No. 275.
Mr. Silas A. Hudson to Mr. Fish.
No. 18.]
Legation of the United
States, Guatemala,
May 18, 1870. (Received June
29.)
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your dispatch, dated April 19, in reply to my No. 15, and in
which you are pleased to say that “In the absence of the correspondence
with the British minister, to which you (I) refer, the Department
withholds an expression of opinion.”
Perhaps in my brief dispatch I failed to convey a correct understanding
of my intended meaning. I was not a party to that correspondence and had
I been, I should have promptly transmitted the correspondence to you.
The changed feeling ascribed to the government in my dispatch was
produced by the general unfriendly conduct of the British minister, and
that correspondence convinced the government the minister was playing a
studied part. It was known to the government that the British minister
had called at this legation on behalf of Señor Granados, and that I had
refused his request to grant that rebel asylum. It was known too that
Mr. Corbett approved my reasons for that refusal, and had agreed with me
upon a common line of action, that was to govern the conduct of each
toward the insurgents against whom the government had issued orders for
their arrest, should they apply for asylum, and that I had held to the
understanding, and that he had not.
It was known that after the British minister had failed to secure asylum
for Granados at this legation, he secreted him in his own house. * * * *
It was also known to the government that the French and Italian
ministers had absented themselves from this city at this particular
time. * * * * These and many similars acts were made known to the
President and ministry through their secret agents, and convinced them
that Mr. Corbett was false to his professions of friendship for them,
and that he was seeking to compromise me with the government from
selfish motives.
That Mr. Corbett has reaped the severest displeasure of this government
[Page 444]
by his conduct toward it
is well known here, and that by bringing my conduct to the knowledge of
the President and ministry, he has caused them to make known in the most
public and marked manner their approval of it, is also true. Mr. Corbett
desired and believed that the insurgents would, under the lead of Mandez
Cruz, the successor of Serapio, succeed in displacing the present state
officials, and his conduct was shaped to secure favor in the event of
such success.
I believed it to be my duty to sustain the constitutional government in
all its just efforts to preserve its authority, and have done so. But I
advised firmly against harsh and extreme treatment of these political
offenders, and for the mild punishment meted out to them much is due to
my advisement and the favorable opinion the government entertained of my
conduct during the struggle for supremacy.
I have made a careful translation of the correspondence exchanged between
the parties, and herewith transmit you copies thereof and copies of the
official paper in which it was published.
I have the honor to be, with great respect, your obedient servant,
[From the Gaceta de
Guatemala of February 26,
1870.]
ministry of foreign relations.
[Editorial.]
As there has been circulating in public different versions of what
occurred between this government and the British legation, provoked
by the conduct of that legation in granting asylum to Don Miguel
Garcia Granados, the President has ordered the publication of that
correspondence. We also publish the communication of the British
chargé d’affaires, in which he informs ns he has obtained permission
from his government to return to England, and with it the reply of
our minister of foreign relations.
Mr. Aycinena to Mr. Corbett.
Guatemala,
February 14, 1870.
Sir: Haying given notice to the major
general of the army that Don Miguel Garcia Granados is now staying
at the house of your excellency, for whose arrest an order has been
given, for his complicity with the rebellion of Don Serapio Cruz,
the President has directed me to inform you that this government
wishes to know if it be really true, as is reported, that Don Miguel
Garcia Granados is staying in the house of her Britannic Majesty’s
legation?
Approving, &c., &c., &c.
Hon. Edwin Corbett, &c., &c.,
&c.
Mr. Corbett to Mr. Aycinena.
Guatemala,
February 15, 1870.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your note, dated yesterday, informing me that the
President had directed you to inquire of me “If it was true, as was
reported, that Don Miguel Garcia Granados was actually staying at my
house, and against whom an order for his arrest had been given.”
Considering that what occurs within the house of her Britannic
Majesty’s representative, and the demand of whom may live there, to
be matters about which, according to international usages, no one
has a right to ask me to make any explanation, I regret l am obliged
to decline giving any answer whatever to the mentioned communication
of your excellency.
At the same time, permit me to express my sentiments (or regrets)
that it is not possible for me to reply to the request of your
excellency, with whom formerly has existed relations friend]y and
satisfactory.
Approving, &c., &c., &c.
[Page 445]
Mr. Aycinena to Mr. Corbett.
Guatemala,
February 17, 1870.
Sir: I had the honor to receive, at
half-past nine o’clock last night, the communication which your
excellency directed to me, dated the 15th instant, and which is in
reply to mine of the 14th instant. Your excellency states that you
do not consider yourself obliged to answer the demand which I. by
order of the President, directed to you, asking “if it was really
true that Don Miguel Garcia Granados was actually in the house of
her Britannic Majesty’s legation, against whom an order, for his
arrest had been delivered, for complicity with the seditious party
that have disturbed the public order.”
I consider it to be my duty not to admit in all its latitude the
principle claimed by your excellency, that international usages
authorize your unlimited right to deny to the local authorities all
information that they might be directed to ask of matters
transpiring in your house.
The admission of such a principle would be equivalent, under many
circumstances that could present themselves, to annulling completely
the action of justice, and to establish the most complete immunity
for abuses committed within the habitation of a foreign agent. The
government of Guatemala admits and respects the doctrine of
immunity, as the same has been taught by the practice of enlightened
nations, and will always consider it a strict duty to respect such
right.
With regard to the disagreeable incident which has provoked this
correspondence, I have received orders from the President to inform
your excellency that the President has truthful information that Don
Miguel Garcia Granados is really in the house of her Britannic
Majesty’s legation, and that it is with sentiments of sincere regret
that the President finds himself obliged to make this affirmation,
leaving the consequences of a proceeding so strange to the agreeable
relations existing between this government and the representative of
her Britannic Majesty with him. who, without cause, has sought to
alter them.
In complying with the order of the President, &c., &c.,
&c.
Hon. Edwin Corbett,
&c., &c.
[Editorial.]
During the time this correspondence was being exchanged, a body
of soldiers was stationed opposite the house of the British
legation, and sentinels placed on the corners and around the
whole square of the legation building, with orders to prevent
the escape and to arrest Señor Granados, should he make such
attempt.
Afterwards Señor Granados accepted the conditions heretofore
published, and obtained permission to leave the country, when
the guard was withdrawn.
[From the Gaceta de
Guatemala of March 5,
1870.]
Mr. Corbett to Mr. Aycinena.
Guatemala,
February 28, 1870.
Sir: Having observed in the Gaceta de
Guatemala, which I have just received, that the President has
ordered the publication of the correspondence between your
excellency and this legation, relative to the presence in my house
of Don Miguel Garcia Granados, and that the paragraph which heads
the correspondence also alludes to my note informing your excellency
of my intended departure for England, with leave of absence, I fear
it may appear from this that my absenting myself from my post at
this time might seem to have some connection with what has happened
relative to Señor Granados. Therefore I wish to inform your
excellency that since November last I applied for leave of absence
from my post this spring, and received from Lord Clarendon last
month the desired permission. Therefore there is no connection,
whatever, between my projected journey and the incident to which I
have referred, as your excellency is well aware. But, in order to
prevent all misunderstanding on this subject by the public, I would
be much obliged if your excellency would give the same publicity to
this communication which has been given to the before-mentioned
correspondence.
I avail, &c., &c., &c.
Señor Don Pedro De Aycinena,
&c., &c., &c.
[Page 446]
Mr. Aycinena to Mr. Corbett.
Guatemala,
March 1, 1870.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your excellency’s dispatch, dated yesterday, in which you
refer to the paragraph that precedes the correspondence, published
in the last Gaceta, between her Britannic Majesty’s legation and
this ministry and which you suspect may convey an impression that
your projected voyage might have some connection with the
referred-to correspondence.
Your excellency desires to inform me that, since November last, you
had solicited leave of absence and had received the desired
permission las! month and that as there is no connection between
that correspondence and your departure, you wish your communication
to be published to prevent a wrong impression obtaining with the
public on that subject.
In reply I have the honor to manifest to your excellency, that,
really, there does not exist any connection whatever between your
next voyage and the incident which gave birth to the correspondence
published in the Gaceta. For, I am aware that your excellency had
solicited leave of absence long before that incident took place, and
therefore we have no objection whatever to the publication of your
dispatch, and it will be inserted in the next number of the Gaceta,
together with my reply to it.
I take, &c., &c., &c.
Hon. Edwin Corbett,
&c., &c., &c.
