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DEPARTMENT OF STATE. WASHINGTON, January 21, 1858. SIR: The Secretary of State, to whom has been referred the resolu tion of the Senate of the 14th instant, requesting the President to "communicate to the Senate, if not incompatible with the public interest, the award of the Emperor Louis Napoleon, of France, upon the claim of the owners of the brig General Armstrong against the government of Portugal, together with any correspondence upon that subject not heretofore communicated to Congress" has the honor to lay before the President a copy of a dispatch of the 13th ultimo, addressed to this department by Mr. Rives, the United States Minister at Paris, and also a translation of the award of the Emperor of France, to which it refers. Respectfully submitted:

To the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

EDWARD EVERETT.

Mr. Rives to Mr. Everett.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES.
PARIS, December 18, 1852.

SIR: I enclose herewith the copy of a letter addressed to me by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the 10th instant, together with a copy of my answer. In pursuance of the request of the Minister, and the terms of my answer, I called at the Department of Foreign Affairs, on the 11th instant, at the hour named, and found the Minister of Portugal already there. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was absent at the moment of our arrival, having been sent for by the Emperor: but returning soon afterwards, he immediately invited us into his cabinet.

He commenced the interview by repeating what he had already said to me, and which I reported to you in my last dispatch, that the President of the republic was so incessantly occupied by the many and important questions incident to the late change of government here, that it was entirely out of his power to invite us to call upon him before the consummation of that change, as he intended to do, in order that he might deliver to us personally his award in the case of the "General Armstrong." The Minister then proceeded to say that, as, in the present state of things, the Emperor could not regularly invite us to an audience, as we had not yet received our new letters of credence, he had deemed

it proper, rather than incur any farther delay, to depute him, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to deliver to us, in his name, the award pronounced by him, as President of the republic, in the case submitted to his arbitrament by our respective governments. Having in my answer to the note of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that, under existing circumstances, I had no power but to transmit the document in question to my government, I thought it proper simply to repeat that remark.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs then handed to me the document which I have now the honor to transmit to you, signed by the President of the republic on the 30th day of November last, as his award in the case of the "General Armstrong," placing a similar one, at the same time, in the hands of the Minister of Portugal.

It may not be improper for me to add that I had never received from any quarter, any intimation of the nature of the decision rendered; nor did the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the interview above mentioned, make the slightest allusion to its bearing on the one side or the other. He only said, in general terms, that the President had examined the whole subject with great care and attention, and with an earnest desiro to render justice to both parties, according to the facts and principles involved in the controversy.

I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant, W. C. RIVES.

[Translation.]

Mr. Drouyn de L'Huys to Mr. Rives.

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
PARIS, November, 29, 1852.

SIR: I have the honor to inform you that the arbitral decision asked of the Prince President by the government of the United States, and that of her most faithful Majesty, upon the claim relative to the American privateer, the "General Armstrong," has just been rendered, and that the Prince President will immediately invite you to wait on him, in order to deliver to you, at the same time with the Minister of Portugal, the document containing the decision.

I avail myself of this occasion to renew to you the assurance of the high consideration with which I have the honor to remain, sir, your very humble and obedient servant,

DROUYN DE L'HUYS.

[Translation.]

Mr. Drouyn de L'Huys to Mr. Rives.

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
Paris, December 10th, 1852.

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SIR: I had the honor of apprising you, under date of the 29th of last month, that the arbitral decision relative to the American privateer "General Armstrong," had just been rendered. I informed you, at the same time, that you would immediately receive the document containing said decision.

Circumstances not having permitted the Emperor to invite you to wait on him as he had intended, he has done me the honor of deputing me to deliver, in his name, to the representatives of the two nations interested in the matter, the two documents destined for their respective gov"nments.

~ch is the object which prompts me to request, sir, that you will have Lindness to call at the Department of Foreign Affairs on Saturday next, at three o'clock, if that day suits your convenience.

You will find in my cabinet the minister of Portugal, whom I have invited to be present at this interview, and I will have the honor of delivering into your hands, respectively, the decision rendered on the subject of the difference which has existed between the government of the United States of America and that of her most faithful Majesty.

I avail myself of this occasion to renew to you the assurance of the high consideration with which I have the honor to remain, sir, your very humble and obedient servant,

DROUYN DE L'HUYS.

Mr. Rives to Mr. Drouyn de L'Huys.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,
Paris, December 11th, 1852.

MONSIEUR LE MINISTRE: I had the honor to receive the note which your excellency addressed to me, under the date of the 29th ultimo, informing me that the Prince President of the republic would invite me immediately to wait on him, that he might deliver to me, at the same time with the Minister of Portugal, the decision rendered by him in the case of the

privateer "General Armstrong," submitted to his arbitrament by the governments of the United States and of Portugal. In consequence of your excellency's communication, I held myself constantly ready, as I had the honor to inform your excellency, to obey the invitation of which you gave me notice the moment it should be received.

I have now the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's note of yesterday, informing me that circumstances not having permitted the invitation to be addressed to me, of which you gave me notice by your communication of the 29th ultimo, the Emperor had designated you to deliver, in his name, to the representatives of the United States and Portugal, the two acts destined for their respective governments, and requesting me to come to the Department of Foreign Affairs at three o'clock to-day, to receive that intended for the government of the United States.

I will do myself the honor, in conformity to your excellency's request, to call at the Department of Foreign Affairs to-day, at the hour named by you, to receive for transmission to my government, having no other authority in the matter under existing circumstances, the important document you propose to put into my hands to be communicated to it. I have the honor to be, with sentiments of high consideration, your excellency's most obedient servant,

W. C. RIVES.

TRANSLATION OF THE AWARD OF PRESIDENT NAPOLEON IN THE CASE OF

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We, Louis Napoleon, President of the French Republic:

The Government of the United States, and that of her majesty the Queen of Portugal and of the Algarves, having, by the terms of a convention signed at Washington on the 26th of February, 1851, asked us to pronounce as arbiter upon a claim relative to the American privateer "General Armstrong," which was destroyed in the port of Fayal on the 27th of September, 1814; after having caused ourself to be correctly and circumstantially informed in regard to the facts which have been the cause of the difference, and after having maturely examined the documents duly signed in the name of the two parties, which have been submitted to our inspection by the representatives of both powers, considering that it is clear, in fact, that the United States were at war with her

Britannic majesty, and her most faithful majesty preserving her neutrality, the American brig, the "General Armstrong," commanded by Captain Reid, legally provided with letters of marque, and armed for privateering purposes, having sailed from the port of New York, did, on the 26th of September, 1814, cast anchor in the port of Fayal, one of the Azores Islands, constituting part of her most faithful majesty's dominions;

That it is equally clear that, on the evening of the same day, an English squadron, commanded by Commodore Lloyd, entered the samo port;

That it is no less certain that during the following night, regardless of the rights of sovereignty and neutrality of her most faithful majesty, a bloody encounter took place between the Americans and the English; and that, on the following day, the 27th of September, one of the vessels belonging to the English squadron came to range herself near the American privateer for the purpose of cannonading her; that this demonstration, accompanied by the act, determined Captain Reid, followed by his crew, to abandon his vessel, and to destroy her;

Considering that if it be clear that, on the night of the 26th of September, some English long-boats, commanded by Lieutenant Robert Fausset, of the British navy, approached the American brig, the "General Armstrong," it is not certain that the men who manned the boats aforesaid were provided with arms and ammunition;

That it is evident, in fact, from the documents which have been exhibited, that the aforesaid long-boats, having approached the American brig, the crew of the latter, after having hailed them and summoned them to be off, immediately fired upon them, and that some men were killed on board the English boats, and others wounded-some of whom mortally-without any attempt having been made on the part of the crew of the boats to repel at once force by force;

Considering that the report of the Governor of Fayal proves that the American captain did not apply to the Portuguese government for protection until blood had already been shed, and, when the fire had ceased, the brig "General Armstrong" came to anchor under the castle at a distance of a stone throw; that said governor states, that it was only then, that he was informed of what was passing in the port; that he did, on several occasions, interpose with Commodore Lloyd, with a view

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