Jackson. He has not been informed of the motives of his arrest; has not been subjected to any interrogatories, and has not been confronted by any witnesses accusing him.

The consul of France at New Orleans addressed, on this occasion, to the commanding general the two letters of which I have the honor to send you copies, from which it follows that Mr. Heidsieck, detained at the South by the interests of his trade, returned to New Orleans only to obtain tidings from his family, and this without any kind of concealment, and after having inscribed himself under his own name on the crew list of the Natchez, that nothing might cause it to be supposed that he had ever, in action or language, strayed from the strictest rules of neutrality; that, in fine, when he took, charge of a packet of letters, already quieted old, addressed by the vice-consul of France at Mobile to Count Mejan, he was as completely ignorant of their contents as Mr. Mejan himself, and took so little care to conceal that he had a packet that he took it of his own accord to General Butler, asking him to cause it to be sent to the French consul.

These two communication have been left without reply, and Mr. Heidsieck is now imprisoned at one of the most unhealthy places in Louisiana, where the life of an unacclimated stranger may, at this season above all, be greatly endangered.

In consequence, sir, I approach you, in the name of justice and humanity, as well as in the name of the good relations existing between an order for immediate release in favor of Mr. Heidsieck; and doubt not that once at liberty he will be able to give satisfactory explanations to whomsoever they may be due, and to dispel unfavorable prejudices which certain Federal authorities may have conceived against him.

I seize upon this occasion to renew to you, sir, the assurances of my very high consideration.

For the minister and by authority of the first secretary of legation of France:

VCT. JULES TREILHARD.

[Inclosure Numbers 1.-Translation.]

CONSULATE OF FRANCE AT NEW ORLEANS,

July 31, 1862.

Major-General BUTLER, &c.:

GENERAL: Mr. Heidsieck is a French citizen, well known here and at Mobile. He has come, it is true, on the Natchez, as barkeeper, to the full knowledge of persons who were authorized to run this steamer between New Orleans and Mobile, and has never concealed himself.*

Having been informed that letters addressed to this consulate had been long detained at Jackson, I sent word to the consular agent of France at Mobile to be so good as to withdraw them and to send me such only as were of official character. The vice-consul, believing that this package contained documents of importance for this consulate, deemed it proper to send them to me, as well as the letters coming from the same source addressed to the Spanish consul, by a special messenger. And he chose for this mission Mr. Heidsieck as a French citizen. I don"t think the slightest reproach can be addressed to the latter, as he assures me he has never concealed himself.

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* See Butler to Mejan, July 31, 1862, Series I, Vol. XV, p. 533.

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