Mr. Blount to Mr. Gresham.
Dear Sir: The condition of parties in the islands is one of quiescence. The action of the United States is awaited by all as a matter of necessity. This condition, it can be assumed, will remain until the proposition to annex is accepted or rejected. In the latter contingency no sudden movement is likely to occur. The present Government can only rest on the use of military force, possessed of most of the arms in the islands, with a small white population to draw from to strengthen it. Ultimately it will fall without fail. It may preserve its existence for a year or two, but not longer.
My own private affairs make it necessary for me to return home. The distance between us, and consequent difficulty of communication, is too great for me to wait for any further correspondence. It is not pleasant to reveal one’s private affairs, nor do I intend to do so now. I assume that neither you nor the President under existing circumstances could urge my further continuance here.
I have discharged my duty the best I could considering I was surrounded by persons interested in misleading me, and in my inability to compel answers from witnesses.
I am, etc.,