Mr. Seward to Mr. Koerner.
Sir: I have received your despatch of April 10, No. 87, and I have read with much interest the account it gives of a conversation between yourself and Mr. Pacheco on the subject of the civil war in St. Domingo. It is, indeed, very hard for a state to reverse its step sand retreat from a position that has been deliberately taken in the face of opposition and resistance. There is nothing more sensitive than national honor. Nevertheless, I shall be surprised if it do not appear in the sequel that every attempt to restore European dominion in America ends in disappointment. That disappointment may be delayed until the successful close of our own troubles shall allow the prestige of the United States to be restored. A republic, like every other institution, has its perils to encounter, and its penalties to pay for yielding to jealousies, supineness, and faction.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Gustavus Koerner, Esq., &c., &c., &c., Madrid.