the Moors of Morocco I am convinced you must either command or resign yourself to be spit upon, and the moment your own authority or that of your consul fails the friendship of the Emperor and his subjects will begin to fail also in the same proportion, and this without in the least questioning the reality of their friendship so long as you show yourself in their estimation worthy to possess it.

But I beg pardon; perhaps I am answering Mr. Harvey rather than yourself. At any rate the prisoners have gone to New York; our senior officer with the Kersarge has steamed into Tangier Bay, landed, the consul saluted and been saluted in turn by the Tangier Bay, landed, the consul saluted and been saluted in turn by the Moorish batteries and reports to me that there was no difficulty at all at Tangier and had been none which affected the position of our consul at all unfavorably.

Subjects of other powers may think there ought to have been trouble and even regret there was not, but we I am persuaded shall do well to keep in mind that the status produced by the declaration of England and some other powers making within the United States live legitimate belligerent powers rests on those declarations only, has never been admitted by our Government and is acquiesced in under protest only as a less evil practically than the rupture of peaceful relations would be, but that its effects do not extend beyond the jurisdiction of the declaring powers, not affecting in any way our ordinary and friendly relations with other states.

So far as Morocco is concerned Captain Semmes' or Mr. Myers' stealing Captain Burditt's watch and afterwards burning his ship ought to be treated by our consul at Tangier to-day precisely in the same way as he would have treated them ten years ago if they had been guilty at that time of the same crimes.

Whether our Government may afterward show themselves merciful to these offenders taking into consideration the political passions which it seem scan lead decent people into such excesses, or whatever from any consideration of policy it may choose to relas the rigor of our laws in their behalf are questions which it is clearly the province of our Government to settle for itself after it has the prisoners in its own power at home.

We, its officers abroad, have nothing to do with these questions except it be to state in favor of the criminals anything which may make for them as loyally and promptly as the circumstances against them.

Consul De Long's duty was plainly to arrest these men and send them home to the Government. Captain [Craven] and Captain Pickering performed theirs also well and promptly, aiding and upholding him in the performance of this duty, and as to the rest we can afford to abide the criticism of foreign journals whilst we await tranquilly the decision of our own Government upon the whole affair.

I am, dear sir, ever very truly, yours, &c.,

HORATIO J. PERRY.

CONSULATE OF THE UNITED STATES,

Tangier, March 20, 1862.

Honorable WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

SIR: I have the honor to inclose a copy of a telegraph dispatch* and two letters* addressed by Horatio J. Perry, U. S. charge d'affaires at Madrid, to CAptain Craven, of the U. S. sloop of war Tuscarora, in relation to the arrest of Myers and Tunstall which haev been transmitted to me by said legation accompanied with a letter of congratulation upon the subject which I also inclose. *

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*Omitted here; see ante.

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