Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-11-27

most judcious for the purpose Of again pointing the at
tenton of the Spanish Government to the alleged pre-
Of the tenure by which Spain supposed to
hold her possessions in this quarter and to obtain for
your Government the best intelligence which is any way
connected with the subject.
Whether recent reports or are not unfounded or
exaggerated it is nevertheless highly desirable that you
should sound the Government of Spain in order the
United States may know its sentiments and purposes with
the certainty and dstinctness that those Of the
United States have been unreservedy and repeatedly
made known to it,
copy of my letter to the Consul has just been placed
by me in the hands of the Chevaer DArgaiz Minister
of Spain, in Washington
Private and confidential.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
a#.. WASHINGTON, JANUARY, IA, 1843
SIR: communication, from q highly respectable
source, has just been received this Department. which
purports to contain information of serious nature
regard the present condition of the island of Cuba that
the President has to the conclusion that expe
dent to lose time in ascertainng if practicable how
far the real facts of the may correspond with the
representations The Of the individual from whom
these accounts have for good reasons withheld
1t is sufficient to say that they from the island
and have been transmitted from thence by aperson of
high standing, whose statements we told by those
who know the source, believed to be entitled to
much consideration those of any individual in Cuba
Acting under this belief and influenced by the consdera
ton that this Government has frequently received inma
tons from various quarters in regard Cuba which give
color of probability to the statements which have thus
been recently received, the President has instructed
to make this communication to you, call your attention
to the matter and to desire you transmit all the nfor
nation you possess, obtain, in regard to it.
The necessity of absolute secrecy every thing that
relates to the inquiries you directed make and in
the transmission of their result to your Government has
Obliged us to send to Havana special messenger, who
will take charge of and deliver to you in person this
letter, and who will be directed to remain with you for
some short time to afford you opportunity to prepare
reply and to mpart all the intelligence which may be
within your reach.
1t proper, however apprize you that it is highly
desirable that there should be little detention pos
sble the President is exceedingly anxious be well
informed upon the subject at the earliest practicable
moment.
The messenger is unacquainted with the contents of
this letter. and it is not necessary desirable that the
subject of this correspondence should be in any way made
known to him. The amount of the information which has
been received this the writer represents himself
bound In honor not to reveal what he has made known
his correspondent in the United States to the local
thorites Of Cuba for which only be guess
ed at
His statements confirmed as they appear to be in some
particulars by various occurrences of public cha
racter with which you cannot but be familiar
sidered as entitled at least to serious attention and to call
for immediate examination and inquiry.
is represented that the situation of Cuba is at this
moment in the highest degree dangerous and critical and
that Great Britain has resolved upon its ruin that Spain
does not or will not this intention and that the
thortes of the island are utterly incompetent TO meet
the crisis that although according to the treaty of 1917
the savetade ought not to have been carried by any
subject Of SPAIN it has nevertheless been continued in
full vigor up to the year notwithstanding the nces
SAINT circumstances of the British Government which was
better informed it is sad from month to month"; Of every
thing that took place in the island than the Captain
General himself 1t is alleged that the British Ministry
and abolition societies finding themselves foed eluded
by e colonial and the home Governments have therefore
resolved not perhaps without secretly congratuating
themselves upon the obstinacy Of SPAIN upon accomplish
ing their object in different method by the total and i'm
IT, -. a AZ FL. mi -
there in great numbers Offering independence to the
creoles condition that they viii unite with the coored
people in effectng general emancipation Of the slaves
and in converting the Government into black military
republic, under British protection. The British abolition
lists reckon the naval force Of their Government sta
toned at Jamaica and elsewhere and said to have
offered two large and to have proposed
to the Venezuelan general Marno who resides at Kings
ton Jamaica, to take the command Of an invading army
This is to be seconded is suggested by instruction
Of the slaves and free men Of color supported by the
white reoles.
If this scheme should succeed the influence Of Britain
in this quarter 1t is remarked will be unlimited With
500 600 blacks in Cuba and 800 900 in her West India
islands, she will is said strike death blow the ex-
isence of slavery in the United States Intrencbed at
Havana and San Antonio ports as mpreqnable as the
rock of Gibraltar she will be able to close the two en-
frances to the Gulf Of Mexico and even to event the
free passage of the of the United Sates over
the Bahama banks, and through the Florida channel.
The local authorities believed not to be entirely
ignorant Of the pers which environ them but are re-
garded torpid not be competent understand
the extent and mminency of those pers the policy
by which Great Britain is guided.
The wealthy planters described equally blind to
the great danger in which they stand Of losing their PRO-
pery, They 20 on, it is said, usual buying negroes
camoring for the continuation Of the trade and denounc
ing sedous persons and friends Of Great Britain the
few who resist the importation Of slaves and encourage
the immigration Of free whites.
The writer points to the Of the population Of the
island, taken by authority, and just published of which
he encoses copy and from the proportion between the
different coors he nfers the probability that the white
creoes will be able to preserve their rights in the future
Bthiopco Cuban Republic and as to the Spanards he
presumes that they win leave the island at once The
writer very naturally supposes that the United States
must feel deep solicitude upon subject which so
nearly concerns their interests and tranquility
lie seems anxious that public opinion in this country
should be formed upon and properly directed and does
not hesitate to express the opinion that he mass 81 the
whus population Of Caba easy circumstances including the
gdnards prefer and nil Arrays prefer, the Reg Of the
United States 10 Mafof England En-, st -
In thus communicating TO you the substance of the
statements Of this writer Jon will distinctly understand
that your Government neither adopts rejects his
speculatons II is with his statement Of supposed facts
that it itself and 1t is expected that you will
examine and report upon them with scrupuous care and
With much prompness strict secrecy and discretion
will permit; and the whole Of the statements is now inn