The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-31 00:00:00

The Surrender of the Stonewall•

The following is the text of the correspondence
between the United States Government and the
Spanish Minister at Washington in reference to the
Stonewall :

MR. TASSARA TO ME. SEWARD.
Washington, July 14, 1865.

The undersigned, Minister Plenipotentiary of her Catholic
Majesty, has the honour to bring to the knowledge of the
honourable the Secretary of State, that agreeably to official
communications which he has received from Madrid, the
order has been given to the Captain-General of Cuba to
deliver the war vessel Stonewall to the person whom the
Government of the United States may commission, the
due formalities intervening. In thus acting the Govern-
ment of her Majesty judges that the reasons adduced in the
note of the 30th of May last aro not sufficient to found
the right of revindication which that of the United States
believes it has over the forementioned vessel. Animated,
nevertheless, by the same noble and loyal sentiment which
it has shown during the four years of the war happily ter-
minated in this country, it omits entering into a discussion
without object, and the Stonewall is placed at the disposal
of the Government of the United States. With reference to
the security for the expenses to the commander of the Stone-
wall of $16,000, which sum having been considered as the
sole and special cause of the surrender of the vessel, it is
to be believed that the Government of the United States
will not refuse to reimburse it ; it being understood, never-
theless, that this is not a condition for the delivery of the
Stonewall, which delivery is and must be considered abso-
lutely unconditional. The undersigned avails himself of this
occasion to reiterate to the hon. Secretary of State the as-
surance of his highest consideration.

'.3r A Illt lEL G. TASSARA.
To the ion. the Secretary of State of the

United States.

MR SEWARD TO MR. TASSARA.

Dept-runt:Liu UI Wasuingtuzi, July 17, 1600,

The undersigned Secretary,of State of the United States
has the honour to acknowledge the receipt of a note which
was addressed to him on the 11th instant by Mr. Tassara,
Minister Plenipotentiary to the Queen of Spain. In that
note Mr. Tassara informs the undersigned that her Catholic
Majesty has ordered that the armed steamer called the
Stonewall, which has been the subject of previous corre-
spondence between the two countries, shall be delivered up
to the Government of the United States, and that this deci-
sion has been made with a waiver of discussion upon the
questien whether the demand of the United States for the
surrender could be maintained upon strict principles of in-
ternational law. Mr.,Tassara has been pleased also to assure
the undersigned that the surrender has been ordered on the
ground of the mutual goodwill whichhasprevailedbetween
the two countries during the period of the insurrection which
has heretofore so greatly disturbed the relations of the United
States with many of the foreign Powers. The undersigned
is still further informed that while Spain will receive from
' the United States, as they heretofore offered to pay, an in-
demnity of 16,000 dollars, the amount of the expenses which
the Captain-General of Cuba incurred in obtaining posses-
sion of the Stonewall, yet that the surrender is tendered
without making it dependent on such reimbursement as a
condition. Mr. Tassara's communication has been sub-
mitted to the President of the United States, and the un-
dersigned has now the pleasure to inform Mr. Tassarathat
orders will be promptly given for the bringing away of the
Stonewall from Havannah, and the reimbursement of the
sum of 16,000 dollars to the Spanish Government. It only
remains to be added that this Government appreciates
equally the promptness, the liberality, and the courtesy
which have marked the proceedings of her Catholic Ma-
jesty's Government on this interesting subject, and that the
proceedings will have a strong tendency to confirm and per-
petuate the ancient and traditional friendship of the two
nations.

Tho undersigned avails himself on this occasion to offer
Mr. Tassara renewed assurance of his highest consideration.
WILLIAM H. SEWARD.
To Senor Don Gabriel Garcia y Tassara, Minister
Plenipotentiary, Ste.