No. 213.
Mr. Bassett to Mr. Fish.
Port au Prince, Hayti, April 7, 1873. (Rec’d April 16.)
Sir: In my dispatches numbered 196 and 197, and dated the 26th ultimo, reference is made to an alleged violation of the British vice-consulate at Puerto Plata by the authorities of San Domingo. Since the date of those dispatches, Mr. Henry O’Connor, who has been sent out to San Domingo and Hayti by the New York Herald, and who has been spending a few days at my house here, has informed me that he learned before quitting San Domingo, some three weeks ago, that the government of that republic had promptly and fully acceded to the demands made upon it by my colleague, Her Britannic Majesty’s minister resident, in consequence of the occurrences at Puerto Plata, which are narrated in my No. 196. Mr. O’Connor says that reports of the settlement of the affair upon the basis just stated were current at Puerto Plata and at Monte Christo when he passed through those places some three weeks ago.
My colleague assures me that he has received no information as to any settlement of the affair, other than the statement of Mr. O’Connor. He presumes, however, that this statement is correct, and that Sir Lambton Lorraine, who is in command of Her Britannic Majesty’s war-steamer Niobe, has sailed for Jamaica or other English territory with the Dominican refugees, who were taken from the British vice-consular residence at Puerto Plata instead of returning to Port au Prince. We may expect, therefore, to receive by next packet from Jamaica full particulars of the result of Sir Lambton Lorraine’s visit to Puerto Plata and San Domingo City.
I have, &c.,