A. [Translation.] Being resolved to carry out the glorious project of giving liberty to Cuba, and deeming it to be my duty to invite every Cuban to assist me, I take the liberty of addressing myself to you in order to make you acquainted with my intentions, begging at the same time that you will be pleased to inform me whether you are willing to contribute, either by personal services or pecuniary aid, towards said enterprise; because I do not wish that any Cuban shall hereafter have cause to complain that he was not invited to participate in the holy work of achieving the political, redemption of his country. I have the honor to remain, with the greatest consideration and esteem, &c., &c., NARCISO LOPEZ. The Secretary of State to Mr. Calderon. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 3, 1850. SIR: I have received your note of the 20th ultimo, referring to a previous note of the 26th of the preceding month, in both of which you advert to renewed attempts, having for their objects another expedition against the island of Cuba, and enclosing a copy of a circular, alleged to have been addressed by Narciso Lopez to wealthy and respectable subjects of Spain, Cubans, travelling in the United States, calling upon them to assist him, either in person or by pecuniary contributions, in his unlawful projects. The President, to whom your note has been submitted, has given to the subject the mature consideration which its importance deserves, and has directed a circular to be prepared and transmitted without delay to the marshals, district attorneys, and collectors of customs of the principal ports of the United States, with the express object of renewing former instructions, and of enjoining upon them in the most serious manner a strict enforcement of the existing laws of the United States. I have the honor to communicate to you, herewith, a copy of that circular. You may be assured, Mr. Minister, and you may assure your government, that the government of the United States will not only not lend any countenance to the fitting out of expeditions in this country to make war upon Spain, or any of her possessions; but that it will, to the full extent of its obligations under treaties, and of its duty under existing laws, exercise its authority to prevent and repress such expeditions. You are aware that, among modern and civilized States, the United States were the earliest in restraining, by severe legal penalties, any such violations of neutrality as the setting on foot of military expeditions to make war on a country with which they are at peace. Any information respecting the intentions or acts of the individuals you refer to, which may come to your knowledge, will, if communicated to this department, receive immediate attention and be transmitted to the proper officers of the law, with suitable instructions. To the district attorney at New York will be transmitted, with a copy of: the circular to marshals, &c., &c., a copy of your note of the 20th ultimo and its enclosure. To satisfy you and your government, Mr. Minister, that the authorities of the United States, in all branches of the government, are acting in entire good faith and with full intent to execute the laws of the land, I subjoin to this letter a copy of a charge or direction given by the judge of the United States court in New York, to the grand jury, calling their atten tion solemnly and particularly to any cases, if such shall be presented, of the violation of those laws. And, although I believe that you have already been furnished with a copy of the act of Congress passed in this respect, yet I take the liberty to accompany this with a transcript of the principal sections of that act. I avail myself of this occasion to renew to you, Mr. Minister, the assu rances of my distinguished consideration. DANIEL WEBSTER. CIRCULAR. Secretary of State to the marshals, district attorneys, and collectors of the United States. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 3, 1850. The minister of Spain to this government has on several occasions expressed his conviction, founded, as he thinks, upon reliable information, that a new attempt is about to be made, and has, indeed, been begun, to invade the island of Cuba a second time; and that the principal cities of the United States, and especially New York and New Orleans, are the chief places in which these illegal purposes are entertained, and such invasion most likely to be set on foot. The President has, therefore, directed me to call your particular attention to the proclamation of his predecessor of the 11th of August, 1849, and to renew, by his authority, the orders and instructions in that proclamation contained. You will exercise, respectively, all the powers of your several offices in maintaining the laws of the country, and arrest, by proper legal proceedings, the first act which shall come to your knowledge, performed in violation of those laws, and intended to disturb the peace of the country, by invading, with military force, the possession of a friendly power. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, DANIEL WEBSTER. Mr. Calderon to Mr. Webster. [Translation.] SPANISH LEGATION IN WASHINGTON, The undersigned has been informed by the Spanish consul in New York that the steamer Creole, which was used in conveying the piratical invaders to Cardenas, and the steamer Fanny, are both anchored in the port aforesaid, and getting ready for the new expedition against the island of Cuba, which the newspapers of the day, public rumor, and the advices received by the undersigued, announce as being actually in process of organization. In fulfilment of his duty, and conformably with his recent instructions, the undersigned begs to communicate the above information to the Honorable Daniel Webster, Secretary of State for the United States, (in pursuance of his own expressed wishes to that effect,) with the conviction that he will adopt every means which in his judgment may seem both adequate and proper, in order to frustrate the designs of those who seek to disturb the tranquillity of her Catholic Majesty's dominious, and who, in so doing, are not only violating the law of nations, but the laws of the United States. The undersigned avails himself of this occasion to renew to the Honorable Daniel Webster the assurances of his distinguished consideration. Hon. DANIEL WEBSIER, A. CALDERON DE LA BARCA. Secretary of State of the United States. Mr. Calderon to Mr. Webster. [Translation.] WASHINGTON, October 1, 1850. In addition to what the undersigned had the honor of communicating to the Hon. Daniel Webster, under date of the 27th of last month, relative to the suspicions which have been roused by the steamers Creole and Fanny, now anchored in the port of New York, it is now his duty, in consequence of information he has lately received from various quarters, to make known the following particulars: 1. That the two steamers aforesaid, which are getting ready for a seond attempt to invade the island of Cuba, will sail-so it is stated-within three or four days, as the expedition is appointed to start on the 15th or 20th of this month. 2. That the Fanny is being fitted up with boilers of large dimensions in order to increase her speed, and that there are secreted on board a great quantity of mattresses, with a large supply of water casks. 3. That a portion of the invaders are to assemble in the bays and on the small islands adjacent to Mobile; but that the majority will start from the neigborhood of New Orleans, headed, it is said, by the same Ameri can general against whom a suit is now pending for having been concerned in the invasion of Cardenas. These circumstances have all been communicated to the collector of customs in New York by her Catholic Majesty's consul. Although the undersigned entertains no doubt but that that functionary will, in pursuance to the orders issued by his Excellency the President of the republic, adopt all proper measures in order to ascertain the truth in regard to what these advices represent as certain, and cause the two vessels aforesaid to be detained, yet it is his duty to make the circumstances known to the Secretary of State of the United States, in order that the consummation of the project may thus be prevented. The undersigned avails himself of this occasion to renew to the Hon. Daniel Webster the assurance of his distinguished consideration. A. CALDERON DE LA BARCA. Hon. DANIEL WEBSTER, Secretary of State, &c., &c., &c. The Secretary of State to Mr. Calderon. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, October 3, 1850. Mr. Webster presents his respects, and communicates to Mr. Calderon a copy of a letter from Mr. Hall, district attorney of the United States for the southern district of New York, dated yesterday, and of two previous letters from the same to this department; one of the 28th June last, and one of the 9th ultimo-all having reference to supposed designs again to invade the island of Cuba. Mr. Webster hopes that a perusal of these papers will tend to relieve Mr. Calderon's mind of a portion of the anxiety with which it has been charged upon this subject, by statements which either have no foundation in truth, or were greatly distorted and exaggerated. Mr. Webster adds to the above papers a copy of his instructions to Mr. Hall, of the 7th ultimo, and offers to Mr. Calderon the assurances of his regard. J. Prescott Hall to the Secretary of State. SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, United States District Attorney's Office, June 28, 1850. SIR: your letter of the 25th of June instant, accompanied by the copy of a translation of a note from the Spanish minister to the Secretary of State, has been received, and considered by me with all the attention its importance demands. have, almost constantly, from the day I had the honor to take office under the United States down to the present hour, had my attention called by you to the neutral relations of our country; and you have uniformly instructed me to take due care that the laws of the land were not in any respect violated, either by our own citizens or such foreigners as come here to violate our hospitality and abuse our free institutions. In addition to such general instructions, you have on three several occasions directed me to interpose with some energy, for the purpose of saving the act of 1818 from infraction by particular parties charged with attempting its evasion and infringement Amongst other specific instructions I have had the honor to receive from you upon this subject, I have been directed, in the most particular manner, to have an eye upon all movements directed against the island of Cuba, and I have been directed on all occasions to see that the neutrality laws of the United States were in no respect violated by any person or persons within this district. Under these circumstances, I have been making constant inquiry and investigation concerning this subject of the invading Cuba, as well as the fitting out of hostile expeditions against that island; and I must take leave to say, that in my opinion the Spanish minister has been misinformed upon many points in relation to movements from New York, and that the statements he has received are greatly overcharged. The whole matter has recently been laid by me before a grand jury, not only intelligent, but willingly watchful and vigilant in the matter; and they instituted very rigid inquiries, not only into statements of fact, b also concerning rumors, suggestions and surmises. The Spanish consul was called before them as a witness; the editors of the "Sun" were examined; many Spaniards gave testimonies, and all persons known or suspected to be connected with movements upon Cuba from this district were sought out and questioned. With regard to the Spanish consul, he knew nothing, absolutely nothing, upon the subject, when questioned by the foreman of the grand jury; and was compelled to admit that he had been acting upon mere surmise and suspicion. No witness could be found who would state, as matter of fact, that men had been enlisted, or munitions of war furnished here, for any hostile purpose against any State or people whatsoever, connected with the Spanish government. The very allegation made by the Spanish minister, as to the collection of muskets and ammunition on Long Island, was investigated by me, and no witness to sustain it could be found. True it is, there were many persons, custom house officers and others, who were very willing to be employed in investigating the subject; but none of them could procure any evidence which would enable me to proceed under any section of the act of 1818, and it is my candid opinion that no hostile expedition of any kind against Cuba has been begun in or carried on from the city of New York during the present year. That there are many persons among us who are friendly to such an expedition, and that they freely express their opinions and unite in clubs for consultation, may be, and doubtless is, true; but that they have taken action in favor of any hostile enterprise in any manner prohibited by our laws, I do not believe; and the grand jury were quite satisfied that while there had been a good deal of boasting in this city among per sons desirous of being made conspicuous on such occasions, they had taken good care to save their money, while their persons were never for a single moment to be placed in peril. |