Mr. White to Mr. Hay.

No. 1007.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith copies of a cablegrama which I received from you early yesterday morning; of a note which I thereupon addressed and handed myself to the Marquis of Lansdowne at the foreign office in the afternoon; of his lordship’s reply, which reached me very shortly afterwards, and of a cablegrama which, upon the receipt of Lord Lansdowne’s note, I sent you, relative to the proposed submission of the claims of Great Britain and Germany to arbitration, and more particularly to the action of the Venezuelan Government in conferring upon our minister at Caracas full powers to enter into negotiations with regard to the present difficulties of Great Britain and Germany with Venezuela.

You will observe from Lord Lansdowne’s note that this Government, having already accepted the proposal of the Venezuelan Government to refer to arbitration the matters in controversy between the two governments, and having expressed the hope that the President of the United States would act as arbitrator, prefer to adhere to that decision rather than to adopt an alternative proceeding. I may add that the moment he read my note Lord Lansdowne said that he felt sure that such would be the view of His Majesty’s Government, but that before giving me a definite answer he would consult the prime minister and communicate in writing immediately the Government’s reply, which he did within an hour.

I have, etc.,

Henry White.
[Inclosure No. 1.]

Mr. White to Lord Lansdowne.

My Lord: I have the honor to inform your lordship that Mr. Bowen, the American minister to Venezuela, has informed my Government by telegraph that the [Page 459] Venezuelan Government has conferred upon him full powers to enter into negotiations on the part of Venezuela to settle the present difficulties with Great Britain, Germany, and Italy.

I am instructed by Mr. Secretary Hay to communicate the Venezuelan proposition to your lordship, and to ascertain whether His Majesty’s Government be disposed to assent thereto.

I have, etc.,

Henry White.
[Inclosure No. 2.]

Lord Lansdowne to Mr. White.

Sir: I have had the honor to receive your note of this day’s date, stating that Mr. Bowen, the American minister at Caracas, has informed the United States Government that the Venezuelan Government have conferred upon him full powers to enter into negotiations with regard to the present difficulties with Great Britain, Germany, and Italy. His Majesty’s Government have, as you are aware, already accepted the proposal of the Venezuelan Government to refer to arbitration the matters in controversy between the two governments and have expressed their hope that the President of the United States will consent to act as arbitrator.

The conditions under which such arbitration might take place have been fully considered, and I hope to make you aware of them in the course of a few hours.

In these circumstances His Majesty’s Government prefer not to abandon the proposals which they have already made, proposals which seem to them to afford every hope of satisfactory settlement, in order to adopt the alternative procedure which the Venezuelan Government have apparently now suggested.

I have, etc.,

Lansdowne.
  1. Printed ante.
  2. Printed ante.