William H. Seward to Charles Francis Adams, March 23, 1863

Mr. Seward to Mr. Adams.

Sir: I transmit with this despatch a communication made to this department by Mr. Edward Trowbridge, giving an account of hospitalities shown by the British local authorities at Barbadoes to the piratical steamer Florida. The facts thus related, taken together with the previous history of that vessel, make out the following case, namely:

That the British government, though warned during the progress of the transaction, nevertheless did not prevent the Florida from being built, manned, armed, and equipped in the port of Liverpool, in Great Britain, and sent out on an expedition for the purpose of destroying American commercial vessels on the high seas; that this vessel reached Mobile, escaping the vigilance of the blockading squadron of the United States; that, after a long detention there, she made her way out of that port and captured, on the high seas, two unarmed American vessels, robbed them of their cargoes, and then sunk the vessels. Having completed these acts of piracy, she proceeded directly to the port of Barbadoes, received there a shelter, and took on board one hundred tons of coal, with provisions and clothing. It does not appear that these supplies were furnished to her on the plea of distress, but, on the contrary, they seem to have been asked and conceded upon the ground that any vessel of her known character and occupation is held entitled to enter some British port to procure supplies and provisions once in every period of three months, without even entering any port of the United States, or subjecting or taking any proceedings to subject the legality of her captures, or other depredations, to trial by any tribunal in any country whatever. Even if the United States could concede that the insurgents now in arms against them are a lawful belligerent, they must still hold that for a friendly nation to permit such a belligerent to use its ports for fitting out, supporting, and maintaining cruisers upon the high seas, amenable to no national authority whatever, is an act not warranted by the laws or customs of civilized nations.

The President is unable to see in this transaction anything different from a case of open piracy rendered effective through the mistaken toleration of subordinate authorities of the British government in Great Britain and her colonies. No bounds can be assigned to the probable operations of vessels thus practically sent forth and maintained upon the high seas by British subjects through this mistaken toleration of the authorities. What can be foreseen is, that if the practice shall be suffered to continue, it cannot fail to require such remedies as the United States shall have the ability and the lawful right to adopt, even if such remedies should unavoidably prove injurious to the commerce of friendly nations, or to the harmony between the two countries, so eminently to be desired.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,