No. 395.
Mr. Langston to Mr. Evarts.
Port-au-Prince, December 20, 1879. (Rec’d Jan. 3, 1880.
Sir: Whatever concerns the relations of Hayti to other, and especially neighboring countries, must, more or less, interest our own government; and hence, a watchful care with reference to the relations of this country to Cuba, or Santo Domingo, and a judicious report with respect thereto, cannot prove to be inopportune or unimportant.
From time to time, for the past two months especially, Spanish war vessels have visited this port, remaining generally for several days, behaving as if seeking to discover, if possible, any movement that might be made from these shores by any parties, Cuban or other, against Spanish authority and Spanish interests.
A vessel of such nationality now lies anchored in the outer harbor of Port-au-Prince, commanded by Sr. García San Miguel. This particular vessel, a small one, the Guadalquivir, of old model and construction, carrying some eighty five men, has made, including the present, three visits to this port within the last thirty days.
It is said, perhaps on good authority, that there is one General Macéo, of Cuba, in this city, who seeks recruits for service in connection with Cuban insurrectionary movements. So far, however, no discovery of any movement of any kind or sort on the part of Cuban residents of this city, or other persons, seems to have been made.
As to Santo Domingo, there seems just now, as between that country and this, to be no movement of special interest or importance. The matters of dispute hitherto existing between them are for the time being [Page 626] apparently left to rest, while both countries, either engaged in active revolutionary movements or seeking, for the moment, recovery and imperative reorganization, made necessary by such movements, have their thoughts and efforts fully occupied with pressing domestic concerns.
In the mean time the traffic kept up by Dominican citizens living along and near the frontiers of their country, with the Haytian people, in spite of any regulations to the contrary, is prosecuted with considerable vigor and no little profit.
No better evidence of the truth of this statement can be found than that furnished in the fact that numerous fine beef-cattle coming from Santo Domingo are now offered for sale constantly in this market.
I have, &c.,