I beg to report that I shall stay here until the arrival of a United States
war ship or other orders, considering lives and property of our citizens not
at all secured.
[Inclosure.]
Mr. Braida to Mr.
Baker.
United
States Consulate,
Bluefields, March 21,
1894.
Sir: On the afternoon of March 14 a meeting was
held in the clubhouse by the Americans to tender to the captain
commander of Her British Majesty’s ship Cleopatra
and to his officers and men their most sincere thanks for the
maintenance of order and security.
The American residents then discussed and adopted a resolution to send a
delegation to Washington, D. C., to state to the home Government the
great importance of the political changes in the Mosquito Reservation,
concerning their enterprises, commerce and traffic in general, as they
considered their welfare endangered.
Consular Agent Mr. B. B. Seat and Mr. Sam. Weil, merchant, were
unanimously elected, and Mr. George D. Emery, of Boston, Mass. (mahogany
firm), will join the delegation at Washington.
Since that time all sorts of attempts have been made to induce us
Americans to compromise ourselves to become a party in the suspicious
[Page 257]
arrangements entered into
between the British officials, Captain Commander Howe and Her British
Majesty’s Consul Bingham, with Commissioner Lacayo and General Cabezas
to form a provisional government upon a basis which we considered
un-American, unfair to the best interests of the inhabitants of the
reservation at large, and expressly contrary to the Managua treaty of
1860, therefore relieving the English and Nicaraguan officials of all
responsibility of the infraction of the treaty of Managua and the
Clayton-Bulwer treaty (if there be an infraction) and throwing the
responsibility upon our shoulders. We unanimously decided to decline all
offers to participate in a provisional government under the condition
offered us by the above-named agents of the two high contracting powers
to the treaty of Managua.
Believing that Mosquito under Spanish rule means the utter ruin of all
that American capital and energy has accomplished and built up here in
such a wonderfully successful manner in the past few years. The
experience we have had during the past year was tyranny, injustice, and
oppression in the most outrageous forms. We suffered without being able
to get the least satisfaction or redress.
The facts have decided our people here to make a last effort, in sending
a delegation to Washington to explain the situation and to prove to the
United States Government the need of immediate action. * * *
Since Monday morning, March 19, another attempt has been made to form a
provisional government, and notwithstanding the reiterated refusals of
the Americans to take part in the proposed government, General Lacayo
has taken it upon himself to make personal, appointments to proposed
provisional council, which appointments have in every instance been
declined by both Americans and natives.
I beg to state that at this time the natives, Creoles as well as Indians,
have completely taken our standpoint and will under all circumstances go
with us to maintain autonomy to Mosquito.
At 3.40 p.m. to-day, March 21, the river steamer Hendy arrived with 30 soldiers on board with their arms boxed.
This was in direct violation to the agreement made in my presence on the
19th instant at 2 p.m. that Nicaragua would under no pretext bring
soldiers, nor employ Nicaraguans in the police force. This created great
excitement among the populace, and when I asked Mr. Bingham at the
British consulate if this was not a breach of his agreement with General
Lacayo, he intimated that he was powerless to act; after which I left
him with the impression that the whole proceeding was but another
intrigue, and tried to quiet the general excitement.
Later in the evening, at the request of several American citizens, I
called on General Lacayo to find out what course he intended to pursue
in regard to keeping order in the town.
During the course of conversation I suggested that he place the town in
the hands of the Americans for the night, guaranteeing to keep peace and
order on condition that General Lacayo would promise to keep his
soldiers in their quarters. General Lacayo expressed himself very much
pleased and entirely satisfied to have us do the police duty for the
night. I left him, telling him I would call a meeting of Americans and
lay the proposition before them. I called the meeting, in which also the
natives, Germans, and others participated, and it was resolved to do the
police duty for the night.
Myself, accompanied by a committee from the meeting, then called upon
General Lacayo to inform him that we would take charge of the town for
the night. He thanked us, but said that within the last two
[Page 258]
hours circumstances had arisen
which would compel him to take charge of the town himself with his
soldiers.
This a.m., March 22, Her British Majesty’s Consul Bingham left on the
British Majesty’s ship Canada for Grey Town.
I have received no dispatches whatever in a fortnight.
I am, etc.,
S. C. Braida,
United States Consul.
