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Show 4 Doc. No. 49. young Combs· and his American associates, or for any other proper purposes necessary for their safety and liberation, will be bo~ne by this Go~ernment , and will be defrayed by yon, and for them you will draw on tim. DepartJnent, specifying in your drafts their purpose, and sending w11h them such vouchers as yon may be able to procure. . The interest which we feel for Combs, whose .case has been parhcular!y present~d to us, and for Mr. Kendall ~lso, will lead _to the despatching of ~ this communication in the way most hkely to carry It !!oou to your hands. I am, si r, your obedient servant, DANIEL V\'EBSTER. To PowHATAN ELLIS, Esq., Jlnvoy Extraordinary, 4·c., Mexico. P. S. Since the above was written , application has been made in behalf of Mr. J. C. Howard, a youth of nineteen years of age, who was also with the expedition, and who, we are informeU, was_not a citi~en ofTexa_s. You will likewise inquire into his case, and Uo for !11m any thmg else which you can do with propriet y. D. \V. Jl{,·. IJ'ehs fer to 1lfr. Rllis. No. 38. DEPAKT~IENT OI-' S·rATE, IVashington, January 6, 1842. SIR: I adUressed you on the 3d i11stant, in behalf of Franklin Combs and Mr. Kendall, captured by the Mexican army, with the Texian expedi~ tion, ncar Santa Fe. The object of this is only to SHY (what, perhaps, you would not have failed to understand) that, if it should be fonnd that other American citizens were made captives, under like circumstances, and with similar claims to immunity and release, you will ex&rt the same interfer ~ ence in their behalf. I am, with regard, yonr obedient servant, DANIEL WEHSTER. To PowHATAN ELLis, Esq. , E'Jvoy E:l'lra01'dinary , ~·c., ftfexico. Mr. IYebslrr to M1·. Pe.IJion.-E x tra c/ s. ( PRIVATt:.) \VA SIIINGT0:-1 1 Janum·y 6, 1842. Os:.o\K S1R: Yeur letter to the President, of the 21st of December, has been read by him with great interest and anxiety, although it was not the first communication upon the subject Letters had been previously received from General Combs, and information communicated from other quarters, upon which immediate steps were taken. A special messenger has been despatched from this Department, with an instruction to our minister at Mexir J, of which I enclose a copy. The President will interfere for the • . , • Dor. No. 49. 5 life and safety ol y~ung Combs, to th_e full ex tent of_ his duty. · You must be_ aware of the delicacy of the qnest10n, at least as 1t presents itself to 11 ~ without more lmo wledge of the fa cts. -· . ~h e President _wishes tht:l most efi:Cctual means tak en, consistent with JllStJcc and propnety, to sccttrc his safety. • )> .. On receipt ofthi ·r you _should _be of opinion tilat the object in view would be promoted\1 sendm_g .a pn:-ra te ag~nt from New Orleans, to co-operate with the Amerf. can mtmster 111 MeXICO, the Presidc\11 is wil\ina that such uge ut to be s leered .by _you, sho~tld be imn~ediatdy despatched; and his nec~ssary eZ: ~enses will be defwyed by ll11s Dcpartmeut. He cannot receive any pub. he ~haracter, as we have a minister on '.he spot; but the Pres ident's g reat <1estre to do all_that can be done lt~ds In~ to say that if you think a pri ~ vate agency might be useful, he w1shes 11 to be inst itut etl, and that yon would sel7c1 s uch pers~u as you deem the fittest for such duty. He the more r ea_dii~ submtts th1s part of the case to }'O tlr discret ion, as, before this commu_mcatwn shall reach_ New ~rleans, you may very probably be in possessiOn _of much more IIJ~o.r m at iOJ~ than has as yet reached us; and ~l~e~~e~~~0~tkcly to be many Clt iZCI!s of New Orleans who are acquainted .~s th is ageuL will_ have 1,'~ public C'haract<>r, l1c cau ordy act under tli ~ rec~JOn of the Ame JI C~n munster, to whom he will report himself 011 his ar~1~al. .And the m::un adva n ta~~ to be e xpecteJ from such agcucy is th1s ·. tha_t a person of re.spectabtllty aud address, well acq ua inted with i~1 ex 1co, Its m a t~ners and l a n~unge, and perhaps wit h its present aut hori~ tic s, and acquamtcd, abo, wi!h the character, famil}', and connex ions of ~ombs, Kendall, an? .other American citizPns who ll1ay be in like condi~ li ~ n , may, by unofhc1al m_ca 1 1~ and_ j)(>rsonal effort~, co-operate usefull y wllh l\lr. Eilts. [f ron _r lnllk I[ nd~J!<ab_l c, on the w_h~IP, that such :-tgcnt bf' employed , you w1ll g1ve a. copy of tins letter as h1s ms tru ctions The collector of Ne~v Or!ea.ns will have inst ruct ions to convey Air. 1\l c~ Rae to the fitt est p~ t~llll 1\lexJco, by the rf'venue c11tter or oth er the most pro~1pt mode; an? d you should tlllnk it useful th a t ~ u c h private agcm as 1s above me}1IIOn~d should proceed to Mexico, lie may- nse the same conv~ya~1ce. \ nu will SCP 1by the enclosed tlwt, although not appliNl to by h~s fn~nds,_ i\lr. Ken_Jall s case ho.s not. been _o_ \'crloohd; and it i~ the Pres1dc~t s wtsiJ, th:1~ _r f any- other Amf'ncan ctttzen, itHJOcPntly iu com~ pa11y w!IIJ the expedtt10n, should !Ja,•e fallen iu to tile hand~ of the i\f ex 1 ~ caus. au ~ ·qual interfert•ncc may I)(' madP. in his behalf. I :-tm. &c. B.un: P•:v-ro:-o;, Esq. l/. s Disl . .!III OJ'III'_Ij, New o,-/1'(11/f . n~: J•.,wr:.u:N'I ' 0 )' S ·I'A 'U;, IVa.Yhin!(lon , ,/an uory fi, 1842. lhAR Sut: .Mr. ~ - I L l\ l c l_~~e is the ben~er of u despatch from this De. p~ r t me nt to i\lr. Ellis, our HJllJI Ster at J\Iext~o. ~f c has left this city for N~w Orlea ns b~ the _So uth ern rout e. On h1s a rnval, it is the Pres id ent 's wtsh that you gH·e lnm the most spet-d}' conveyauc.J, L}' the r•.•venue cutler |
