Mr. Nelson to Mr. Seward.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatches Nos. 115, dated November 14th, and 116, of November 27th, 1865.
On the 29th ultimo Admiral Pareja, commander-in-chief of the Spanish squadron died suddenly on board of his flag-ship, the Villa de Madrid.
From all the information I have been enabled to obtain on the subject it appears that Admiral Pareja committed suicide. During the two months which had elapsed since the declaration of hostilities he had encountered nothing but disaster. To the resolute attitude of Chili, the unyielding determination of her people, the unanimous disapproval of the diplomatic, consular, and commercial representatives of foreign interests, were added the utter failure of the blockade, the capture of the Covadonga, a defalcation in the squadron treasury amounting to $175,000, and the triumph of the Peruvian revolution; and it is said that the steamer of the 29th, the day of his death, brought him despatches of important and very unsatisfactory character. Mr. Clark, our consul at Valparaiso, had an interview with the admiral on the preceding day and found him apparently in good health.
The circumstances of the suicide are stated upon very reliable authority to have been as follows;
On the afternoon of the 29th he, after dining as usual, walked the deck of the frigate for a short time, and then retired to his cabin, where he wrote three communications, one to the government of Spain, one to Captain Mendez Nunez, commander of the Numancia, (and his successor in the command of the squadron,) and a third to his family. Somewhat later a pistol-shot was heard from his cabin, and some of the officers rushing in, found him quietly cleaning a pair of pistols and firing them out of the cabin windows. He was dressed in full uniform, with all his orders and decorations on his breast, and upon a remark being made on the subject stated that he had put it on to prevent it from becoming moth-eaten. The officers having withdrawn, several shots were subsequently heard, to which no attention was paid; and finally one muffled and deadened in sound, after which all was silence. This was about 7 p. m.
The officers supposing that the admiral was engaged in his correspondence for the mail of the following day, forebore to interrupt him until about 9 o’clock, when observing that he did not as usual come on deck or call the second in command to receive his orders, Captain Lobo entered the chamber and found him lying upon the bed, apparently asleep. Upon attempting to awaken him he realized the fearful truth—that he was dead; and cautiously withdrawing, informed his brother officers of the event. An examination revealed the fact that the pistol had been placed in his mouth and fired, the ball entering the brain and passing out of the left temple. The weapon was still clenched in the right hand.
Orders were at once given to conceal the tragic event from the crew, and from those on board of the frigate Resolucion; and the Villa de Madrid sailed from Valparaiso without the death of the admiral being known, save to his own officers.
[Page 367]In compliance with the Spanish navy regulations, which order the burial at sea of the body of a suicide, the remains of Admiral Pareja were thus disposed of—the corpse being consigned to the waves, dressed in full uniform and bearing all the crosses and decorations he wore at the moment of his death. These facts have only transpired within the past few days.
On the 19th instant the Spanish frigate Blanca, Captain Topete, commander, arrived at Valparaiso from the north, and information of the death of the admiral, but not of its manner, was officially communicated to the foreign men of-war, and by them to the public.
The government of Chili upon learning of the fact, and unaware of the fact of the disposal already made of the body of Admiral Pareja, immediately instructed the intendente of Valparaiso, as an act of humanity, to tender the use of the cemetery of that city as a temporary resting place for the body until claimed by the government of Spain, or by the relatives of the deceased.
Captain Topete replied, in the name of the officers of the Spanish navy, expressing their grateful sense of this courtesy, but informing the intendente that the waters of the Pacific had already closed over the corpse of his commander.
On the 20th Captain Casto Mendez Nunez, formerly commander of the ironclad frigate Numancia, but who, as successor of the admiral, had hoisted his pennant as vice-admiral on board of the Villa de Madrid, arrived at Valparaiso in the latter vessel. He was saluted by the foreign men-of-war, who, during the day, kept their flags at half-mast in honor of the late commander-in-chief.
The new admiral addressed me a note, (A,) date accidently omitted, informing me, as dean of the diplomatic corps, of the death of his predecessor, to which I replied under date of the 26th, (B,) stating that I had informed my colleagues of the event, and expressing our profound regret at so sad an occurrence.
On the 22d he addressed a note to Mr. George Lyon, consul general of Portugal, informing him, as dean of the consular corps of Valparaiso, that from that date the blockade of the ports of Chili was reduced to two ports only, Caldera, the seaport of the mining district of Copiapo, and Valparaiso.
Meanwhile, Chili having thrown open all her ports, and declared thirty-two to be free ports of entry, the blockade is scarcely felt, or not at all, save by the commercial houses of Valparaiso; and the abolition of custom-house dues has even enabled them to import through San Antonio, Papudo, Alganobo, and other neighboring ports. The blockade is, in fact, merely nominal in its effect upon trade.
Great disaffection is said likewise to exist among the ships of the Spanish squadron, some of which have been at sea over four years, during which time the crews have been on shore but three times. On the frigate Resolucion a very mutinous spirit prevails, and fears are entertained for the conduct of the men in the event of an action.
Nothing is known definitely of the position of the Chilian or Peruvian vessels, but it is currently believed that they are fitting out in junction at the island of Chiloe, whence they will sail as a combined fleet for Valparaiso for the purpose of opening active hostilities against the Spanish squadron. The fleet will consist of the Peruvian frigates Amazon and Apurimac, and corvettes Union and America, the Chilian corvettes Esmeralda and Covadonga, and the tenders Independence, Maipu, and Huany. As the corvettes carry some very heavy artillery, they may be able to inflict serious damage upon the Spanish vessels.
The steamer which arrived on the 29th instant brought information that Peru had forbidden the departure of three vessels, laden with provisions, for the Spanish squadron, and that a declaration of war against Spain was imminent. If this be the case, and that squadron be thus cut off from all its resources, with a hostile and by no means feeble fleet awaiting it outside of Valparaiso, the result may be most disastrous to the former.
[Page 368]In the absence of any facts of interest regarding the situation, I deem it my duty to mention those rumors, which have obtained most currency and are generally believed to be true.
I have the honor to remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.