Islands to the Secretary of the Navy, in which certain statements are made concerning the reception of the steamer Oreto or Florida at Nassau. I will, in compliance with your request, make inquiry with regard to those statements, and I will, without loss of time, do myself the honor to communicate the result to you. I have, &c., No. 42. LYONS. Mr. Hammond to Sir F. Rogers. FOREIGN OFFICE, March 17, 1863. SIR: I am directed by Earl Russell to transmit to you, for the information of the Duke of Newcastle, copies of a despatch and its enclos ures from Her Majesty's minister at Washington,' relative to a complaint which has been made by the United States consul at Nassau, that undue partiality had been shown by the authorities to the confederate steam-vessel Oreto. I am, &c., E. HAMMOND. No. 43. Sir F. Rogers to Mr. Hammond. DOWNING STREET, March 26, 1863. (Received March 27.) SIR: I have laid before the Duke of Newcastle your letter of the 17th instant, respecting a complaint which had been made by the United States consul at Nassau, of undue partiality shown by the authorities there to the confederate steamer Oreto. I am to request that you will inform Earl Russell that no report of the occurrence referred to by the consul-has been received from the governor, and that he will be called upon for his report,' should it not arrive before the departure of the next mail. I am, &c., FREDERIC ROGERS. Complaint of United States' Gorernment of undue No. 44. Lord Lyons to Earl Russell. WASHINGTON, March 30, 1863. (Received April 13.) MY LORD: With reference to my dispatch of the 24th ultimo, I have the honor to transmit to your lordship copies of further correspondence relative to the complaint made by Mr. Sewpartiality at Nassau. ard that undue partiality had been shown at Nassau to the confederate ship Oreto or Florida. I have, &c., LYONS. 1 No. 41. WASHINGTON, February 26, 1863. SIR: I have the honor to transmit to your excellency copies of a note and its inclosures which I have received from the Secretary of State of the United States, and which contains allegations that undue partiality has been shown by the authorities at Nassau to the confederate steamer Oreto or Florida. I have also the honor to transmit to you a copy of the auswer which I have made to the note of the Secretary of State. I shall be much obliged if your excellency will furnish me with any information on the subject which it may appear to you to be proper that I should communicate to this government. I have sent copies of the three inclosures in the present dispatch to Her Majesty's secretary of state for foreign affairs, and have informed his lordship that I also send copies to your excellency. I have, &c., [Inclosure 2 in No. 44.] Governor Bayley to Lord Lyons. LYONS. GOVERNMENT HOUSE, NASSAU, BAHAMAS, MY LORD: I have the honor to acknowledge your lordship's dispatch, inclosing a complaint from the United States consul at this port to Mr. Seward, the Secretary of State, respecting undue advantages alleged to have been given to the confederate steamer Florida in this harbor. In reply, I beg leave to state that no undue advantages were accorded to the Florida. She arrived in our harbor, having steamed over the bar without a pilot early in the morning of the 20th of January. I was not aware of it till 8 or 9 o'clock a. m. About that hour Captain Maffit called (I think in company with the fort adjutant) to explain that he was ignorant of my proclamation requiring that permission should be formally asked before any man-of-war belonging to either of the two belligerents could enter the harbor. I did not see him; but in a very short time I received a letter from him, of which I transmit your lordship a copy, along with the copy of the memorandum indorsed on it by myself before I sent it to the colonial secretary. The Florida remained in harbor about twenty-six hours, during which time I neither spoke to nor saw Captain Maffit. So far from any advantage having been accorded to the Florida which was not accorded to United States vessels, she did not receive privileges equal to those which I granted to the United States gun-boat Stars and Stripes. That vessel entered the harbor without permission, (which she asked for after she had come in.) Her commander then asked for an extension of the permission, which I also accorded; and she remained in harbor, if I remember rightly, three or four days, for the alleged purpose of undergoing repairs. I regret that the Secretary of State should have given credence to the misrepresentations of a person of such infirm judgment and excitable temperament as Mr. Whiting has proved himself to be. I have, &c., (Signed) C. J. BAYLEY. [Inclosure 3 in No. 44.] Commander Maffit, C. S. N., to Governor Bayley. CONFEDERATE STATES STEAMER FLORIDA, January 26, 1863. SIR: As this vessel is in distress for the want of coal, I very respectfully request permission to anchor in the harbor for the purpose of obtaining the same. I am, &c., (Signed) J. W. MAFFIT. [78] [Inclosure 4 in No. 44.] Memorandum by Governor Bayley. I grant this request under the circumstances, thereby according to a confederate steamer the same privileges which I have formerly granted to Federal steamers. But the irregularity in delaying to make this request should be pointed out, and the pilot called on to explain how he admitted the Florida without my permission. (Signed) C. J. B. [Inclosure 5 in No. 44.] Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward. WASHINGTON, March 25, 1863. SIR: With reference to the note which you did me the honor to address to me on the 16th of last month, respecting the reception of the Oreto or Florida at Nassau, and to my answer, dated the 19th of the same month, I beg to transmit to you copies of a dispatch and its inclosures which I received the day before yesterday from the governor of the Bahama Islands. I have, &c., LYONS. [Inclosure 6 in No. 44.] Mr. Seward to Lord Lyons. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, MY LORD: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 25th instant, referring to the correspondence which has taken place between us relative to the reception of the Oreto or Florida at Nassau, and transmitting a copy of a dispatch, and its inclosures, recently received by you from the governor of the Bahama Islands on the subject. I have, &c., WILLIAM H. SEWARD. No. 45. Sir F. Rogers to Mr. Hammond. DOWNING STREET, June 9, 1863. (Received June 10.) SIR: With reference to your letter of the 17th of March, I am directed by the secretary of state for the colonies to transmit to you, for the information of Earl Russell, a 'dispatch from the governor of the Bahamas, dated the 2d ultimo, in answer to the complaint that undue partiality had been shown by him to the Confederate States man-ofwar Florida. I am, &c., FREDERIC ROGERS. [Inclosure 1 in No. 45.] Governor Bayley to the Duke of Newcastle. GOVERNMENT HOUSE, NASSAU, MY LORD DUKE: I have the honor to acknowledge your grace's dispatch of the 7th of April, inclosing a complaint made by the late consul of the United Report from Gov States at this port, to the effect that undue partiality had been shown by the authorities at this place toward the confederate steamer Oreto, (or rather Florida.) ernor Dayley. 2. In reply, I have the honor to state that I am wholly unaware that any par[79] tiality was shown to that vessel, or that she was treated in any respect differ ently from Federal men-of-war. She arrived in our harbor, having steamed over the bar without a pilot early on the morning of the 25th January. 1 was not aware of it till 8 or 9 o'clock a. m. About that hour Captain Maflit called (I think in company with the fort adjutant,) to explain that he was ignorant of my proclamation requiring that permission should be formally asked before any man-of-war belonging to either of the two belligerents could enter the harbor. I did not see him, but in a very short time I received a letter from him, of which I transmit your grace a copy, along with a copy of the memorandum indorsed on it by myself, before I sent it to the colonial secretary. The Florida remained in harbor about twenty-six hours, during which time I neither spoke to nor saw Captain Maffit. 3. I also inclose a letter from Mr. Williams, the fort adjutant, detailing the circumstances under which he accompanied Captain Maffit on shore. 4. So far from any advantage having been accorded to the Florida which was not accorded to United States vessels, she did not receive privileges equal to those which I granted to the United States gun-boat Stars and Stripes. That vessel entered the harbor without permission, (which she asked for after she had come in.) Her commander then asked for an extension of the permission, which I also accorded, and she remained in the harbor, if I remember rightly, three or four days, for the alleged purpose of undergoing repairs. 5. I have no distinct recollection of the special reasons which induced me to impose the restrictions mentioned by the consul on the Dacotah's coaling; I can only suppose that I did this in consequence of the pertinacity with which Federal vessels about that time resorted to the harbor on pretense of coaling, but really with the object of watching the arrival and departure of English merchant-vessels supposed to be freighted with cargoes for the southern ports. Had not such prohibition been issued, the harbor would have become a mere convenience for Federal men-of-war running in and out to intercept British shipping. And that such conditions as I thought it my duty to impose were tempered by a proper feeling of courtesy and humanity will, I think, be made evident by the accompanying letters from the American consul on the subject of the Federal man-of-war, the R. Cuyler, and the memoranda of my replies indorsed upon them by myself. 6. On the whole I am satisfied that I have acted with perfect impartiality in all my dealings with Federal and confederate men-of-war. But I am not surprised that my conduct should have been misrepresented by so hot-headed a partisan as the late American consul, Mr. Whiting, whose ingenuity in misconstruction is well illustrated by his reply to my letter of the 29th of September, of both of which papers I inclose copies, with the indorsation of the draught of my replies to his last communication. 7. I think that these inclosures will be sufficient to prove that, in my demeanor to the Federal men-of-war, I have generally preserved an attitude of fairness and impartiality. And that if at any time I have appeared to assume an unfriendly or inhospitable mien, the charge can be fully explained and defended by my desire to maintain the security of a British possession and the rights of British subjects. I have, &c., C. J. BAYLEY. [Inclosure 2 in No. 45.] Captain Maffit, C. S. N., to Governor Bayley. CONFEDERATE STATES STEAMER FLORIDA, SIR: As this vessel is in distress for the want of coal, I very respectfully request permission to anchor in the harbor for the purpose of obtaining the same. I am, &c., (Signed) [Inclosure 3 in No. 45.] J. W. MAFFIT. Mr. Williams to Governor Bayley. NASSAU, NEW PROVIDENCE, April 30, 1863. SIR: In answer to your letter of yesterday, requesting me to state, for the information of his excellency the governor, whether Captain Maffit, of the Confederate [80] States steamer *Florida, came ashore in the garrison boat, I beg to observe that, in the middle of last year, I received instructions from his excellency, through the colonial secretary, that when I boarded any ship of war belonging to either bellig erent, I was to hand to the captain of such vessel a copy of the proclamation regarding neutrality, and to point out the clause forbidding belligerent vessels to anchor in the port or roadstead of Nassau without having previously obtained the governor's permission, adding at the same time that, circumstances permitting, his excellency would always be most happy to extend the hospitality of the port to such as might require it. The first vessel which I had occasion to visit after the receipt of the above instructions was the Federal gun-boat Stars and Stripes. I pointed out to the captain the requirements of the proclamation, but he said that, "owing to certain injuries received by his machinery, and the roughness of the weather, he must anchor at once, or his ship would go on shore." I therefore suggested to him the propriety of coming ashore with me, and proceeding to Government House to explain personally to his excellency the necessities of his position. He landed in the garrison boat, and went with me to the governor. A short time after this the Confederate States steamer Florida ran into the port at daybreak, and cast anchor before I was able to board her. I gave a copy of the proclamation to Captain Maffit, who stated his entire ignorance of any such restrictions, and expressed his regret for having unwittingly violated the regulations of the port, and also asked me what course he had better follow. I told him that he had better come ashore in my boat, and go with me to the governor, explain matters, and obtain the necessary permission to remain. He therefore, like the captain of the Stars and Stripes, landed in the government boat, and proceeded with me to his excellency the governor. Trusting that his excellency will consider the above explanation sufficient for the purpose for which he may require it, I have, &c., S. W. WILLIAMS, Lieutenant, Second West India Regiment, Fort Adjutant. [Inclosure 4 in No. 45.] Mr. Whiting to Governor Bayley. UNITED STATES CONSULATE AT NASSAU, NEW PROVIDENCE, August 25, 1862. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt, on Saturday afternoon, of your excellency's dispatch, graciously granting permission for the United States steamer R. R. Cuyler to anchor and procure the necessaries which she might require. Captain Winslow has requested me to convey to your excellency his high appreciation of your kindness, and to tender you his sincere thanks for the courtesy, his severe illness alone preventing him from doing so in person. I am also authorized to say that the usual honors of a salute would have been paid had the size and armament of the vessel permitted it. It becomes me also, as a representative of the United States Government, to express my thanks to your excellency for this manifestation of friendship; and also to beg that your excellency will convey to the commander and surgeon of Her Britannic Majesty's frigate Melpomene my acknowledgment and thanks for their prompt and kind services to my invalid countrymen. I have, &c., SAMUEL WHITING, [Inclosure 5 in No. 45.] Mr. Whiting to Governor Bayley. UNITED STATES CONSULATE, NASSAU, NEW PROVIDENCE, August 25, 1862. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's dispatch of this date, and to assure you that Captain Winslow will be careful to avoid any infringement of Her Majesty's proclamation, should he come to anchor at this port. [81] Captain Winslow, however, has assured me that he did not wish to anchor, and only needed some medical supplies for himself and officers, many of whom are quite low with fever. |