Señor Caminos to Mr. Washburn.
I have the honor to notify you of the reception of your note of this date, asking my assistance to enable you to get away. I answer briefly.
I intended to have no more diplomatic intercourse with you after I sent you your passport, and if I have exchanged a few notes with you the reasons were justified by their contents.
If the persons who deposited their property in your hands did so at their own risk, though you assumed no responsibility for yourself or [Page 823] your government, it does not seem to me to be very honorable in the minister of a nation so much respected by our people to abandon those deposits, unless compelled to do so by superior force.
To save you the delay of weeks, as you say, waiting for people to withdraw their deposits, I proposed to notify them as soon as you furnished their names to do so, or run the risk of their loss; but you did not accept my proposal.
As to false claims that may be made for fabulous sums, you are the best judge. You say a few foreigners have withdrawn their deposits, while no native has appeared, and you cannot account for it. I account for it in this way: As all the natives went to the country, they have not had the time to return and withdraw their deposits.
I will order the police to receive the keys of Nos. 97, 99, and 101, to which you refer, containing the goods of Mr. Charles Ulrich.
I regret, Mr. Minister, that you cannot have your carriage put on board; but this inconvenience might have been avoided had your own conduct been different.
To hasten your departure, and seeing that you are willing to give up the goods to their owners, let me suggest that you leave them with the agent of some friendly power, who will deliver them up according to your direction; or, if this does not suit you, select some trusty person of a mercantile firm to make the distribution. I will not object to your choice of any foreigner of your acquaintance, who may be in the service of the government, for that purpose.
Finally, I propose, in case you are determined to abandon the property, to send an officer of the government to take care of it, provided you will give a certified list of the goods, with the documents received with them, so that the owners may come and get them upon receipts you may have given, or meet together and decide among themselves who are the proper owners. I take no responsibility for the officer nor for the government, as neither knew of the deposits; and any future dispute must be between you and the depositors.
The Rio Apa is at your service whenever you choose to leave, and you can do so to-morrow if you like, if you will settle the little difficulty about the deposits, as you seem disposed to do.
If you still entertain a suspicion that I wish to delay your departure, I hope the tenor of this note will remove it.
I have forwarded your note to the commander of the Wasp.
I remain yours, &c.,
Hon. Charles A. Washburn, &c., &c., &c.