Mr. Cambon to Mr. Day.
Washington, August 29, 1898.
Referring to a communication from the honorable Secretary of State of the United States, dated August 24, concerning the approaching departure of the American commissioners charged with settling the details of the evacuation of Cuba, the French embassy has the honor to state that the Spanish Government has given orders to the Habana authorities for the removal of any mines which may still be in that harbor.
In this connection the Madrid cabinet has expressed a wish to know in what kind of vessel the American commission will take passage. It would prefer that it should not be a Federal war vessel, the presence of which in Habana Harbor might, by calling up the recollection of the Maine, give rise to demonstrations which would not be easy to prevent and which both parties would evidently be interested in avoiding.