to that of the United States for the cordial invitation kindly extended to it through you. I avail of this opportunity to renew the expression of my sentiments of high esteem and distinguished consideration with which I subscribe myself, Your obedient servant, JERÓNIMO ZELAYA. COSTA RICA. DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN RELATIONS, Mr. MINISTER: I had the honor to receive your polite note of the 8th of August last, and the copies and translations therein inclosed of a communication of the honorable Secretary of State and of an Act of Congress of the United States. You inform me that your Government has been pleased to invite the nations of the American continent to join in a Conference to be held at Washington on the 2d of October of the coming year, and that it hopes that Costa Rica will be represented in said Conference, thus accepting your courteous invitation. I reported to the President of the Republic the contents of the documents above referred to, and he instructed me to say to you that this Government accepts with real pleasure the invitation which the United States extends to it to take part in a Conference which has to prove beneficial to all Americans, cause the commercial relations of our countries to be closer, and prevent force from being used for the settlement of the questions which may arise between them. This Government, therefore, will take great pleasure in accrediting at the proper time its Delegate for the above-mentioned Conference. Be pleased, Mr. Minister, to transmit to your Government the foregoing answer, and accept the assurances of distinguished consideration with which I subscribe myself Your obedient servant, P. PEREZ ZELEDÓN. URUGUAY. OFFICE OF FOREIGN RELATIONS, ORIENTAL REPUBLIC OF THE URUGUAY, Mr. CHARGÉ D'AFFAIRES: Montevideo, October 6, 1888. I have had the honor to receive your note of the 24th of August last, in which you are pleased to invite the Government of the Republic, in the name of the United States of North America, to attend, by plenipotentiaries named for that purpose, the American Congress which shall meet in Washington in October, 1889, for the discussion of subjects relating to the peace, the progress of commercial relations, and the welfare of the American nations. His Excellency the President of the Republic, having been made acquainted with the contents of your communication and its inclosures, has instructed me to say to you in reply, that he is greatly obliged for the invitation which you have been pleased to extend to him, and that he, sincerely applauding the noble idea which has occurred to the Government of the United States of calling the said Congress to convene, promises to comply with the pleasant duty of naming, at the proper time, the Delegate who shall represent this country in the International Conference at Washington. Be pleased to transmit this answer to your Government, and accept the assurances of my distinguished consideration. ILD. GARCIA LAGOS. ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, Mr. MINISTER: Buenos Aires, October 10, 1888. His Excellency the President has received with satisfaction your note of September 1, in which, in compliance with instructions from your Government, you have in vited the Argentine Republic to send Delegates to the International Congress to be held at Washington on the 2d of October, 1889. The President has decided to accept the invitation, and has issued to that end the decree, a copy of which I have the honor to inclose. I avail of this opportunity to renew to Your Excellency the assurances of my high consideration. NORBERTO QUIRNO COSTA. DECREE. Whereas, an invitation has been extended by the President of the United States to the Argentine Republic to appoint Delegates to an International Congress, to be held at Washington, October 2, in pursuance of an act of the Congress of that country, whereat some commercial matters, and others of reciprocal importance to the American States, will be considered. Therefore, the President of Republic decrees: (1) That said invitation be accepted, and that representatives of the Republic, to be appointed hereafter, be sent to the said Conference. (2) That the decree be duly published, communicated, etc. Buenos Aires, October 10, 1888. I received in due time your very courteous communication of the 8th of August last, and the copies therein inclosed, in which you are pleased to extend to my Government, in the name of the President of the United States, a cordial invitation to take part in the International American Conference to be held at Washington, on Wednesday, the 2d of October, 1889, in pursuance of an act of Congress of the 24th of May last. The fact that the invitation comes from the Government of the United States, with which the Government of this Republic maintains the most cordial relations, and the simple enunciation of the highly important subjects to be considered at the Conference, are sufficient reasons to cause my Government to accept the invitation with real pleasTherefore, it will appoint, in due time, its representative in the said Conference. ure. I reiterate to you the assurances of my distinguished consideration, and sign myself Your attentive and faithful servant, ADRIAN ZAVALA. Mr. MINISTER: SALVADOR. DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, I had the honor to receive in due time your important communication of the 18th of August last, in which you were pleased to inform me that in pursuance of an Act of Congress of the 24th May last, the President of the United States had been authorized and requested to invite the Governments of the Republics of Mexico, Central and South America, Hayti, and San Domingo and the Empire of Brazil, to join the United States in a Conference to be held at Washington during the coming year of 1889. You add that the subjects which this International Conference is called to consider, as set forth in detail in the said Act of Congress, and in the circular of the Honorable Secretary of State of the 13th of July, copies and translations of which you had the kindness to send me with your note, may be briefly recapitulated as follows: (1) The discussion of measures tending to promote the prosperity of the several American States. (2) The formation of an American Customs Union. (3) The establishment of regular and frequent communications between the States. (4) The adoption of a uniform system of customs regulations. (5) The adoption of a uniform system of weights and measures. 563A- -2 (6) The adoption of a common silver coin. (7) A definite plan of arbitration of questions, disputes, and differences. (8) The discussion of such other subjects of mutual and general interest as may be presented by any of the Delegates of the States represented. Under the instructions of the President, I have the honor to say to you in reply to your note, that my Government recognizes the transcendental importance of the subjects to be considered by the Conference referred to, and deems it to be its patriotic duty to accept the invitation which the Government of the United States has been pleased to extend through you. I trust, therefore, that you will be pleased to transmit to your Government this acceptance of its invitation on the part of Salvador, and set forth in addition that in due time a person will be appointed to represent this Government in the Washington International Conference. Be pleased, Mr. Minister, to accept the assurance of my high consideration and esteem. MANUEL DELGADO. ECUADOR. REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR, MINISTRY OF EXTERIOR RELATIONS, Quito, March 6, 1889. SIR: I have laid before His Excellency the Chief Magistrate of the Republic your esteemed note of the 18th ultimo, inclosing a copy of the circular of the Department of State at Washington relative to the International Conference to be held at Washington for the consideration of certain principles and rules of international law which might be adopted by the States of North, Central, and South America as a guide for their mutual relations, among which, as suggested by your own Government, arbitration as a method for the settlement of the differences which may arise between said states will be included. Ecuador has been invited by you to join that Confer |