Year: 1875

yeillance over the telegraph. He found


means to forward it to London, whence 1T


was transmitted to US yesterday This


despatch is fitted rather to pique public


curiosity than to satisfy it. 1t shows that


''there is something in the wind; that


a mysterious diplomatic correspondence is


going on between our government and that


of Spain; that unusual precautions are taken


to keep the substance Of the negotiations
from the public knowledge, and that it is
deemed so delicate and SO urgent that long


dispatches are sent in cipher. 1t is known


that Cuba is the subject, and the haste and


the secrecy may be accounted for by sup


posing that President Grant l. anxious To


reach some result in season to send special


message to Congress when il reassembles


after the holiday vacation. From Wash


ington We learn that a report prevails


there that America has appealed TO Eng
land, France and Germany for a JOINT


Intervention in Cuba, but without satisfac


tory results 50 far. Whether Spain is keep


ing her temper Or losing it a few days will


tell. and tie coming Of Jovellar to Havana as
! Captain General, vice Valmaseda is, to a GER


tain extent pledge that moderation in deal


ing with rs is the present Spanish keynote


That part of President Grants annual
Message which related to Cuba is as yet an
unsolyed enigma, unless it relates to the at


tempt to procure joint Intervention, as
stated vaguely in our cable despatch, and
circumstantially from Washington. He
went into detail Of reasons why our
government cannot recognize the in
dependence Of Cuba, nor even accord
to It belhgeFent rights and had he
stopped there nothing could have been more
tranquillizing than that part Of the annual
Message But after closing the discussion
on the two great heads Of independence and
belligerent rights, he went on to throw out
obscure intimations that there was something
in the background which he could not yet re
veal. telling Congress that important negotia-
tions were in progress, and that when they
reached a termination he would send in a
special message on Cuban affairs. This mys-
terious supplement attracted more attention
abroad than it did at home, the foreign press
regarding it as the reverse Of reassuring The
London Daily Nelos, which has no Spanish
likings, said in its comments on this part Of
the Message: -"We have no sympathy what
ever for the Spanish government in trihing,
as il seems to do, with the Cuban insurrec-
ton, and allowing the Spanish volunteers to
keep mp reign of terror in the name of the
mother country But peremptory interfer
ence. such as President Grant seems to inti-
mate, would create general sympathy with
Spain, and, however it might affect the state
Of parties at home, would detach from Pres-
dent Grant and his administration the moral
support Of all the outside world. We hope,
however, that no such meaning lies behind
his words, and that his threatened further
appeal to the present session Of Congress
would only be for support in some further
diplomatic step in the removal Of scandal
Of which the Americans justly complain and
which public opinion generally will sustain
them in urging the Spanish government to
cure" The London Times in commenting
on this part of the Message, said:-"But all
these soft phrases are merely the prelude to
a peculiarly sharp note of menace. The
President throws in, as if half carelessly, the
threat that if SO ruinous' a conflict should
not be speedily brought to an end, it must
soon compel the States suffering therefrom
to consider what their interests and their
duty may demand


We infer, from the dispatches we print to-
day, that the peculiarly sharp note of men
ace which the foreign press detected was
correct Interpretation, and that the Presi-
dent, in spite Of the reassuring parts of the
Message, means to precipitate the Cuban
question to crisis. In going over the ''sharp
note Of menace in the light Of more recent
developments it is not difficult to discern in
it determination to compel Spain either to
promptly wind up the Cuban trouble and
restore peace to the island or to face outside
Intervention for this purpose. IL alludes 70
certain proposals Of the Spanish government,
the full text Of which, he SAYS. had not
reached him. for the settlement of the island,
and adds:-"P Persuaded, however, that a
proper regard for the interests Of the United
States and Of its citizens entitled to relief
from the strain to which it has been sub
jected by the difficulties Of the question, and
the wrongs and losses which arise from the
contest in Cuba, and that the interests Of
humanity itself demand the cessation Of the
strife before the whole island shall be laid
waste and larger sacrifices be made, shall
feel it my duty, should my hopes Of salts
factory adjustment and Of the early restora-
ton Of peace and the removal Of future
causes Of complaint be unhappily dIsap-
pointed, to make a further communication to
Congress at some period not far remote, and
during the present session, recommending
what may then seem to me to be necessary"


Public opinion at Madrid regarded this
part Of the Message a. a threat as was shown
by our Madrid dispatches at the time, and
the cable message We print to-day proves