No. 431.
Mr. Duffie
to Mr. Davis.
Cadiz, July 27, 1873. (Received August 26.)
Sir: I beg to inform you that hostilities commenced between the dockyard and volunteer forces on the 22d instant, at 11.15 a.m., and continued [Page 1060] with great force all that day and the day following, but with few casualties on both sides.
On the night of the 23d, at 11 o’clock p.m., a respectable person of this city came to inform me that a boat bearing a nag of truce, and commanded by the son-in-law of the admiral of the dock-yard, bearer of a dispatch for the French consul, had been seized and the officer imprisoned, and wishing me to use my influence in procuring the liberty of said officer.
I proceeded to the “comité de salud publica,” and had an interview with the president, and found it was impossible to obtain the liberation of said officer, as the flag of truce was used by him for visiting the British iron-clad Triumph, and not the comité. During my interview with the president and comité, they gave me to understand that they were tired and sorry of having commenced hostilities, and insinuated that they would be pleased to have matters arranged. I then offered my services toward this end, which they immediately accepted, with the understanding that everything should be considered strictly private and confidential, giving as a reason for this that the volunteers might create disturbances, thinking that the comité intended to compromise with their adversaries.
The comité gave the following conditions for treating for peace with the admiral:
That the admiral and the troops might evacuate the dock-yard with the honors of war, by land or with the fleet. That the arsenal and its dependencies should be delivered over to the comité of the canton of Cadiz.
The president of the comité, notwithstanding not wishing to take upon himself the entire responsibility of this affair, at the time of giving me said conditions, requested me to consult them with the general commanding the volunteer forces at San Fernando.
On the following morning, at 7 a.m., I proceeded on a special train with my vice-consul, Mr. Younger, and accompanied by two members of the comité, to San Fernando, where I had an interview with the Brigadier Egina, and these two members, who were not of the same opinion as the comité at Cadiz, but resolved that the following propositions should be presented to the Admiral Arias, of the dock-yard:
That the garrison troops of the dock-yard would be allowed to evacuate the place with the honors of war and their arms; but the seamen to leave disarmed, but none of the vessels of war should leave the arsenal. That a sufficient number of officers should remain to deliver the arsenal and all its appurtenances in due form.
Both myself and vice-consul considered these terms too humiliating, and used every endeavor to have them modified, but without effect; and although we considered them utterly unacceptable, but for the sake of humanity, and wishing to stop the effusion of blood, for a short time at least, I wrote a letter, of which I inclose translation, to the admiral, and after some delay, caused by the volunteers in front refusing to allow their officers to hoist the white flag until it was accompanied by the United States colors, I received the admiral’s reply, as per translation herewith.
The commander of the volunteer forces having given me his word of honor that all works pending should be stopped immediately, I proceeded with my vice-consul down to the dock-yard, where we were received with all honors and the greatest attention and friendliness by the admiral and his staff. The terms of which I was bearer were instantly and indignantly rejected; the admiral, besides stating that having received [Page 1061] the command of the dock-yard and its dependencies from the government, he would nor could not deliver it but to the government, adding also that, having re-enforcements, the dock-yard was in a state to defend itself against the volunteers for at least three months, being sufficiently rationed and having abundance of ammunitions.
During our conference with the admiral he frequently expressed his desire of terminating that unfortunate state of affairs, and to this effect charged us with the following propositions to the comité of Cadiz:
That a truce of six or eight days should be agreed upon, during which time the two belligerent parties should suspend all hostilities and works, and remain within their lines; and during said period the comité of Cadiz should send to Madrid commissioners to treat with the government regarding the course the admiral should take, either continuing to defend his command or delivering it over to the comité.
On our departure we received the same honors and civilities from the admiral, who instructed us to inform the general of the volunteers that during our negotiations he would suspend hostilities, if not fired upon by his adversaries.
On our return we laid the conditions of the admiral before the authorities at San Fernando, who, although they personally refused them, would not take upon themselves the responsibility of giving a decided answer before consulting the comité at Cadiz, for which purpose they, on our return to Cadiz, accompanied us, at 7 p.m.
On the 25th, at 2 p.m., the comité informed me that the admiral’s propositions were rejected, whereupon they placed a steamer at my disposal, in which I and my vice-consul proceeded to the arsenal, to inform that there were no apparent probabilities of arriving to a peaceful solution of hostilities.
The admiral received our information with marks of great regret, but assured us that he could not grant other terms, and that he should commence hostilities the next morning at 8 o’clock a.m., precisely, and would not cease until the volunteers were disarmed and re-organized under the true principles of order, of republicanism, of all of which we informed the Cadiz comité at our return.
As the admiral had said the day before, the dock-yard and squadron recommenced hostilities on the 26th, at 8 o’clock, a.m., precisely, which was promptly replied to by the batteries of the volunteer forces, and a heavy cannonade, chiefly from the arsenal, was kept up the whole day.
As my dispatch would be incomplete without giving you further details regarding the state of the dock-yard and volunteer forces, and the reasons which have caused this serious conflict, I beg to inform you, with all impartiality, that on my visit at San Fernando I found the volunteers greatly disheartened, unruly, and disorganized, in general confessing themselves tired out, and wishing for peace.
At the dock-yard, on the contrary, I found, to all appearance, everything in the greatest order, good discipline, and enthusiasm among the troops and navy. The dock-yard and squadron did not receive the least damage during the first two days of hostilities, and only had one man slightly wounded.
The positions of the volunteers had, however, been more roughly handled, as the naval college, the barracks, railway-stations, and other places, showed marks of better firing, they having had, besides, several killed and wounded.
The first gun at the commencement of hostilities was from the volunteers.
The chief instigator of these disturbances is a man called Mota, mayor of San Fernando, and who, with 600 or 700 volunteers of the [Page 1062] lowest class, instigated the volunteers of Cadiz to take part in the operations against the dock-yard, it is said, with personal views of revenge, as he formerly held the position of boatswain and was dismissed in disgrace.
It is rumored to-day that he has been assassinated by the volunteers, of which I have no doubt, as he had many enemies in the comité of Cadiz.
I am, &c.,