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Mr. Seward to Mr. Dayton.

No. 205.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, August 25, 1862.

SIR: Your despatch of August the 6th (No. 179) has been received. No further proceeding will be taken, in the direction heretofore intimated by this government, in regard to New Granada, until the views of the French and British governments shall have been received. It is hoped that they will not long be delayed.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

WILLIAM L. DAYTON, Esq., &c., &c., &c.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

No. 185.]

Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward.

PARIS, August 29, 1862. SIR: I have to-day called the attention of Mr. Thouvenel to your despatch No. 180, in reference to the application of New Granada for assistance in the preservation of the neutrality of the Isthmus and the sovereignty of that country. Somewhat to my surprise, I found that your despatch had not been submitted by the minister ad interim to Mr. Thouvenel on his return, and that, in point of fact, he had not yet seen it. He informed me, however, that the same question, substantially, had been presented to him through Mr. Mercier, and that a written reply had been forwarded, some days since, which doubtless has been, or will be, promptly communicated to you. Mr. Thouvenel, however, seemed to think your communication was rather in the nature of a conference as to what you should, under the cir cumstances, do, than as indicating any fixed determination to act in the premises. He says that, in the view he took, he did not see that it was necessary that you should, under the treaty, do anything at all. That the neutrality of the Isthmus was not in question and the railroad had not been disturbed. He said that whether one party or the other had control of the government of New Granada did not affect the question; that France had not recognized Mosquera or his government, because there was an opposi tion in arms against him; or, in other words, there was a civil war between opposing parties; that, if the railroad were about to be interrupted or destroyed, he would not think it improper for the United States to interfere; but if matters remained now as they were a month since, when his advices were received, he thought it uncalled for at this time by any treaty stipula tion. He referred, too, to the somewhat anomalous position of Mr. Herran, who made the call for interference, and who, he seemed to think, did not represent the government actually in power. He further said that, a few days since, the British ambassador had applied to them to know what view the French government took of this matter, and he had sent him, by way of reply, a copy of his late note to Mr. Mercier; that they had not, as yet, heard what action the British government had taken upon the question.

The above is the substance of our conversation. I should have asked from Mr. Thouvenel (as I had from Mr. Rouher) a written reply, but for the fact stated, that he had already written to Mr. Mercier. If you have occasion to communicate to the government of New Granada the view

taken by France, a copy of this note, if asked for, will doubtless be supplied by Mr. Mercier.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

His Excellency WM H. SEWARD,

Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c.

WILLIAM L. DAYTON.

Mr. Seward to Mr. Dayton.

No. 215.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 15, 1862.

SIR: Your despatch of August 29 (No. 185) has been received. It brings Mr. Thouvenel's answer to the suggestion, which you were instructed to make to him on the part of this government in relation to matters in New Granada. You may say to Mr. Thouvenel that his views entirely accord with those which have been adopted by the President.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

WILLIAM L. DAYTON, Esq., &c., &c., &c.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

Mr. Seward to Mr. Dayton.

No. 219.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 19, 1862.

SIR: Your despatch of the 3d of September, (No. 190,) in which you express so much confidence in the stability of the Union, has arrived just at the moment when General McClellan is driving the combined insurgent armies from the Maryland bank of the Potomac back into Virginia.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

WILLIAM L. DAYTON, Esq., &c., &c., &c.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

Mr. Seward to Mr. Dayton.

No. 220.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 19, 1862.

SIR: I have received your interesting despatch of September 3, (No. 189.) A republican education has, indeed, made all of us politicians; but it must now be confessed that the same education has also made us soldiers, as cheerful to fight the battles of our country as we are bold to discuss its affairs. I think no nation has ever exhibited such voluntary armies.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

WILLIAM L. DAYTON, Esq., &c., &c., &c.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

Mr. Seward to Mr. Dayton.

No. 221.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 20, 1862.

SIR: I have received your dispatch (No. 188) of September 3, which is accompanied by a petition addressed to the President by A. Girard, a captain in the French army, who offers to join our military forces with a corps of one thousand men, on condition that their transportation to the United States shall be paid. This paper has been referred to the Secretary of War, who, I doubt not, will bestow due consideration upon it.

Meantime it cannot be improper for me to mention that all foreigners, as well as many of our own citizens, widely misapprehend the manner in which the American armies are organized. They assume that the President has full authority to receive and commission at his pleasure all officers who may tender their services and to accept all masses of soldiers who may be anywhere enlisted, on terms and conditions fixed by himself.

On the contrary, the President, from the very exigencies of the case, charges himself with none of the details of organization. They are de volved upon the Secretary of War, and by his direction executed mainly under the superintendence of the general commanding the national forces, who is constantly at Washington. The regular army, or army proper, is small, and officered mainly from the pupils of West Point, and promotions are made according to seniority or merit, in cases of vacancy.

These are

The great mass of our military forces consists of volunteers. raised by the governors of the States on requisitions of the President, in rateable proportion to the federal population. The volunteers choose their own company officers and the field officers of their respective regiments. All these officers derive their commissions from the governors, and vacancies are filled by promotion according to seniority. The President, by authority of Congress, appoints only general officers, quartermasters and paymasters for the volunteer forces. All the care of recruiting volunteer troops is exercised under and by authority of laws passed by Congress, which define the ways, means, bounties, wages, and pensions.

From this statement you will perceive that when an European officer tenders his service with or without a body of soldiers, upon terms and conditions not conforming to the laws of Congress, he makes an offer which is imprac ticable.

The President in July last called on the governors for 300,000 volunteers, and for 300,000 additional troops to be raised by draft. It is understood that the first mass of three hundred thousand is already enlisted and either in the field or in camp. The other three hundred thousand are not yet drafted because volunteers for the war are coming forward so rapidly as to induce the belief that the draft may be dispensed with. Any foreign officer coming on our shores with a body of men who should then enlist would doubtlessly be received with his recruits by the governor of the State, and the bounty money and wages they would speedily receive would be more than adequate to reimburse the expenses of transportation across the Atlantic. There, is however, no authority anywhere to make contracts in foreign countries for recruits.

One word more. We have become already a martial people. There is competition among our own citizens for every military command in any case of vacancy. The volunteers naturally prefer the command of one who is personally known to them, and who speaks their language, to that of a stranger, who has that language yet to learn. We have many foreign officers, as well as American, already in commission, for whom places are not esaily found;

hence the reluctance of the military authorities to hold out inducements even to meritorious foreigners.

These general statements are the results of my own observations, and are not made upon any understanding with the Secretary of War. When I shall have received his answer to the proposition of Captain Girard it will be communicated to you without delay.

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SIR: Your despatch of September 10 (No. 192) has been received. The exposition of your views in regard to the South American republics, which the paper contains, is entirely satisfactory to the President, and I am happy to say that he is now constantly receiving evidences of an improved and more friendly state of feeling on their part towards the United States.

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SIR: Your despatch of September 12 (No. 193) has been received, and the President authorizes me to express his satisfaction with the manner in which you have made the explanations therein mentioned, to Mr. Thouvenel. I am, sir, your obedient servant,

WILLIAM L. DAYTON, Esq., &c., &c., &c.,

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

Mr. Seward to Mr. Dayton.

No. 224.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 24, 1862.

SIR: Your despatch of September 12, No. 194, has been received, and your proceedings in making the explanations, therein recited, to Mr. Thouvenel are approved by the President.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

WILLIAM L. DAYTON, Esq., &c., &c., &c.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

No. 225.]

Mr. Seward to Mr. Dayton.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, September 24, 1862. SIR: Your despatch of September 9 (No. 191) has been received. The President is gratified with the attention you have given to the instructions contained in my circular of the 8th ultimo, in relation to an increase of immigration. Your valuable suggestions of the desirableness of effecting a reduction of the fares for passage on board of emigrant ships have been submitted to the several chambers of commerce on the seaboard, and I hope that, through their exertions, the measure proposed may be promptly effected.

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SIR: On Friday last I submitted to Mr. Rouher, minister of foreign affairs ad interim, your despatch No. 180, with the accompanying translation of the letter to you from Mr. Herran, minister from the republic of New Grenada. Having stated to him the general contents of these papers, I told him I would leave the same to be read, and would be happy to have, at the convenience of the French government, a written reply. He said that in the absence of Mr. Thouvenel, it would not be possible to give a definite answer, but the subjectmatter should have attention immediately upon his return. It is expected, I believe, that he will return this week.

I am, sir, your very obedient servant,

His excellency WILLIAM H. SEWARD,
Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c.

WM. L. DAYTON.

Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward.

No. 182.]

PARIS, August 8, 1862. SIR: I have not written you for some time past about Mexican affairs, because I have felt that you already understand the intentions of this government in the premises as well as can be gathered from their declarations.

I have no reason to suppose they mean otherwise than as they have heretofore stated. They will get their large reinforcements to Vera Cruz and disembark them after the sickly season, and march to Mexico if they can. They have, however, lost faith, as I am informed, in Almonte, and are not further disposed to jeopard their cause by identifying it with him or his interests. In the meantime I learn from a private despatch (which I have seen) from the minister of foreign affairs in Mexico to that the government of Juarez yet entertains a hope of being able to induce the government of France to negotiate with it, and thus end the invasion. This hope, however, is founded principally on the mistaken belief that France would not send out to Mexico further

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