No. 254.
Mr. Davis to Señor Romero.
Washington, August 23, 1882.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 14th instant, by which you inform me that on the 12th instant, in New York, a convention was signed by yourself and the official representative of Guatemala, which contains the stipulations whereon to base a final treaty for the settlement of the boundary question between Mexico and Guatemala, to be signed at the city of Mexico within six months from that date.
It is a matter of congratulation to the government and people of the United States that a divergence between two neighboring countries has by these amicable means been put in the way of a just settlement, honorable alike to both.
[Page 438]In respect to your further statement that under the terms of adjustment it may happen that both the contracting parties will have recourse to the President of the United States requesting him to act as arbitrator on those points with respect to which they may be unable to agree, I may observe that on the 21st of July last Señor Montufar, then the envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of Guatemala at this capital, addressed this Department, inquiring whether, in the event of an agreement between his government and that of Mexico looking to-the tender of the position of arbitrator between the two countries to the President, the trust would be accepted; and that on the 24th of July Mr. Frelinghuysen replied to Senor Montufar that “if an agreement be reached between Guatemala and Mexico, tendering to the President the post of arbitrator for the determination of the boundary line, on bases of submission to be specified in such agreement, he will have great pleasure in accepting the high trust proposed.”
Expressing personally the pleasure it has afforded me to learn from you that the boundary question between Mexico and Guatemala has been thus amicably settled,
I avail, &c.,
Acting Secretary.