No. 346.
Mr. Foster
to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Madrid , February 15, 1884. (Received March 5.)
Sir: This morning at an early hour I received your cablegram of yesterday, stating that the President’s proclamation suspending the 10 per cent, extra duty will be published on to-morrow (Saturday), and asking for the exact text of the new agreement.
[Page 480]I sent you at once a cablegram as follows: “New agreement published in Gazette this morning, with Royal Decree putting it in operation March 1st. Will telegraph full text immediately.”
On yesterday afternoon I received a private note from the minister of state, informing me that the King had signed the decree, and that the publication of it would be made this morning in the Gazette, but it was then too late to advise you in time to secure the concurrent issuance of the President’s proclamation. The royal decree embodies the text of the agreement in full, and orders its prompt observance. The minister of ultramar informed me to-day that the instructions to the authorities of Cuba and Porto Rico were being then prepared, and that he expected to telegraph them to-night.
At 12.30 to-day I sent you, as requested, a cablegram, giving the text of the agreement, with an explanation as to the omission of articles 5 and 8 of first agreement.
I met Señor Cánovas, president of the cabinet, last night, and the ministers of state and ultramar to day, and all of them manifested great satisfaction at the happy conclusion of the business, and expressed warm desires for continued good commercial and political-relations between the two nations.
I am, &c.,