verted to is believed to be too much a matter of public notoriety to require either the expression of an opinion or the statement of a fact by this department on the subject. From the transmission above mentioned to the legation of the United States at Paris of the proofs in cases of claims, it may be presumed that the claimants accepted the overture which is referred to. No evidence of its withdrawal or modification can be found in this department, or any precise information as to where the proofs in the several cases of claims may now be lodged. W. L. MARCY. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 18, 1856. Fulwar Skipwith, consul and agent for claims at Paris, to Mr. Madison, Secretary of State. PARIS, March 7, 1805. SIR: I have lately had the honor of receiving your letter of the 10th of November last, on the subject of Mr. Barney's claim against this government for 156,559 livres. The explanations offered by that gentleman were not necessary for the information of any one of the late authorities acting under the convention of 1803, because the evidence accompanied the vouchers in support of that claim, of his having credited the French republic in his general account with the $31,000 received in the United States. I do not now furnish your department with the general statement of the situation of American claims, promised in my last letter to you, of the 6th of October, and the reason is, that to the present hour the French council of liquidation, though solicited by our minister, as well as repeatedly by myself, have not afforded me a complete view of either their liquidations and rejections previous to the dissolution of the American board, or their various changes, retrenchments, and modifications since. Indeed, under present circumstances, I am not aware that such a statement will be expected from me, since the difficult and delicate task of terminating the transactions under the convention has devolved on our able and virtuous minister, General Armstrong, from whom I have withheld no information that I possess respecting those transactions, and to whom I shall always with pleasure render any account of my own agency, under the 10th article of that instrument, which he may be induced to ask. The right of one foreigner suing another before the tribunals of this country has lately been decided in the negative by the court of appeals here, in the case of Mr. Mountflorence against myself. I consider it of sufficient importance to forward to you an extract from the judgment rendered by that tribunal, together with a copy of the pleadings of my lawyer in my defence. Convinced as I am of the illegality and injustice of Mr. Mountflorence's pretensions, and of their being ever set aside by any tribunal before whom he may hereafter attempt to maintain them, I beg you to be persuaded that my plea of exception against the tribunals of this country has arisen from the single motive of propriety in my official character, and that because I know the French consuls in the United States are not amenable to our laws in their transactions with French citizens. I remain, with great respect, sir, your most obedient servant, FULWAR SKIPWITH. JAMES MADISON, Esq., Secretary of State for the United States of America. P. S. MARCH 18.—I am induced to accompany the foregoing duplicate of my letter of the 7th instant with copies, in continuation of those forwarded to your department the 6th October last, of my letters to our late and present minister. Should you take the trouble of looking them over, you will discover the origin and causes of some of the difficulties and embarrassments which still operate in the way of terminating the transactions under the convention of 1803. I regret exceedingly that the result of this disagreeable business is still unsettled, but I am convinced that nothing will be neglected by General Armstrong to arrive at that desirable issue. F. S. . Doc MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, COMMUNICATING A report of the Secretary of State, in compliance with a resolution of the Senate of the 17th ultimo, calling for copies of certain correspondence and other papers relative to the republics of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Mosquito Indians, and the convention between the United States and Great Britain of April 19, 1850. FEBRUARY 19, 1856.-Read, referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, and ordered to be printed. To the Senate of the United States: I transmit a report from the Secretary of State in answer to the resolution of the Senate of the 17th ultimo, requesting transcripts of certain correspondence and other papers touching the republics of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, the Mosquito Indians, and the convention between the United States and Great Britain of April 19, 1850. FRANKLIN PIERCE. WASHINGTON, February 14, 1856. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 14, 1856. The Secretary of State, to whom was referred the resolution of the Senate of the 17th ultimo, requesting the President, if compatible with the public interest, "to communicate to the Senate copies of any correspondence which took place between Daniel Webster, Secretary of State, and the British minister and the minister from Costa Rica, in respect to a projet which was submitted to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and the Mosquito Indians, and a copy of such projet with the instructions given to Mr. Walsh, the special agent, deputed by the United States to present that projet to the states of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, as also of such other correspondence as may have passed between him and the said Secretary of State on the subject; as also copies of the correspondence with Mr. Kerr, chargé d'affaires of the United States in Nicaragua in reference thereto, together with any correspondence with the government of Nicaragua or its minister, in respect to the same projet; and also copies of any letters not heretofore communicated, which may have been addressed to this government by the minister of Nicaragua or the minister of Great Britain, in reference to the construction and purport of the convention between the United States and Great Britain, signed April 19, 1850, and proclaimed July 5, 1850, and of the replies made to them, if any, has the honor to lay before the President the papers mentioned in the subjoined list. Respectfully submitted. To the PRESIDENT. W. L. MARCY. List of papers accompanying the report of the Secretary of State to the President of the 14th February, 1856. Mr. Clayton to the Supreme Director of Nicaragua, extract, June 17, 1850. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua to the Secretary of State Mr. Molina to Mr. Webster, March 28, 1851. Mr. Webster to Mr. Molina, March 31, 1851. Mr. Marcoleta to Mr. Webster, (translation,) enclosures, May 7, 1851. Mr. Molina to the same, enclosures, May 8, 1851. Same to the same, May 8, 1851. Mr. Marcoleta to Mr. Webster, (translation,) enclosure, June 3, 1851. Mr. Webster to Mr. Kerr, June 6, 1851. Same to the same, June 6, 1851. Mr. Webster to Mr. Molina, June 10, 1851. Mr. Molina to Mr. Webster, enclosure, June 21, 1851. Mr. Marcoleta to Mr. Webster, (translation,) October 30, 1851. Mr. Webster to Mr. Marcoleta, November 11, 1851. Same to Mr. Kerr, November 20, 1851. Mr. Molina to Mr. Webster, November 20, 1851. Mr. Webster to Mr. Molina, November 25, 1851. Mr. Marcoleta to Mr. Webster, (translation,) December 5, 1851. Mr. Molina to Mr. Webster, April 6, 1852. Mr. Marcoleta to the same, (translation,) enclosure, April 21, 1852. |