Mr. Tassara to Mr. Seward.
The undersigned, minister plenipotentiary of her Catholic Majesty, has learned that the custom-house at New York has seen itself under the necessity of detaining in that port the Meteor, upon a charge of false register. This circumstance proves the bad faith and the intentions of the owners of the Meteor. It is regrettable that the court, which has given such proofs of impartiality in the course of this affair, should not have comprehended thè management of the owners of the Meteor, and that, departing from the antecedents established in the proceedings, at the very moment When it recognized the culpability of the vessel and condemned her, should accept the security offered by such owners. Although this security was so insignificant and so inferior to the value of the vessel that it was necessary to protest against it, and experts (among them one of the most reputed constructors in this country) estimated the value of the vessel at three hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, without reckoning the cargo, which could not be examined, the security accepted by the court for vessel and cargo is only one hundred thousand dollars. The undersigned knows that the judicial power is independent in its acts, but, in an international question such as relates to that of the Meteor, the government of the United States can and should interfere to obviate the inconveniences of the procedure of the court. Everything causes the suspicion that when the sentence of the judge condemning the vessel became known the question was discussed of taking the vessel out of the port of New York, even by proceeding in a manner contrary to the purposes of the act of neutrality. The owners offer the security when the condemnation of the vessel is made known to them, and when there were good reasons to suppose that it was agreed upon with the agents, enemies of Spain, to employ the vessel in open hostilities, even to calculating the prizes the Meteor ought to make to cover the amount of the security and other outlay. In view of these circumstances [Page 622] the undersigned repeats what he said in his note of the 4th instant, and requests the honorable Secretary of State to give orders to annul the action of the judge in accepting the security, or that the President of the United States, exercising the powers which the act of neutrality grants him, may decree the detention of the vessel until the state of war between Spain and the republics of Chili and Peru be ended.
The undersigned avails of this occasion to repeat to the honorable Secretary of State the assurances of his highest consideration.
Hon. William H. Seward, &c., &c.,&c.