No. 448.
Mr. Baker
to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Caracas, February 6, 1884. (Received February 25.)
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your dispatch No. 269, of date 22d ultimo, in response to my No. 808, of date 3d ultimo, relative to the case of Mr. John E. Wheelock, and approving my memorandum to Mr. Seijas on the subject.
It will have been seen from my No. 824, of date 20th ultimo, that my intention of following up the matter further at that time was superseded by the receipt of a verbal note from Mr. Seijas which, referring to the “interviews touching the matter of Mr. Wheelock, indicated that instructions relative to Mr. Wheelock’s case were being sent by the then going mail to the chargé d’affaires of Venezeula at Washington; and from my No. 829, of date 29th ultimo, it will be seen that upon the receipt of this verbal note my view was that it was completely within the competence of this Government, if it so chose, to transfer the consideration of the matter to Washington, through the instrumentality of its chargé d’affaires at that capital, and that the verbal note in question was an indication of such choice on the part of this Government. I have not been [Page 576] informed what are the instructions sent to the Venezuelan chargé d’affaires relative to the case.
If, in any possible aspect of the matter, I should be mistaken in the view which I have taken as to the legitimate diplomatic effect of Mr. Seijas’s said verbal note, I request that the Department will advise me thereof.
I am, &c.,