New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-29
Dcnartment Of state.


Washington. Jan -. Is92
Sir: have The honor to acknowledge Your favor
dated the I'D inst. but not received hy until
Monday the 25th. ! beg to comment two three
Of its recita,. think from real for your country
you have made some mistakes which shall proceed
to correct
You are right In saying that considered The pro.
ccedngs Of the Government Of chill In making the
judicial Investigation Of the unhappy affair nj Val
psiaiso entirely priseworthy. But you will remcm-
Der that early the 2jth Of November | com
paincd Of the length Of the judicial proceedings. and
from time 20 tine renewed the complaint saying to
YOU very lately that the had already been eighty
days In session considering matter which In the
United states would have been wholly disposed Of IN
two three weeks. Nou replied that the spanish
law was slow In IT. processes. but exact In it, CON
illusions; and with your st tcm,nts had to be- con-
tent, though impatient for Il final judgment.
Your offer Of arbitration never conditional AID
exact. Had it been would have insisted your
ducnc it b. writing, for it would have been my duty
10 lay before the President i,r confederation Iut
unable 10 report mere verbal cAchans, - views
between a, an agreement 10 asbitatc. You did say
20 several times that IA that distant future wh,n
the Clian Court should render its judgment ~ the
United States should not be satisfied with ~ the two
countries would arbtratc the matter. And even then
yOl always maintained that Chill would not voluntarily
propose arbitration herself. bat would do when re
qucstcd by friendly Power TO tahc that course.
o. tine occasion you mentioned spain a nation likely
to intervene with Chill most effectively Your mention
Of arbitration ws always a. method to he adopted in
the ulIrc il were not content, | have said with
the judgment Of the court You remarked that TO
ADOPT before would be di-crcdlupg the judgment Of
the court in advance. You always looked to the
future for the proposal and acceptance Of arbitration
You say in your note: a. took occasion 10 In
form you on the lst Of January that my Government
authorized to conclude agreement looking TO
arbitration and my Government subsequently approved
the agreement concluded by m.7 And yet you DO not
pretend that word written Of the agree.
mcnt which you say made between 1t Is i'm
possible that ever sought bind the Government OF
the United States in that way. II would have been
In the highest degree mprudcnt for me to do So
In regard to the Malta note which was the subject
NJ contention between u.s. you IL up by the follow
ing declaration: :" added, however, that 1t far
from being the purpose of my Government 10 act In
manner at all offensive the President Of the United
states or to any member Of his Cabinet. and that Mr.
Mattas note II rightly Interpreted admitted Of no
such construction.
e! afterward had the honor TO inform you that
had received instructions from my Government To In
form that 0f the United states that considering the
views exprtsscd by Mcssrs. Buchanan and Webster In
ls49 and sjO that the sent by the President
10 Congress are domestic communications which cannot
serve AS basis for the Interpretation Of foreign Powers
or their representatives, my Government had obIcc
ton to striking Of the note OF December II such
words ms might DO considered dsagrceable by the United
States Government
THE APOLOGY FOR THE malta NOTE.
Bv vonr own statement you evidently attempted To
Justify the Malta note. certainly could not accept
vour language aud never did accept language OF that
kind AS An apology sufficient for the case The Malta
note was highly dscourteous % the President and the
SECRETARY Of the Navy, mputlng 10 them unrut ana
lnsincerIlv such language does not admit Of
conditional or contingent apology which you offered.
4 could be apololzed for oaly by frank withdrawal.
You always contended that IL was II communication
between officers OF your Government and that IL
was not proper for this Government 10 take any cog
nizance OF H. You quoted the weltknown declaration
In the Iulsemann in regard 10 the message OF
President u Congress not being subject TO criticism in
foreign country You did not the great difference
involved by your Government sending the Malta cir
cular to all the legations OF Chill and requesting its
,cycral Ministers 10 publish II 50 that Chill was not
ONLY responsible for the dsc0urteOS language. but for
| il, publication throughout the civilized word. That
son did not comply with ChIl's request 10 publish II
here the strongest proof Of your own disapproval
| the note.
In regard TO Mr. Egan. you comp aimed many times
and very bitterly To me. Especially wns he descrv
ing OF cemsurc you thought for not communicating
to his Government the brutal murder VI some young
men who were slain by order OF Balmaceda. When,
on the next day, l showed you the dispatch of Mr.