No. 68.
Mr. Partridge to Mr. Fish.
United
States Legation,
(Petropolis,) Rio de
Janeiro, July 6, 1872.
(Received July 31.)
No. 68]
Sir: In my No, 20 I gave an account of the
complaint by the Brazilian government of the violation of its neutrality
during the Franco-German war, and contravention of port regulations here
by the commander of the French gun-boat Hamelin in bringing in here and
depositing certain (German) prizes.
The French government has now disapproved the act of the French commander
of the Hamelin, andmade-this known to the Brazilian envoy, Baron de
Itajubá, in Paris, in a note of 24th February, 1872, a copy (A,
translation into Portuguese) of which is annexed, together with (B) the
reply of the minister of foreign affairs here, to Baron de Itajubá.
As this makes part of the record transmitted with No. 20, and has
relation to the Brazilian circulars of neutrality during our civil war
also, I have thought it might be useful to the Department in that con-.
nection.
I have, &c,
[Inclosure A in No. 66.]
Translation of certain parts of the note of M. de
Remusat, French minister of foreign affairs, to Baron de
Itajubá, Brazilian minister in Paris, reproving the conduct of
the commander of the French gun-boat Hamelin, (in respect to certain German prizes deposited in
Rio de Janeiro, 1870.)
Versailles, February 24, 1872.
The minister of marine and myself examined into this matter with all
the attention required, and with the impartiality and good-will
which our friendly relations with Brazil rendered easy.
This examination enabled us to recognize that, in fact, the charge
d’affaires of France, in Rio, who had also made it known to the
commander, accepted the condition stipulated by the Brazilian
cabinet, that the prizes should depart immediately after their
discharge, (of neutral goods on board.) Although the commander of
the Hamelin did not make any formal promise in this respect, it was
enough that he had been informed of the wish made known by your
government for him to consider himself “obliged to conform to the
rules prescribed. The French government has no hesitation,
therefore, in reproving the act of that officer; but if we willingly
recognize our mistake, we cannot do less than add to that confession
the expression of our regret, the fitness of which you will not
dispute, I hope, at the dispatch sent in respect to the later
proceedings in regard to the Bruix, (gun-boat.) The threats of
violence then made were in form as offensive to our navy as to our
legation, and were so much the more unjustifiable, as the Bruix
arrived precisely with the intention of taking away the prizes, and
thus of complying with the regulations of the local authorities.
I think it fortunate, du reste, to find that
moderate counsels prevailed at last, and that this disagreeable
incident terminated without (further) difficulty.
[Inclosure B in No. 66.]
Answer of the Brazilian minister of foreign
affairs to the note of the Brazilian minister in Paris,
inclosing the foregoing note of M. de Bemusat.
Rio de
Janeiro, April 16,
1872.
[Résumé of the statement in M.
de Remusat’s note. Translation of certain parts.]
In respect to the incident which took place with the Bruix, instead
of being an offense to the French legation and navy, which never was
intended by the Brazilian
[Page 106]
government, whose moderation is known to M. de Remusat, it was the
necessary consequence of the proceeding which has been so worthily
condemned by the government of the republic. In the state of
abandonment in which the prizes were left in the port of Rio de
Janeiro by the captor, they could not be taken away even in tow of a
French vessel of war, without previous permission of the imperial
government, which in so grave a matter could not come to any
resolution without taking the advice of the legal councilors of the
Crown, and so much the more from the fact that the government had
also to give proper hearing to the observations of the North German
legation.
It was not, therefore, without pain that the government of Brazil
read the last stricture in the note of M. de Remusat, especially
since his excellency found in this proceeding of our government a
cause of offense which did not exist; and since, also, the French
legation had ignored, in that emergency, the indisputable rights of
this empire as a neutral power.
