Bassett to Hamilton Fish, June 10, 1872

No. 218. Mr. Bassett to Mr. Fish.

Sir: Referring to my dispatches, Nos. 119 of March 25, 123 of April 8, and 129 of May 16, 1872, I have the honor to state that the Haytian minister of foreign affairs, under date March 27, addressed me a lengthy answer to the dispatch, (see Inclosure F to my No. 119,) in which I recorded the grievance that was felt at the proceedings taken by the Haytian authorities at Saint Marc, on the 20th of March, against our consular officer there, and formulated to him the reparations which I thought due to us from the Haytian government. In this answer (see accompanying inclosure No. 1) the minister displays a feeling not altogether conciliatory in the case, and gives a fair illustration of the Haytian faculty for special pleading. But anticipating the position he would assume, I had taken the precaution in my dispatch to convey to him the idea that whatever construction he might put upon my statements, I should remain satisfied of their substantial correctness, and continue to feel that we had cause for complaint.

Under date March 30, I replied (see inclosure No. 2) to the minister’s dispatch, by expressing some degree of surprise at his speculations upon a point in the case, upon which he had twice said to me that he had no information, and by inclosing the statements of Messrs Jastram, De Lande, and Lota, the consular officers of the United States, Great Britain, and France, respectively, (see inclosures B, D, and E to my 119.)

The minister, April 3, sent me an acknowledgment (see inclosure No. 3) of this dispatch, admitting still again that he had no knowledge of the assault on Mr. Jastram, and saying that as a question had been raised which it became him to investigate, he would prosecute the inquiry with all expedition, to the end that he might give me early cognizance of the result.

Having waited under this promise until a few days after the return of the President and the three ministers of state who had been with him on his tour in the north, I wrote the minister, on the 16th of April, a non-official and private letter, (see inclosure No. 4.) I intended this letter to be friendly and candid in tone, and to give him an expression of my desire to see the affair settled, but at the same time to, intimate to him that there would be no receding from the position which this legation had already taken in the case.

* * * * * *

On the 31st of May, ultimo, I wrote the minister a dispatch (see inclosure No. 8) which called to his mind his repeatedly expressed desire to investigate for himself the circumstances of the affair complained of at Saint Marc, and that although a courier can pass between Port au Prince and Saint Marc in one day, yet the sixty days that had passed since the date of my dispatch of the 25th of March had brought me no reply thereto. He is again assured that the assault on Mr. Jastram, under the circumstances detailed to him in my said dispatch, was conceived to constitute an international grievance, for which the Government of the United States would expect just reparation. And I gave him my impression that the terms of reparation named in the dispatch just alluded to would be acceptable to that Government, and say to him that unless a favorable answer to my demands be sent to me within a reasonable time, I shall feel obliged, in consideration of the sixty days’ delay already incurred, to regard further unreasonable delay as evidence of an indisposition on his part to afford the reparation customary in such cases, and to make it the subject of unfavorable representation to the United States Government.* * * The minister came up to my residence in the mountains just after sunrise, on the morning of the 2d instant, the dispatch having been laid before him in translation on the 1st. He excused himself for this early visit, and invited me to call next day at his office “to talk over the Jastram affair, and bring it to a conclusion.” When I called on him, according to his request, he expressed the warm desire of the President himself, and his colleagues, to arrange the affair at once, and to our satisfaction. He took up my dispatch of the 25th of March, and read in limine the terms of settlement there proposed, and asked me in what way he could record the compliance of his government with them. Of course I told him that I could not instruct him about that. “Well, then,” said he, “I will draw up my dispatch, and come to you to-morrow morning sans façon to show it to you.” Accordingly next morning he came to me with the draught of the dispatch in his own handwriting. I glanced over it, and told him I thought the Government of the United States would appreciate the spirit of friendship in which he was placing upon record the expression of regret on the part of his government at the occurrences complained of, and would attach due regard to his disposition to accord us a just and satisfactory atonement for them. I added that I thought I could, therefore, venture to say to him that his dispatch, as he had written it, would, in my opinion, be acceptable to my Government.

Inclosure No. 9 is this dispatch, and you will remark in it a fair compliance with the terms of adjustment which are named in my dispatch to the Haytian Government, dated March 25. And besides it occurred to me that the animus which seemed to have been instilled into them, and with which they acted after it had been laid before them, might of itself almost be taken as an atonement in part for the grievance that we complained of.

I sent him, under date of the 7th instant, an acknowledgment (see Inclosure No. 10) of his dispatch, repeating the substance of what I had said to him at our interview on the 4th instant, and suggesting that he cause special orders to be issued to the local authorities at Saint Marc, charging them to see to it that the consular officer of the United States be treated with all the respect due to his official character.

The next day the minister responded (see Inclosure No. 11) to my last note, announcing the pleasure it had given his Government to gather from my dispatch that, in my opinion, the compliance which his Government had made with my demands would be acceptable to the Government of the United States, and declaring that the special orders which I had suggested for the authorities at Saint Marc had already been forwarded.

However much the transactions which took place on the 20th March last against our consular officer there are to be regretted, I think the firm stand which this legation, under your orders, has taken and maintained in this circumstance, has done something to convince this government that the Government of the United States does mean to assert its rights and maintain its dignity abroad as well as at home.

I have, &c.,

Liberty–Equality–Fraternity.

republic of hayti.

On the twentieth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, we, Decime Target, associate justice of the peace of the police-court in this city, assisted by our clerk, on the demand of the general commanding the arrondissement of Saint Marc, went to the bureau of this locality, where we found the citizen Edmond Martelly, merchant of this place, who had been called to give information about the refuge of an accused person under arrest who had escaped and entered the house occupied by the firm, G. Jastram & Co. In consequence the said citizen, Edmond Martelly, upon our invitation, consented voluntarily to accord to us admission to the apartment occupied by him, for the purpose of making a domiciliary visit, which might enable us to discover the accused party who had escaped.

In testimony whereof we have drawn up the present act, which, having been read, we have signed the same with the citizen Martelly, the month, day, and year above written.

On the twentieth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, we, Decime Target, associate justice of the peace of the police-court of Saint Marc, assisted by our clerk, in pursuance of the authorization given to us by the citizen Edmond Martelly to enter in his house, to take the accused Batraville, aîné, who had taken refuge there, which authorization is contained in the annexed act, drawn up on even date. Accompanied by Mr. Martelly we have entered by the corridor in the yard, where a door at the entrance was opened by the said Edmond Martelly, which door is situated at the foot of a staircase. In entering there we found the said Batraville, aîné, crouching under the said staircase, when we proceeded immediately to his arrest, in presence of the said citizen Edmond Martelly.

In testimony whereof we have drawn up the present act, and after reading of the same we have signed it, the day, year and month above written.