No. 108.
Mr. Bayard
to Mr. Hosmer.
Department
of State,
Washington, April 27,
1888.
No. 571.]
Sir: In connection with my No. 569, of the 18th
instant, I herewith transmit for your information and files a copy of a
letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, dated the 24th instant, and of my
reply thereto, dated the 27th, explaining that the withdrawal of the Marquis
de Campo steamers, as reported in Mr. Hall’s No. 793, of the 27th ultimo,
related exclusively to the Republic of Guatemala.
I am, etc.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 571.]
Mr. Fairchild to
Mr. Bayard.
Treasury Department
April 24, 1888.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter, dated the 18th instant, transmitting a copy of
dispatch No. 793, of the 27th ultimo, from the United States minister at
Guatemala City, relative to a revocation by the Guatemalan Government of
its decree of July 11, 1887, placing regular lines of vessels entering
in that country on the same footing as the vessels of the Spanish
Central Line of steamers.
The minister reports that the withdrawal of the Marquis de Campo’s
steamers “from these waters” is now announced by his agent at Guatemala,
and you remark that
[Page 149]
there
appears to be no discrimination in the Pacific ports of Central America
in favor, of any foreign flag.
In the minister’s dispatch of December 10, 1886, he stated that Costa
Rica conceded a rebate of customs duties on all merchandise imported
into its Pacific ports in the steamers of the Spanish Central American
Line, plying between Panama and San Francisco, and in your communication
of the 6th of February last you expressed the opinion that the
discrimination then made by Costa Rica was violative of the treaty of
1851, and would justify this Government in regarding its provisions as
temporarily suspended by Costa Rica.
This Department does not recall that notice has been given of any formal
abrogation of this concession, nor is it understood whether the minister
intended to say, in dispatch 793, that the vessels of the Spanish
Central Line have been withdrawn from the waters of Costa Rica.
As instructions have been given to the collectors of customs in
accordance with the suggestion in your letter of February 6, above
cited, to apply to importations in Costa Rican vessels the provisions of
section 2502, Revised Statutes, imposing additional duties, it is
essential that full information should be received by this Department of
any facts that may warrant a revocation of the instructions.
If, in your opinion Article, VI., of the treaty should now be considered
as in force, and not temporarily suspended, I will thank you to so
advise me.
Respectfully, yours,
C. S. Fairchild,
Secretary.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 571.]
Mr. Bayard to Mr.
Fairchild.
Department of State,
Washington, April 27,
1883.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of
your letter of the 24th instant and to say that from Mr. Hall’s dispatch
No. 793, of March 27 last, it is evident that the withdrawal of the
Marquis de Campo steamers, otherwise known as the Spanish Central
American Line of steamers, was a withdrawal simply from Guatemalan
waters. It was in consequence of the first decree of that Government
extending the rebate on imports, so far as the contract with the Marquis
de Campo would permit, to all regular lines of vessels. The withdrawal
having been announced by the agent of that company in Guatemala, a
decree of March 24, 1888, was issued withdrawing all rebate in duties
and placing all nationalities on the same footing All this however,
appears to relate to Guatemala alone, and the term withdrawal “from
these waters” seems to have been used by Mr. Hail as applying to the
waters of that republic.
Nothing has been received from Mr. Hall on this subject, so far as Costa
Rica is concerned, since his No 775 of February 16, 1888, a copy of
which was sent to you on the 16th ultimo. That dispatch showed that
Costa Rica maintained the discrimination in favor of the Spanish
Line.
I have, etc.,
