The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-03-29

will be prepared, when you present the de-
mand, (tor indemnity and reparation,) to APP
prise this Government of the course she intends
! to pursue in this matter-and that course will
be either disayowal of the acts of her officials
in Cuba, and an immediate tender of satisfac.
: ton, or the assumption of the responsibility of
unfolding their conduct"
: Mr. Soule, going beyond this, says to the
, Spanish Government, pay this indemnify
| $780, 0o-dismiss the Cuban officials from
J ofice-comply with these just demands in
, forty-eight hours after you have heard them
or, you will be held as having deterrained to
uphold the conduct of those officers.
; 1t is needless to say that no Government,
deserving the name, would submit to such
: dictation as this. Spain would have merited
contempt had she not promptly rebuked the
indignity
On the 18th, M. Calderon, in a note to Mr..
Soule, refers to the great mass of documents
concerning the case laid before him, the diff
Guilty of translating them, and the fact, that the
day which followed their delivery was Sunday,
} and remarks that his reply, considering all
this, is not only without delay, but with prompt
ness. Whenever" he says, "the Government
shall have before it the authentic aud complete
data, which 1T lacks at present, it will propose
to her Majesty resolution conformable to JUS
tice. The demand for an immediate decision.
on an &c parte statement, does not reveal a
conciliatory disposition, and compliance with it
would be incompatible with the dignity Of a
nation which respects itself, and involve an
inexcusable act of arbitrariness and injustice"
He proceeds to assure Mr. Soule of the friendly
disposition of the Government, and its determi-
nation to act promptly, so soon as it shall have
, the testimony of both parties, and closes with
dignihed notice of the peremptory style in
, which the American Minister had seen proper
to demand redress:
"Permit me, in conclusion to impress on
the mind of your Excelency, that the Govern
ment of her Majesty, jealous also of its deco
rum is not accustomed to the harsh and impe-
rious manner with which it has been pressed +;
which, furthermore, is not the most adequate
for attaining the amicable settlement which is
wished for"
No right-minded man can fail to see, how
completely the Government of the United
States, by the hasty and excited action of its
Representative is put at disadvantage in a
case in which it has clearly the right on it's
side.
April 18th, Mr.. Soule replies in a heated
tone, closing what he has to say on $50 I'M
grateful subject" with the expression of
"hope that her Catholic Majesty's Government
may, before it is too late, come to more concil-
| lot rAoOl,ao - II h. L L
Of the records Of the legation, as we'll as those
of her Majestys Department of State, being
loaded with reclamations bearing on grievan-
ces the most fragrant, which have never been
earnestly attended to- &c. This gave rise to
correspondence between the two functionares,
in relation to these grievances, which were
particularized by Mr.. Soule, and discussed at
length by NJ. CalderOn.
May It'll, the Prime Minister writes to Mr..
Soule that the statements expected from Ha-
vana had just been received, and would be care
fully considered by her Majesty's Government.
He assures him that no insult was offered to
the American flag, and that, as the pecuniary
matter had been settled with the proprietors of
the Black Warrior, there is no lonker valid
claim for indemnity. The letter having been
transmitted to Mr.. Marcy, he wrote long and
very able reply, dated June 22d, bsinging to
light facts overlooked by NJ Calderon, and ex
posing the fallacy of his argument. OF. this
we shall have something further to say.
Meantime, Mr.. Marcy did not dream of the
state of negotiations at Madrid He must have
supposed that his Instructions would have been
carried out in such a way as not to ALLEVIATE
the Spanish Government, while convincing it
that the United States were in earliest For,
on the Sd of April, only about two weeks after
he had sent off the dispatches relating to the
Black Warrior affair, he wrote to Mr.. Soule,
investing him, by order of the President, with
full power to enter into convention or treaty
for the purchase of Cuba How utterly he
must have misunderstood the relations of Mr..
Soue to the Spanish Government Mr.. Marcy
states that the reasons for this step are, " the
unsettled condition of public affairs in SPAIN"
and "the troubles which may ajtse in the
island of Cuba, from the experiment now ma
king to introduce a new system O supplying
the demand for agricultural labor in plain
words, from the supposed attempt 70 introduce
free labor into the colony. Whit watchfu
guardianship over the interests of slavery
Mr.. Marcy, with simplicity quite refreshing
in 50 shrewd a diplomatist, remarks, that the
enlightened statesmen of Spain must see that
the period for dissolving the connection be-
tween Cuba and the Home Government is fast
approaching the natural connection
of Cuba is with the United States-under our
system of government, such a connection
would secure to the people of that island the
benefits of our political institutions" &C., &C.
To be sure, he apprehends there may be some
difficulty in inducing the Spanish rulers to take
this view, but "the President INDUCES the hope
that you Mr. Soule) will succeed in presenting
the matter SO strongly to these rulers as to
overcome the national prejudicesl" Undoubt-
edly, Mr.. Soue had the gift of presenting mat
ters strongly, but unfortunately, in just such a
way as to arouse and inAame Irrational preiu-
dices."
The burden of this despatch, from beginning
to end, is the acquisition of Cuba; and from
the prominence assigned to the subject of the
substitution of slave labor by Free it is evident
that this is the consideration that makes the
President so urgent. If the plan " should be
gone into extensively" says Mr.. Marcy" and
carried out in good faith, it will inevitably
Ahricanize the island" off such be really in
tended by Spain, the sooner it is known here
| to be her settled policy the better for oil con-