Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session of the Thirty-ninth Congress

[Extract.]

Mr. Peck to Mr. Seward.

No. 18.]

Legation of the United States of America, Port au Prince, Hayti, November 18, 1865.

Sir: The last despatch which I had the honor of forwarding to the department was of date October 28, 1865.

In that despatch I recited the main incidents, as they had then come to hand, of an affair between her Britannic Majesty’s steamer Bulldog and the insurgents of Cape Haytien. From this unexpected affair important results have proceeded. An outline of them is as follows:

After blowing up his vessel, as narrated in my last, Captain Wake, of the Bulldog, proceeded to Jamaica, and reported to his superior officer there what had occurred to and through him. His report decided the admiral to send to the Cape a force which could either compel Salnave to make such reparation as was thought necessary, or in case of obstinacy on his part, inflict on him proper punishment. Accordingly two men-of-war came from Jamaica, and taking on board at this place Hon. Spencer St. John, her Britannic Majesty’s chargé d’affaires near this government, proceeded to the Cape and made an imperative demand on Salnave. Reports differ as to the tenor of this demand, and I will not now undertake to repeat the differing statements, or to decide between them as to their truth. When Mr. St. John returns to this place, I shall get the facts from him, and will report them in connection with another and more correct account of the Bulldog affair, which I shall take the liberty of forwarding to the department.

Whatever the demand was, General Salnave did not choose to comply with it, and in the end, on the morning of the 9th instant, the British ships opened fire on the defences of the town, and soon reduced them to ruins. With the way thus cleared, President Geffrard made an assault, and by night his troops were in possession of the town, which meantime had been fired by Salnave’s men. The fire was soon extinguished by the government troops, with comparatively little damage to the town.

While this was passing, General Salnave and some thirteen or fourteen of his associates went on board the United States gunboat De Soto and were taken by her to some unknown point.

The capture of the Cape permits the government to regard the revolution as ended, and it has published hopeful proclamations to that effect. But the indications are that the triumph is not likely to be permanent. The bombardment of the Cape by British guns has touched the national pride at a mo3t sensitive point. All classes, including friends of the government, unite in denouncing it bitterly. This has, on the one hand, greatly weakened the government, and on the other united the parties opposed to President Geffrard, which have hitherto been at odds. I fear the end of the revolt has not yet been reached.

News from Jamaica respecting the means, regarded by the most of people here as atrociously cruel, by which the provincial government has put down the rebellion in that island, has greatly inflamed the enmity against the British which the Bulldog affair has excited here, and has led to much acrimony against whites in general. This new irritation bodes no good to the foreign interest.

There was current here, some days ago, a report that our government had set up a protectorate at Cape Haytien. Being convinced from what I heard from reliable sources that the report was being widely propagated, and that it was doing much mischief, I addressed to the minister of foreign affairs a note with respect to it, of which the accompanying paper is a copy. I took the note to the minister in person. He received it politely, but thought (as I had somewhat expected he would, for just now it is to the interest of the administration to have our government misunderstood by the people) that the publication of it, which, as will be seen, I had requested, would do more harm than good.

The minister of foreign affairs informed me a few days since that the government would immediately make formal complaints, through me, against Captain Walker, of the De Soto, for giving shelter to Salnave, &c. I have not yet received the promised paper.

* * * * * * * * *

We have news to-day that the republic of Santo Domingo is once more in revolution. Biaz, the old rival of Santanna, and often president of the republic, bas returned to the country. The city of Santa Domingo has declared for him. Cabral has fled to the north, and it is supposed that he will lift the standard of a movement for the separation of the north from the south. Meantime a third uprising has occurred in the part of the republic which borders on Hayti, having for its object the annexation of that country with this. Thus the elements of new troubles for this poor island are at work. God only knows the end.

May I once more pray our government not to forget American citizens and property, which are exposed to unknown perils on this quaking soil.

I have not received any communication from the department since my arrival, nor has there been an American man-of-war in our port, except for about twelve hours.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. E. PECK.

Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State Washington, D. C.

Mr. Peck to Mr. Aug. Elie.

Legation of the United States of America, Port au Prince, November 4, 1865.

Sir: This morning’s post brought me from Gonaives a letter in which the writer informed me that it was currently reported in the north that a fleet of United States vessels, carrying troops from that country, had arrived at Cape Haytien, and, after receiving from General. Salnave a surrender of the town, had set up, in the name of the government of the United States, a protectorate.

Since the receipt of this letter I have learned, in various ways, that the report conveyed by it has general circulation, and is seriously affecting the public mind. A prominent man in another town writes to his correspondent here that he is making arrangements to leave the country, as he is not willing to be subject while in Hayti to a foreign government.

Under these circumstances, I feel constrained to ask your excellency to make a public contradiction of this foolish and hurtful story. I speak of the story as being foolish, for it is indeed so. My government is jealous of all interference by other governments with its own affairs, and the immunity it asks for itself it will, on principle, extend to all other nations. On no account whatever would it meddle with the affairs of Hayti or of any other country. When it was controlled by slavery propagandists it would doubtless have been glad to get a footing here, so that it could re-establish slavery. But since it has itself shaken off the power of that infernal institution it has withdrawn from all projects for extending its territory. Its great object now is to develop its own people, to lift up the millions who have long been crushed by slavery, and to heal the wounds in its own social system which slavery has made. With such an object, it can have no other wish towards Hayti than that she may be a free, independent, and happy nation; it will extend to her weaker sister sympathy and good will; it will never force upon her, or even offer to her, protection or domination under any other name.

I may add that all the instructions and despatches I have received from my government agree in their spirit with what I have said above, and that I have had no notice from it of an intention to change its settled policy towards kindred nations. My government would not send a fleet or troops to set up a protectorate in Hayti without giving its representative here notice of its new purpose and plans. I have had no such notice, and I predict that I shall have none. By giving currency to this statement you will greatly oblige me.

I have the honor to be, with the highest consideraton, your excellency’s most obedient servant,

H. E. PECK, Commissioner and Consul General U. S. A.

His Excellency Aug. Elie, Minister of Foreign Affairs.