Letter

Right Honorable Earl Russell to Charles Francis Adams, November 20, 1862

Author

Right Honorable Earl Russell

Recipient

Charles Francis Adams

Date

November 20, 1862

Type

Letter

Language

English

Earl Russell to Mr. Adams.

Foreign Office, November 20,1862.

The undersigned, her Britannic Majesty’s principal secretary of state for foreign affairs, has the honor to acquaint Mr. Adams, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States at this court, that her Majesty’s government are informed by persons, to whom they are disposed to give credit, that recruits are being raised in this country for service in the army of the United States, and that bounty money of a considerable amount is offered by agents of the United States to encourage British subjects to enlist.

Mr. Adams must be well aware that any of her Majesty’s subjects enlisting in the military service of either of the belligerent parties in America, or any persons procuring any of her Majesty’s subjects to enlist in that service, are guilty of a misdemeanor according to British law; and Mr. Adams will readily see that such a practice as that to which the undersigned now calls his attention is calculated seriously to increase the difficulties already incident to the observance of neutrality by her Majesty’s government.

The undersigned requests Mr. Adams to receive the assurance of his highest consideration.

RUSSELL.

Topics

19th Century Civil War Diplomacy

Sources

FRUS u2014 Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the First Session Thirty-eighth View original source ↗

U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the First Session Thirty-eighth .