JOY, Financial Agent of the Compania Unida to Allan A. Burton , United States, January 19, 1866

Mr. Joy to Mr. Burton

Sir: I beg to call your attention to a most flagrant outrage which has been committed by armed men in the river Magdalena against the property and industry of the Compania Unida, nearly half of the capital of which is owned by citizens of the United States of America.

The case is as follows:

On the 11th of December last the steamer Antioquia on her downward voyage to Baranquilla, with the national mails, passengers, and a cargo of merchandise on board, was captured by forces of the State of Magdalena, under the orders of Mr. Manuel Vengoechea, as proved by the accompanying documents.

No. 1, protest of the captain; No. 3, depositions of the passengers; No. 4, deposition of captain, purser, and engineers; No. 2, protest of the agent of the company; No. 5, protest of owners of cargo; No. 6, is my memorial to the national government, seeking redress and guarantees for the property of the company, and protection under which to carry on our legitimate business; No. 7 is the answer of the government, which looks upon the whole affair as most trivial, and which ought to have been settled by the company without the necessity of reclamation, complaint, or judgment, and that the company is to be responsible for all losses, excepting for the occupation of the vessel for a few days; No. 8 is a second memorial to the government, in which I endeavor to point out all the laws that have been violated, the enormity of the offence committed, the fatal consequences to future navigation, and the necessity of strong measures being adopted to secure us in the business in which we are embarked; Nos. 9 and 10 are copies of official documents received from the State of Magdalena, alluded to in my second memorial; No. 11 is the answer of that government to the second memorial.

By the foregoing you will perceive that the property of the company is entirely at the mercy of any one who may choose to detain, seize, capture, or molest in any way, for political or other reasons, public or private; that all to be done by the aggressor is, after the injury has been effected, to regret what has been done, and to make offers of reparation, which the injured party would have no means of enforcing.

The injury to the business of the company has been most serious, as I shall take the earliest opportunity of establishing; meanwhile I beg to appeal to you to protect the interests of United States citizens, who have risked large sums in endeavoring to perfect the navigation of the river Magdalena, notwithstanding the rivalry of others who have followed in the footsteps of the Compania Unida.

I have the honor to be your obedient servant,