protection, being alone and threatened with plunder. He says she held in her hand a piece of paper with a man's name on it which she thought of no value. To make it more formidable, and to quiet her fears, he wrote something on it and signed his name to it. This paper, it seems, is used as evidence against him. Going on and finding a brother Scotchman in trouble, he attempted to relieve him. They had camped on part of Mr. Newbigging's farm, and were plundering him, stealing his horses, &c. For him he offered to go into the Fenian camp and state the case to the commander. Did, and was taken by the commander O'Neil for the clergyman of the place. He regretted the plunder, but could not give up the horse. The plunder continuing, he went a second and a third time, getting a guard for the house, but rendering himself obnoxious to the Fenians, one of whom threatened to shoot him should he come again. Afterwards, however, on Mr. N.'s cattle being driven into camp, he went with Mr. N., and after O'Neil had ordered the cattle driven back he turned to him and said "You are interfering too much; my men have marked you; your life is in danger, and I advise you to leave at once"-himself guarding them out. After this he returned to Buffalo, and that morning after the Fenians had left the place he crossed to see how his friends had been treated through the night, and was then arrested, though not till he had been warned by Mr. Newbigging that the people were suspicious of him and advised by him to return to Buffalo. If he is an innocent man it is time his government demanded his release. If they fancy they have any proof against him it is time they gave him a trial. He was not taken in arms against then nor with Fenians. |