Exit Lord Sackville

Washington City, Oct. 81.- By directioo of the president, tbe secretary of state terday informad Lord Sackville that for causes heretofore made known to her majesty's government his coutinuance iu his present official positiou in , the United States is no longer acceptable to this ptovernment, and would consequently rimental to the relations butueuu tue two conntries. The grounds of this action on the part of the United States are stated in a report of the seeretary of state to the president, Uated the 29th instaat, which is as follows: To the President: The undersigned has the honor to submit for your consideration the following statement, with a view to receive your direction thereon: On the 4th of SeptemberSist, a letter purporüng to be written by one Charles F. Murchison, dated at Pomona, Cal., was sent from that place to the British minister at this capital, io which the writer solicited an expression of his views in regard to eertain uusettled diplomatic questions between the United States and Great Britain, stating at the same time that such an expression was sought by him for the purpose of determining his vote at theapproachingpresidential election. He stated that he was a naturalized citiztsn of the United States, of English birth, but that he still considered Eugland the mother land, and that this f act led him to. seek advice from the British representativa in this country. He further stated that the information he sought was not for himself alone, but to enable him to give eertain assurauces to many othér persons in the same situation as himself, for the purpose of influencing and determining their political action as eitizens of the United States of English birth, but who st 11 regarded their original obligatious of allegiance as paramount. The letter also contained gross reflections upon tha conduct of this governmeut in respect to questions now in coutroversy and unset tled between the United States and Great Britain, and both directly and indirectly impued insincerity ín such conduct. To this letter the British minister at once replied from Beverly. Mass.. uuderdate of the 13th of September last. In this reply he stated that : 'any politica! party which openly favored the mother country at the present moment would lose populaiïty, and that the party in power is iully aware of that f act;" that ia respect to the "questions wilh Oauada which have been unfortunately reopened siaco the rejectiou of the [fisheries] treaty by the Republicau majority in the senate, and bjr the presidente message to which youallude." l'AU allowancesniusttheref ore be made tor the politica] situation as rejcards the presidential election." The naaister thus gave his assent and sanction to the aspersious and imputations above referred to. Thus, iindei" his correspondentes assurance of secreey, in which the minister coneurred by markinghis answer "private," he undertook to advise a citizen of the United States how to exerclse the franchise of suffrage in an election close at hand for the presidency aud vice presidency of the United States, and through him, as the letter suggested, to iulluence thü votes of many others. Upon this correspondence being made public, the minister received the represeuiatives of the public press, and in frequent interviews with them, iiitended for publioation, added to the impugnments which he had already made of the good faith of this goverument in its public action and international dealings. Althoush ampie time and oppoituuity have been afforded him for the -disavowal, moditieatiOD, orcorrectiotiof his statements, to some oL which his attention was called personally by the undei-signed, yet no such a disTowal or modificotion has been made by hun through the chauuels iu which bis statements first f ound publicity. The queslion is thus presented hetherit is compatible with tlie dignity, security. and independent sovereignty of the United States to permit the represeutative of a for igu goverumeut in this couutry not only to receive and answer without disapproval, and oonfirm by his repetition, aspersions upou its political action. but also to interfere in {ts domesüc affairs by advising persons formerly his countrymen, as to their political course as citizens of the United States. As between this country and Great Britain there can be no controversy as to the severance oL the ties of original allegiauce by uaturalization. Disputes on this point were fully put at rest by the ttvaty of naturalizaron conduded between tïie two couutries ou the J;-ítti day oí' May, 1870. Theretore it will not be contended, nor was Buch conteution ever admitted by us, that citizens of the United States of British origin are subject to any claim of the country of . their original allagianee. The undersigned also has the honor to cali attention to the provisions of sectiou 5,335 of the revised statutes of the United States, by which severe penalties are visited upon the Citizen of the United States who, without the authority or permission of this government, "commenees or carries on any verbal or written correspondence or intercourse with auy foreign goverument or any ofñcer or agent thereof," either with an inteut to influence the actiou of such government or its ageats in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or with au iutent 'to defeat the measures of the goverument of the United States." Those penalties are made equally applicable to eveiy citizen of the Uuited States, not duly authorized, who "couusels, advises, or assists u auy such correspondence'' with similar unlawful iuteut. The uodeisigned respectfully advises that the attentiou of the attorney general of tiie United States be directed to these enactmeuts, in order that an investigation niay be made with a view to ascertaiu whether they have not been violated in the present case by the correspondent of the British minister. By your direction the attention of the British governmeut has iu a spirit of comity been called to the conduct of its u.iuister as above described, but without result. It therefore becomes necessary f or this goverument to coasider whether, as the guardián of its om self-respect and of the integrity ot' its institutions, it wül permit further intercourte to be held through the present British minister at this capital. It is to be observed that precedent are uot wanting as to the question undar consideratlon. It is a settled rule, essential to the maiutenance of international iutercourse, that a diplomatic; represeutative must be persona grata to the government to which he is accredited. If, by lus couduct, he renders himself pörsona uon grata, an announcement of the fact may be made to bis government. In the present case all tlie requirements of comity have been duly commuuieated to her majesty's government with an uxpressiOQ of the opiuion of this governmení ia reeard thereto. Kespectfully submitted, [Signed.J