Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Third Session of the Fortieth Congress
Mr. Plumb to Mr. Seward.
Sir: I have the honor to transmit to the department herewith copy of a communication and its inclosures, received this day from the Mexican government, relating to the reported organization in the United States of expeditions hostile to the peace of Mexico.
In this communication the desire is expressed that I should at once communicate the contents of the same to the government of the United States. A copy of my reply is also herewith inclosed.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
Señor Azpiroz to Mr. Plumb.
Sir: By the annexed copies of a communication which, under date of the 8th of the present month, has been passed to this department by that of government, and of other communications addressed to that department by the governor of the State of Nuevo Leon, to that governor by the military commandant of the Mexican line of the Bravo, and to that military commandant by the consul of Mexico in Brownsville, you will see that the enemies of the public order of Mexico do not rest in their criminal [Page 535] machinations, but have carried the same to the territory of the United States, and are there addressing themselves to the disturbance of the peace of this republic.
The Mexican government is confident that that of the United States will prevent the development of these projects, and the realization of their objects immediately that the same shall become known to it, because if in this manner every government maintaining a condition of strict neutrality would proceed, that of the United States has for proceeding in this manner, besides, the motives of well-manifested friendship, and of a common interest for the maintenance of order and of peace in this republic, which closely unite it with the government of Mexico.
It is therefore necessary that the government of the United States be informed that within its territory efforts are being made to organize troops of filibusters with the intent to invade the Mexican territory, in order that it may, on its part, prevent the execution of such plans.
The government of Mexico does not doubt that you will be so good as to transmit to that of the United States the contents of this note, and of the documents annexed, with the efficacy proper to your character of representative of a nation friendly to Mexico.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Mr. Edward Lee Plumb, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States of America in Mexico.
Señor Vallarta to Señor Azpiroz.
DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT.—SECTION 4.
Under date of the 28th ultimo the governor of the State of Nuevo Leon addressed to this department the following official communication:
Under date of the 25th instant the military commandant of the line of the Bravo writes to this government as follows:
“I inclose to you copy of a communication and copies of letters which, under date of the 20th instant, have been addressed to me by the Mexican consul in New Orleans. Said communications corroborate the information that the detectives I have among the insurgents resident in Brownsville daily give me, as the assurance is notorious with which the said traitors labor to attain or to carry forward the enterprise they have undertaken of inaugurating revolution on this frontier.
“Four of the traitor leaders who were in Brownsville left day before yesterday, in the direction of Lareto, to confer with Juiroga, who is in accord with them, and yesterday eleven men left in the same direction, and, as I am informed, are to serve as escort.
“I communicate the same to you for your information, requesting that if anything occurs with reference to this matter in the part of the river Bravo which is within the State under your worthy command, you will be so good as to communicate the same to me, and I will keep you informed of what occurs in the line which is under my charge.
“And I have the honor to transcribe the same to your department, remitting at the same time the copies to which this note refers, and stating to you that the information they contain confirms the fears that some time since this government communicated to the general government of the republic, that the traitor Juiroga designs to disturb the public order in this part of the frontier, and that there is consequently a necessity that the supreme government should dictate the most urgent and efficacious orders to the end that the government of the State may count with security upon sufficient resources for the payment of the force which it has organized, and such further force as may be necessary to make head against the situation in case the peace of the State should unfortunately become disturbed.”
And I transcribe the same to you for your information, remitting also a copy of the documents to which the communication herein inserted refers.
Chief Clerk in charge of the Department of Relations, Present.
[Translation.]
DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT, SECTION 4, MILITARY COMMAND OF THE LINE OF THE BRAVO.
Besides the information which you will see in the inclosed copies, with reference to the expedition of filibusters that, by order of the ex-Mexican General Antonio Lopez [Page 536] de Santa Anna, is preparing in this city, I inform you of other details which I have been able to obtain, in order that you may make such use of them as you may think proper. That the expedition is to be directed to Texas is more than probable, as the enlisted men have orders to answer in case they are arrested, as they fear they may be by the American authorities, that they have been engaged to work upon a railroad that is about to be commenced in the State of Texas, and in my opinion they will disembark not far from Brownsville, where, as I am informed, are already some of the leaders and officers, who are to place themselves at the head of this horde of pirates.
To-morrow at seven o’clock in the morning over one hundred of these men are to meet at a café that there is in Bienville street, No. 119, (one of the points of enlistment,) and are to take the railroad train for Opelousas, and to stop at a point some fifty miles from here, where it is said a camp is formed.
In renewing to you the assurances of my consideration and esteem, it only remains for me to beg that you will be so good as to give information of all that I have communicated to the President of the republic.
Independence, liberty, and reform!
RAMON S. DIAZ.
The Militay Commandant of Matamoras.
A copy of the original which I certify.
Heroic Matamoras, June 25, 1868.
[Translation.]
To the Governor of the State of Vera Cruz:
The annexed communication for the department of relations I send open, for the purpose that you may inform yourself of its contents, and take such measures as you may believe convenient, begging of you that you will send it rapidly forward.
RAMON S. DIAZ.
No. 2.
New Orleans, June 18, 1868.
To the Minister of Foreign Relations of the Republic of Mexico:
There being no vessel direct to Vera Cruz, I send the present by way of Havana. By the annexed copies you will be informed of the expedition which is preparing here to invade Mexico. All is done for account of the ex-General Santa Anna, who yet remains in the capital of Cuba. From a private letter I have just received from Havana I copy the following:
“It is necessary to have here a person who has relations with some officers of the regiment of Spain, to obtain details of what there is with respect to Santa Anna and his expedition, for I have positive information that it is in this corps that there is the reatest number of officers for the purpose proposed by Santa Anna and General Mar-quez. The war steamer General Leso is about to be sold at auction, and it will be adjudged completely found and armed, to the imperialists, for it is for this object that it is to be put up at public sale.
“Remissions of men, arms, and money continue to be made by schooners to Yucatan and Campeche, which are the cardinal points of departure for all the operations they undertake.”
From this it will be seen that the expedition from Havana is in accord with that from this city. There the enlistments continue, and what appears to me very necessary is that great vigilance should be exercised on the line of the Rio Bravo, and above all in the vicinity of Matamoras, to the authorities of which place I will give information by the first opportunity.
No. 3.
New Orleans, June 16, 1868.
To the Consul General of the Republic of Mexico in New York:
Yesterday I sent to you a telegraphic dispatch, advising you that an expedition of filibusters is being formed here for the invasion of Mexico, by way of Matamoras.
[Page 537]Annexed hereto is a copy of the communication which, with reference to this scandalous affair, I have addressed to General Buchanan.
The enlistment is being publicly effected, and I have learned so far of three different places where the names of the enlisted men are registered, which are: the Spanish fonda and café in St. Philip street, between Old Levee and Chartres street, known by the name of the Punuladas; a café situated in Bienville street, corner of Dauphin, and in Toulouse street, in front of No. 126, a boarding-house. This is where a so-called colonel lives who lately figured among the invaders of the republic, and who is the one who makes the enlistments.
This individual has been wounded to-day at half-past three in the afternoon, in the left hand, by one of the adventurers of the expedition, in a quarrel which they had.
In this house in Toulouse street, up to recently, the imperialist Perez Gomez was stopping, and another Mexican named Aguilar is now living there, who also figured in the famous empire. The expedition is formed here, and by different small vessels they are sent off in squads to Ship Island, from whence, I am informed, the expedition will leave, and that it is to be directed to Matamoras.
Last night, by the American steamer Star of the Union, emissaries arrived here from Havana, from Santa Anna, for whose account the expedition is made.
RAMON S. DIAZ.
No. 4.
New Orleans, June 15, 1868
General Buchanan, Commander of the 5th Military District:
General: I have this morning learned that a military expedition is being formed in this city, for the purpose of invading the republic of Mexico; the landing to be made at Matamoras.
According to the information I have received said expedition is to embark from the island called Ship Island, near Lake Pontchartrain, where there are already to be found over three hundred men and two schooners. The expedition is to be composed of one thousand three hundred men.
I trust, general, that you will be pleased to adopt the necessary measures to the end that the laws of neutrality shall not be violated.
RAMON S. DIAZ, Consul of Mexico.
New Orleans, June 19, 1868.
True copies.
RAMON S. DIAZ.
A copy of the original which I certify.
Heroic Matamoras, June 25, 1868.
MIGUEL PALACIOS.
A copy.
Mexico, July 8, 1868.
Mr. Plumb to Señor Azpiroz.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of yesterday’s date, inclosing to me copies of a communication received by your department from the department of government, and of communications addressed to that department by the governor of the State of Nuevo Leon, to that governor by the military commandant of the Mexican line of the Bravo, and to that commandant by the consul of Mexico in New Orleans, by which you state that it will be seen that the enemies of the public order of Mexico do not rest in their criminal machinations, but have carried the same to the territory of the United States, and are there addressing themselves to the disturbance of the peace of the Mexican republic.
You also state that the Mexican government is confident that the government of the United States will prevent the development of these projects, and the realization of their objects, immediately that the same shall become known to it. You also add that the government of Mexico does not doubt that I will transmit to that of the United States the contents of your note, and of the documents annexed thereto, with the efficacy proper to my character as the representative of a nation friendly to Mexico.
[Page 538]In reply I beg to state that a copy of your note, and of its inclosures, will be at once transmitted by me to the government of the United States at Washington.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Hon. Manuel Azpiroz, Chief Cleric in charge of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Mexican Republic.