No. 558.
Mr. Adee
to Mr. Fish.
United
States Legation in Spain.
Madrid, March 14, 1874.
(Received April 4.)
No. 193.]
Sir: I have the honor to forward, herewith
appended, copies and translations of decrees dated the 10th instant,
accepting the resignation of General Jovellar as captain-general and
superior civil governor of Cuba, and appointing as his successor Capt. Gen.
José de la Concha, with the titles of governor-general, captain-general, and
commander-in-chief. I also annex copies and translations of two other
decrees of the same date, one of which suppresses the office of civil
governor of Havana and creates a mayoralty in its place, while the other
changes the title of the superior civil governor of the island to that of
governor-general, and defines the powers and functions of the office,
creating at the same time two general directions of insular administration
and finance, under the control of the superior authority. You will observe
that the last paragraph of Article II provides that all questions relating
to international matters are within the exclusive cognizance of the
governor-general. As the powers belonging to that latter office depend upon
the colonial ministry, and are not merged in the captain-generalcy, as has
been heretofore asserted in some instances, it is to be hoped that all
ground of conflict between the military and civil orders emanating from the
home government and affecting foreign citizens, will hereafter be obviated.
Since his nomination was decided upon, General Concha has been in almost
daily consultation with the president of the council, General Zavala,
concerning the course to be pursued on taking supreme command in Cuba. It is
understood that his plan of operations has been submitted to the government
and approved. It is stated that, in an elaborate memoir on the subject,
General Concha deprecates the assumption that the insurrection in Cuba is
near an end, and needs but a final energetic effort to crush it. He is
represented as saying that the resources and number of the insurgent forces,
and the difficulty of conducting operations in the territory held by them,
point to a protracted contest, in which skill rather than numbers must
prevail. The rumor that he had demanded large re-enforcements is
contradicted, and it is
[Page 882]
said that,
while six or eight thousand fresh troops are needed to keep up the insular
contingent to its full standard, the present situation in Spain forbids
their being sent, and the financial embarrassments of the island do not
admit of any considerable increase in the actual numbers of the army of
Cuba.
General Concha will sail for Havana on the 18th instant, in the regular
mail-steamer, the departure of which has been delayed to allow of the
completion of the necessary arrangements for his departure.
I am, &c,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 193.]
Decrees of March 10, 1874, accepting General Jovellar’s resignation and appointing General
Concha captain-general of Cuba.
[Translated from “La Gaceta de Madrid” of
March 14, 1874.]
presidency of the council of
ministers.
Decrees.
Acceding to the re-iterated desires of Lieut. Gen. Don Joaquin Jovellar y
Soler, I hereby accept the resignation he has tendered of the offices of
captain-general, superior civil governor of the island of Cuba, and
general-in-chief of the army of the said island, proposing to myself to
make use of his distinguished services as soon as possible.
Somorrostro, March 10,
1874.
The President of the executive power of the
republic,
FRANCISCO SERRANO.
The president of the council of ministers,
I hereby appoint as governor-general, captain-general of the island of
Cuba, and general-in-chief of the army thereof, Don José Gutierrer de la
Concha é Trigoyen, captain-general of the army.
Somorrostro, March 10,
1874.
The President of the executive power of the
republic,
FRANCISCO SERRANO.
The president of the council of ministers,
[Inclosure 2 in No. 193.]
Decrees of March 10, 1874, establishing certain administrative changes in Cuba.
[Translated from “La Gaceta de Madrid” of
March 14, 1874.]
ministry of ultramar.
Decrees.
At the instance of the colonial minister, and in accord with the council
of ministers I hereby decree the following:
- Article I. The political government
of the jurisdictional territory of the city of Havana,
instituted by the royal decree of October 14, 1859, is
suppressed.
- Art. II. A mayoralty (alcaldia corregimiento) is created in
that city, the functions of which office shall be the same as
those conferred upon the political governor, as ex-officio president of the town council,
(ayuntamiento,) by the royal decree
of January 30, 1866.
- Art. III. The mayor (alcalde corregidor) shall be appointed by
the colonial minister on the proposal of the governor-general of
the island.
Given in Somorrostro
March 10,
1874.
The President of the executive power of the
republic,
FRANCISCO SERRANO.
The colonial minister,
VICTOR BALAGUER.
[Page 883]
Decree
To the end that the superior authority of the island of Cuba may proceed
in the exercise of his governmental and administrative functions with
the security, the rapidity, and the energy which are conjointly demanded
by the state of the war and; the management of the treasury, without
prejudice to the integrity of the faculties appertaining to the central
power, on the proposal of the minister of the colonies and in accord
with the council of ministers, the President of the executive power of
the republic decrees the following:
Article I. The superior authority of the
government of the republic in the island of Cuba shall be hereafter
styled “governor-general.”
His duties and faculties in matters relative to the Patranato de Indias and to the departments of war and marine
shall be those to-day possessed by the superior civil governor of the
said island under existing laws and regulations.
In the civil branches of the public service of the state, he shall have
the obligations and powers conferred upon the superior civil governor by
the royal decree, now in force, of the 26th of November, 1867.
In the extraordinary cases which may occur in the government of the
island, he may make use of the faculties, likewise extraordinary,
consigned in the orders now in force.
Art. II. For the administrative and economical
régime of the island, there are established,
under the authority of the governor-general, two directions general, one
of civil administration and the other of finance.
To the former pertains the immediate charge of all the administrative
services previously under the control of the suppressed direction of
administration, according to the general schedule which accompanied the
above-mentioned royal decree.
To the direction of finance pertains the immediate control of the
economical services now under the management of the intendente general
de hacienda, in conformity with the orders and regulations now in force.
Cognizance of matters of public order and of those of an international
character rests exclusively with the governor-general.
Art. III. For the dispatch of the business to
which the last paragraph of the precedeing article relates, a
secretary’s office of the governor-generalcy is established.
Art. IV. The governor-general shall prepare the
regulations for the execution of the present decree and submit them to
the approbation of the ministry of ultra mar.
He shall also prepare plans for the personnel of the above-mentioned
officers, and shall submit them to the said ministry, reducing the
estimates and making such retrenchments as may be possible without
detriment to the exigencies of the service.
Art. V. All laws and regulations incompatible
with this decree are hereby revoked.
Given in Somorrostro,
March 10,
1874.
The President of the executive power of the
republic,
FRANCISCO SERRANO.
The colonial minister,
Victor
Balaguer.
