Legation of
the United States,
Rio de
Janeiro, November 29, 1886.
(Received December 28.)
No. 65.]
[Inclosure in No.
65.—Translation.]
Baron de Cotegipe
to Mr. Trail.
Rio de
Janeiro, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs,
November 12,
1886.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of the note of the 3d instant, in which the minister, Mr. Thomas
J. Jarvis, informs me of the instructions which his Government sends him
in respect to the claim which was made some years ago against Brazil by
James C. Jewett, a citizen of the United States, in the sum of
$50,000,000.
In perfect accord with the tenor of these instructions that I read with
the greatest interest, it becomes me to declare to Mr. Charles B. Trail,
United States chargé d’affaires ad interim, that
nothing could be more pleasing to the Imperial Government than to see
how much the Government of the said. States is animated by feelings of
cordial friendship for this Empire, and earnestly desires to avail
itself of all occasions when it can show its desire to maintain unbroken
the relations of good understanding and mutual confidence that have
always existed between the two countries.
Relative to the manner in which the Secretary of State expresses himself
upon the entire absence of a legal basis (improcedencia) in the claim that Mr. Jewett sought to revive,
notwithstanding, a final judgment had been rendered against him by the
competent Brazilian authorities, it was nothing less than what was to be
expected from the spirit of justice and impartiality that has
characterized so much on other occasions the department of which his
excellency has charge.
In the name of the Imperial Government, then, I request that Mr. Trail
will transmit to the Secretary of State the most feeling (sentidas) expressions of thankfulness for the
important and grateful communication that I have just received, and will
assure his excellency that the same Government on its part will vie with
all its strength to always correspond to sentiments so valuable.
I will not fail to inform the ministry of agriculture, commerce, and
public works of the happy and definite solution arrived at from the
aforesaid note of Mr. Jarvis.
I approve with pleasure the occasion to reiterate to Mr. Trail the
assurances of my very distinct consideration.
