Mr. Sanford to Mr. Seward, July 3, 1861

Mr. Sanford to Mr.
Seward.

Sir: I have not been unmindful of your
instructions (No. 2) respecting a convention for the abrogation of
passports for our citizens travelling or sojourning in Belgium.

As already intimated in my first despatch, passports are already almost
virtually abolished here, the visa being no
longer necessary. The usual course of this government in respect to this
subject is, upon notification by a government that Belgians are not
required to be provided with passports to enter upon or travel within
its territories, to exempt equally citizens or subjects of such nations
in Belgium.

This course has been pursued with Sweden and Holland, and will be soon
followed with France and England.

In view of the disturbances in our southern States, and the consequent
impossibility of assuring entire reciprocity of exemption from passports
throughout our territory, I have not deemed it advisable at this time to
make any proposition on this subject.

I am assured by Mr. De Vrière that, on formal notification that Belgians
will not be required to present passports in the United States, the
proper authorities here will direct the exemption of citizens of the
United States travelling here from the requirement of passports.

They would need, however, in case of domicile here, some document to
prove their identity. In this connexion, it may not be out of place to
refer to a conversation I had some time since on this subject of the
abolition of passports, with the officer in charge of that branch of the
public service in France.

He said that they had already exempted British subjects coming to France
from the action of the passport regulations, and had lately made similar
exemptions with regard to Sweden, and were about to make the same
exemptions with respect to Belgium, and would with most other nations on
a footing of reciprocity. This was, however, a purely administrative
act, liable to be recalled whenever considered for the interest of the
state. They would in no case make a treaty which should bind them to the
perpetual abolition of passports vis-a-vis to my
nation.

In the present aspect of affairs in the United States, they deemed it
important to have a control over
the movements of their citizens to the United States and vice versa of ours in French territory; and
deemed the present an inopportune time to make any change in the
passport system with respect to the United States.

When matters returned to their normal condition, there would be no
objection, he said, to suspend their passport regulations for citizens
of the United States, and a simple administrative order was all that was
necessary on their part, and could be made at any time when deemed
expedient.

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I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most humble servant,