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PERU.

LEGATION OF PERU IN THE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Washington, April 27, 1889. SIR: In August last, in pursuance of the authority given to the President by the Federal Congress, the representative of the United States in Peru transmitted to my Government an invitation to attend the International American Conference. The Government of Peru immediately realized the importance of the project and gave to it the careful consideration which it deserves, both by reason of its nature, the various phases which it presents, and of the great influence which it will exercise upon the destinies of all the nations of this continent. The Conference to be held in this city in October next will discuss and recommend for adoption to the respective Governments a plan of arbitration for the settlement of the differences which may hereafter arise among them, and will furthermore consider other measures intended to promote their commercial and industrial relations.

This idea of increasing and strengthening the bonds. which connect the American nations with each other, and in this way improving for the common good the opportunities afforded by their geographical position, and affirming the union which nature itself created when it filled this continent with a galaxy of free, independent, vigorous, and youthful nations, was necessarily hailed by the Government of Peru with feelings of sympathy and good will. The Government of Peru, both in the days of its country's prosperity as in those of its adversity, always advocated and welcomed all efforts to promote the common benefit and foster the feeling of union and fraternity among the nations of the New World; and although it is true that generous attempts in that direction have hitherto proved unsuccessful as far as practical and permanent results are concerned, it is not the less gratifying that the proposed Conference should undertake, through an interchange of views, to establish upon a firm basis the peace of the continent and to promote its financial and industrial prosperity.

It gives me great pleasure to transmit to the Secretary of State the expression of these views, and to inform him, in obedience to special instructions, that the Government of Peru accepts the invitation extended to it by the Government of the United States in the same spirit of friendship and regard with which it was extended, and that it will in due time send a Delegate to represent it at the International American Conference.

I have the honor on this occasion, Mr. Secretary of State, to offer you the assurances of the very distinguished consideration and esteem with which I subscribe myself Your obedient servant,

Hon. JAMES G. BLAINE, etc.

F. C. C. ZEGARRA.

BRAZIL.

LEGATION OF UNITED STATES,

Rio de Janeiro, May 1, 1889.

SIR: I have the honor to report that the Brazilian Government has accepted with pleasure the invitation to send Delegates to the American Conference to be held in Washington on October 2, 1889.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
H. CLAY ARMSTRONG,
Chargé d'Affaires.

Hon. JAMES G. BLAINE,

Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.

MEXICO.

Mr. MINISTER :

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
Mexico, June 1, 1889.

I had the honor to receive Your Excellency's note, dated on the 27th ultimo, informing me that the Secretary of State had addressed you a telegram setting forth that, as stated to him by the Mexican Minister, I had not understood Mr. Bragg to tender Mexico a formal invitation to join the American Conference, but merely to transmit in

formation, when he gave me a copy of the circular of July, ultimo, and further stating that it was gratifying for your Government to find Mexico disposed, as Mr. Romero had said, to accept that invitation. The fact that no note was addressed to this Department, inviting the Mexican Government to join the Conference, and that it merely received a copy of a circular sent to the Legation of the United States here, made me believe that the invitation would be extended at a later period, and that the only thing intended at that time was to give notice that the Conference would be held. This was the reason why I did not write then to your Legation (as I have now the honor of doing, by order of the President), stating that the Mexican Government gladly accepts the invitation, and will in due time appoint the Delegates who should represent it in the said Conference, as set forth in the above-mentioned circular.

It is gratifying to me to have this opportunity to reiterate to Your Excellency the high consideration with which I subscribe myself,

Your obedient servant,

IGNACIO MARISCAL

His Excellency, THOMAS RYAN, etc.

VENEZUELA.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Caracas, July 18, 1889.

SIR: On the 17th instant, at 9 o'clock p. m., I received a cablegram from the Department dated the 16th, as follows:

Ascertain why no answer has been given by Venezuelan Government to invitation to participate in Conference of American States. To which I reply by cable, July 18, as follows:

Venezuela accepts invitation, and will name Delegates to Conference of American States.

It seems that my predecessor, Mr. Scott, merely gave a verbal invitation through the then Minister of Foreign

Affairs. Hence no original acceptance was ever transmitted to this Legation. But on the 27th of March last Dr. Silva, the Venezuelan chargé in Washington, was instructed to formally notify you of the acceptance; and on the 23d of May following the Venezuelan Congress authorized the President to appoint Delegates to the Conference of American States, and likewise to the proposed International Conference of Maritime Powers.

Dr. Parejo, the present Minister of Foreign Affairs, whom I have just seen (and to whom was submitted my cablegram), assures me that the Delegates will be named in due time.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
WILLIAM L. SCRUGGS.

Hon. JAMES G. BLAINE, etc.,

Washington.

SAN DOMINGO.

DEPATRMENT OF FOREIGN RELATIONS,
Santo Domingo, July 19, 1889.

MOST EXCELLENT SIR: The Government of the Dominican Republic, of which the undersigned, Minister of Foreign Relations, has the honor to be the organ, submitted to attentive consideration the important points. contained in the invitation extended to it and to the other Governments of Central and South America, by order of your predecessor in the office of Secretary of State, to join in the International Congress to be held at Washington on the 1st day of October next. The said invitation was forwarded to this Department by the Chargé d'Affaires of the United States on the 7th of August, 1888.

If the Government of the undersigned could, consistently with its duty, regard only the dictates of its interest and its sincere desire that the seat which belongs to the Dominican Republic in the Areopagus of the sovereign nations of America should be occupied by her, she would have hastened to respond to the cordial invitation of the great Republic, the first-born daughter of democracy in

the New World, by sending her representatives to the Conference; but the Dominican Government finds itself bound to recognize that it is placed under exceptional circumstances in this matter, because many of the subjects referred to in the said invitation have been already settled between the two Republics, as shown by well-known diplomatic acts which create a status between the two countries, and which, according to international rules, can not be ignored or lost sight of either by the United States or the Dominican Republic.

The Governments of both countries concluded in 1884 a treaty of mutual privileges-arbitration and commercial reciprocity-which settled many of the points which, under the Act of Congress of the United States of 1888, will be discussed in the International Conference at Washington.

It may happen that a criterion different from that which prevailed in the said treaty, whether more liberal or more restricted, will be adopted by that Conference in regard to the very same points which were settled by agreement between our two Republics; and for this reason, and in view of the additional circumstance that the international compact above mentioned awaits ratification, and has not been officially withdrawn by either of the contracting parties—or if withdrawn at all, then without explicit notification of the fact to the other party-the Dominican Government believes that it is not at liberty to enter into a new discussion of the subjects already settled by the treaty of 1884, no matter how proper such a discussion may be on the part of other nations, which are not bound, as the Dominican Republic is, by an international compact entered into ad referendum and awaiting ratification. As long as the political authorities representing the two nations do not finally pass upon the said convention, the Dominican Republic is not at liberty to change it.

The Government of the undersigned believes, therefore, that under the circumstances aforesaid, it can assume no other attitude, either toward the United States or toward the International Conference at Washington, than to keep within the limits of the present situation and maintain itself in a condition of expectation, watching the practical

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