De Aycinena to Edwin Corbett, March 1, 1870

Mr. Aycinena to Mr. Corbett.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s dispatch, dated yesterday, in which you refer to the paragraph that precedes the correspondence, published in the last Gaceta, between her Britannic Majesty’s legation and this ministry and which you suspect may convey an impression that your projected voyage might have some connection with the referred-to correspondence.

Your excellency desires to inform me that, since November last, you had solicited leave of absence and had received the desired permission las! month and that as there is no connection between that correspondence and your departure, you wish your communication to be published to prevent a wrong impression obtaining with the public on that subject.

In reply I have the honor to manifest to your excellency, that, really, there does not exist any connection whatever between your next voyage and the incident which gave birth to the correspondence published in the Gaceta. For, I am aware that your excellency had solicited leave of absence long before that incident took place, and therefore we have no objection whatever to the publication of your dispatch, and it will be inserted in the next number of the Gaceta, together with my reply to it.

I take, &c., &c., &c.