No. 12.
Mr. Wright to Mr.
Fish
No. 174.]
Legation of the United States, Rio de Janeiro, May
22, 1871. (Received June 20.)
Sir: I have the honor to refer again to your
dispatch No. 52, concerning the invasion of the legation of the United
States at Asuncion, upon the occupation of that city by the Brazilian
forces.
In my dispatches Nos. 167 and 169 I had the honor to inform you of
[Page 46]
the action I had deemed it best to
take, under the instructions conveyed to me by your dispatch No. 52, above
referred to; that I had placed an extract from your dispatch in the hands of
the minister of foreign affairs, and was awaiting a promised solution. Some
weeks having passed without my having received any definite reply from the
minister, I considered that the time had arrived to present the matter in a
more formal shape, and to press the subject a little upon his attention.
I consequently, on the 4th instant, addressed him a note, of which I annex
copy, No. 1, but still remain without a reply. Some excuse for this may,
perhaps, be found in the meeting of the chambers of which the ministers are
members.
I have, &c.,
Mr. Wright to Mr.
Correia
No. 1.
Legation of the United States,
Rio de Janeiro,
May 4, 1871.
The undersigned, acting chargé d’affaires of the United States of
America, presents his compliments to his excellency Mr. Manoel Francisco
Correia, and has the honor to state that he placed in the hands of his
excellency, some weeks since, an extract from a dispatch of the
honorable Hamilton Fish, Secretary of State of the United States, dated
January 31 last, referring to certain property of Paraguayans, of the
Government of the United States, of Mr. John H. Duffield, and of Mr.
Washburn, which was left by Mr. Washburn at the legation of the United
States, at Asuncion, upon his retiring therefrom.
That legation, as appears from the dispatch referred to, was taken
possession of by the Brazilian forces upon their entrance into Asuncion,
and the property adverted to is alleged to have been seized as booty by
soldiers in the service of the empire.
His excellency will have seen that, while the Government of the United
States claims no right to interfere for the recovery of the value of
such part of this property as did not belong to itself or to citizens of
the United States, it nevertheless appeals to the magnanimity of the
imperial government in behalf of those Paraguayans who had deposited
their property at the American legation. The Government of the United
States goes further, and submits to the government of Brazil whether the
position of this Paraguayan property, on deposit at the legation of the
United States, was not analogous to that of an enemy’s property on board
a neutral ship at sea, which is exempt from seizure, under a principle
understood to be respected by the Brazilian government. As regards the
property of the United States, the property of Mr. John A. Duffield, and
of Mr. Washburn, for this the Government of the Unites States will, in
any event, expect reparation.
The object of the undersigned in now placing these matters in their
present form before his excellency Mr. Manoel Francisco Correia is that
he may make it the occasion of requesting that his excellency will have
the kindness to inform, him what may be the views of the imperial
government in regard to the property of the Paraguayans, which was
deposited at the United States legation at Asuncion, the claimants for
which are believed to be mostly helpless and destitute women. If the
government of Brazil, responding to the appeal made so confidently to
its magnanimity by the Government of the United States, shall favorably
entertain the claims of those unfortunate Paraguayan women, steps will
be taken to lay before the imperial government such proof as to the
extent of their losses as may be attainable.
The undersigned solicits the early attention of his excellency Mr. Manoel
Francisco Correia to this matter, and avails of the occasion to renew to
his excellency the assurances of his high respect and distinguished
consideration.
