[Inclosure No.
543.—Translation.]
M. Nouet, governor
of New Caledonia and dependencies, to the minister
of marine and colonies:
Noumea, November 9,
1887.
Mr. Minister: In a dispatch of the 13th of
August last, No. 629, you did me the honor to transmit to me a copy of a
letter from Mr. McLane, Minister of the United States in France, in
reference to the facilities said to have been granted by the local
government to liberated convicts for going to San Francisco, and you ask
me to give you explanations on that subject.
The commercial agent of the United States would appear to me to have
transmitted erroneous information to his Government, resulting,
undoubtedly, from an incomplete knowledge of the regulations in regard
to the authorizations of departure granted to liberated convicts.
In fact, persons of this category, compelled to reside in New Caledonia,
obtain, in certain cases, permissions to depart for the countries which
they designate; some, among them have been thus authorized, upon their
demand, to proceed to San Francisco, but not only nobody has been
encouraged to go to that city, or anywhere else for that matter, but as
far as San Francisco is concerned I have refused permission for the
voyage on several occasions.
There has never been a question of appropriating a part of the local
budget for the transportation of liberated convicts to the United
States.
According to the American representative at Noumea, the French Government
of fers a subsidy for a line of steamers from Noumea to Tahiti and San
Francisco. Mr. Morgan seems to have neglected to procure his information
from sufficiently authoritative sources. I believe, in fact, that
several inhabitants of Papeete have expressed the desire of seeing a
regular service established between New Caledonia and Tahini and that
the council general of the latter colony has voted a certain sum
destined to encourage and to aid that enterprise; but there has not, to
my knowledge, been any question of prolonging this line to San
Francisco.
Whatever may be the case, however, I have taken note of the instructions
contained in your dispatch above mentioned of the 13th of August, and no
liberated convicts shall be hereafter authorized to depart for the
United States.
I am, etc.,
