Office of the Historian
[Translation.]

Mr. Romero to Mr. Hunter

Mexican Legation in The United States Of America, Washington, May 10, 1865.

Mr. Acting Secretary: I have the honor to transmit to you, for the information of the government of the United States, a copy, in English, of a note which I this day received from Señor Lerdo de Tejada, the minister of foreign relations of the Mexican republic, dated from the city of Chihuahua, on the 23d of March last, and marked No. 102, in which the views of the Mexican government are communicated to me, with reference to the note which I had the honor to address to your department on the 6th of February previous, protesting against the acts of the French agents in Mexico, with which they are attempting to make the republic responsible.

I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to you, sir, the assurances of my distinguished consideration.

M. ROMERO.

Hon. William Hunter, &c., &c., &c.

[No. 102.—Translation.]

Department of Foreign Relations And of Government, National Palace at Chihuahua, March 23, 1865.

In the copy annexed to your note No. 31, of February 6 of this year, the citizen President of the republic has seen the protest which you communicated Under the same date to the honorable Secretary of State of the United States, with reference to the report that the French government had resolved to order its agent, Maximilian, to sign a pretended cession of a large part of the territory of the Mexican republic.

The President approves your conduct, although in this matter the republic has already protested from the beginning, by many of its legitimate organs, and of all its constituted authorities, against all the acts and consequences of foreign invasion.

Neither the republic nor its government can ever be holden for the debts of the French agent Maximilian, whose only title to authority is that lent to him by the presence of the armed forces of France, and who could not sustain himself in Mexico for a single day without the support of foreign bayonets.

The Mexican people, represented in the national congress, has solemnly declared its intention not to cede any part of the territory, whether large or small, to any nation. For this reason, in the laws enacted by congress, which conferred the most ample powers upon [Page 603] the government, even that of concluding treaties with foreign powers, the restriction was inserted that, in any treaty so concluded, the integrity of the national territory should be respected.

If Maximilian, in obedience to the orders of Napoleon, has signed or should hereafter sign a pretended cession of a portion of the territory, this should not be surprising, for, in order to do so, he must have set aside every consideration for the rights and will of the Mexican people, all respect for the national honor, and even for the sentiment of personal dignity, from the moment when, through of assumed authority, he determined to play in Mexico the part of the submissive agent of the French government.

I renew to you, sir, my very distinguished consideration.

LERDO DE TEJADA.

Citizen Matias Romero, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the Mexican Republic, Washington, D. C.