And State Papers 605 



all matters promising advantage to the great family 

 of American commonwealths, as well in their re- 

 lations among themselves as in their domestic ad- 

 vancement and in their intercourse with the world 

 at large. 



My predecessor communicated to the Congress 

 the fact that the Weil and La Abra awards against 

 Mexico have been adjudged by the highest courts 

 of our country to have been obtained through fraud 

 and perjury on the part of the claimants, and that 

 in accordance with the acts of the Congress the 

 money remaining in the hands of the Secretary of 

 State on these awards has been returned to Mexico. 

 A considerable portion of the money received from 

 Mexico on these awards had been paid by this Gov- 

 ernment to the claimants before the decision of the 

 courts was rendered. My judgment is that the 

 Congress should return to Mexico an amount equal 

 to the sums thus already paid to the claimants. 



The death of Queen Victoria caused the people 

 of the United States deep and heartfelt sorrow, to 

 which the Government gave full expression. When 

 President McKinley died, our nation in turn re- 

 ceived from every quarter of the British Empire 

 expressions of grief and sympathy no less sincere. 

 The death of the Empress Dowager Frederick of 

 Germany also aroused the genuine sympathy of the 

 American people; and this sympathy was cordially 

 reciprocated by Germany when the President was 

 assassinated. Indeed, from every quarter of the 



