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compulsory employment at menial labor of persons without the sanction of the judicial power.

I therefore submit this case to your excellency with full confidence that it will receive from the Government of your excellency the consideration which I believe it deserves.

Again renewing the assurances, etc.,

PATRICK EGAN.

No. 241.]

Mr. Egan to Mr. Blaine.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Santiago, November 30, 1891. (Received January 13, 1892.) SIR: I have the honor to send herewith copy of communication from Capt. Schley, of the Baltimore, dated 24th instant, with attached correspondence between him and the intendente of Valparaiso up to that date, in relation to the attack upon the men of his ship in Valparaiso on 16th October.

As will be seen from the correspondence, the men of the Baltimore appeared before the judge of the court of crimes and gave their evidence on 20th instant, under the conditions approved by the Navy Department.

I have, etc.,

PATRICK EGAN.

[Inclosure in No. 241.]

Capt. Schley to Mr. Egan.

U. S. S. BALTIMORE (FIRST RATE),
Valparaiso, November 24, 1891:

SIR: I have the honor to inclose copies of the last dispatch of the Secretary of the Navy, referring to the testimony to be given by my men before the judge of the criminal court here, and of notes exchanged with the intendente of the province in relation to this matter. This will bring your files up to date.

I would also state that my men have appeared and given their testimony to the court.

Very respectfully,

W. S. SCHLEY, Captain Commanding.

[Inclosure A.]

Captain Schley to the intendente of Valparaiso.

U. S. S. BALTIMORE, Valparaiso, November 17, 1891.

SIR: I have the honor to inform your excellency that my men who were wounded in the disturbance of October 16 last are now able to appear as cited by the judge of the criminal court, and will be accompanied by an officer as interpreter, who will authenticate such testimony as may be given.

I would request, at the same time, that his honor will oblige me by appointing the earliest practicable day for this hearing.

I have, etc.,

W. S. SCHLEY, Captain Commanding.

[Inclosure B.-Translation.]

The intendente of Valparaiso to Capt. Schley.

REPUBLIC OF CHILE, INTENDENCIA OF VALPARAISO,
Valparaiso, November 17, 1891.

I have had the honor to receive your official letter, in which you do me the favor to state that it is not inconvenient for your sailors, wounded in the events of October 16 last, to appear before the judge in the case.

As soon as I receive an answer from the judge of the criminal court relative to your quoted official letter, which I have transcribed to said judge, I shall have the pleasure to communicate it to you.

God guard you.

J. DE D. ARLEGUI.

[Inclosure C.-Translation.]

The intendente of Valparaiso to Capt. Schley.

REPUBLIC OF CHILE, INTENDENCIA OF VALPARAISO,
Valparaiso, November 18, 1891.

The judge of the criminal court, in an official letter of this date, informs me as follows:

"At this moment I have received your note of yesterday, and in replying to it permit me to say that this tribunal will put into execution the pending confrontation of witnesses between the sailors of the Baltimore and the culprits in the cause, the 20th of the present month, from 3 to 4 p. m.

"Do me the kindness to transmit the present communication to the captain of the Baltimore." Which I have the honor to bring to your knowledge for the purpose in view. God guard you.

J. DE D. ARLEGUI.

[Inclosure D.-Translation.]

The intendente of Valparaiso to Capt. Schley.

REPUBLIC OF CHILE, INTENDENCIA OF VALPARAISO,
Valparaiso, November 18, 1891.

The judge of the criminal court, under date of the 16th of this month, informs me as follows:

"In the process which this tribunal has instituted with respect to the disorders of the 16th of October last, it has been directed that I reply to you with relation to what the captain of the Baltimore asks in the official letter, a copy of which you have been good enough to send, with your note No. 3305 of the 11th of the present month, as follows:

"VALPARAISO, November 13, 1891.

"I will reply to the intendente of the province that this tribunal will be able to give all the copies which may be asked of the declarations taken in this examination by the sailors of the Baltimore and other witnesses in the cause when the process, having passed to completion, shall not require the legal secrecy exacted by the present state of the same.

"I tell you this in order that you may do me the favor to bring to the knowledge of the captain above named the contents of the present communication."" Which I transcribe for your information and consequent ends.

God guard you.

J. DE D. ARLEGUL

No. 242.]

Mr. Egan to Mr. Blaine.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Santiago, November 30, 1891. (Received January 13.)

SIR: I have the honor to refer to my dispatch of 20th instant, No. 236, in reference to the disrespect shown to this legation by some of the police agents or spies by whom it is surrounded, and now beg to hand you a translation into English (inclosure No. 1) of a note received from the minister of foreign relations, to which I would call your particular attention.

It will be seen that from the very beginning of those annoyances every complaint which I have been obliged to make about disrespectful conduct towards the legation has been met by insinuations or suspicions of conspiracy or indiscretions of conduct against the refugees and even against the employés of the legation, but up to the present the honorable minister has not ventured to make a single direct, tangible charge, and for the good reason that no such conspiracies as those insinuated have ever existed in this legation and no such indiscretions have occurred.

The suggestion contained in this letter that the persons who knocked at the window of the legation on the night of the 15th instant, and who used foul language towards the persons inside, were agents of the refugees is, on its face, absurd. The Government has a number of its police agents, with whose appearance I am perfectly familiar, around the legation day and night, and it was those same men and no others who acted towards the legation in the manner described in my notes to the minister.

I also beg to inclose copy of my reply to the note of the minister of foreign relations, marked inclosure No. 2.

I have, etc.,

[Inclosure 1 in No. 242.-Translation.]

Señor Matta to Mr. Egan.

PATRICK EGAN.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN RELATIONS,
Santiago, November 23, 1891.

SIR: Half an hour after the interview between the honorable minister plenipotentiary and the undersigned, on Saturday, the 21st, there was received his note, dated 20th, in which was dealt with the same disagreeable affair which, among others, was referred to in said interview, whose termination would give to be understood other things different from the reception of the note to which I have the honor to reply.

I regret very much that the honorable envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, when there occurred a case in which some police agents, in a state of intoxication, had disturbed the peace of the vicinity and even offended against the respect due to the legation, had not denounced it immediately, for then the respective chief and the intendente of Santiago should have done prompt and strict justice. There are, outside the consideration due to the honorable minister plenipotentiary, other reasons for regretting the delay in denouncing the conduct which he now brings to the knowledge of this department, and that is that the police agents, or spies, as the honorable minister plenipotentiary terms them, may have been agents of the same persons, refugees in the legation, having relation with others who disguise themselves in such manner, and who may have had.interest in provoking this in a way very little agrecable for the legation and for this department.

In all cases the facts having come to the knowledge of the undersigned, even tardily, the required investigation shall be made, proceeding in accordance with justice.

In concluding this letter it will not be out of place to call the attention of the honorable minister plenipotentiary to the fact that some of the refugees in the legation, on account of their former official positions, possess relations which might enable them to act with other persons not connected with the legation, and they, by the action and conduct which have taken place at times, might have assisted to provoke those occurrences which, as well as not being in accordance with the desire and official duty of the honorable envoy extraordinary, can not be so to the undersigned.

Neither the acts which the honorable minister complains of nor those which the undersigned suspects, and all of which are caused by the abnormal situation and not very discreet conduct of refugees in the North American legation, are, repeating the words of the honorable minister, "calculated to promote the spirit of cordial friendship which it is so desirable to cultivate between the two countries," but which shall not disturb the high respect and decided courtesy with which the representatives of both will continue to treat the matter with which they are charged. Renewing to the honorable minister plenipotentiary the expression of my high consideration, I remain,

His obedient servant,

M. A. MATTA.

[Inclosure 2 in No. 242.] Mr. Egan to Señor Matta.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,
Santiago, November 30, 1891.

SIR: On account of a short visit to Valparaiso, I have been obliged to delay my reply to the note of your excellency of 23d instant.

I am surprised to learn that my note of 20th instant only reached the hands of your excellency after our conference on the 21st, referring to one of the matters treated in said conference.

My note was delivered at the ministry of your excellency in the early hours of the 21st instant, and naturally I supposed that your excellency had already a knowl edge of its contents when our interview took place at about 3 o'clock p. m. of that day.

It does not correspond to me to inquire why the said note was not presented in due time to your excellency by the employés of the ministry, and I only state these circumstances now in order to make clear the facts.

In replying to my note your excellency expresses and repeats the opinion that the difficulties occasioned by the police agents or spies who are surrounding this lega tion may have occurred as a consequence of the conduct of some of the refugees who, being in relation with other persons not connected with the legation, might have promoted those disorders with a view to provoking conflicts and disagreeableness, such as I have been obliged to complain of to your excellency.

I regret to be under the necessity to deny again, and for the last time, to your excellency those assertions and fears, and I can do so the more positively because I feel that I am well acquainted with and convinced of all that occurs in this legation. I regret at the same time to have to observe to your excellency that it appears strange and anomalous that your excellency should ignore the permanent presence in the vicinity of the legation of a number of agents of the secret police, in an official character, and certainly without any participation whatsoever on the part of the refugees in the legation. The irregular conduct of those agents has provoked more than once actual disorders in this neighborhood, and only last night they appear to have interfered with a representative of the National Congress, who, in going out of a neighboring house, was molested or offended by those same agents.

It would be idle to attribute to the refugees in this legation any participation in those occurrences, since local authorities have at their disposal ample resources and activity to put in prison any persons whose conduct they may consider suspicious. Besides, it is entirely unlikely that agents of the refugees, such as indicated by your excellency, could station themselves in the public streets during entire days with the object of creating disorders, and at the same time be, as I have seen them, in constant and confidential relation with the regular police force of the city.

I am in a position to assure your excellency that the persons about whom I have made complaint, and whose presence and actions have been and continue to be decidedly disrespectful to this legation, were undoubtedly agents of the public authority, and could have had no possible connection whatsoever with the refugees in this legation.

Renewing to your excellency the expression of my high consideration,

I have, etc.,

PATRICK EGAN.

Mr. Blaine to Mr. Egan.

[Telegram.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, December 3, 1891.

Mr. Blaine instructs Mr. Egan to report who asked him for his testimony in the Baltimore case, which, according to telegraphic advice received by the Chilean minister from the foreign office, was requested of him twenty days ago and not given.

Mr. Egan to Mr. Blaine.

[Telegram.]

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Santiago, December 3, 1891. (Received December 4.)

Mr. Egan reports that the Baltimore is expected to sail shortly, and that in view of that fact he made unofficial efforts on the 3d, through a friendly medium, to have safe-conducts granted to refugees, and met with an absolute refusal, but he still hopes for an early solution. He represents the feeling of vengeance entertained by some as terrible and unscrupulous to a degree that can hardly be imagined, and says that according to important persons, one of them a cabinet minister, the capture of the refugees would certainly result in the death of some of them. He complains of the proceedings, which Capt. Schley considers most unfair and unintelligible, of the officials of Valparaiso who supply the press with the correspondence relating to the Baltimore case and passing between the judge of crimes, the governor of Valparaiso, and the minister for foreign affairs, the intention being apparently to prejudice but one side of the case. He makes special mention of one letter of the judge of crimes which was published on the 3d, and by its decided animus created in the press a current of bitter feeling against the men of the Baltimore. He also complains that the presence of the secret police, by which the legation has not ceased being watched, is personally distasteful and evidences but little respect to the legation.

Mr. Egan to Mr. Blaine.

[Telegram.]

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,
Santiago, December 4, 1891.

Mr. Egan reports that on the ground of treason, breaking the constitution, violating the laws, not enforcing the laws, subornation and malversation of public funds, a motion for impeachment against six of the late cabinet ministers, three of whom are refugees in the legation, was made in Congress on the day previous, and that they hope by this means to have the refugees delivered. He says that he has received from the secretary of the Chamber of Deputies a written request to be allowed to notify the refugees in person, and that he has notified the minister of foreign affairs that he could not with propriety have direct

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