tain. We met with very little obstruction on the river until we reached Monroe; there my pickets were attacked by the enemy's cavalry; the country where we went was in the military possession of the enemy.

Int. 8. What do you know, if anything, of the seizure of a lot of cotton claimed by a man by the name of Le More?-A. All the cotton claimed by Le More & Co. was marked "C. S. A.," with very few exceptions. Whilst I was taking on board cotton claimed by this firm, Mr. Le More came to me and represented himself as the agent of the house of Le More & Co. He stated in presence of witnesses that they had received this cotton in exchange for grayback clothing, which they forwarded to Kirby Smith's army. He not only made this statement in the presence of three or four officers, he also gave me an affidavit signed by himself, which affidavit was sent to Admiral Porter. This cotton, marked "C. S. A.," was seized about one and half miles below Monroe, on the opposite side of the river, and not as I know on any particular plantation. Mr. Le More stated that when they were burning cotton through that section their cotton was protected by Kirby Smith's army. This he stated in answer to my question, why the cotton was not burned with the rest. There was 300 and odd bales; it is 309 bales, I think. I speak of all the cotton claimed by that firm, wherever taken. It was taken from different points, and at the Simmons plantation there was 810 bales, I think, captured there.

Int. 8. Please examine the paper now handed you, marked Exhibit A, and state what you know about it.-A. I took that affidavit and read it to Le More, who said it was correct. He also said that the cotton he paid for in gold was his own cotton, comprising a lot of some 200 bales in another lot. Before this talk with Le More I had seized all the cotton. As we went up the river I seized it as we went; put men in charge of it, and directed men to put it on the boats. A good deal of it I had guards over, although it was not on the boats; Le More saw us taking it on board. When he came down and saw us taking this cotton was when we had this talk, and I took this affidavit shown me, and his affidavit I have spoken of. I think over two-thirds of the cotton claimed by Le More was marked "C. S. A." The conversation which I had with Le More referred to all the cotton claimed by Le More & Co., in all that section of country. This cotton, taken from Simmons's plantation, and the 309 bales, was all taken below Monroe.

Cross-interrogatory by Judge LOGAN:

Q. What was the nature of the obstructions you met with below Monroe ?-A. We met with no military obstructions. They had all been chased away by an expedition, commanded by Captain Ramsay, some five weeks before. Filed November 28, 1864.

GEO. P. BOWEN, Clerk.

Exhibit A, referred to in the deposition of James P. Foster.

U. S. S. LAFAYETTE, April 11, 1864.

We, the undersigned officers, heard Mr. Jules Le More acknowledge that the cotton taken on board by the United States steamship Ouachita belonged to G. A. Le More & Co., of which firm he acknowledges himself the agent; said cotton was purchased from the Confederate Government, for which the firm exchanged provisions and clothing. We also heard the same gentleman, Jules Le More, say that this cotton was paid for in gold at 20 cents per pound. The number of bales taken was 309.

BYRON WILSON,
Lieutenant-Commander.

J. S. WATSON,

Acting Master.

WM. HARRIS,

Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 11th day of April, 1864.

Acting Ensign.

JAS. P. FOSTER,

Lieutenant-Commander, U. S. N., Commanding Second District Mississippi River.

Filed November 28, 1864.

GEO. P. BOWEN, Clerk.

Deposition of Lient. Com'd'r Francis M. Ramsay, in behalf of the United States, taken before George P. Bowen, clerk of the district court of the United States for the southern district of Illinois, at his office in the city of Springfield, in said district, on the 3d day of October, A. D. 1864.

My name is Francis M. Ramsay; I am a lieutenant-commander in the Navy of the United States; was in command of the United States steamer Choctaw, of the Mississippi squadron, while she was attached to the Red, Black, and Ouachita River expe

ditions. When we entered on the Ouachita expedition the whole country, from the north of the Black River to Ouachita City, as far as I went, was in possession of the rebels. On arriving at Monroe, by order of Lieut. Commander J. P. Foster, commanding Ouachita River expedition, I landed, with 150 armed men, and took possession of the city. I was introduced to a Mr. Ray, whose first name, according to my best recollection and belief, was John, as the mayor of the town of Monroe, and was informed he could give me any information I desired. I questioned him, but was unable to get single answer of information. On our way up to Monroe, at a plantation owned by or called Simmons plantation, we seized, to the best of my recollection, about 700 bales of cotton, each bale of which I examined, and found "C. S. A." plainly marked on each. One of the vessels was fired upon going up to Monroe, between Monroe and Harrisonburg, and another on returning. Between Monroe and Ouachita City I seized about 700 bales of cotton. It was in two lots, one lot being on Swan's plantation, to the best of my recollection; the other, I think, on Bartlett's plantation, all of which was plainly marked, when found, “C. S. A.” on each bale. On our way down the river, on a plantation of Ray Brothers, known as Ray's plantation, I seized a quantity of cotton; I don't remember the number of hales, but each bale was marked "C. S. A.," and about 350 bales of cotton in slabs, without any mark whatever upon it. This last, slab cotton, Mr. Ray, who was on the place, whose name, I think, was James L., but am not positive, informed me was the joint property of himself and his brother, John Ray. I seized this latter cotton by order of Lieut. Commander J. P. Foster, commanding that expedition.

It was between the 5th and 20th days of April, A. D. 1864, these several seizures were made. At Trinity, at the junction of Black River, the Tensas, Ouachita, and Little River, the rebels had two forts. At Harrisonburg, on the Quachita River, they have and had five forts. At Monroe they had one, and, I think, two forts. About the 1st of March, 1864, the three guns in the forts at Trinity were captured by me, while in command of an expedition up the Ouachita River, and the day following we had a severe fight with the forces under General Polignac, at Harrisonburg. While the vessels were at Monroe a skirmish took place between the crew of the United States steamer Ouachita and the rebels a few miles above a little town the name of which I don't now remember. It was the first town above Monroe, I think, on the opposite bank, called Trenton. This place, Monroe, had been the rebels' headquarters, and of the rebel General Lidell.

Cross-interrogatories by Messrs. HAY, EDWARDS, and SPRINGER:

The cotton spoken of was all sent to Cairo, so far as I know. They were ordered to be sent to Cairo.

Q. Did the person of whom you speak, on the Ray plantation, as James L. Ray claim the ownership of any other cotton found upon that plantation but the cotton in slabs? And state what he may have said about the ownership of the cotton not in slabs, found on his plantation, and marked "C. S. A."-A. He claimed only the cotton in slabs, but said he had not mentioned this other cotton to Captain Foster, as he had hoped to make use of it for his own benefit, or words to that effect.

Re-examined by L. WELDON, Esq.:

A. I went up Red River as far as Alexandria; the whole country, from the month of that river to Alexandria, was in possession of the rebels at the time we entered the river. About 12 miles below Fort De Russey the river was obstructed, as we found, by two rows of piles driven across and logs drifted down against the piles. Fort De Russey, with its guns and part of its garrison, was in possession of our troops when I got there. I also found Alexandria in possession of the naval and military forces of the United States when I reached there. This was about the middle of March, 1864. The only cotton I seized on this expedition up Red River was 17 bales, in Pineyville, each bale marked "C. S. A."; also 17 bales, about two miles from Pineyville, belonging to a Mr. Gray; also 30 bales belonging to Dr. Maddox, about 3 miles from Alexandria; also 81 bales belonging to a Mrs. H. Robertson, about 2 miles from the river, back of Pineyville. I understand the H in the name of Mrs. H. Robertson applied to her husband, and not to her name. The whole of the cotton captured on this expedition was ordered to be and was sent to Cairo, according to my best knowledge and belief.

Deposition of Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, in behalf of the United States, taken before Nathan Crosby, judge of the police court of Lowell, Mass., and special commissioner at Lowell, Mass., on the 12th day of September, 1865.

Int. 1. When, as one of the military commanders of the Federal army, did you take possession, and how long did you continue, at New Orleans?—A. From May 1, 1862, to December 16, 1862.

Int. 2. While at New Orleans, did you become acquainted with a man by the name

of Jules Le More, a French subject, who claimed to represent the house of G. A. Le More & Co., of Havre, France?-A. I did become acquainted with Jules Le More while at New Orleans, La., and who claimed to represent the house of G. A. Le More & Co., of Havre, France.

Int. 3. Please state all you may know of anything of the commercial operations of G. A. Le More & Co., either through Jules Le More, as its agent, or any other person. State fully all you may know, if anything, of the house of Le More & Co., trading with the rebels, in furnishing them with supplies for cotton. Give a detailed statement of all your knowledge in reference to said house.-A. I was informed through the War and State Departments that certain persons were engaged in supplying the rebel government with clothing. From information I received, arrested Jules Le More and Alfred Le More, of the firm of Edward Gantherin & Co., of New Orleans, their cashier and bookkeeper, and also the officers of the Bank of New Orleans, all of whom were concerned in the transaction. From the books and papers of the firm of Gantherin & Co., and from the confessions of Jules Le More, I learned that that house, through its correspondents at Havre, G. A. Le More," had purchased a large quantity, some millions of dollars' worth, of clothing for the Confederate army, in Fiviers, and that, through the agency of Jules Le More and Alfred Le More, had caused about one-half of the clothing to be delivered at Matamoros, some time in June, 1862, to one Sharkin, the rebel quartermaster and agent for that purpose. That this was paid for. by $405,000, borrowed of the Bank of New Orleans, by J. D. Bow, produce and cotton agent of the Confederate Government, on the pledge of cotton which was understood to be stored upon the Mississippi and its tributaries. In the mean time the money was deposited with Count Mejan, French consul, for safe-keeping, and, after the completion of the transaction, was paid over to Jules Le More in settlement of the account. I therefore imprisoned Jules and Alfred Le More for being concerned with their correspondents and brothers, G. A. Le More & Co., at Havre, in supplying the rebels with clothing for the r army, while they were pretending to be neutral French subjects, and claiming the protection of the United States as such, and I should have tried Jules and Alfred Le More for their crimes, and, upon conviction, should have hanged them, save that I was relived from the department before I got through.

I annex hereto copies of my official report, with the various exhibits, in pages numbered from 1 to 41, inclusive, certified by my signature, and which are, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true copies of the original papers, and which originals were the genuine papers which on their face they purport to be.

My official report contains a correct exhibit of the transaction, as far as it came to my knowledge.

Cross-interrogatories in behalf of G. A. Le More & Co.:

Int. 1. If you know anything of the firm of G. A. Le More & Co., state where the firm resided, and who composed the firm; also your means of knowledge.

Int. 2. Do you know whether Jules Le More was a member of that firm, and your means of knowledge?- A. The firm resided Havre, France, and was composed of Jules Le More and G. A. Le More, and others of whom I have no knowledge. The Le Mores were brothers as well as partners. My means of knowledge were the examination of the transactions of the house, the statements of Jules Le More and Alfred Le More, and of the books of Gantherin & Co., of which Jules and Alfred were partners.

Int. 3. Do you know anything of another firm in New Orleans, of which Jules Le More was a partner, and your means of knowledge?-A. I knew the firm of Gantherin & Co., of which Jules and Alfred Le More were partners, and my means of knowledge were as before stated.

Int. 4. If you know anything of the dealings of Jules Le More in New Orleans, state whether the dealings were for himself individually, or for the firm in New Orleans, of which he was a member, or as agent of the house of G. A. Le More & Co. ?-A. The dealings of Jules Le More were not for himself individually, but for the firm in New Orleans and Havre, of both which he was a partner.

Int 5. If any firm of Le More's & Co. had dealings with the rebels for cotton, or furnished the rebels with supplies for cotton, do you know whether it was the house or firm of G. A. Le More & Co., of France, or some other house or firm, or the firm of which Jules Le More was a partner in New Orleans; and if you say it was the house of G. A. Le More & Co., of France, state what supplies were furnished the rebels by that firm, when they were furnished, and your means of knowledge?-A. Both the houses of Le More's, as well in New Orleans as Havre, were concerned in supplying the rebels with army clothing, of which I have testified in chief. They were furnished in the summer of 1862 My means of knowledge were the confessions of Jules Le More, the statements of his bookkeeper under oath, the examination of books and papers, and the account-current of the transaction, in which the expenses of Jules Le More to Havre, for two journeys, about the matter, are entered.

Filed September 18, 1865.

GEO. P. BOWEN, Clerk.

Official reports and exhibits, referred to in deposition of Benjamin F. Butler.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE Gulf,
New Orleans, November 13, 1862.

Hon. E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War:

SIR: I received the communication of the War Department, inclosing a copy of a letter from the State Department, directing my attention to the statement made by Mr. Sanford, our minister resident at Brussels, a copy of which I inclose for the better understanding of the present communication. In obedience to its directions, I immediately set about making inquiries, through my secret police, and finding it a matter of very grave import, as affecting the relations of the French consul here, I undertook a personal examination of the subject. The facts, as substantiated by the documentary and other testimony hereto appended, are substantially this: The firm of Edw. Gantherin & Co., composed of Edw. Gantherin and Alfred and Jules Le More, doing business in New Orleans, was also concerned in a house in Havana. S. A. Le More & Co., Jules and Alfred Le More, the partners in New Orleans, were also partners in that house. Gantherin & Co. were at first employed in buying tobacco for the French Government. Afterwards they were concerned in shipping cotton on joint account.

They represented themselves to be agents of Baron Silliere, the contractor for French army clothing. On the 28th of July, 1861, as will appear from the copy of a contract with the Confederate Government, herewith inclosed and marked X the original of which is in my possession, Gantherin & Co. agree to furnish the Confederates with a large amount of cloths for uniforms, which are the cloths spoken of in the communication of Mr. Sanford. About the 1st of April of this year, a cargo of the goods were shipped to Havana, and from thence to Matamoros, under charge of the senior partner of the house, Edward Gantherin, now in Europe. That cloth was smuggled across to Brownsville, and delivered to Captain Sharkey, quartermaster and agent of the Confederate Government. The original invoices of this receipt are hereto annexed, marked E and F. Between 14th of April and the 24th of April, the day the fleet passed the forts. Mr. J. D. De Bow, produce loan agent of the Confederate States, made application of the Bank of New Orleans for a loan of $405,000 in coin, without interest, as will appear by the communication hereto annexed, marked C. This proposition was acceded to by the bank, upon a pledge made by Payne, Huntington & Co., the junior partner of which firm was president of the bank, of cotton to be delivered on the plantations in Louisiana and Mississippi. The contract is hereto annexed, marked D. This transaction was not entered into in good faith, as is confessed by the testimony of the acting president, Mr. Davis, taken from his own lips, in short hand, a copy of which is hereto annexed, marked O. But the transaction was a contrivance by which the specie might be got out of the bank. Specie to this amount was placed in the hands of the French consul, with his full knowledge of the intent of the transaction, and a receipt was given by him to hold it in trust for the bank of New Orleans. At the same time a pretended sale of the remainder of the specie in bank, amounting to $400,000, for sterling, was made by the bank, and that was also placed in the hands of the French consul. These two sums, amounting to $500,000, made substantially the whole specie capital of the bank. This is shown by the confession of the only director of the bank who has not run away into the Confederacy-Mr. Harrol. A copy of his is hereto annexed, marked R. Matters stood in this condition at the time the city of New Orleans was taken possession of by us. Upon my assurance to the bank that if they would return their specie they should be protected, the pretended sale for sterling exchange was rescinded, and the French consul sent back the money, and the bank received into its vault $400,000.

In regard to the $405,000, the French consul became uneasy and moved upon the bank to get at his receipt given to the Bank of New Orleans, and gave a new receipt running directly to Gantherin & Co.

At this point of time I ordered all the specie in the hands of the French consul to be sequestered and held until affairs could be investigated. Reverdy Johnson, commissioner of the State Department, came down here, and, without investigation, and without knowing anything of the transactions, and without ever inquiring of me about them, made such representations to the Department of State that I was ordered to release the French consul from his promise not to deliver up any specie he had in his hands, without informing me, which order I obeyed. In the mean time Gantherin & Co. had succeeded in delivering their goods to the Confederate agents, and called upon the bank to get their money, which had been deposited in the hands of the French consul. This delivery had not been completed at Brownsville until the 22d of June, and some time in the last of July the bank, through its officers, gave up its receipts, which are destroyed, and took a receipt which was dated back to the 16th of April directly from Gantherin & Co., so that the French consul's name should not appear in the transaction. These facts are established by the testimony of Mr. Belly,

the cashier of the bank, which is written out and signed and sworn to by him, a copy of which is annexed and marked O, P.

The money was sent on board the Spanish man-of-war Blasco de Garay, which left this port September last, and has now returned, and has been carried to Havana and thence shipped to New York. All this has been done with the knowledge and consent of the consul of France. You will see by the letter of Mr. Sanford the difficulty which the Confederates had of getting more goods on account of the non-payment of the first bill. Another cargo is now in Havana, not to be delivered, of course, until the first is paid for. By this wrongful, illegal, and inimical interference of the French consul, aided by the Spanish ship-of-war, the money has gone forward, so that the holders of the goods will be ready to ship the remainder for the benefit of the Confederate army. A more flagrant violation of international law and national courtesy on the part of a consular agent cannot be imagined.

Before I proceeded upon the investigation, not knowing the extent to which the French consul was implicated, I called upon him, and, after showing him a letter received from the commanding general of the Army, in which I was directed to cultivate the most friendly relations with him, I read him the letter of our minister at Brussels, and told him I should desire his friendly aid in making the investigation, and then asked him if he knew anything of transaction spoken of in Mr. Sanford's letter, or any money had ever been deposited with him for any such purpose. He, in the most emphatic manner, answered me that he knew nothing of any such transaction. He only knew that there was a French house of the name of Gantherin & Co. in New Orleans, and that no money had ever been deposited with him for any such purpose. I then informed him that it would become my duty to arrest and question Alfred and Jules Le More, the resident partners of the French house.

I did so, and they denied all such transaction, or refused to answer, lest criminate themselves. But in the mean time I had possessed myself of their books and papers, and I found two accounts, translations of which I inclose, marked B, A, which show the whole transaction, and which also show that one Kossuth, a clerk of the French consul, whose name appears in the account, received $528.92 as a fee for keeping the money within the French consulate, and that a douceur was given to Madam Mejan for the purpose of "carrying out the affair well." That a lawyer was paid to deal with the consul in this matter, and these, together with the testimony of the president, director, and cashier of the bank, put the guilt of Count Mejan beyond question. Í beg leave to call your attention to this extraordinary amount of expense.

I need not suggest to the Department that it is the duty of the Government at once and peremptorily to revoke the exequator of Count Mejan. He has connived at the delivery of army clothing of the Confederate army since the occupation of New Orleans by the Federal forces. He has taken away gold from the bank, nearly half a million of its specie, to aid the Confederates, acts which could not have been done without his aid and that of the Spaniard ship-of-war Blasco de Garay.

I leave the consul to the Government at Washington. I will take care sufficiently to punish the other alien enemies and domestic traitors concerned in this business, whom I have here. Upon examination of the parties, I found that a box containing all the papers relating to the transaction which were not kept with the commercial papers of the house of Gantherin & Co. was usually deposited with the French consul. I wrote to him very politely to have it delivered to me for the purpose of justice. I have again written him more peremptorily, and he has refused to do so, still concealing the proof of guilt. If produced I believe it will show him to be one of the five parties concerned in the illegal traffic mentioned in the account of expenses. And, however that may be, he now covers the criminal as he lately concealed the booty, which he, his wife, and his clerk, have so largely shared.

I beg leave here to call the attention of the Department to these transactions, as showing that I was clearly right when I ordered the specie deposited in the hand of Count Mejan to be sequestered. His flag has been made to cover all manner of illegal and hostile transactions, and the booty arising therefrom.

I am glad that my action here has been vindicated to the world, and that the Government of the United States will be able to demand of the French Government a recall of its treacherous and hostile agent.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Exhibit.

BENJ. F. BUTLER, Major-General, Commanding.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C., October 22, 1862.

GENERAL: The Secretary of War directs me to transmit to you, for your information, the inclosed copy of a communication this day received from the Secretary of State, covering a copy of a dispatch of the 26th ultimo, from the minister resident at Brussels, in relation to contracts entered into by insurgent agents with manufacturers