[650] *Mr. Clayton, Secretary of State, to Don A. Calderon de la Barca.
Washington, August 17, 1849.
Don A. Calderon de la Barca, &c., &c., &c.:
The undersigned, Secretary of State, having had the satisfaction of a full and unreserved conversation with his excellency the envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of Her Catholic Majesty near this Government, has now the honor to acknowledge the receipt of his excellency’s note of the 13th instant, on the subject of the designs of certain persons in this country to aid and abet in an alleged enterprise to disturb the tranquillity of the island of Cuba. That the Government of the United States wholly discountenances and condemns the designs referred to, and that it will earnestly and in good faith do all that lies within its power to defeat those designs, will not be doubted by the Spanish minister, or by the government which he so zealously and faithfully represents. The President’s views upon the subject have been most frankly and sincerely imparted and explained to Mr. Calderon on various occasions. They have been placed in possession, also, of the new minister, now on his way to Madrid, who has been authorized and instructed to omit no proper occasion to represent them to the government of Spain.
[651] Mr. Calderon may rest assured that strict watch will be kept over any movements which may *be attempted to be made, within the United States, by any of their citizens against the island of Cuba. Active and prompt measures, as Mr. Calderon well knows, have already been adopted by the President; and no further measures that may become expedient or necessary to prevent the violation of our treaty with Spain will be omitted by him. The proclamation of the Executive of the 11th instant is before the world, and the undersigned takes this occasion to communicate to Mr. Calderon an official copy of that instrument, to be submitted to his government, as an earnest and evidence of this Government’s profound respect for Her Catholic Majesty, their solemn purpose to observe the faith of treaties, and their sense of the sacred congations due to a friendly power.
The undersigned avails himself of this opportunity to-renew to Mr. Calderon the assurance of his distinguished consideration.