No. 271.
Mr. Cayetano
Romero to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Washington, December 5, 1884. (Received December 8.)
Mr. Secretary: I have had the honor to receive your esteemed note, dated yesterday, in answer to the one I sent you by direction of the ministry of foreign relations of Mexico on the 21st of November ultimo, for the purpose of calling the attention of your Department to the meaning of an expression contained in the communication sent by you to Señor Romero on the 16th of October last, in respect to the renunciation of certain islands in the Rio Grande on the part of Mexico.
You are pleased to show me that said expression refers to the original claim made by Mexico in the case, and that meant the islands of Morteritos and Sabinitos, in the belief that these were those marked in the plans of the boundary commission of 1853 with the Nos. 12 and 13; [Page 399] however, that the examination of said plans show that these numbers did not in reality exist; that they were improperly given, and that reference was made to the Castor Islands (Beaver Islands), twin islands that were assigned to the United States by the commission of 1848; that since then it was discovered that the island of Sabinos belonged to Mexico; that, however, the latter was neither No. 12 nor 13 that appear in the said plans, and it was not probable that it could have been mistaken on account of its position for that of Sabinitos.
You add that you believe it unnecessary to assure me that the United States have no desire to claim anything but what belongs to them properly, and that the expression, the sense of which you are pleased to explain, must be understood as in no way injuring the rights that Mexico may have in the case; that besides, if such rights exist, the treaty signed on the 12th of November, 1884, for a better demarkation of the dividing line between the two countries will regulate, as soon as it is ratified, exchanged, and promulgated, the bases for the final settlement of similar questions.
On acknowledging your answer, which I have the honor to do, I shall transmit your said note to the ministry of foreign relations of Mexico for its knowledge. I must assure you that I am certain that the Government of Mexico has not the slightest idea of wounding in any manner the susceptibility of the Government of the United States in this affair, and that its only purpose was to make it appear that the resolution taken in the case, founded on the acknowledgment that it had no right on the island of Morteritos, referred to this one alone; also that the Castor one (Beaver, as the United. States calls it) is formed of two little islands which have always been considered as one, and is, besides, the only one in dispute.
As regards the island of Sabinitos, in speaking of it this legation has always had reference to Sabinos, which appears on said plans marked with number 14 and belonging to Mexico, and your Department as well as General Emory have given it indiscriminately the one or the other name.
I avail, &c.,