CO885-(10-11) — Page 158

6885.

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

MY LORD,

No. 120.

(BAHAMAB.)

LAW OFFICERS to FOREIGN OFFICE.

Temple, June 27, 1862. We are honoured with your Lordship's commands, signified in Mr. Hammond's letter of the 3rd of June instant, stating that with reference to our report of the 14th ultimo* he was directed by your Lordship to transmit to us, together with the previous papers, a further Despatch from Her Majesty's Minister at Washington respecting the interference of United States' cruisers with British merchant vessels in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mr. Hammond was also pleased to state that we should see from the statements contained in this Despatch that it is alleged that the boarding parties from the United States' ships of war have on some occasions refused to give the names of the vessels to which they belonged, and Admiral Sir Alexander Milne had therefore suggested that the name of the vessel of war by which the right of search is exercised should on all such occasions be noted in the log book of the ship boarded, and that he was directed by your Lordship to request that we would take this matter into our consideration, with more especial reference to this suggestion of Sir Alexander Milne, and furnish your Lordship with our opinion thereupon.

We are also honoured with your Lordship's commands, signified in Mr. Hammond's letter of the 6th June instant, stating that with reference to his letter of the 3rd instant he was directed by your Lordship to transmit to us the accompanying Despatch and its enclosures from Her Majesty's Minister at Washington, containing further informa- tion respecting the search of British vessels by the cruisers of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico; and that he was directed by your Lordship to request that we would take the same into our consideration, together with the papers previously submitted for our opinion.

Mr. Hammond was also pleased to state that he was directed by your Lordship to Circassian," the vessel add that your Lordship understood that the owners of the whose capture is referred to, in the Despatch enclosed, intended to address Her Majesty's Government on the subject, and that when their communication had been received your Lordship would call our attention more specifically to this case,

Mr. Hammond being further pleased to state, by way of postscript, that since writing the above the letter enclosed had been received from the owner of the "Circassian in regard to the case, of which vessel he was, therefore, now enabled to ask our opinion.

We are also honoured with your Lordship's commands, signified in Mr. Hammond's letter of the 11th instant, stating that he was directed by your Lordship to transmit to us a further letter from Mr. Pearson, together with a Despatch from Her Majesty's Minister at Washington, relative to the case of the vessel "Circassian," and to request that we would take the same into our consideration, together with the papers on the same subject, submitted to us in his letter of the 6th instant, and furnish your Lordship with our opinion thereupon.

We are also honoured with your Lordship's commands, signified in Mr. Hammond's letter of the 16th instant, stating that he was directed by your Lordship to transmit to us a further Despatch and its enclosures respecting the case of the "Ĉircassian," and to request that we would take these papers into our consideration together with those referred to us on the 6th and 11th instant.

We are further honoured with your Lordship's commands, signified in Mr. Ham- mond's letter of the 19th of June instant, stating that with reference to our report of the 14th ultimo respecting the interference of United States' cruisers with British vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, he was directed by your Lordship to transmit to us a Despatch from Her Majesty's Minister at Washington, enclosing, with other documents, the sentences of condemnation pronounced by the prize court at Key West against the three vessels" Henry Travers," "Lion," and "Florida," and to request that we would take these papers into our consideration, and furnish your Lordship with such user- vations as we might have to offer thereupon.

In obedience to your Lordship's commands we have taken these papers into our con- sideration, and have the honour to

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• No. 120.