No. 108.] Mr. Hay to Mr. Storer. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 8, 1899. SIR: In further answer to your dispatch No. 123, of November 17, in regard to the payment of the coupons to holders of certificates of the public debt of Spain pursuant to the treaty of 1834, I have to advise you of the place and mode of payments heretofore, concerning which the Spanish ministers of state and of the treasury have asked information from you. Since an arrangement was reached in 1847 by which the amount due-$30,000 annually-was reduced to $28,500 in consideration of payment in Washington, the custom has been for the Spanish legation in this city to transmit to the Secretary of State drafts for that sum payable in New York City. This arrangement became necessary owing to the exhaustion of the coupons attached to the original inscriptions, and thenceforward the money paid in blocks as stated was deposited with the bankers, Riggs & Co., of Washington, and in recent years the Treasury Department, for payment to the holders of the original certificates. The draft annually transmitted to the Secretary of State toward the end of August is believed to have represented funds furnished by the Spanish treasury at Habana, the payment of the interest having, it would seem, at that time been a charge upon the insular revenues; but I am unable to say by whom the annual drafts for $28,500 were drawn or upon what account. All that is known here is that they represented bankable funds in New York City. The telegram sent to you on the 18th ultimo, by which you are instructed to express to the minister of state the President's appreciation of the considerate decision of the council of ministers and to state that it would be agreeable to this Government to have the place and manner of payment as heretofore, was intended to express the Department's desire that the annual payments should be made in the time and manner I have stated-namely, by the delivery to the Secretary of State of a draft upon New York City for $28,500. I am, etc., * * * JOHN HAY. The Duke de Arcos to Mr. Hay. LEGATION OF SPAIN, Washington, December 20, 1899. MR. SECRETARY: Herewith I have the honor to transmit to you, indorsed to your name, a first of exchange No. 113502, drawn by Luis Roy Sobrino, of Madrid, for the sum of $28,500 upon the Riggs National Bank of Washington, and a check, No. 48, for a like sum, $28,500, drawn to your order under my signature, and likewise upon the Riggs National Bank of Washington, which sums represent the amount of the interest of the debt growing out of the convention signed on the 17th of February, 1834, between Spain and the United States for the payment of the claims of American citizens from the 22d day of February, 1819. The two sums of $28,500 which I have the honor to transmit to you represent the annual payments of 1898 and 1899, the Government of His Majesty having in this way fulfilled an obligation which the events of 1898 heretofore made it impossible to discharge. I beg you to be pleased to send me the formal receipts in the usual way, and I improve this occasion to repeat to you the assurances of my highest consideration. Mr. Hay to Mr. Storer. ARCOS. No. 113.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 20, 1899. SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your No. 135, of the 5th instant, inclosing a copy of a note from the Spanish foreign office stating that arrangements have been made for the payment of the interest due for the years 1898 and 1899 on the Spanish indemnity debt under the treaty of 1834. The Government of the United States cordially appreciates the friendly and just spirit shown by the Government of Spain in this arrangement of the matter. I am, etc., JOHN HAY. Mr. Hay to Mr. Storer. [Telegram.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 21, 1899. The Spanish minister has to-day paid ninety-eight and ninety-nine instalments interest in thirty-four bonds, twenty-eight thousand five hundred each. These are accepted in full satisfaction of arrears. Express gratification. HAY. Mr. Hay to the Duke de Arcos. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 21, 1899. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 20th instant, transmitting to me a bill of exchange drawn upon the Riggs National Bank of Washington, by Luis Roy Sobrino, of Madrid, to the value of $28,500, and also a check for the like sum of $28,500, drawn by you to my order upon the Riggs National Bank of Washington, these sums being in satisfaction of the amount of the interest upon the debt growing out of the convention between the United States and Spain of February 17, 1834, for the payment of claims of citizens of the United States and corresponding to the annual payments due in 1898 and 1899, the satisfaction of which has not been practicable until now. I hasten to make this formal acknowledgment of the payment in question in advance of my communication to you of the customary receipts, in order that I may lose no time in expressing to you the sincere gratification which this Government feels by reason of the friendly and just spirit shown by the Spanish Government in meeting the obligations in question. The formal receipts will be forwarded to you soon as they can be prepared, probably to-morrow. Be pleased to accept, etc., JOHN HAY. REGISTRATION UNDER TREATY OF PEACE OF SPANISH SUBJECTS IN CEDED AND RELINQUISHED TERRITORY. The Duke de Arcos to Mr. Hay. [Translation.] LEGATION OF SPAIN, Washington, July 20, 1899. MR. SECRETARY: I have learned that, in pursuance of the stipulations of article 9 of the treaty of Paris, a registration office was opened day before yesterday in the island of Cuba, at which office Spaniards residing in Cuba may, according to the provisions of the aforesaid article, declare their intention to retain their nationality. I have not yet received any information as to the character of that office, or whether there are more than one. As the spirit and letter of said article is that the aforesaid Spaniards may freely elect the nationality that they prefer, I consider that all possible facilities should be afforded them for this purpose, and I consequently have the honor to propose to the American Government the adoption of the following measures: Spaniards residing in the territories whose sovereignty has been renounced or ceded by Spain may make their declaration of nationality at such registration offices as the American authorities may designate. They may likewise make it at the consulates of Spain. Every month until the expiration of the time fixed by the treaty for registration, the competent authorities shall send to the nearest consulate of Spain a list of the registrations made during that period, and the Spanish consul shall do the same to the American authorities. think, furthermore, that the registration offices should be as numerous as the conditions of the localities will allow. I I hope that the American Government will have no objection to the adoption of these measures, and that, in view of the fact that several months of the time fixed by the treaty of Paris have already elapsed, it will see fit to issue the necessary orders as speedily as possible. Thanking the honorable Secretary of State of the United States in advance, I avail myself, etc., ARCOS. No. 31.] Mr. Adee to the Duke de Arcos. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, August 9, 1899. SIR: Referring to your note of the 20th ultimo relative to the registration of Spaniards in Cuba, I have the honor to inclose a copy furnished by the War Department of order No. 107, issued by the military governor of Cuba. The Acting Secretary of War is of opinion that this order provides all possible facilities for the purpose. Should, however, you desire that a list of such registrations be furnished to the Spanish consuls in that island the War Department will take pleasure in issuing the necessary orders to the military authorities. Accept, etc., [Inclosure.] ALVEY A. ADEE, No. 107.] HEADQUARTERS DIVISION OF CUBA, The military governor of Cuba directs the publication of the following order: I. Spanish subjects, natives of the peninsula of Spain, residing in Cuba and who desire to preserve their Spanish nationality, may declare their intention before the mayor of the municipality in which they live within a period of one year, dating from the 11th day of April, 1899. After the lapse of said period they will be understood to have renounced their right and to have adopted Cuban nationality. II. In the document, which must be drawn up in prescribed form before the alcalde, there will be set forth: 1. The name and surname of the interested party, his age, nationality (specifying the province), civil status, and profession. 2. Name of wife and children, should there be any, and the names of his parents. 3. The date in which the declaration is made and signed. The document shall also be subscribed by the alcalde and the secretary of the municipality. III. These documents shall be drawn up in triplicate-one for the secretary of state and government, one for file in the municipality in which it is made, and the other for the interested party. IV. Alcaldes shall transmit immediately to the secretary of state and government the documents of nationalization drawn up before them, and will be held responsible for the exact fulfillment of the provisions of this order. V. Such of the individuals referred to in Article I as reside in Habana may report to the office of the section of state, in the department of state and government, to make the above-mentioned declaration. In this case the document will be drawn up in duplicate-one for the register of the section and the other for the interested party. VI. The general register shall be under the charge of the proper section of the department of state. VII. No fees of any character shall be exacted for the execution of the documents provided for in this order. ADNA R. CHAFFEE, Brigadier-General, Chief of Staff. The Duke de Arcos to Mr. Hay. [Translation.] SPANISH LEGATION, Washington, August 11, 1899. MR. SECRETARY: I had the honor to receive the note of the 9th instant from your Department of State, inclosing the text of the order -issued on the 11th July last by the governor-general of Cuba with regard to the registration of those Spanish subjects who wish to retain their nationality, in accordance with the provisions of article 9 of the treaty of Paris of December 10, 1898, and hastened to communicate it to the Government which I represent. As I deem it necessary for the Spanish Government to know exactly what names are registered, I would be much obliged to the honorable Secretary of State if, in accordance with his offer, he would have the military authorities of the island of Cuba instructed to send lists of the registrations to the consulate-general of Spain in Habana. 'And, at the same time, I beg the honorable Secretary of State to have the kindness to inform me whether the same regulations as those in force in Cuba have already been adopted with regard to Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands, as in that case I extend to those territories my request that the registrations be communicated to the Spanish consulates. If the necessary orders have not yet been issued in the two territories, I venture to remind the honorable Secretary of State how urgent it is to take some action, as several months of the period fixed by the treaty of Paris have already elapsed. I avail myself, etc., ARCOS. No. 35.] Mr. Adee to the Duke de Arcos. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, August 26, 1899. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 11th instant, requesting that the military authorities in Cuba would communicate to the consulate-general of Spain at Habana the registration of Spanish subjects in that island, and that the system of registration might be put in force in Porto Rico and the Philippines. Your note was at once communicated to the War Department, and I have the honor to quote from the Assistant Secretary's reply as follows: The military authorities in Cuba have been instructed, in accordance with the request of the Spanish minister, and the military authorities in Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands have been directed to issue the necessary orders providing for the registration of Spanish subjects in accordance with article 9 of the treaty of Paris. Accept, etc., ALVEY A. ADEE, Memorandum of interview between the Spanish minister and the Secretary of State. DECEMBER 7, 1899. The Spanish minister called this morning and renewed his request for an extension of the time given to Spanish subjects to make their election of nationality in the Spanish islands. In reply to my remark that it was thought by this Government that a year was time enough to be allowed for that purpose, he said he willingly assented to that, but he thought it should be an effective year, whereas no machinery for the recording of such options was now in existence either in Cuba, Porto Rico, or the Philippines, and he hoped that before the expiration of the time-the 11th of April-the Government of the United States would grant such reasonable extension as may suffice for not only the proper notice to be given, but for the work of recording the options of the Spanish subjects. |