You are at liberty to offer to any of the officers of the French ships passage back on board your boat, but that is in no way to interfere or to hinder or delay the return of the French vessels to this point.

Respectfully,

BENJ. F. BUTLER,

[Inclosure Numbers 1.]

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,
Fort Monroe, April 23, 1864.

Count MARIVAULT,

Commanding His Imperial Majesty's vessel of war Grenada, or

SENIOR OFFICER,

Commanding French Fleet at City Point:

COUNT: The 23rd day of April being the time limited by the convention between the representatives of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the French and the Honorable William H. Seward, Secretary of State of the United States, in regard to the shipment of certain tobacco therein specified from Richmond, and not having been notified of any further convention between the two high contracting parties, or order of my Government to extent the time for such shipment, I am obliged to request you to leave your anchorage at City Point, or wherever else you may be with your vessel on James River, and to return immediately to Hampton Roads, near Fortress Monroe, to await further instructions from the representatives of your Government.

You are expected and respectfully desired to return and bring with you all ships, vessels, and boats belonging to or under charter of the representatives of the Government of His Imperial Majesty employed upon the mission referred to in the convention between the two Government, whether the tobacco shall have been received by you or not.

Trusting that you may not be subjected to much inconvenience by the course which I feel it my duty to suggest and direct, and with assurances of personal esteem.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

BENJ. F. BUTLER,

Major-General, Commanding.

[Inclosure Numbers 2.]

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,
Fort Monroe, April 23, 1864.

To the Commanding Officer of the Confederate Forces at City Point:

The limit of time having arrived which was fixed by the convention between the representatives of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of France and the United States for shipping tobacco on French account at City Point, I have sent up Colonel Paine, of my staff, for the single purpose of delivering dispatches to the commander of the French vessels. I have thought it proper that he should communicate with you, that you might know his mission.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

BENJ. F. BUTLER,

Major-General, Commanding.