No. 194.
Mr. Dichman to Mr. Evarts.
Legation of
the United States,
Bogotá, August 2, 1879.
(Received September 22.)
No. 119.]
Sir: In my No. 100, of June 21, 1879, I had the
honor to bring the position of this government in relation to the war
between the three South American republics to your notice, and I also
communicated the fact that the Colombian Government had sent a special
mission to the governments of Peru, Bolivia, and Chili for the purpose of
offering the friendly mediation of Colombia.
Since the date of that dispatch, President Trujillo has made inquiry of me on
several occasions, if I had received any information from you as to the
course which the Government of the United States would pursue in regard to
the war, and he also expressed the hope that the Government of the United
States would not spare any effort to bring about a cessation of
hostilities.
My answer to the President on these occasions was always to the effect that I
had no hesitation in saying that the war between the three republics must be
a cause of profound sorrow to the government and to the people of the United
States, and that the course of the war and the means and time for bringing
about a cessation of hostilities were, undoubtedly, matters of anxious
consideration at Washington.
* * * * * * *
I now beg to invite your attention to the accompanying note from the Hon.
Luis Carlos Rico, secretary of the interior and foreign relations, on the
matter herein mentioned.
* * * * * * *
It is, perhaps, well to state that the Hon. Dr. Pablo Arosemena, who has been
charged with the special mission above described, is now supposed to beat
Lima, having left Panama about two weeks ago. He
[Page 310]
speaks English perfectly, and the representatives of
the Government of the United States in the countries to which he will go,
will find in him a courteous and agreeable gentleman.
I am, &c.,
[Inclosure in No.
119.—Translation.]
Señor Rico to Mr.
Dichman.
United
States of Colombia,
Department of the Interior and
Foreign Relations,
Bogotá, July 26,
1879.
The Government of the United States of Colombia, as your honor knows,
resolved upon sending an extraordinary mission to the Republics of Peru,
Bolivia, and Chili, with the special object of offering (interposing)
its good offices and conciliatory and friendly mediation to the end of
procuring, by these means, a termination of the war in which,
unfortunately, these sister republics find themselves engaged.
Convinced of the elevated spirit of loyal American sentiment which
predominates in the policy and the acts of the United States, whose
worthy representative in this country your honor is, the citizen
President of the Union, has charged me with the honorable task of
divesting this present dispatch to you in order to request of you that
you may be pleased to interest your government in the name of that of
Colombia to contribute with the latter in the attainment of the laudable
object of co-operating in the prompt re-establishment of peace between
the said nations.
It is considered (and with abundant reason) by the national executive
power, that the intervention of the government of your honor in this
direction will be of the greatest influence and powerful efficacy in
obtaining the most happy results from the proposed mediation, and on
this account the national executive power trusts that the illustrious
cabinet of Washington will not disregard the polite representation
which, in fact, the cabinet of Colombia takes the liberty of addressing
to it.
I entertain the well-founded hope that your honor will be pleased to
support the idea thus put forward with anxious interest, and that your
honor will recommend it on your part as a measure of humanity and
fraternal sympathy towards the people of the Pacific, whose
international relations are (find themselves) interrupted now by the
disaster of war.
With sentiments of the most distinguished consideration,
I am, &c.,
