No. 33.
Mr. Hall to
Mr. Bayard.
United
States Legation in Central America,
Guatemala, October 17, 1885.
(Received November 9.)
No. 433.]
Sir: With reference to my dispatch, No. 404,
relating to the mission of General Zavala, of Nicaragua, to Guatemala, I
have the honor to inclose a copy and translation of his communication, dated
the 24th ultimo,
[Page 47]
in which he reports
its satisfactory termination and a settlement of all pending differences
between the two Governments.
The most important result of the mission, now that all apprehensions of
trouble with Guatemala and Salvador have ceased, is the raising of the state
of seige, which has existed in Nicaragua since the promulgagation of
Barrios’s union proclamation in March last, and a general amnesty to all
Nicaraguans who have been convicted or accused of political offenses. I
inclose a copy and translation of the decree. It bears the same date as
General Zavala’s communication.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 433.—Translation from
the Gaceta Oficial of Nicaragua, September 26, 1886.]
Department of Government and Justice.
Decree raising the state of siege and
conceding an amnesty.
The Government, considering that the causes which gave rise to the decree
of the 11th March last have ceased to exist; that the Republic is at
peace with the other Republics of Central America, and, in view of these
circumstances, wishing to concede a pardon to those who may have been
imprisoned or expatriated for political offenses, and having heard the
opinion of the council of ministers, decrees:
- (1)
- On and after the 1st of October next the state of siege shall
be raised, and in consequence thereof constitutional order shall
be re-established.
- (2)
- A complete, ample, and unconditional amnesty is granted to all
those Nicaraguans who are expatriated or imprisoned for
political offenses.
Given in Managua
the 24th of September,
1885.
- ADAN CARDENAS.
- TEODORO DELGADILLO,
Minister of
Government and Justice.
- FRANCISCO CASTELLON,
Minister for
Foreign Affairs and Public Instruction.
- JOSÉ CHAMORRO,
Minister af Public
Works.
- JOAQUIN ELIZONDO,
Minister of
Finance, War, and Marine.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 433.—Translation from
the Gaceta Oficial of Nicaragua, September 26, 1885.]
General Zavala to
Señor Castellon.
Managua, September 24,
1885.
General Zavala’s report of his mission as minister of
Nicaragua to Guatemala in August, 1885.
Mr. Minister: In compliance with the high
mission with which the Supreme Government honored me, accrediting me as
envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary near the Government of
Guatemala, I arrived in that Republic in the beginning of August, and
was the object, from my landing at the port of San José, of the
consideration due to the representative of a friendly and sister
nation.
On the 19th of the same month I was received officially with the
customary ceremonies, and I have the honor to accompany copies of the
discourses exchanged on that occasion.
During my short stay in Guatemala some of the organs of the press, and of
a certain political tendency, attacked the Government of Nicaragua
harshly, and at the same time slandering President Cardenas. I deemed it
my duty to reply to these attacks and to repel the calumny against the
President, as you will notice in the newspapers which I inclose, and to
request of the Government of Gautemala the prosecution of the libeler
and supplanter of signatures. The minister of relations, in his note of
the 29th of August, in reply to my request, offered to proceed by all
legal means against the author or authors of the calumny.
[Page 48]
I have the satisfaction of informing you that the Govrntment and the
society of Guatemala in general decidedly condemned these publications,
as may be seen in the note of Senor Ramirez of the 26th August, above
mentioned, and in the newspapers to which I have referred.
After several conferences with President Barillas and Señor Manuel
Ramirez, minister for foreign affairs, the protocol, the original of
which I have the honor to remit to you, was signed. In it you will
observe that the relations between Nicaragua and Guatemala have been
re-established on the most cordial and friendly terms. President
Barillas made me the most frank and explicit manifestations of his
sentiments in behalf of the peace of Central America. His sound
political sense and his lively interest in the progress of Guatemala are
undoubtedly a guarantee of tranquillity for these Republics.
Through the friendly initiative of Mr. Henry C. Hall, the United States
minister, I signed a protocol with the minister of Germany and the
chargés d’affaires of France and Italy to terminate the disagreeable
incident which took place in consequence of the communication which
those representatives addressed to the Government of Guatemala in reply
to the circular note in which the latter announced to them the
proclamation of the union of Central America.
I have the honor to remit to you the original protocol.
The secretaries of legation Espinosa and Cuadra, will place in your hands
all the papers relating to the legation to Guatamala.
If the slight services it has just rendered should contribute in any way
to the welfare of Nicaragua I shall be highly satisfied.
* * * * * * *
Señor Castellon to
General Zavala.
Department of Foreign Affairs,
Managua, September 25,
1885.
Mr. Minister: I have had the honor to receive
the communication in which you give an account of your acts as envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of Nicaragua near the
Government of Guatemala, during the recent mission confided to you.
Your communication has impressed the President, to whom I referred it,
with lively interest and he has instructed me to manifest to you his
great gratification that you were the object of marked consideration and
esteem from the time of your arrival, and for the laudable zeal and
patriotism you displayed in placing upon lasting bases the good
relations which both parties desire to maintain for the good of these
peoples who have been so sorely afflicted of late by political conflicts
and troubles.
The Government unreservedly approves all of your acts exercised in the
discharge of your important mission, and through my medium renders you
its sincere thanks for the services through which you have acquired new
titles to the national gratitude.
* * * * * * *
