Mr. Dayton to Mr. Seward, May 29, 1863

Mr. Dayton to Mr.
Seward

Sir: I wrote you some time since that I had
unofficially, at the request of Messrs. Aspinwall & Forbes, asked
Mr. Drouyn de l’Huys if there would be any objection to the quotation of
our stocks on the French bourse. I have not yet had any definite answer,
though Mr. Drouyn de l’Huys said they (the ministers) had taken up the
subject in council, and his intimation was that they were rather opposed
to it. The granting of this right was, as he said, a mere arbitrary act,
and we had not been very complying in sundry
small matters towards them, viz., granting the right to export to
Mexico; and Mr. Corwin, he added, has refused to take charge of the
legation of France, in Mexico, when their minister was about to leave;
which was, he said, a common act of international courtesy. I told him
that if this privilege (quoting our stocks on their bourse) should be
denied, I hoped it would be put on no such ground. That it would
surprise us very much to learn that France thought we had not been
complaisant and accommodating towards them. That, in respect to exports
for Mexico, I knew no more than I had previously said to him; and, as
respects the action of Mr. Corwin, I knew nothing of it; but if he had
declined to take charge of the French legation at Mexico, I had no doubt
he had done so, fearing that, in the existing state of things, it might
tend to some unpleasant complications; and that I, acting under the same
impulse, had, on a like application, refused, at first, to take charge
of the Mexican legation here, and that that legation in Paris had,
consequently, been left in the hands of the minister from Peru. This
seemed to strike him, and he asked if he could mention it. I told him he
could, but I must inform him, at the same time, that, after advising
with others, and satisfying myself that it was a mere act of
international courtesy, involving no consequence that a belligerent
could complain of, I would have been willing to take charge of that
legation, and so informed its minister; but that, under all the
circumstances, he then thought it would be better to leave its affairs
in the hands of the representatives of another government. * * * * *
*

After reading this extract I told Mr. Drouyn de l’Huys that it seemed to
me a little hard that, under such a condition of things, France, too,
should be finding fault with us! He made a memorandum of the letter,
date, &c.

Mr. Drouyn de l’Huys then said there was to be another session of
ministers on Saturday; and he asked me if I would not put the
application for their consideration in a formal and official shape? I
told him I could not do so; that my government had not applied for a
loan abroad, and I had no authority from it to make an application for
leave to have its stocks
quoted here; that it was altogether unofficial and personal, and growing
out of reasons I had theretofore stated. He then seemed to concede that
I could not properly put it in a more formal and official shape, and
said he would again present it for consideration in the shape it
was.

Messrs. Aspinwall and Forbes are yet here waiting the result of this
application.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,