I also inclose a copy of a note received from the same source, upon the 13th inst., marked Inclosure 3, requesting my presence at the official attendance and ceremony of the removal of his mortal remains, which, of course, I complied with. The funeral took place yesterday, with imposing ceremonies, the diplomatic corps forming a part of the funeral cortège, and the occasion was truly a very imposing one. I have not as yet been advised who will succeed Dr. Guerra in the administration of the affairs of the government. He was seventy years of age, and largely enjoyed the confidence of the people of the republic, and it is difficult to predict the effect his death may have upon the fortunes of the country. He died of pneumonia. I have, &c., [Inclosure 1 in No. 29.] S. NEWTON PETTIS. Mr. Medina and Mr. Mendez to Mr. Pettis. LA PAZ, September 12, 1879. The undersigned, ministers of the executive council of the republic, comply with the painful duty of communicating to his honor S. Netwon Pettis, resident minister of the United States of America, the painful loss which the nation has suffered in the death of Señor Dr. Pedro J. de Guerra, president of the council and minister of foreign affairs, who passed away last night at 12 o'clock, after a sickness of some days. On this painful occasion the undersigned offer to his honor the resident minister of the United States of North America the expressions of their most distinguished consideration. The undersigned, minister resident of the United States of America, has had the honor to receive the note addressed to him which their Excellencies Eulogio D. Medina and Julio Mendez, ministers of the executive council of the republic, did him the honor to write him under date of this day, announcing the sad intelligence of the death of Señor Dr. Pedro J. de Guerra, president of the council and minister of foreign affairs, last night at twelve o'clock, after a sickness of some days, and having previously been apprised of the very unexpected and melancholy event, which the republic of Bolivia has great reason to, and will, deplore. As an evidence of the expression of sorrow which he knows his government will feel, and that the undersigned does feel, at such a national affliction, he caused the flag of this legation to be placed at half-mast, where it will remain during the day, assuring their excellencies of his own most sincere sympathy in this hour of sorrow, and begs them to accept the assurance of his most distinguished consideration. S. NEWTON PETTIS. No. 63. Mr. Pettis to Mr. Evarts. No. 35.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, La Paz, Bolivia, September 29, 1879. (Received November 15.) SIR: I have the honor to be in receipt of your dispatch of the 8th ultimo, No. 17, with inclosure, consisting of a copy of a dispatch from Mr. Minister Dichman, United States minister resident at Bogota, under date of June 20 (last), No. 100, and have considered both carefully, and shall bear in mind your suggestions if the occasion which your dispatch contemplates presents itself. I have been informed that the Bolivian authorities here had been in formed of the action of the Colombian Congress to which Mr. Minister Dichman refers, and have information that Doctor Arosemena visited Presidents Daza and Prado at Arica, in pursuance of the object of his appointment and in furtherance of the object of his special mission, but that his mediatory offer upon the part of Colombia was rejected by both. Whether he visited Chili or not, I have no information. The failure of the special mission of Doctor Arosemena strengthens me in the opinion I have for some time entertained, which is that neither of the then belligerent powers desire the mediation or interference of any power but the United States. I am, &c., S. NEWTON PETTIS. No. 43.] No. 64. Mr. Pettis to Mr. Evarts. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, La Paz, Bolivia, October 9, 1879. (Received November 24.) SIR: I have the honor to inclose a translated copy of a communication this day received from the minister of foreign relations of Bolivia, in reply to mine to him with reference to the subject matter of your dispatch No. 12,* which is marked inclosure 1. The delay in answering mine upon the subject, doubtless arose from the sickness and death of Mr. Guerra. I am, &c., S. NEWTON PETTIS. [Inclosure 1 in No. 43.-Translation.] Mr. Ortiz to Mr. Pettis. LA PAZ, October 9, 1879. Mr. MINISTER: The executive council of this republic has had the honor to receive aul take note of the dispatch your excellency favored us with on the 25th of last Angust, with the object of advising us that your excellency has been informed by official note from Washington, that the Government of the United States has learned that the British Government has been informed of a decree issued by this government, authorizing the use of privateers and the capture of Chilian property in neutral ships, and that to this effect Bolivia has sent agents to the United States. In consequence of this, your excellency calls the attention of my government to the treaty celebrated between the United States and Bolivia in 1838, and very particuarly to the 16th article of said treaty, which expresses that the effects or goods belonging to citizens of a belligerent nation are protected on board neutral ships, with the exception of contraband articles. Answering the question which thereby arises, and which your excellency has the See Mr. Evarts' instruction to Mr. Pettis, of June 23, 1879, For. Rels. 1879, page 125. honor to put to me, whether the information received by the United States as to the decree given out by Bolivia is or is not true, I am gratified to inform your excellency that, in fact, my government, in the exceptional circumstances in which Bolivia finds itself as to the other states, for it absolutely does not count upon a single ship at sea, and in order to counteract the aggression of Chili, which possesses a powerful navy, has thought convenient to authorize in its defense the use of privateers, by the su preme decree published on the 26th of March, of the present year. Your excellency will understand the perfect right that pertains to Bolivia, as she has not adhered to the treaty of Paris, which prohibits the fitting out of privateers; having besides respected the exceptional case which, by the treaty of 1858, exists with the United States, as, allow me to inform your excellency, in the decree issued by my government authorizing the privateers to seize all cargo of Chilian property found on board a neutral vessel, whether a contraband or not, are excluded those cargoes sailing under the United States flag. With this declaration I have, &c., SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your dispatch No. 29, of the 15th ultimo, conveying the sad intelligence of the death of His Excellency Pedro J. de Guerra, minister of foreign relations of Bolivia, and Acting President of the republic. The demise of this illustrious man and distinguished statesman, who during his public career manifested a constant and warm friendship for this country, is a source of sincere regret to the United States, and doubtless a national calamity to the people of Bolivia. It is hoped, however, that the loss thus experienced by that people may be measurably repaired by the judicious selection of a worthy successor. I am, &c., No. 66. Mr. Evarts to Mr. Adams. WM. M. EVARTS. No. 3.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, SIR: I transmit herewith copy of a dispatch received from Mr. Thomas A. Osborn, United States minister to Chili, relative to the proposed exchange of prisoners of war between Chili and Bolivia. You will perceive that Mr. Osborn reports having written to the legation at La Paz on the subject. I have replied to Mr. Osborn that a change had been made in the incumbency of the mission, and that the person who had taken charge of the archives of the legation and consulate-general had not been invested by this government with any official functions, and could not, consequently, act in a diplomatic capacity toward the furtherance of the desired end. The suggestion made in reference to the exchange of prisoners of war, like all others of a broadly humane character, has the sympathies of this government, and if the exercise of your good offices within their proper sphere will promote such a result without disparagement to the belligerent rights of any of the combatants, and especially of Peru, as the ally of Bolivia and presumably equally interested with her in such an arrangement, you are authorized to do what you can to promote the interests of humanity in the conduct of this unhappy war. I am, &c., WM. M. EVARTS. No. 3.] No. 67. Mr. Adams to Mr. Evarts. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES TO BOLIVIA, Lima, Peru, June 14, 1880. (Received July 29.) SIR: I have the honor to report my arrival at this place yesterday, the 13th instant. I was enabled to land at the blockaded port of Callao and reach this city without detention, through the assistance of Captain Brown, U. S. N., commanding the United States ship Alaska, whom by good fortune I met in the harbor of Chimbote, and who kindly placed his vessel at my disposal on its return trip from Chimbote to Callao. On entering the latter port I called with Captain Brown upon Admiral Rivera, commanding the blockading squadron of Chili on the coast, in order to inform him that in a few days I should land at Mollendo, a blockaded port further south, and request that the railway train which I would take there to proceed to La Paz be not fired upon from his ships, which request was granted readily and most willingly. Captain Brown has informed me that in about a week he will be ready to take me to Mollendo, and I consider it really fortunate to have met him, as it would have been out of the question for me to visit Lima at all and place myself in communication with Minister Christiancy, which you considered advisable and of importance in your last verbal instructions, and which would have necessitated a land journey of several hundred miles through a desert, for which I was not prepared. I will not endeavor to report upon events that have lately taken place here, as without doubt you will be advised by those who, being on the ground, have had better facilities to know. I will only state that after the defeat of the allies at Tacna on the 26th ultimo, General Campero, Provisional President of Bolivia, having lost half his army killed in the battle, separated from the Peruvian forces and with the remnant of his own soldiers took the road to Bolivia, promising however, that he would return with a larger force. On the evening before the battle, General Campero had resigned the chief command of the allied forces, which had fallen to him by virtue of the treaty with Peru, stipulating that if the President of either republic should be with the troops, he should be commander-in-chief of the troops of both republics, and had said when surrendering his command that on that day he ceased to be Provisional President of Bolivia, as the Congress of that country, called together to elect a constitutional President that day, had no doubt fulfilled its mission. The latest news from Bolivia, however, up to the 28th ultimo, is that, while said Congress had met on the 25th for the purpose of electing a President, it had failed to take a vote, adjourning from day to day and occupying the time with making patriotic speeches; evidently waiting for some news from the army. What may have happened in La Paz since that date it is impossible to say, and will be unknown probably for some time, but that perhaps another revolution with or without bloodshed has taken place may be imagined, when the hurried departure of General Campero from Tacna, his own candidature before the Congress for election as constitutional President, and the hesitation of this Congress to proceed to a vote, are considered. I am anxious to reach my post, and shall wait no longer than the Alaska is obliged to remain off Callao before proceeding to La Paz, although perhaps no time would be lost by remaining here until such time as some result of the action taken by the diplomatic corps should be apparent. Should the action taken have any result, and possible proposals of peace from Chili be not entirely rejected by the Government of Peru, the latter could not act without also considering the status of Bolivia, and in that case it may be advantageous for me to know the wishes, ideas, and actions of the neutral representatives here, in order to co-operate with them in Bolivia after my arrival. I shall be guided, however, in some measure by the opinion of Minister Christiancy, at whose request I attended a meeting of the diplomatic corps to-day, and who, I find, not only understands the situation thoroughly, but also has considerable influence in the deliberations of that body. I am, &c., CHARLES ADAMS. No. 4.] No. 68. Mr. Adams to Mr. Evarts. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES TO BOLIVIA, Lima, Peru, June 22, 1880. (Received July 29.) SIR: Since my last dispatch of the 14th instant, in which I had the honor to advise you of the existing uncertainty as to political affairs in Bolivia, advices have reached this city from La Paz to the effect that on the 1st instant General Narciso Campero was elected constitutional President by the Congress, which had met on the 25th ultimo, after his report of the defeat at Tacna had been received, and after it had become known that the remains of his army were scattered and dissolved and that he himself was returning to La Paz with but a few followers. Taking into consideration the reverses sustained by President Campero in the field, this action of Congress foreshadows a strong government for Bolivia, one that is well supported and therefore likely to endure. I have the honor also to report that the proceedings of the Bolivian Congress, in its different acts and decrees passed, seem to indicate a further prosecution of the war with Chili, as new levies of men are projected; war material is to be gathered; the revenues of the republic pledged for war purposes, and any correspondence looking towards peace is to be considered treason and to be punished with death. At the same time that the above news reaches us from La Paz, and without previous intimation whatever, a message of the Dictator of Peru addressed to the council of state is published, submitting a protocol en |