JOHN KEELER, Secretary to Hamilton Fish, October 25, 1873

Mr. Keeler to Mr. Fish.

Sir: I beg leave to place before you copies of a part of the correspondence of the officers of this company now on the isthmus, advising the commencement and continuation of hostilities between the state government now existing and the revolutionists at Panama and the insufficient protection of the transit afforded by the national government. This is the second revolution that has occurred this year; and although hostilities had ceased at the last advices for the time, it does not bring with it the assurance of continuation, as it is thought that the cessation was only caused by the want of ammunition, and would be renewed as soon as this want was supplied.

You will please notice in the correspondence that our trains have been stopped, the lives of our officers threatened, and the business of the road very seriously interrupted; and not only has the property of this company and the lives of its employés been endangered, but the lives of the passengers and the commerce of the world passing over this inter-oceanic railroad have been seriously imperiled.

Since the opening of the railroad, in the year 1855, the state of Panama has been subject to frequent revolutions, all of which have been attended with more or less bloodshed, and with disturbances which have not only seriously affected the commercial character of the route, but have often endangered the lives of passengers and property in transit.

The security of the isthmus-transit is a subject of great importance to all commercial nations; and this company desires respectfully but earnestly to bring this subject to the attention of the State Department of the United States, being encouraged to do so by the terms of the treaties of 1848 and 1857, under which the neutrality of the isthmus is guaranteed; and the government of the United States of Colombia agrees (as we are advised) to maintain a sufficient force of national troops on the isthmus, with the view that the trausit from one sea to the other may not be interrupted or embarrassed. Please note in the correspondence inclosed that the national troops maintained on the isthmus for the protection of the transit joined the state forces soon after the commencement of hostilities.

This company gratefully acknowledges the many instances in which protection has been afforded by the Government of the United States; in each successive case we have hoped that the disturbing causes would disappear in the progress of the times. In this we have been disappointed; the local disturbances have increased in violence and frequency. And we do most respectfully urge the importance of such a protection to the transit as to place it beyond the possibility of further interruption or embarrassment by these oft-repeated political disturbances.

I remain, your obedient servant,