The interview of July 6 had been preceded by several unofficial ones, with persons intimate with President Guzman, in which I had anticipated the instructions of No. 51, received this day, and had declared my firm belief that the United States Government would insist on its demand, and would be sustained by Congress and the people. These interviews being sought by the President's friends gave me an oppor tunity to express, with great freedom, my views as to the course of Venezuela. I have, &c., [Inclosure 1 in No. 86.] THOMAS RUSSELL. Mr. Russell to Señor Blanco. UNITED STATES LEGATION, July 7, 1875. SIR: Upon reading anew your excellency's note of June 11, in which you argue against the payment of the amount deposited on account of the United States claimants, and ask that the note may be transmitted to the President of the United States, it occurs to me that I ought to lay before your excellency and your government the act of Congress of February 25, 1873, which is as follows: "Be it enacted, &c., that the adjudication of claims by the convention with Venezuela of April 5, 1865, pursuant to the terms of said convention, is hereby recognized as final and conclusive, and to be held valid and subsisting against the republic of Venezuela.” Your excellency will see that the Executive of the United States is bound to consider the awards as obligatory and final, while this law remains in force. The President cannot set aside and annul, or even suspend, what the legislature has enacted into law. It has seemed to me that the force of this law, not "resolution," has not been appreciated. I am convinced that upon consideration it will be seen that while the law remains upon the statute-book the Executive of the United States only performs a plain duty in demanding the money, which is now deposited on account of the North American claimants, under the awards of the commission; and in my view the compliance with the demand to make payment, in no way adds to nor takes from the respective rights of either nation in the matter. I must be allowed, therefore, to renew the demand contained in my letter of May 15, and I take this occasion to renew to your excellency my assurances of distinguished consideration. His Excellency Hon. Dr JESUS MARIE BLANCO, THOMAS RUSSELL. Minister of Foreign Relations. [Unofficial.] [Inclosure 2 in No. 86.-Translation.] Señor Blanco to Mr. Russell. CARACAS, July 15, 1875. I am occupied in the preparation* of the note of your excellency of the 7th. The arrival of the New York steamer, and her immediate departure to-morrow, will not leave me the necessary time so that your excellency may receive it in season for this occasion, for your excellency knows that I am charged with two departments of business; but as I desire that you should know it, I can tell you that the funds deposited and those which fall due in future will be delivered to the legation with the security of the rights of Venezuela. With sentiments of consideration, I am your excellency's obedient servant, To His Excellency Mr. Thomas Russell, &c., &c. * Probably the words "de la contestacion" of the answer are omitted from the letter, which was written in haste. No. 87.] No. 691. Mr. Russell to Mr. Fish. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Caracas, July 26, 1875. (Received August 24.) SIR: I have the honor to inclose a copy of a note received July 17, from Dr. Blanco, with a translation. It places at my disposal the funds deposited for United States claimants under the awards of the mixed commission, and offers monthly payments in future. On the same day I had the funds transferred to my account as minister, and I send bills on Loudon for the full amount, 64,308 venezolanos, £12,366 188. 6d., by this mail. No. 88 contains, with the bills, a full account of them. My reply to Dr. Blanco's note was as follows: LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, July 21, 1875. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's note of the 17th, answering my note of the 7th, placing at my disposal the funds deposited with the Company of Credit, on account of United States claimants under the awards of the joint commission, and promising monthly payments in future. I received this decision with pleasure, and am confident that such right action on the part of the enlightened government of Venezuela will have due effect in preserving the proper relations between the two countries. To prevent all misunderstanding, permit me to state that I regard this as the unconditional payment which I was instructed to ask. The United States receiving these amounts on account of the awards is perfectly free to dispose of the money received, in any way and at any time that seems right to that government, subject only to its own sense of justice. This statement is not necessary for your excellency, nor for his excellency the President of the United States of Venezuela. But it is made from abundant caution, to prevent misapprehension by others at any future time. I have further to say, that on July 15 I received a dispatch from the honorable Secretary of State of the United States of America, in which I am directed to make it distinctly known, when occasion arises, that the Government of the United States of America will never consent to any revision of the proceedings of the joint commission, with a view to set aside their decisions, believing that such a concession would be not only unprecedented, but unwise in itself, and of bad omen and influence for all governments, including that of Venezuela. I take pleasure in renewing to your excellency my assurances, &c., &c. His Excellency Hon. Dr. JESUS MA. BLANCO, THOMAS RUSSELL. I have, &c., &c., THOMAS RUSSELL. [Inclosure 1 in No. 87.-Translation.] Dr. Blanco to Mr. Russell. CARACAS, July 17, 1875. The undersigned, minister of foreign relations, has had the honor of receiving the note dated the 7th of this month, in which Hon. Mr. Russell, minister resident of the United States of North America, repeats his demand that the amount may be delivered to the legation which is deposited with the company of credit on account of what the republic owes to North American citizens. The honorable minister is pleased to express as the foundation of his demand that the Executive of the United States of North America is bound to consider as binding the awards of the mixed commission while the law of February 25, 1873, remains in force, which recognizes and declares them valid and subsisting, and that therefore he only performs a simple duty in demanding the money that is on deposit on account of said awards, adding that the act of agreeing to the payment neither adds to nor takes from the rights which the two nations respectively have. His Excellency the President of the union, being possessed of the contents of said note, has ordered the undersigned to answer the honorable minister as follows: In compliance with a decree of the Congress of Venezuela, and convinced, morally and legally, that the most scandalous corruption was the moving power of the commissioners and of the umpire who formed the tribunal created by the treaty of April 25, 1866, the national executive has claimed and will continue to claim the nullity of its acts, and cannot but hope that the enlightened North American Government, in view of the mass of proofs which show the fraud of the judges, will agree that their decisions are not binding, and [consequently] on the consequent revision of the claims. As the justice of the demand of Venezuela is evident, and founded thereon her confidence in obtaining it, His Excellency the President has judged and judges that the anticipated distribution of the whole sum applied to the payment of legitimate dues of North American citizens will favor, with injury to them, the false claimants leagued against the treasury of the republic, and the very swindlers who shared more than half of the awards made. For this reason, in announcing to the respective legations their quota of the customs-revenue set apart for foreign claims, he established the condition that the amount coming to the North American legation on account of what Venezuela should turn out to owe finally to citizens of that republic should not be distributed, and said condition not having been accepted, the government ordered the deposit, on which it has insisted with many solid reasons. But official communications from the minister plenipotentiary of Venezuela in Washington, of the dates of May 30 and June 21, just received, have persuaded His Excellency the President that through wrong understanding of the true causes, the non-delivery of the money deposited influences, to a certain point, the North American Government not to give attention to the chief matter submitted to its consideration, and as His Excellency desires that every motive may disappear which in any way can paralyze the comprehension and decision of the question of right, and His Excellency wishes, moreover, to give a new proof that it is not the magnitude of the awards, still less the wish to elude the performance of any agreement, but the honor and dignity of the republic, which is the consideration that has operated on the mind of his government in asking the nullity of the tribunal which made the decisions, has resolved to place at the disposition of the North American legation the amount which the company of credit holds on deposit, as also that there shall be delivered monthly, through the treasury of the public service, the amount which the note of July 29, 1873, sets forth, in which is made known to the legation the share which belongs to it, in the prorata of 13 per hundred applied to foreign claims. The undersigned must add that his government agrees to make, and will continue making, said payments without giving up its rights, which it expressly reserves, to continne its efforts for the nullity of the tribunal guilty of fraud, and under formal protest against the distribution of the funds, His Excellency the President does not doubt, but rather hopes, that the honorable minister, penetrated by the right action and sincerity of the government of Venezuela, will use his merited influence to effect that his Government will please to undertake to consider the proofs on which the republic founds its unquestionable right to ask, as it has asked, that the nullity of the tribunal and the revision of its decrees may be ordered. The undersignedtakes occasion, &c. JESUS MABLANCO. ALPHABETICAL INDEX. Anti-Slavery Society: same subject; too late for the United States to send representatives... Acapulco: attack on the Protestant church at; interview between Mr. Foster and court of. (See Proclamation.) .1030-1084 1093 the United States requested to participate in a conference to be held in 590 motion in respect to the principle introduced in the Dutch Chamber of 987 Argentine Republic: election for President and Vice-President inauguration of President Avellaneda. acts of violence against the Jesuits at Buenos Ayres.. celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the independence of the treaty concluded by Dr. Tejedor rejected by the Paraguayan government. amnesty issued by President Avellaneda.. Asylum: revolutionary events right of, case of Mr. Poso in Bolivia refused to insurgents at La Paz .. Austria-Hungary: ministerial crisis financial troubles Avellaneda, Dr. Don Nicolas : his inauguration as President of the Argentine Republic. his speech at the opening of the Argentine Congress. 4, 6, 17 3 48 48 9 28 B. Barbary States. (See Morocco; Tripoli; Tunis.) Basle, Bishop of: appeal to the Federal Assembly of Switzerland for his restoration..... his arrival in Egypt and presentation to the minister for foreign affairs... prize offered by the King for intellectual researches notification of the termination of the treaty of 1858 with the United Bolivia: military outbreak at La Paz defeat of the revolutionists under General Quevedo second revolt at La Paz and burning of the palace.... Boker, George H.: communication addressed to him by American missionaries and teachers SS FR Page. finances of the empire revenue system... Biddle, Thomas: United States minister to Ecuador; his warm reception by President Bolivia: Boundary: defeat of the insurgents at Youngar and Cochabamba ....... opinion of Mr. Marsh, umpire in the case.. question between Switzerland and Italy. Brazil: conventions between Brazil and certain foreign powers for the settlement failure of the legislative chambers to pass appropriation bills before ad- 442 87,89 749 750-754 conflict between the church and state.. disturbances in; relations with the River Plate republics. depression in commercial affairs... review of the finances... extra session of the Legislative Assembly difficulty with the Argentine Republic.... law for the punishment of certain acts committed by foreigners beyond Brice, General: his death from the effects of a wound received in an attack on his house at Brussels conference: project of an international declaration regarding the laws and customs of war, protocol................ Russian circular respecting. 683 .1014-1021 .1022-1025 .1025-1034 1038 1041 1047-1051 1051 C. Calendar: adoption by Egypt of the Gregorian in place of the Coptic.... 1348 Canal, Boisrond: seeks asylum in the United States legation in Hayti 6-6-693 same subject: correspondence between Mr. Bassett and the Haytian minis- ter for foreign affairs.... 693-701 views of the Department of State on the affair..... 701 correspondence between the Department of State and Mr. Bassett.686-708, 710-727 728 sailing of the Powhatan..... 729 settlement of the matter and embarkation of the refugees 734,748 correspondence between the Department of State and the Haytian minis- satisfaction to be demanded of Honduras for the insult offered to the United .127, 138, 142 postal service of Guatemala.. 127 salute fired to the British flag for the outrage upon Mr. Magee, British 128 earthquake in Guatemala... boundary question between Guatemala and Mexico.... contract to build a railroad from San José to Guatemala.. 129 133 134 135 public schools of Guatemala..... attempt to overthrow the government of Costa Rica.. 137, 148 139 |