Dismissal of a British Consul — a State paper.
We give below, from the Sentinel of yesterday, a dispatch of the Secretary of State of the Confederate States to Mr. Mason, our Commissioner to England. It makes known the causes of the late revocation of the Exequatur of the British Consul at this port, and in doing so takes occasion to explain the general grounds of the President's action, and the views which govern the policy which he is pursuing: [No. 24.]--Herewith you will receive copies of the following papers: A. Letter of George Moore, Esq, H. B. M.'s Consul in Richmond, to this Department, dated 16th February, 1863. B. Letter from the Secretary of State to Consul Moore, 20th February, 1863. C. Letters patent by the President, revoking the Exequatur of Consul Moore, 5th June, 1863. D. Letter enclosing to Consul Moore a copy of the letters patent revoking his Exequatur. It is deemed proper to inform you that this action of the President was influenced in no small degree by the communication to him of an unofficial letter of Consul Moore, to which I shall presently refer. It appears that two persons, named Malony and Farrell, who were enrolled as conscripts in our service, claimed exemption on the ground that they were British subjects, and Consul Moore, in order to avoid the difficulty which prevented his corresponding with this Department, as set forth in the paper B, addressed himself directly to the Secretary of War, who was ignorant of the request made by this Department for the production of the Consul's commission. The Secretary of War ordered an investigation of the facts, when it became apparent that the two men had exercised the right of suffrage in this State, thus debarring themselves of all pretext for, denying their citizenship; that both had resided here for eight years, and had settled on and were cultivating farms owned by themselves. You will find annexed the report of Lt-Col. Edgar, marked E, and it is difficult to conceive a case presenting stronger proofs of the renunciation of native allegiance, and of the acquisition of de facte citizenship, than are found in that report. It is in relation to such a case that it has seemed proper to Consul Moore to denounce the Government of the Confederate States to one of its own citizens as being indifferent "to cases of the most atrocious cruelty." A copy of his letter to the counsel of the two men is annexed, marked F. The earnest desire of this Government is to entertain amicable relations with all nations, and with none do its interests invite the formation of closer ties than with Great Britain Although feeling aggrieved that the Government of her Majesty has pursued a policy which, according to the confessions of Earl Russell himself, has increased the disparity of strength which he considers to exist between the belligerents, and has conferred signal advantage on our enemies in a war in which Great Britain announces herself to be really and not nominally, central, the President has not deemed it necessary to Interpose any obstacle to the continued residence of British Consuls within the Confederacy, by virtue of Exequatur granted by the former Government. His course has been consistently guided by the principles which underlie the whole structure of our Government. The State of Virginia having delegated to the Government of the United States by the Constitution of 1787 the power of controlling its foreign relations, became bound by the action of that Government in its grant of an Exequatur to Consul Moore. When Virginia , withdrew the power delegated to the Government of the United States, and conferred them on this Government, the Exequatur granted to Consul Moore was not thereby in validated. An act done by an agent while duly authorized continues to bind the principal after the revocation of the agent's authority. On these grounds the President has hitherto steadily resisted all influences which have been exerted to induce him to exact of foreign consuls that they should ask for an from this Government as a condition of the continued exercise of their functions. It was not deemed with the dignity of the Government to extort, by informing the withdrawal of national protection from nentral residence, such inferential recognition of its independence as might be supposed to be implied in the request of an Exequatur. The consuls of foreign nations, therefore, established within the Confederacy, who were in possession of an Exequatur issued by the Government of the United States to the formation of the Confederacy, have been maintained and requested in the of their and the same protection and respect will be to them in so long as they themselves to the of their , and
