Affirmation of Thos. H. Dudley., the 1st day of September, 1863

Affirmation of Thos. H. Dudley.

I, Thomas Haines Dudley, of No. 3 Wellesley Terrace, Prince’s Park, Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, esquire, do solemnly, sincerely, and truly affirm and declare that the taking of any oath is, according to my religious belief, unlawful; and I do also solemnly, sincerely, and truly affirm and declare as follows:

1. I am the consul of the United States, of America at Liverpool and its dependencies.

2. I say that there is now, and for some time past has been, a war carried on between the government and people of the United States of America and certain persons who have rebelled against such government, and pretended to set up and assume to exercise the powers of government, styling themselves the Confederate States of America.

3. I further say that, to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief, no leave or license has been had or obtained from or of her Majesty the Queen, under her sign manual, or any order in council, or any proclamation of her said Majesty, or otherwise or at all authorizing any person, within any part of the United Kingdom, to equip, furnish, fit out, or arm ships or vessels with intent or in order that such ship or vessel shall be employed in the service of the said so-called Confederate States, to cruise or commit hostilities against the government and people of the said United States of America, and that her Majesty is not now at war with the United States.

4. I say there have been built in this port for the government, or persons assuming the government of the said so-called Confederate States, two vessels-of-war; one of them, namely, the Oreto, now called the Florida, and another called the Alabama, built by Messrs. W. C. Miller & Sons, of Liverpool; and they have been employed by the said so-called Confederate States against the government and people of the United States of America in the war that is now going on, and armaments and war crews for both the said vessels went out in them, or were sent out from England to meet the ship abroad, and were then placed on board them. On the 4th day of July last, another vessel built by the Messrs. Laird & Co., and intended for an iron-clad steam-ram and, as this deponent verily believes, built and intended for a vessel-of-war, was launched by them from their ship-building yard at Birkenhead.

5. On the 29th day of August last, another vessel built by the said Messrs. Laird & Co., and intended for an iron-clad steam-ram, and, as I verily believe, for a war vessel, was launched by them from their ship-building yard at Birkenhead.

6. The said vessels mentioned in the fourth and fifth paragraphs of this affirmation, respectively, are now lying at Birkenhead, aforesaid.

7. I say that I have read the affidavits of George Temple Chapman, sworn on the 29th day of June last; of Clarence Randolph Yonge, sworn on the 6^th day of April last; of William Hayden Russell and Joseph Ellis, sworn on the 7^th day of July last; of John Brady, sworn on the 11th day of July last; of Austin Joseph Hand, sworn on the 16th day of July last; of Thomas Sweeney, sworn on the 11th day of August last; of Joseph Ellis, sworn on the 1st day of September instant; and of Charles Prentis, sworn on the 29th day

of August last; and I say that, from the facts there spoken to, and from the facts and circumstances aforesaid, I verily believe and say that the said vessels above mentioned as having been launched on the 4th day of July last, and on the 29th day of August last, respectively, are being equipped, armed, arid fitted out, with intent and in order that the said vessels shall be employed in the service of the said persons setting up to exercise the power of government and called the Confederate States of America, and with intent to cruise and commit hostilities against the government and citizens of the United States of America.

THOMAS H. DUDLEY.