Mr. Seward to Mr. Adams, April 16, 1862

Mr. Seward to Mr.
Adams.

Sir: Your despatch No. 137, the receipt of
which has already been acknowledged, is accompanied by a note which was
addressed to you by Earl Russell, in reply to your representations
concerning the treatment of the United States ship-of-war the Flambeau
at Nassau, The approval of the British government of the proceedings of
the governor in that place is regarded by the President as unfriendly
towards a power that extends unrestricted hospitalities to the naval as
well as the mercantile marine of Great Britain in its ports and harbors.
The grievance is not sensibly alleviated by the fact that the government
of her Majesty are able to reconcile it with a proclamation issued by
her Majesty in May last, conceding the rights of a public belligerent to the insurgents in
arms against the United States. The explanation obliges us to renew the
declaration this government has so often made, that it regards the
proclamation itself as unnecessary, unfriendly, and injurious.

The history of the past year is a record of serious embarrassments of
legitimate commerce between the two countries, resulting from the
concession of belligerent naval rights to a seditious party in the
United States which has never had control of a single port or harbor in
its own country. It cannot be the desire of the British government
either to reduce the commerce heretofore carried on between the two
countries so profitably to both of them, or to suffer occasional
irritations to ripen into fruits of animosity between them. You will
therefore present the inconveniences complained of to the notice of her
Majesty’s government as an argument for the revision of that
proclamation whenever, in the exercise of your discretion, you shall
think such a revision can be pressed for with hope of a candid hearing.
The review of our military position, which I submit in a collateral
despatch, induces us to hope that such a time is near at hand.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,