Department
of State,
Washington, April 7,
1887.
No. 77.][Inclosure in No. 77.]
Messrs. Alexandre &
Sons to Mr. Bayard.
Sir: Your favor of 30th ultimo received. We
regret to learn from it that your Department has not yet received the
precise information it needs to enable it to answer definitely our
inquiry as to what to expect from our Government in the matter of
discrimination by Mexico of 2 per cent. less duties on goods imported
into the Mexican ports of Progreso and Vera Cruz, when imported ex
Spanish line of steamers.
It is to be hoped that your Department will very soon be able to decide
if we are to expect relief, for if not, then we will have to withdraw
our American line of steamers from Mexican trade altogether.
We had hoped that since November 4, when we first officially called your
attention to this grave question, your Department would have been able
to decide before this as to what action it would take in the matter—a
matter which we beg to impress on your mind is an all-important one to
us, and consequently to all American shipping interests; for if Mexico
is to be allowed to violate its treaty obligations with the United
States, then we tell you, we for one will and must have to withdraw our
line of steamers to Mexican Gulf ports.
In answer to your inquiry as to the steamers we run in our line to
Mexico, we beg to say they are the American steamer City of Puebla, 2,643 tons: the American steamer City of Alexandria, 2,480 tons; the American
steamer City of Washington, 2,635 tons; the
American steamer Manhattan, 1,600 tons; and each
and all are owned by American citizens, as on record—the three first
ones entirely by ourselves. To show
[Page 710]
you the reduced business of our line we beg to
state, as taken from our books, that first quarter, i.
e., from January 1, 1888, to March 31, 1886, our freights to
Yera Cruz and Progreso were $48,096, while for the same period of 1887
were $26,139, a falling oh? of $21,957.
Yours, respectfully,
F. Alexandre & Sons.
