such matters; but it has preferred authorising me to address you on this occasion; in as much as it is ever honorable to every Government, as well as to every private individual, to make it evident that there has been no deviation from the path of justice.

Accept, Sir, I entreat, the assurances, &c.

The French Consul-General, Havannah.

PEDRO GUAL.

DECREE for the encouragement of Foreigners, resorting to The United Provinces of Central America.

(Translation.)

Guatemala, 22nd January, 1824. THE National Constituent Assembly of the United Provinces of the Centre of America, desirous of promoting the aggrandizement and prosperity of the said Provinces, decrees as follows:

I. All Strangers who may wish to come to any part of the United Provinces of the Centre of America; consisting of Chiapas, Costarica, Nicaragua, Honduras, San Salvador, Guatemala, and Quesaltenango, may do so on the terms and in the manner most convenient to them.

II. Every Stranger, who, agreeably to what is declared in the preceding Article, may resort to either of the said Provinces, shall be admitted by their Local Authorities, and shall be at full liberty to occupy himself in the exercise of any trade, craft, or industry, that may be most convenient to him; not excepting the working of the mines; since, by the present Decree, all Laws are abrogated which prohibited the working of the mines by Strangers.

III. Every Stranger, being in the territory of the said Provinces, who may desire to settle himself therein, shall make a declaration to that effect before the Municipality of the Place in which he may chuse to reside. The Municipality, in such case, shall make an entry in the Register of the Census of the District, of his name and that of his family, if he have any, declaring whence he came, his age, condition, and business: and from the date of such entry he shall be considered as a Resident, and enter upon the period, fixed by the Constitution of these States, for acquiring the right of citizenship therein, enjoying in the mean time all other rights attached to naturalization, without detriment to his claim to the special Certificate of Citizenship, agreeably to the provisions of the Fundamental Law.

IV. From the day on which any Stranger may become a Resident of any Place within these States, agreeably to the preceding Article, he may, like any Native of the Country, acquire any waste land, or any property of the Inhabitants in the Place of his residence, in conformity with the existing Laws.

V. Every Citizen of these States, and every Stranger, of whatever

Country he may be, even before settling himself in the Territories of these United Provinces, may, by himself alone, or by forming a company not exceeding three persons, treat for the establishing of one or more new Settlements; for which purpose he will present his project thereof to the Government of the Province within which the lands may be situate in which he proposes to fix them. The respective Legislature will examine the proposal made, and if found conformably to the Laws in force, and to the provisions of this Decree, or being amended agreeably to them, shall approve it, and have it immediatele carried into effect, giving however an account of the same to the Government of the Federation, which will thereupon forward it to the Federal Congress for its complete validity and confirmation.

VI. The Authorities of each Province will not admit any proposal for a Settlement, unless the projector offers, as Settlers in each Settlement, at least fifteen families; that is, fifteen free married couples. The respective Government will fix a time within which the projector must present, in the new Settlement, the number of families for whom he has made his proposal, under the penalty of forfeiting a proportion of the rights and indulgences stipulated in his favor in the Contract; and the same shall be void, should he not at least produce the said fifteen married couples.

VII. When ten families, at least, of those comprised in the proposal, shall have presented themselves on the lands destined by the Government of the Province for the establishment of the new Settlement, the due formation of the same shall be proceeded upon, when all shall swear to observe the Political Constitution of the Province, before the Commissioner appointed by the Provincial Chief; and the election of the Municipal Officers shall take place according to the forms prescribed by the existing Laws.

VIII. The lands designated by the Governments of the respective Provinces for any new Settlement, must all be waste, that is, free from all right of property or possession, in regard to any particular person or community; and all lands that may have belonged to Corporations or to Religious Foundations, shall be considered as such: but in case the appointed lands shall have inhabitants bordering on them, they shall be required to mark and fix their limits.

IX. The present Decree assigns, in full property, to each married couple, comprehended within the number of those described in any proposal for a new Settlement, a portion of land of which the superficies shall be comprised in a square of a thousand Varas each way; but without the condition that such land shall be of one entire piece.

X. Every unmarried person of either sex, comprehended in the proposal for a new Settlement, who shall marry within six years after the establishment of such Settlement, shall, immediately on the proof of such marriage, obtain a portion of land of the extent of that de

scribed in the preceding Article; and should such marriage be contracted with an original inhabitant of the Country, or with a person of colour descended from Natives, the person so marrying shall receive a double portion of land.

XI. To the Projector of a new Settlement will likewise be ceded in full property, a square of land of a thousand Varas (in every respect equal to what has been expressed in the preceding Article), for every married couple, which, agreeably to his proposal, he shall have conveyed and established in that Settlement.

XII. The three preceding Articles will serve as a general basis, for fixing, with the utmost precision, the property in land offered to Projectors of new Settlements, and to each of the new Settlers, whatever may be their number, beyond that mentioned in the Contracts.

XIII. Every married couple, or family, of whatever condition, which may not be included in the proposal for a new Settlement or Settlements, but may wish to join and be attached to any one of them, by defraying the expense of their conveyance thither, shall be at any time at liberty so to do and should they become Citizens within the first six years, reckoning from the date of the legal establishment of the new Settlement, in such case a portion of land shall be ceded to the said persons in full possession and property, of double the extent of that designated in the 9th Article, for each married couple who settle under the proposals of the Projectors, and at his cost. Single men will also be admitted; and to these, should they settle within the six years above described, will be ceded in full property, a square of land of a thousand Varas, as mentioned in the 9th Article.

XIV. Every new Settler shall be bound to cultivate, or occupy, according to the nature of the soil, the land ceded to him by this Decree within the term of eight years, reckoning from the day of taking possession thereof, on pain of forfeiture of the whole, or part thereof, according as he may fail in the obligation imposed by this Article.

XV. All lands ceded by virtue of this Decree to the Projectors of new Settlements, must be cultivated or occupied, according to the quality of the soil, or the purposes for which the cession was made, within eight years, reckoning from the day on which the said Settlement was established, on pain of forfeiture of the whole, or of the part not cultivated or occupied.

XVI. The Governments of the respective Provinces are authorized to grant lands in addition to those ceded by this Decree, to such of the Settlers as shall, within the period already prescribed to them, have cultivated or occupied the lands granted to them; and also, to such as may have applied themselves to the breeding of cattle, and require a larger portion of land to increase their stocks.

XVII. Every new Settler may at any time dispose of the lands granted to him by this Law, if before such disposal, he shall appear to

have cultivated or occupied them, according to the nature of the soil and the purposes for which they were granted. From this rule are exempted the Projectors of new Settlements, who may freely dispose of and transfer the lands obtained by their Contracts, from the day of taking possession of the same, without the obligation of cultivating them; as also the Families mentioned in the 13th Article, who are in possession of a square of land of a thousand Varas, for having settled themselves thereon at their own expense.

XVIII. Every new Settler shall be at all times free to return to his own Country, or to go and reside wherever it may suit him; and in such case he may export the whole of his property to the place of his destination, without the payment of any duties whatever; and he may freely dispose of the land granted to him, in the whole or in part, which he may have cultivated or occupied ; but such part of it as shall not have been cultivated or occupied, will be considered as waste land.

XIX. Every new Settler may, from the day of his establishment in a Settlement, dispose, by will, of every sort of property belonging to him, in conformity with the existing Laws, and bequeath to his heirs the right he may have acquired over the land granted to him as a Settler, although he may not have entirely cultivated it; such heirs being subject, by inheriting those lands, to the same obligations as those imposed on the Testator himself.

XX. Should any new Settler, in any Settlement, die intestate, the person or persons, whatever may be his or their condition, who, in similar cases, among the Natives of these Provinces, are allowed by the Common Law, to succeed intestates, shall succeed him by title of heirs ab intestate, in his chattels and rights, as well as in those acquired over lands; the said heirs succeeding also to the obligations and conditions imposed on the intestate.

XXI. Every new Settlement shall remain free, for the period of twenty years, reckoning from the day of its establishment, from the payment of every sort of contribution or impost, under whatever denomination it may be known.

XXII. Every new Settlement shall be exempt from every species of monopoly, and be allowed to pursue every kind of industry, including that of the working of every description of mines.

XXIII. It is conceded also to every new Settlement for the space of twenty years, reckoning from the date of its establishment, an entire exemption from every kind of duty on the exportation of every species of produce, by land or sea, to Foreign States, and of every other commercial article produced by its industry, or by the industry of any other Place in these Provinces, and even of foreign industry, if it shall have been legally imported, subject, however, to the regulations of the respective Custom-houses.

XXIV. The same entire exemption shall be enjoyed by every new Settlement, for the same term of twenty years, on the importation by land or sea, into any part of the Territory of these Provinces, of all produce and commercial effects of national industry; and moreover they may introduce, even from Foreign Parts, free of duty, instruments of iron, or of any other metal, or of wood, useful in agriculture; and all sorts of tools and machines conducive to the encouragement of agriculture, of the arts, and of mining.

XXV. Every new Settler may freely introduce, exempt from import duty, or any restriction whatever, every description of Ships and Vessels, even if foreign built, under the obligation of registering them with the proper Authorities, as National Vessels, and the property of the importer.

XXVI. Every new Settlement shall be bound to contribute towards the expenses of a purely municipal and indispensable nature, or of general utility; proposing, through the medium of their Municipalities, the means they may think adequate to meet such expenses; which, when approved by the respective Governments, shall be put in practice.

XXVII. All Persons are prohibited from introducing from Foreign Parts, into the new Settlements that may be formed in the Territory of these Provinces, Slaves of any sex or age whatsoever; the latter becoming free, de facto, on their being introduced into any of the said Settlements.

XXVIII. The Government, by means of the Envoys of the Federation of Central America, will make this Law known to Foreign Powers, to be published in the places of residence of the said Envoys, enjoining them to promote, by every means they may deem expedient, its easy, ready, and punctual fulfilment.

Let this be communicated to the Supreme Executive Power for its fulfilment, and that it be printed, published, and circulated.

Dated in Guatemala, this 22nd of January, 1824.

Ordered by the Executive Government, to be published, &c. 25th January, 1824.

THOMAS O'HORAN, President.

JUAN VINCENTE VILLA COSTA.
JOSE SANTIAGO MILLA.

REPORT of the Minister of the Interior and of Foreign Relations to the Congress of Mexico.-11th January, 1825.

(Extract.)

FOREIGN RELATIONS.

(Translation.)

THE invasion of Spain by France, and the result of it, drew the attention of Europe to America. The new Spanish Cabinet, eager to re-establish the dominion of Spain over this Section of the Globe, soli