Doc. No. 75. 



Mr. Castellan to the Secretary of State. 



[Translation.] 



Washington, November 5, 1848, 



at ten clock at wght. 



Sir : The undersigned has the honor to inform his Excellency the 

 President of the American Union that, having been appointed charge 

 d'affaires near the court of London by the government of the sovereign 

 State of Nicaragua, with the object of sustaining the rights of his country 

 to the territory of Mosquito, and especially to the port of San Juan, 

 which was occupied in the beginning of January last by British forces, he 

 is now in this city, on his way to the place of his destination. 



The government of Nicaragua, in conferring upon the undersigned this 

 important charge, has especially authorized him to make known the meas- 

 ure to the respected government of the United States, in order that it may, 

 if it should jucfge proper, instruct its minister plenipotentiary residing in 

 London, not only to sustain the rights of Nicaragua so far as they may be 

 compatible with the political and commercial interests of this republic, but 

 also to regulate the terms on which the government of the Union might 

 afford to Nicaragua its friendly offices on the grave affair now in question. 



The government of Nicaragua cherishes a well-founded hope that the 

 government of the Union, firmly adhering to its principle of resisting all 

 foreign intervention in America, and that being well persuaded of the im- 

 mense advantages which such a measure may produce hereafter to both 

 countries, will not hesitate to order such steps to be taken as may be ef- 

 fective, before things reach a point in which the remedy now believed to 

 be sufficient will prove of no avail. 



The undersigned will not now enter into any other particulars, as every- 

 thing which his humble pen could convey has already been said in the 

 communications addressed to your Excellency by the Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs of Nicaragua on the I2th of November, 1847, and the 6th of 

 March, 1848, to which our cabinet is still anxiously awaiting the answers. 

 If, however, your Excellency should consider it proper, either from not 

 having received those papers or from want of further information on the 

 subject, the undersigned would willingly make it his duty to afford any 

 particulars which may conduce to the end desired. 



The undersigned prays your Excellency to deign to submit to his Ex- 

 cellency the President of the American Union all that is here said ; and 

 to address the answer to New York, to the care of Senor A. J. de San Martin, 

 the editor of the ^'Cronica," No. 87 Cedar street, who will send it to 

 London, in case the undersigned should have "quitted New York before 

 its arrival. 



The nature of the affair is so serious, and it requires so much precaution, 

 that the undersigned finds himself under the necessity of depriving him- 

 self of the pleasure of personally presenting his respects to his Excellency 

 the President: he however hopes that he may be able to do so without re- 

 serve by this communication, and also to assure your Excellency of his 

 great esteem and consideration. 



FRANCIS CASTELLAN. 

 His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs 

 of the Republic of the United States. 



