[Translation.]
Mr. Romero to Mr.
Seward
Mexican Legation in the United
States of America, Washington,
February 24, 1866.
Mr. Secretary: In a note which I addressed from
New York to your department on the 6th of Novemher, 1865, I mentioned
that I had sent your note of the 3d of that month, relating to duties
collected from American citizens by General Alvarez in Acapulco, to my
government. I now send you a communication from Mr. Lerdo de Tejada,
minister of foreign affairs of the Mexican republic, dated at El Paso
del Norte, the 22d of January, and numbered 22, in which I am informed
that your note had been sent to the Secretary of the Treasury for his
decision, as the affair belongs to that branch of the government.
I avail myself of the occasion to express to you, Mr. Secretary, the
assurances of my most distinguished consideration.
Hon. William H. Seward, &c., &c.,
&c.
[Page 92]
[Translation.]
Department of Foreign Relations and
Government, Office of Relations–American section–Duties
collected in Acapulco.
No. 22.]
Paso del Norte,
January 22, 1866.
I have received the duplicate of your note, No. 554, of the 6th of
November last, containing a copy of Mr. Seward’s to you, on the 3d
of November, in relation to duties collected by the governor and
military commander of the State of Guenero from citizens of the
United States who said they had paid them once to the French when
they first occupied that port.
I have also received the original note, No. 629, 1st of December
following, in which you inform me that you had sent my note of the
28th October previous, on that subject, to the Department of
State.
Notwithstanding the particular reasons the governor of Guerrero
informed you he had for collecting those dues, stating that he was
forced to do so in punishment of the course of the persons from whom
the duties were collected, and assuring that in the future no
custom-house duties should be collected twice, Mr. Seward said he
hoped the money would be returned to those citizens of the United
States by the authorities of the port of Acapulco.
As this business belongs to the treasury department, I have sent
copies of your note, No. 554, and Mr. Seward’s to that department,
to decide the case according to the evidence of the enclosed
documents.
Accept the protects of my attentive consideration.
Citizen Matias Romero, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the
Mexican Republic in Washington.
