Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 9, 1891

Señor Luca to Mr. Blaine.

[Telegram.—Translation.]

Iquique, March 22, 1891. (Received March 23.)

The delegation of the National Congress of Chile requests your excellency to forbid the purchase of arms for the dictator Balmaceda, with which he intends to attack the constitutional forces of the Congress. We exercise full sovereignty over the departments of Pisagua, Tarapacá, Tocopilla, Taltal, Chañaral, and Antofagasta, and we are blockading their ports. The constitutional army occupies 480 miles of coast—65,000 square miles.

Waldo Silva Bareas Luca,
President.