Mr. Gresham to Mr. Bayard.
Washington, April 6, 1894.
Sir: You are doubtless aware that the night before the final collapse of the insurgent movement in the bay of Rio de Janeiro, da Gama, the insurgent leader, and some of his subordinate officials, were received on board a Portuguese man-of-war in the harbor. About two weeks ago the British ambassador here informed me that the Brazilian Government had demanded of Portugal the surrender of these men, and that the latter Government had offered to land them somewhere beyond the jurisdiction of Brazil, and there detain them until the fate of the insurrection should be known, when their right to asylum under the circumstances could be determined. Sir Julian was instructed, he said, by his Government to ask the United States to join Great Britain in a friendly suggestion to the Government of Brazil that it accept this offer of Portugal. I submitted the matter to the President, and, after full consideration, he instructed me to inform Sir Julian that the United States did not feel inclined to join in the suggestion. A day or two later a substantially similar request was received from the Government [Page 279] of Italy, through Mr. Thompson, our minister at Rio, and answered in the same way, and within the last week a direct request to the same effect from the Portuguese Government, through its minister here, has been declined.
I am, etc.,