No. 708.

Mr. Soteldo to Mr. Bayard .

[Translation.]

Sir: I have the honor to inform your excellency that my Government, in the use of its legal powers, issued, on the 7th instant, a decree declaring pirates two steam vessels now respectively named Justicia Nacional and El Torito (the latter having been formerly called Annette), which vessels have been armed by unauthorized persons for the ostensible purpose of arousing to insurrection the coasts and ports of Venezuela, but which do not belong to the registry of any government, nor have been manned in any legal form, nor are other than a danger to commerce and to the security of those seas and coasts where they begin as revolutionists, and will end by doing injuries of every kind, not only to Venezuela and her citizens, but to foreign commerce, and to all those who cultivate commercial relations with the country.

The mission of extermination begun by the crews of those two vessels makes them unworthy of being admitted into the ports of friendly nations; and my Government hopes from that of your excellency that the naval authorities of the United States will consider them beyond the pale of the law, in conformity with the terms of the aforesaid decree, and will not permit them to be supplied with fuel or provisions, but will rather cause them to be subjected to the procedure of the competent authorities, because of the irregularities, the criminal purposes and acts of those who man them, and other circumstances pertinent to the case, if they should in fact arrive at any points within the jurisdiction of the United States.

My Government will appreciate at its full value the friendly course of that of your excellency in the present case and under the circumstances set forth.

I improve, &c.,

A. M. SOTELDO.