Mr. Seward to Mr. Tassara.
The undersigned, Secretary of State of the United States, has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the note of Mr. Tassara, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of her Catholic Majesty, of the 28th ultimo, accompanied by a copy of correspondence between Lieutenant Winslow, commanding the United States steamer R. R. Cuyler, and Captain Vinalet, commanding her Catholic Majesty’s frigate Pinola.
Mr. Tassara represents that the United States cruisers frequently approach close to the shores of Cuba, and chase vessels within the jurisdiction of that island.
Such proceedings, Mr. Tassara may be assured, have not been authorized by and cannot be approved by this government, which highly appreciates the friendship of Spain. There is, however, one passage in Mr. Tassara’s note which seems to require special attention. It states that the Petronila found various United States vessels cruising at such a distance from the coast that [Page 520] they could not belong to the fleet employed in blockading the ports of the insurgent States. If, in point of fact, the United States cruisers were in the position referred to, they may not have belonged to the blockading fleet, but may have been employed in asserting other just belligerent rights of this government, without trenching upon the sovereignty or disregarding the neutrality of Spain. A copy of Mr. Tassara’s note has been sent to the Secretary of the Navy, with a request that such instructions may be given to the United States naval commanders in that quarter as will for the future prevent any just cause of complaint on the part of her Catholic Majesty’s authorities.
The undersigned avails himself of this occasion to offer to Mr. Tassara a renewed assurance of his very high consideration.
Señor Don Gabriel Garcia y Tassara, &c., &c., &c.