by that State in protecting the frontier during the years 1839, 1840, and 1841.

Act of 31st August, 1852, (10 Statutes at Large.) This act directs the payment of balances due to Maine and Massachusetts, and also directs the payment of interest.

The committee therefore recommend the adoption of the accompanying bill.

1st Session.

No. 367.

E. GEORGE SQUIER.

[To accompany Bill H. R. No. 553]

MAY 5, 1858.

Mr. SICKLES, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, made the

following

REPORT.

The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to whom was referred the memorial of E. George Squier, of New York, submit the following report:

That Mr. Squier was commissioned chargé d'affaires of the United States to Guatemala on the 2d of April, 1849; that, in addition to this commission, he was formally accredited as chargé d'affaires to the republics of San Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras, with full powers to negotiate treaties with each of these governments; that he did negotiate treaties with Guatemala, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras, and represented fully and faithfully the interests of the United States at each of these governments, and his services were regarded by the President and the Department of State as of great importance, at a most interesting juncture of our relations in that quarter, and especially in connexion with the negotiations which were going on here at the same time with Great Britain. The memorialist claims an outfit to each of these governments to which he was accredited, and also the amount of salary from the date of his leaving Central America (28th of June, 1850) to the date of his ceasing to be employed in the service of the government, (13th of September, 1850.)

The precedents, as afforded by the legislation of the country, show, that when a minister has been accredited to one government, and sent by instructions from the State Department to another, that an outfit has been considered proper, and has been appropriated by Congress. Mr. Murray, in 1800, was minister resident of our government at the Hague; he was specially sent to Paris, for which he was allowed an outfit of $9,000.

Mr. Madison, in 1804, was our minister at London, and was sent specially to Spain, and was allowed an outfit of the same sum.

In 1806 Mr. Pinckney, of Maryland, was appointed minister to Russia; he was required to present letters of credence at Naples, for which he was allowed $9,000 expenses in form of an outfit.

In 1854 Hon. John Bozman Kerr, of Maryland, was chargé d'affaires to Nicaragua, and was instructed to proceed to Guatemala with letters of credence; for this service he was allowed an outfit corresponding to his grade of $4,500.-(See U. S. Statutes at Large, X 291.)

In 1852 Hon. Robert C. Schenck was minister of Brazil. He received powers and credence to proceed to the Argentine Confederation and to Uraguay, which he did, and negotiated treaties with those States, for which services he received two additional outfits of $9,000 each. (See U. S. Statutes at Large, X 559.)

In 1852 Hon. John S. Pendleton, of Virginia, was minister at Buenos Ayres. He was commissioned, jointly with Mr. Schenck, to proceed to the Argentine Confederation, and negotiated two treaties with the republics of Paraguay and Uraguay, for which he received two corresponding outfits.-(See Report of Committee on Foreign Relations, House, 34th Congress, 1st sesssion, No. 1; acts of Congress of 1st session of 34th Congress, private, page 5.)

Under these precedents, your committee, while they do not concede the amount claimed by the memorialist for full outfits to each of the five republics to which he had letters of credence, yet for those to which he actually went, and with which he negotiated important treaties, they think it just and proper he should be allowed an outfit corresponding to his grade of service. It does not appear from the statement of the memorialist that Mr. Squier actually did go to the capitals of Guatemala or Costa Rica, although he did negotiate a treaty with the latter republic, yet he did proceed to and remain at the capitals of Nicaragua, San Salvador, and Honduras, and negotiated treaties with each of these powers, and for these services he should be paid.

He has already been allowed one outfit. Your committee therefore neport a bill for two more at the grade of his service, $9,000, and also his salary, which is equitably due, from the date of his leaving Central America on leave (28th June, 1850) to the date of his recall, (13th September, 1850,) $937.

The communication of the Secretary of State is herewith communicated, marked A.

A.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, April 12, 1858. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 7th instant, enclosing the memorial of Mr. E. George Squier, setting forth the nature and extent of his services in Central America, whilst residing there in a diplomatic character, and applying for a sum equal to the outfit of a chargé d'affaires to each of the republics to which he was accredited and with which he opened relations.

In compliance with your request that the Committee on Foreign Affairs be furnished with such evidence relating to said services as may be afforded by the files of this office, I have to communicate the following data:

Mr. Squier was commissioned as chargé d'affaires of the United States to Guatemala on the 2d April, 1849, during the recess of Congress, which appointment was duly confirmed by the Senate in March, 1850. Besides the letter of credence which was furnished to him in his character of chargé d'affaires to Guatemala, Mr. Squier was formally accredited to the republics of San Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras, by separate letters to the ministers for foreign affairs of those governments, which credentials were of the same scope and effect as that addressed to the minister for foreign affairs of Guatemala.

The President also conferred upon Mr. Squier, in due form, full and separate powers to negotiate treaties with the governments of Guatemala, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica. With the first four of these republics Mr. Squier concluded important treaties, two of which were submitted by the President to the Senate for ratification; one of the others was withheld only because it had been anticipated by a different negotiation, and the fourth for political reasons. Mr. Squier's services in Central America were regarded by the President and by the department as of great importance and value, at a most interesting juncture of our relations in that quarter, and especially in connexion with the negotiations which were going on here at the same time with Great Britain. He was informed on the 25th October, 1849, that "the President has been gratified with the intelligence and activity evinced" by him; on the 20th November, that the department "justly appreciated his energy, zeal and ability," and he was "especially thanked for the valuable information contained in his despatches." On the 7th May, 1850, he was told that his "conduct in the negotiation of the treaty with Nicaragua, which was the great business of his mission, has been highly approved by his government." In reply to an application for leave of absence, the department stated to him that "the energy and zeal which he had exhibited in the public service and the state of his health entitled him to it." Mr. Squier accordingly came home under that leave; whilst here, a new administration was organized, and he was superseded.

The precedents referred to in the memorial of Mr. Squier are pertinent to his application. The "letters of credence" and "full powers bestowed upon the functionaries named, were documents of precisely the same character as those herein before mentioned as furnished to Mr. Squier.

The information communicated to the department by the memorialist was of the most varied and important character. His despatches were accompanied by maps, memoirs, and sketches, illustrative of the geographical and physical, as well as of the political condition of the countries which he visited; and by his contributions in these respects, as well as by his more immediate diplomatic functions, he has largely promoted the existing relations between our own country and Central America, and the benefits legitimately resulting therefrom.

I return herewith Mr. Squier's memorial; and have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

Hon. D. E. SICKLES,

(Of Committee on Foreign Affairs,)

LEWIS CASS.

House of Representatives.