Hall to Minister for Foreign Affairs of Honduras, September 9, 1882

Mr. Hall to Minister for Foreign Affairs of Honduras.

Sir: Through the medium of this legation the President of the United States, some months since, extended to the several governments of the Central American republics an invitation to be represented in a general Congress of American states, which it was proposed to hold at Washington City in November, 1882. The invitation was addressed to your excellency on the 4th January last, and under date of the 20th February your excellency communicated the acceptances of His Excellency the President of Honduras, and at the same time expressing a high appreciation of the humane object and elevated purposes of the proposed Congress. In that invitation the confident hope was expressed that, by the remote date fixed for the meeting of the Congress, all conflicting questions between the republics of the southern continent would have terminated, and that all would be able to participate in its discussions. Unhappily, that peaceful condition, contemplated as essential for carrying out successfully the object of the proposed Congress, does not exist. These, and other reasons which are set forth in the accompanying copy of a communication from the Secretary of State, by whose instruction I have the honor to transmit it to your excellency, have constrained the President to postpone the projected meeting until some future day.

I would respectfully invite the attention of your excellency to that part of the Secretary’s communication in which is expressed the belief of the President, that the fact of such a Congress having been called has not been without benefit; in this belief I am persuaded the government of your excellency will concur.

I improve, &c.,