The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-04-18
PRICE TWO CENTS

permitted to publish extracts from private letter
received by the President from that gentleman on
Saturday evening, which gives an account of this
happy result:
PARAGUAY COMMISSION,
Asuneion Feb. 11th, 1859.
10 ms Ereettency James buchanan
President of the United States.
SIR: have the honor to inform Won that this
COMMISSION has been emnently successful. not
merely in settling all our difficulties here in neace
fu and friendly manner, but in anIora;npp tba
sphere OF our commercial privileges in these waters
ana extending the time OF the treaty. and in sucb n
way as to enlist cordial sympathies and strengthen
All this you would find in nv dispatches rroto
coils, and the treaties themselves, returned bv mo
to the State Department; but as that would imnnso
laborious research, have thought proper to give
you the important points through the brief medium
of private letter.
When arrived on these waters things looked
gloomy enough.
When we reached Montevideo all seemed distant
and reserved-indeed unkind. | determined 10
dissolve that icy reserve, and give them a better
impression of us, as | knew every sentiment here
was rapidly carried inland throughout the country.
The Commodore and myself, after three days of
delay, succeeded in procuring an interview with
the President OF Uruguay. 1t was stately and for
nal, until | convinced him that our purpose was
neither war, desolation, nor conquest He then
threw Off his reserve, and, shaking my hand warm
ly, expressed great delight at hearing sucb senti
ments from me. L observed in the crowd of Off
cials around us that the Secretary for Foreign AZ
fairs was not there. therefore, on the same even
ing, called privately upon him at his house, and
completely disarming his hostile feeling. At the
beginning he told me frankly he was the friend of
President Lopez; at the conclusion be avowed him
sell our friend, and, with my permission, ne would
lmme ediately advise his friend Lopez of our lofty
and elevated sentiments, and desire fer peace
. when reached Parana, the capital of the Argen-
tine Confederation, | met General Uruuiza the
President nd had 1npr, ;o1o. III
tenor of which is preserved by my secretary Mr.
ard, and sent to the State Department. General
UrqulZa, who is every inch soldier, and who in
that interview, by his chivalrous frankness, had
Won rapidly upon my confidence, rendered me his
mediation, which of course | was forced to de-
cline, as l informed him. for two reasons-frst,
because my instructions had not Anticipated such
event and, second, because two ont of the
three points OF difference points of honor,
and nation, no more than an individual could
arbitrate its honor. But | assured him that
whilst was compelled to decline his meditation as
the bearer OF the olive branch, and knowing the
views of the Administration, and its anxiety for an
amcable but honorable adjustment of these unban-
py difficulties, should feel grateful to him for anv
kind Offices he might employ in carrying out these
peaceful views. As | closed these remarks the
General, with kind of electric spontaneitv spranp
from his seat, and striking his breast fercely with
his hand sad am a soldier, but a man of peace:
and, as friend of peace, and friend of your Gov
ernment, | accept your invitation, and will meet
you at AscunciOn
| reached here on the 24th January and General
Urquiza had anticipated me several davs Within
an hour after our arrival and before left the ves-
sci, Senior Amaral, the Brazilian Miuister, called
upon me and offered his mediation on behalf
of his Emperor. declined it for the reasons above
and invited his friendly offices in like manner As
surng nm OF our desire for peace and friendship if
we could have them with honor. He warmly ac-
cepted my invitation for his friendly offices.
Our consul called directly after, and came ashore
WI with him. Everything looked cold and distant
The people seemed not to know how to behave
towards me, and gazed at me as they would upon
some evil thing cast amongst them. The very
first thing did Shore as my position was doubt
ful, was to address a note to Senor Vasquez Sec
retary OF State, &c, informing him of my presence
in Asuncion, and desiring him to fix a time to see
me, that we might arrange interview with the
President. He promptly replied, and we met next
morning. We had a pleasant interview, and fixed
the time for the Presidents reception for the next
day after.
Soon after my arrival | learned from Gen. Ur-
quza that would be cordially and kindly received
by the President. This information induced me to
abandon the address | had prepared, briefly re-
viewing all the points and difference and maintain
ing our position and hastily prepared another of
mere courtesy and kindness, leaving the on
the points for the future. At the reception was
accompanied by Commodore Shubrick, his suite,
and all the officers of the Fulton in full uniform
making line appearance The President
magniticently dressed, with his suite of officers in
uniform, and received me kindly and courteously,
Nth his chapeau-bras, g'itering ,oh gems and lace
under has arm. Indeed, the reception was all tha.
could be desired. | did not let him exceed me in
courtesies. l mention these things because there
has been constant trouble here about forms and
receptions.
Directly after the interview learned through
Gen. urquiza that my speech and manner had had
wonderful effect in softening down the President,
and that he was so charmed with the whole pro-
ceedings that everything would be for me open to
a free and frank intercourse. Upon this hypothe-
sis, it was arranged that should proceed alone in
my negotiations, but that would let no hitch con-
clude them without giving him (the General) an
opportunity to reconcile such differences
My interviews then with the President com
menced daily, and sometimes twice dav, and were
always cordial, frank, free and harmoniZinp We
became better friends at every meeting, but could
not agree upon all points. Finally it was proposed
that our next meeting should he held in presence of
Gen. urquIza, Gen. Guido, his minister, and Sr.
Amaral. promptly accepted. When we met no
one but Gen. Urquiza and his private secretary
were present. We commenced the discussion of
the points of difference by one, ,and as we set
tied them, they were reduced to writing. We then
drew up an agreement, which was signed by the
President and myself. This was the crowning glo-
ry of the whole affair, and in the general ioy over
it General Urquiza embraced President Lopez.
by the settlement we makea treaty, with
changes liberazing it; a convention to settle the
companys claim; ten thousand dollars to the family
OF the sailor killed on the Water-Witch; receive a
satisfactory letter of regrets and apology for this
affair and the treatment of the government apents
with full permission to explore the rivers
Ihls negotiation is looked upon here as an i'm
nense triumph IN diplomacy, as only few months
ago Lopez refused to renew the treaty with En-
gland. He has not only renewed ours and enlarged
its sphere but what's worth more than all for our in
terests is, that he has done it in very friendly
spirit. When we closed our meeting, agreeing upon
the points, he made me little speech, which my
modesty would not permit to record He
touched my sympathes when he spoke of Paraguay
standing alone, and he traduced by foreign minis
ters, who created the difficulties, by Withholding
hInNfh fhn Jtnt 10 l.
cheerfully and warmly gave me credit for treating
him in all our intercourse with the most delicate re-
spect and esteem, and said he would paw some por-
tion of the debt of gratitude he felt to me for it by
informing you OF 1T in autograph letter,
From the people here have met with nothing
yet but kindness, particularly after it was known
that my first interview with the President was so
agreeable They were much alarmed at our expe-
dition, and this news seemed to lift burden from
their hearts. They are simple inoflensive peo-
pie, governed, should Judge, with a despotic
rule, under which they seem to flourish. They are
a lively-spirited people, and remarkably neat and
clean for an Indian mixed race. The market place
in the morning is beautiful spectacle, to see near
ly a thousand women, all dressed in pure white
clean dresses, and all barefooted. To wear shoes
here is high mark of aristocracy. You can see
every hour in the day nearly, handsome women
Except the tawny color,) with bright ewes and
rich suits Of black hair, with Swiss muslin dresses
hounced rom the waist down, walking in bare feet
through the streets. The soil is very sandy, and
they pretend they cannot walk well in shoes
The ideas of great wealth, which have been made
to flourish so conSpicuously in the accounts we
have had of them, vanish into air at the touch of
truth. ! see here nothing but unmistakable evil
dences of poor but happy, laughter-lovng people,
made to assume better appearance than their
nelghbors from the strong hand that rules them
Their government is of the cheapest character i'm
aginabe, and the revenue to support it is mainly
derived from monopoes on articles of produce,
somewhat peculiar to the country. The revenues
from customs must be small, as they are certainly
neither producing nor very consuming people,
This revenue is chiefly spent on an army and for
fort cations. As the President is the fountain and
Of all power he is also the recipient and the
disburser of all revenue, which, in the es of SIM
pie people, confounding the individual with the
State, makes up the account of that fabulous wealth
about which so much has been said.
This is a small State, claiming some six hundred
thousand inhabitants and having scarcely four hun
dred thousand, and they nearly all Indians of the
Guaranee race, civilized under the rigid rule of the
Jesuits. They are not an industrious race in our
sense OF that word; they only comparatively in
dusrious in contrast with their neighbors who are
perfectly indolent and unambitious beyond the ne
cessities of life from day to day. Such popula-
ton Is not likely to make very rich State. Their
country is no doubt very productive in articles ofa
peculiar and valuable character, such as Yerby or
Paraguayan tea, and many medicinal plants and
gums, and peculiar woods of the forest; but beyond
ourselves in quality, and nothing to compare to US
in quantity, with an equal population. They can
produce sugar cheap, as the plant lasts for many
years. and they have beautiful staple of cotton,
but they raise neither beyond mere supply of their