Benjamin Moran to João de Andrade Corvo, March 9, 1876

Mr. Moran to Mr. Corvo.

Sir: I have the honor to acquaint your excellency that I did not fail to transmit promptly to my Government a copy of the letter which you addressed to me on the 1st of January last, together with a translation thereof, expressing the deep sense of His Most Faithful Majesty’s government of the recognition by the President of the United States, in his late annual message to Congress, of the Portuguese act of emancipation of the 29th of April, 1875; and I now have the pleasure to inform you that your note was received with satisfaction by the President, and that he has been pleased to direct Mr. Fish to express to His Most Faithful Majesty’s government, through me—a duty which I now cheerfully perform—the gratification that will attend the actual abolition of slavery in the Portuguese colonies as provided by the act in question, a gratification the realization of which, I venture to add, will be hastened by the decree of the Cortes of the 4th of January of the present year, which extends the provisions of the act of April, 1875, to the island of St. Thomas, and which decree was, I believe, passed through your excellency’s energy and able advocacy of the cause of freedom.

I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to your excellency the assurances of my highest consideration, and

I am, with great respect, your excellency’s most obedient servant,