On the 18th September, arrived the whaling bark Mattapoisett, which left the United States on the 13th day of November, 1866, and, after being engaged nearly a year in the fishery to which she is destined, came into these islands, as is usual, to refresh her crew, purchase fresh provisions, and prepare for the cruise of the approaching winter. On the 21st September, arrived also the whaling bark Minnesota, which left the United States on the 29th May, 1866, or, in other words, a year and three months before the publication of the sanitary order which declares those ports foul and subjects vessels proceeding thence to quarantine. Nevertheless, all these vessels were dismissed from Teneriffe under that order. The consul of the United States in those islands made to the governor of the same such observations as he thought the case required, and it is presumed that the latter has consulted the Queen's government at Madrid, for the consul claimed that a date should be fixed on after which the bill of health issued at those ports should be considered foul,, but which should exempt from this measure vessels that left the United States months, and even a year, previous to the circumstances which were the motive for that order. The decision is urgent, because the whaling fleet of the United States, which seeks these islands at this season of the year, to prepare for the fishery of the approaching winter, will have all passed by before the 15th of November; and if the desired amendment of this sanitary order should not leave in the mail steamer from Cadiz on the 15th of October, there will be no other mail to the islands in time to prevent the dismissal of almost all of these vessels. And it is to be feared that this numerous fleet, being thus dismissed this year, will not return, the Canary islands thus losing what is for them an important and lucrative trade. [Translation.] Telegram sent to Cadiz October 14 to be transmitted by the mail steamer of October 15 from Cadiz to the Canary islands. To the CONSUL OF THE UNITED STATES at Teneriffe: The quarantine question is arranged. Orders go out to admit to free pratique all vessels which had left the United States previous to the 1st of July. HORATIO J. PERRY, Chargé d'Affaires. Mr. Perry to Mr. Seward. No. 4.] LEGATION OF the United STATES, SIR: I confirm my last, of the 14th instant, relative to the proceedings of this government in regard to various whaling ships of the United States dismissed from Teneriffe under recent sanitary orders, which, at my instance, were modified as therein stated. Since that writing, a despatch from the consul at Teneriffe, dated October 5th, has reached me by way of England, which recites two additional cases, as follows: Since writing to you on the 3d instant, the whaling bark Ohio has arrived from Fayal with a clean bill of health, duly certified to by the Spanish consul at that place. She was 28 months out, having left the United States May 16, 1865; and in consequence of her originally sailing from the United States, was "despedido," (dismissed.) This day the whaling bark Globe, 25 months out, arrived, and hearing of the barbarous treatment awaiting her, left at once, without awaiting to be told to go. WM. H. DABNEY. It must be expected that still other cases like these will have occurred before the order sent off by telegram on the 14th, and which was carried out by the mail steamship which started from Cadiz at three o'clock in the afternoon of the 15th instant, can have reached Teneriffe. The urgency of obtaining some practical relief for our whaling fleet in the few available hours which intervened between my receiving the consul's advices on the afternoon of the 12th instant and the departure of the new orders on the 14th-the intervening 13th instant being Sunday-compelled me not to complicate that with any more general question. But the absurdity of putting a whole continent under sanitary disabilities because a few ports of the Gulf of Mexico are infected, will not fail to arrest your attention. The clean bills of health borne by our ships, and duly signed by the Spanish consuls in our northern ports, are disregarded. Perhaps even you may be led to consider whether the especial circumstances of some of the whaling ships which touched at Teneriffe in demand of succor for wounded men or provisions necessary to continue their voyage, and were peremptorily dismissed without either, may not constitute such a palpable violation of the stipulations of the treaty of 1795 as to lead to some further action on your part or that of the President. With the highest respect, sir, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. HORATIO J. PERRY. Mr. Perry to Mr. Seward. No. 5.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: I have the honor to enclose part of the official gazette of to-day, containing a royal decree, by which the present duties paid in Spain and her adjacent islands upon the importation of agricultural tools and machinery of all descriptions are reduced to one per cent. ad valorem, when they are brought in Spanish ships, and one-fifth part more if they are imported under a foreign flag. American agricultural implements, I am glad to say, are gradually but steadily being introduced, to the great benefit of the husbandry of this country, and today's decree will no doubt stimulate that trade. With sentiments of the highest respect, sir, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. [Translation.] ROYAL DECREE. In view of the reasons suggested by the minister of finance, in accordance with the advice of the council of ministers, I decree as follows: SINGLE ARTICLE. Machinery, iron work, apparatus and mechanism of foreign construction destined for agricultural uses, or such as may serve for distributing the benefits and improving the products of husbandry, shall pay one per cent. on their value under the national flag, and one-fifth additional under a foreign flag. Done at the palace the 18th day of October, 1867. SIR: I take pleasure in enclosing the official gazette of to-day, which contains a royal decree extending the time for the free admission of wheat and wheat flour into Spain to the 30th day of June, 1868. A former decree, dated August 22d, limited this privilege to four months, and restricted it to certain ports of the kingdom. To-day's decree makes the measure extensive to all the ports of the kingdom, and establishes it until the next year's crop of wheat can be harvested. The same gazette also contains the official report of the price of wheat at Madrid on the 25th instant. This price continues to rise throughout the kingdom, and the local authorities have just authorized an advance of one cuarto (about three-fourths of a cent) in the price of bread at Madrid for every twopound loaf. In a country where bread is almost the sole aliment of great masses of the people, and where the paternal authority of the government is looked to as more or less responsible for the price of bread, this is a matter of some concern. With sentiments of the highest respect, sir, your obedient servant, HORATIO J. PERRY. Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. No. 2.] Mr. Seward to Mr. Perry. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, October 30, 1867. SIR: Mr. Dabney, the United States consul at Teneriffe, has forwarded to the department a copy of a letter and of the accompanying correspondence which he addressed to Mr. Hale under date of the 26th ultimo, upon the subject of the ordering away of the United States vessels from that island, by the governor, on the ground of a mandate from Madrid, to the effect that all ports of this country are afflicted by contagious or infectious diseases, so that vessels from them cannot be admitted into Spanish ports, without danger to the public health. The proceeding referred to is so obviously arbitrary and unnecessary and must result in such serious inconvenience to the vessels of the United States, that it is presumed you will have made proper representations upon the subject to the Spanish government. Though every country has a right to enforce such sanitary regulations as it may choose for the protection of the public health, this power should always be reasonably exercised, and any abuse of it to the detriment of commerce should be studiously guarded against. For some months past yellow fever has prevailed in some ports of our southern States. Vessels from them entering foreign ports might reasonably expect to be at least subject to quarantine. The ports of the northern and middle States, as well as those on the Pacific, have, however, been entirely free from any pestilential diseases. The Spanish mandate referred to, so far as it may relate to vessels clearing from those ports, must consequently be regarded as either unfriendly in purpose or as based upon erroneous information. It must be protested against accordingly. I am, sir, your obedient servant, HORATIO J. PERRY, Esq., &c., &c., &c. WILLIAM H. SEWARD. No. 3.] Mr. Seward to Mr. Perry. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, October 31, 1867. SIR: The department has received your despatch No. 2, of the 8th instant, relative to the detention of several United States vessels ordered to Port Mahon, pursuant to Spanish sanitary regulations. Your were yesterday fully instructed upon the general subject on the occasion of a despatch to the department from the United States consul at Teneriffe. The case of the vessels at Port Mahon does not seem to require any other special instructions than that you should let the Spanish minister for foreign affairs understand that this government will expect full indemnification for any unjust or unnecessary detention, or other injury to United States vessels resorting to Spain, when such proceedings are based upon quarantine laws obviously abused and unjustifiable. I am, sir, your obedient servant, HORATIO J. PERRY, Esq., &c., &c., &c. No. 7.] WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Mr. Perry to Mr. Seward. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: I have the honor to enclose a copy of the Madrid Gazette of yesterday, containing a royal decree reducing the duties upon foreign-grown wheat flour imported into the island of Porto Rico. It will be seen that the preamble of the decree confesses that Spain is not in a condition to export wheat or flour, and that there is no good motive for continuing other or heavier duties upon United States wheat flour in Porto Rico than those exacted from us by the decree of March 12th, of this year, in the island of Cuba. The duties upon our flour imported into Porto Rico, on and after the 1st day of January, 1868, according to the decree now forwarded to you, will be as follows: If imported in Spanish bottoms, $2 45 per 100 kilograms weight, including the weight of the barrel or sack. If imported in vessels under any other flag than that of Spain, $3 26 per 100 kilograms weight, including the weight of barrel or sack. You will, perhaps, consider it proper to put this information within the knowledge of our shipping merchants. With the highest respect, sir, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C. HORATIO J. PERRY. [Translation.] ROYAL DECREE. In view of the reasons laid before me by the minister for ultramar, in concert with the council of ministers, I decree as follows: ARTICLE 1. Flour made from wheat of Spanish growth, proceeding from Spanish ports under the Spanish flag, shall continue to be duty free on importation at the island of Puerto Rico; and until the 1st of January, 1868, wheaten flour, the importation of which would not be free from the payment of duty, shall be charged in the said island as follows: Spanish wheat flour coming from Spanish ports, under a foreign flag, shall pay for each 100 kilograms, including the weight of the barrel, one escudo 630 thousandths. Flour coming from foreign ports, under the Spanish flag, for each 100 kilograms, including the weight of the barrel, four escudos 891 thousandths. The same under foreign flag, for each 100 kilograms, including the weight of the barrel, six escudos 522 thousandths. ART. 2. In regard to the imposition of duties on wheat flour proceeding from the United States there shall be observed what is provided for as a general rule in article five of the decree of the 12th of March of this year, which approved the tariffs of duties of the customhouses in force in the island of Cuba. ART. 3. The provisions contained in my decree of June 27, 1865, respecting the importation of flour at the island of Puerto Rico, are abrogated. Given at the palace the 29th of October, 1867. Under the royal signature, CARLOS MARFORI, Minister for Ultramar. No. 4.] Mr. Seward to Mr. Perry. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, November 4, 1867. SIR: With the instruction from the department, No. 62, of the 18th of March last, Mr. Hale was furnished with a copy of the answer of the Chilian minister for foreign affairs, of the 30th of January, to the offer of this government to mediate between Chili, and other Spanish American republics, and Spain, for the purpose of bringing about a peace. That answer was not definitive, but expressed a wish for consultation with the other republics at war with Spain. A copy of General Kilpatrick's despatch,* No. 49, of the 1st of May last, with a translation of the note of Mr. Covarrubias to which it refers, is herewith transmitted. It will be seen from this that Chili proposes to adhere to the offer of the United States, but only upon precedent conditions which this government is not authorized to accept. Acting, however, in a spirit of perfect equality, the President directs me to submit the reply of Chili to the consideration of Spain. Such terms as Spain may propose will be made known to Chili The substance of the despatch of General Kilpatrick was made known to Mr. Goñi soon after the despatch reached here. It was also the President's intention that the despatch itself should at once have been communicated to the legation at Madrid. By some oversight, however, that intention has not until now been carried into effect. SIR: I transmit a copy of a letter of the 31st ultimo, addressed to the department by Messrs. Thompson and Hunter, and of the letter to them, to which it refers, from Captain Upton, of their brig Machias, from Vigo, to which port that vessel was compelled to proceed to perform quarantine, though Cadiz was her destination. According to Captain Upton's statement he not only had no sickness on board when he reached Cadiz, but he carried thither from Madeira a clean bill of health from both the Spanish and Portuguese consuls. The Spanish sanitary edict, pursuant to which the Machias was ordered to Vigo, may be regarded, under the circumstances, as tantamount to a refusal of entry of all vessels from the United States. * For enclosure see correspondence with the United States minister to Chili. |