Mr. Perry to Mr. Seward
Sir: The newspaper press of Madrid made a good deal of noise over the failure of the Dominicans to fulfil some of their engagements with the Spanish generals and their declining to deliver the prisoners of war; inciting this government to renewed acts of hostility, and taking ground that by this conduct of the Dominicans all former laws or engagements for abandoning San Domingo were void and ought not to be regarded, but, on the contrary, a vigorous continuance of the war was now necessary to Spanish honor, and that this government must now take measures to make a permanent establishment in the island.
The partisans of O’Donnell, who had made speeches and cast votes in both houses of the Cortes this spring against the withdrawal of the Spanish troops from San Domingo, in opposition to Narvaez’s wise policy, were supposed to be in honor bound to sustain their own doctrine, now that they were in power, and to retain possession of the island, or at least of that magnificent bay of Samana which the United States are so anxious to occupy, which is the key of the West Indian Spanish colonies, and which France and England were also preparing to seize.
I early became convinced, however, that the O’Donnell ministry were not overmuch rejoiced with this opportunity to put in practice what they had said in opposition to Narvaez in January last, and it was pretty soon settled that, come what might, the solemn renunciation of sovereignty in San Domingo which had been voted in the spring time would be sustained this summer.
It is not necessary for us to inquire whether the fall of Richmond may have had anything to do with this change of opinion in the original annexation party here, since the change is so evidently counselled by the true interests of Spain herself. That event, however, had intervened. The law renouncing Spanish [Page 554] sovereignty in the island was recent and complete. Our protest against its assumption in 1861 I knew was still fresh in the memory of this government, and the present state of affairs in the interior of Spain and Cuba had come to give a force to the especial form of that protest which it perhaps did not possess when it was written.
I might have felt called upon under certain circumstances to renew it, subject to the Presidents approval; but as things were I preferred to wait, keeping a close watch upon the course of the affair here; and the prudence of this course was soon evident.
You will have received from Mr. Tassara a copy of the recent circular of Mr. Bermudez de Castro on this business, which clearly showed the wishes of this government. Immediately upon issuing thus paper, the minister of state started from Madrid to join the prime minister and the court on this northern coast, and I came also. The news of the surrender of the Spanish prisoners by the Dominicans reached the government here, and is the source of unfeigned satisfaction.
In our conference of yesterday, Mr. Bermudez de Castro told me that he should now write a second circular, which will be immediately sent to Mr. Tassara, declaring that, the difficulty about exchange of prisoners having been settled with the Dominicans, Spain retires completely and definitively from that island.
Mr. Bermudez de Castro has been frank and explicit on this point, and it is with sincere pleasure I transmit to you this result of our conference yesterday, which you will soon have officially confirmed to you by Mr. Tassara at Washington.
With sentiments of the highest respect, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington.