Mr. Olney to Mr. McKenzie.

No. 162.]

Sir: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your dispatch No. 283, of February 24 last, communicating to the Department the proposition made by the Peruvian Government to pay, in satisfaction of the claim of the members of the Hydrographic Commission of the Amazon, the sum of 20,000 silver soles, 10,000 to be paid this year and 10,000 next year.

The Department has communicated with the representative of five of the seven claimants and they are desirous of accepting the proposition of settlement. The Department has not been able thus far to locate the other claimants.

You are directed to accept the offer made by the Peruvian Government and arrange for the payment of the first moiety at as early a date as practicable.

Except in the cases of Sparrow and Noland the amounts claimed by the different members of the commission, or admitted to be due by [Page 493] Peru, do not appear from the papers on file here. It is believed that this information can be obtained from certain papers in the legation, copies of which were sent to Mr. Yrigoyen by your predecessor, Mr. Gibbs, in a note (No. 91) dated July 6, 1878. Please forward copies of such papers for use in the distribution of the money.

I am, etc.,

Richard Olney.