Richard Bickerton Pemell Lyons, 1st Earl Lyons was a British diplomat, who was the favourite diplomat of Queen Victoria, during the four great crises of the second half of the 19th century: Italian unification, the American Civil War, the Eastern Question, and the replacement of France by Germany as the dominant Continental power following the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. Lyons resolved the Trent Affair during the American Civil War; and contributed to the Special Relationship and to the Entente Cordiale; and for predicting, 32 years before World War I, the occurrence of an imperial war between France and Germany that was to destroy Britain's international dominance.
Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, October 17, 1861. Sir: I beg to offer you my thanks for the note dated the 14th instant, which you have done me the…
Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, October 17, 1861. Sir: I beg to offer you my thanks for the note dated the 14th instant, which you have done me the…
Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, October 23, 1861. Sir: Having received information that a bag of despatches addressed by her Majesty’s acting consul at Richmond, in Virginia, to her…
Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, October 23, 1861. Sir: Having received information that a bag of despatches addressed by her Majesty’s acting consul at Richmond, in Virginia, to her…
Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, January 17, 1863. Sir: I beg to offer you my thanks for your note of the day before yesterday’s date, and for the translation,…
Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, January 19, 1863. Sir: I have received the note of yesterday’s date, in which you do me the honor to invite me to suggest…
Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, January 20, 1863. Sir: I have received from Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Milne a despatch, in which he has made me acquainted with the view…
[Enclosure 2 in No. 3.] Lord Lyons to Lieutenant Governor Gordon (and Major-General Doyle.) [Telegraphic.] Washington, December 16, 1863. The United States government informs me, officially, that it has authentic…
[Enclosure 5 in No. 3.] Lord Lyons to Lieutenant Governor Gordon. [Extract.] Washington, December 17, 1863. I have the honor to transmit to you, herewith, a copy of a telegram…
No. 3. [Extract.] Lord Lyons to Earl Russell.—(Received January 5, 1864.) Washington, December 21, 1863. With reference to my despatch of the 15th instant, I have the honor to transmit…
[Enclosure 8 in No. 3.] Lord Lyons to Major General Doyle. Washington, December 21, 1863. I transmit to you copies of a note from Mr. Seward, and the answer from…
Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, December 26, 1863. Sir: I have the honor to transmit to you an extract from a despatch from her Majesty’s consul at New York,…
No. 8. [Extract] Lord Lyons to Earl Russell.—(Received January 9, 1864.) Washington, December 29, 1863. I have the honor to transmit to your lordship a copy of a despatch from…
[Enclosure 1 in No. 16.] Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, January 13, 1864. [Published elsewhere in this volume.]
[Enclosure 3 in No. 16.] Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, January 16, 1864. [Published elsewhere.]
[See enclosure 8 in No. 21.] Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Washington, January 30, 1864. [Printed elsewhere in this correspondence.]
[Enclosure 6 in No. 21.] Lord Lyons to Major General Doyle. Washington, February 1, 1864. Sir: I had on the 28th ultimo the honor to receive your excellency’s despatch of…
[Memorandum—Banshee.] Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Mr. Seward to Lord Lyons, 29th January, 1864, announces that the master and crew will be released. They were, however, still at Fort Lafayette…
[Memorandum, received March 15, 1864.] Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. Communications from various parts of the province have been addressed to the government of Canada, complaining of the injurious operation…