John Bigelow, to Drouyn de Lhuys, April 5, 1866

Mr. Bigelow to Monsieur de Lhuys

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s favor of the 27th ultimo, relating to the steps taken by the late consul of the United States at Marseilles for the distribution of a pamphlet entitled, “Lois pour encourager l’emigration pour la protection des passagers,” &c. Your excellency directs my attention to the irregularity on the part of the consul in addressing his inquiries to the senator charged with the administration of the Bouches du Rhone, Monsieur de Maupas, instead of addressing them to your excellency, through the representative of his government resident at Paris. In reference to the subject-matter of the consul’s inquiry, your excellency informs me that the imperial government has always discouraged appeals in favor of emigration addressed to native workmen, and that the consul’s application has been declined.

As to the irregularity of the consul in addressing himself to the senator charged with the administration of the Bouches du Rhone, permit me to remark in his justification that his application included a request to be informed what formalities would be necessary to secure the privilege of distributing the pamphlet in question. Had Monsieur de Maupas invited the consul to make his application to your excellency through the diplomatic representative of his government, such a reply would have been strictly responsive to the consul’s inquiry. I mention this merely to justify the expression of my own conviction that the late consul at Marseilles had no intention to so far depart from the wishes of his government as to attempt to bring the advantages of emigration to the United States before the people of France in an irregular way.

I shall not fail to take note of and communicate to my government the objection raised by his excellency the minister of the interior to the diffusion of information designed to encourage emigration from France.

I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to your excellency the assurances of the high consideration with which I have the honor to be your very obedient and very humble servant,