the privilege of going out of the casemate for any cause whatever. The consequence has been such serious alternation in my helath that for that reason I was compelled to ask my conditional release on parole, which was granted on the 16th instant under obligation again to constitute myself a prisoner on the 30th instant.

Under these circusmtances, M. Minister, I place myself under your excellency's protection as a French subject impirsoned without cause, without examination, without having had even the privilege of showing my real position to the authorities that have treated me thus arbitrarily. The journals have spoken of heavy sums and of papers compromising me found among my luggage; that is all false. The amounts I had at the time of my arrest were made up of about $250 in gold and a bill of exchange for 5,700 francs. These sums seized at that time have since then been restored, but not so with my other papers which consisted of four letters addressed to different correspondents of the house of O. G. Parsly & Co. and solely devoted to the details and settlement of accounts. A note* annexed contains some instructions about the shipments of merchanidse I was to make in case the blockade should have ceasedto trammel commerce. Not a single line could be interpreted as implying any political mission.

I should add one particular which is not without importance: it is that the schooner Adelso on which I had taken passage was chartered by a Boston house so that the only real offens be found here-the violation of the blockade-recoils upon a Northern merchant. I hope your excellency will take my condition into your serious consideration, and begging you to excuse the length of this statement, I pray you to believe me,

Your very humble and obedient servant,

L. DE BEBIAN.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, October 4, 1861.

Mr. HENRY MERCIER, &c.

SIR: Upon further consideration of the case of M. L. deBebian, recently detained at Fort Lafayette, it has been determined to discharge him from further custody. An order to that effect has gone by telegraph to the proper authorities at New York.

I avail myself of the occasion, sir, to offer to you a renewed assurance of my very high consideration.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, October 4, 1861.

WINGATE HAYES,

U. S. District Attorney, Providence, R. I.:

Have you or Sanford any papers or letters found upon De Bebian?

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

(Same to Robert Murray, U. S. marshal, New York.)

NEW YORK, October 4, 1861.

F. W. SEWARD:

I have no papers taken from De Bebian. Send me printed oaths of allegiance by mail.

R. MURRAY,

U. S. Marshal.

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*Not found.

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