No. 86.
Mr. Williamson to Mr. Fish.
Off La Union, Salvador,
December 17, 1873. (Received February 5, 1874.)
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that when the ship stopped at Amapala to-day I went ashore, and was immediately called upon by President Gonzalez and his minister of foreign affairs. The President happened to be in Amapala, because a day or two previous his troops, after a sharp skirmish, had captured the place from the forces of President Arias. We had a conversation about the proposed personal conference of the five Presidents, from which he expressed the hope the pacification of Central America would result. I handed him a Spanish copy of the memorandum of the conversation with President Guardia. He read it attentively and expressed his cordial thanks to my government for the profound interest it manifested in tranquilizing Central America. I remarked to him I was only performing an agreeable duty in conformity with what I believed to be the wish of my government; a wish, I said, not inspired by sentimental ideas, or the purpose of interfering in the affairs of the Central American states, but which sprung naturally from the pacific principles of republicanism and an honest hope that some resultant advantages might be derived by the increase of our commerce keeping pace with advancing prosperity of our neighbors.
He told me all the principal towns and leading men of Honduras had declared in favor of Leiva, and that Arias was fortified in Com ay ago a with some troops of whom General Straeber (of Omoa fame) was the commander. He also stated he hoped Arias would abandon the presidency without further bloodshed.
Such being the condition of affairs in Honduras, I again abandoned my trip to Comayagua, which I trust will meet your approbation.
I have, &c.,