Mr. Egan to Mr. Blaine.
Santiago, April 21, 1891. (Received June 3.)
Sir: The minister of foreign relations having urgently requested me to convey to you the desire of the Government that you would favorably consider the overtures of the Chilean minister at Washington for the purchase of a war ship, either ready for sea or nearly so, I had the honor to address to you to-day a telegram on the subject.
The British minister, under instructions from his Government, has refused to recognize the right of the Government of Chile to close ports or to impose duties upon any shipments of nitrate which may have been cleared by the revolutionists. The Chilean authorities have detained at Coronel one German and one English steamer, loaded with nitrate from Iquique, which put into that port for coal; and the English minister has addressed to the Government a note conveying the menace that he would send a war ship and take out by force the British ship. Steps are in progress for the arrangement of both cases.
I have, etc.,