Observations on the Present State of the Affairs of the River Plate

It only remains for me to express to your Excellency my perfect satisfaction in regard to the conduct of the escort, generally and individually, during the whole time that we have journeyed together. I am perfectly well aware, Excellent Sir, that such a declaration is unnecessary on my part, being confident that soldiers chosen by your Excellency for any service, would necessarily act as these have done, but I should neither satisfy my grateful feeling nor my duty, did I not state that in fulfilling their commission, both the escort and the officer that accompanied me from Monte Video, have, in every occasion and in all circumstances, been constantly active, obedient and ready to exert themselves to the utmost, and that in no instance have they given cause of complaint, either to myself or to the parties at whose houses we have stayed, or through whose lands we have passed.

I cannot conclude without calling the attention of your Excellency to the case of the soldier José Arillu and to that of the coachman Antonio, both of whom have been seriously hurt in the service just completed: at present I can do no more than to recommend them to the consideration of your Excellency, but I purpose communicating the affair to my Government.

Repeating my sincere thanks, and saluting your Excellency with the expression of my highest esteem and most distinguished consideration, I have the honour to subscribe myself,

Your Excellency's most obedient humble servant,G. J. R. GORDON.

To His Excellency Don Fructuoso Rivera, President of the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay, General in Chief of the army, &c. &c.

REPUBLIC OF PARAGUAYAssumption, September 23d, 1842.

The undersigned supreme Government has received the estimable note of his Excellency the President of the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay, dated the 1st of August last, informing this Government of the visit of George J. R. Gordon, Esq., and his companion recommended by his Excellency to this Government, who therefore assure his Excellency that nothing is more gratifying to them than to accept the recommendation his Excellency has been pleased to direct, for the purpose indicated; and will correspond, in acting upon it, to the sentiments of friendship by which it is animated towards the Government of the Oriental Republic.

The Government has disposed that the escort given by his Excellency to Mr. Gordon, shall be provided with the proper passport for his return, as it is a duty incumbent on this Government to give due fulfilment to the necessary attentions on Mr. Gordon's leaving the country.

The request of his Excellency being satisfied in all respects this Government repeats its expression of true friendship and esteem and affectionately salutes his Excellency.

CARLOS ANTONIO LOPEZ.MARIANO ROQUE ALONSO.

To his Excellency the President of the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay, Don Fructuoso Rivera.

STEAM NAVIGATION ON THE RIVERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY(OFFICIAL.)

The Senate and Chamber of Representatives of the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay, united in General Assembly, have resolved on the following

DECREE

Art. 1. – It is granted to Mr. John Halton Buggeln to hold the exclusive privilege of navigating with ships propelled by steam or other mechanical power, in the ports and on the rivers of the Republic, during the period of twelve years from the time of the arrival of those ships at the port of Monte Video, under the conditions and restrictions to be expressed in the following articles; reckoning the arrival of the first steam-vessel at twenty months after the sanction of this project, save in case of unforeseen impediment, and the contractor obliging himself to prove his inculpableness by publishing the privilege in England and soliciting the advance of the requisite capital; if in thirty months from the date mentioned in the sanction of the project, he shall not have verified that justification before the Executive, Mr. Halton Buggeln shall incur the penalty of a fine of 10,000 dollars to the public treasury, the same to be guaranteed by his person and goods.

Art. 2. – Vessels of the said description of less than fifty tons burthen, are not comprehended in the exclusion of this privilege.

Art. 3. – The undertaking shall be commenced by two vessels of three hundred or more tons, and one hundred horse power. The latest discoveries that shall have been made both for the acceleration of speed and for the prevention of accidents of explosion or others, are to be applied to their construction and machinery.

Art. 4. – The vessels of this undertaking shall convey, free of all charge, the mails of the Republic to and from all the ports of their transit; the captains or masters being responsible for their safety, unless the Government shall appoint a person for this object.

Art. 5. – Each vessel shall maintain on board two young Oriental citizens as apprentices to instruct them as engineers and pilots.

Art. 6. – The vessels of this undertaking shall navigate free of all tonnage dues, under the British flag, having liberty to deposit on shore or on board of hulks, such coals, machinery or other matters intended for use and consumption on board, not including provisions, the Executive to determine the measures necessary to prevent the abuse of this liberty, and it being understood that the said deposits shall not be entitled to any other guarantee than such as belong to foreign property on shore.

Art. 7 – Whatever may be the state of the relations of this Republic with Great Britain, this undertaking, its funds and property, and the men employed in it, shall never under any pretext be an object of sequestration, indemnification, nor guarantee of any kind of reclamations or reprisals, which may occur between the two nations, but rather during the whole term of the contract until its dissolution, it shall be under the protection of the laws as if such misunderstandings did not exist; but the navigation may be temporally suspended and with it the term of the privilege, if the defence of the Republic or other similar interests should so require.

Art. 8. – If there should be national contractors or shareholders the undertaking shall admit them to the number of one third of the shares.

Act. 9 – This privilege shall become of no effect by the voluntary interruption of its exercise, by the contractor, during a period of six months continuously.

Art. 10. – Let it be communicated, &c.

And in making this known to the Executive Power, the undersigned President takes the opportunity of saluting the Executive with his most distinguished consideration.

Dr. PEDRO PABLO VIDAL,Juan Manuel de la Sota,Secretary.

Monte Video, February 7th, 1844.

To H. E. the Vice-President of the Republic, Don Joaquin Suarez.

Monte Video, February 8th, 1844.

Be it fulfilled, the receipt thereof acknowledged, let be communicated to whom it may concern, published and inserted in the National Register.

SUAREZ.Santiago Vazquez.

1

The Monte Videan Government has granted a patent for introducing steamers on all its rivers to an Englishman, Mr. Bugglen. – (See Appendix.)

2

Plans for forming such a canal were under consideration by the Commissioners appointed under the treaty of San Ildefonso, in 1778, to fix the boundaries of the Spanish and Portuguese possessions.

3

MR. MANDEVILLE'S SUMMONS.

Buenos Ayres, December 16th, 1842.

The Governments of England and France having determined to adopt such measures as they may consider necessary to put an end to the hostilities between the Republics of Buenos Ayres and Monte Video, the undersigned Minister Plenipotentiary of her Britannic Majesty to the Argentine Confederation, has the honour, conformably to the instructions received from his Government, to inform H. E. M. Arana, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Buenos Ayres, that the sanguinary war at present carried on between the Government of Buenos Ayres and that of Monte Video, must cease, for the interests of humanity and of the British and French subjects, and other Foreigners who are residing in the country which is now the seat of war; and therefore requires of the Government of Buenos Ayres: – 1. The immediate cessation of hostilities between the troops of the Argentine Confederation and those of the Republic of Uruguay. 2. That the troops of the Argentine Confederation (it being understood that those of the Republic of the Uruguay will adopt a similar course) remain within their respective territories, or return to them in case they should have passed their frontier. – The undersigned requests H. E. to reply as soon as he conveniently can, whether it is the intention of the Government of Buenos Ayres to accede to these demands, and has the honour to be, &c.

J. H. MANDEVILLE.

To H. E. Don Felipe Arana.

4

Buenos Ayres, December 28th, 1842.

My dear M. de Vidal, – I received this morning your private letter of the 20th; after thanking you for it I have little to add, except that Count de Lurde and I have received an answer to our note demanding an armistice, stating that a demand of this nature, menacing as it does the Argentine Confederation, requires time for deliberation before a reply can be given. In the mean time, I trust that the step which I and the French Minister have taken will in no manner weaken, but, on the contrary, hasten and encourage the zealous efforts of your Government to resist invasion, because, where winds and waves are concerned, no man can say, when he leaves Europe, in what week or in what month he will arrive at Monte Video. I know nothing of the operations of the armies on either side of the Uruguay; I thank you for the information which you send me about them; I know nothing from any other source.

Believe me ever, my dear M. de Vidal, ever your sincere friend,

J. H. MANDEVILLE.

To his Excellency M. de Vidal, &c. &c. &c.

Buenos Ayres, January 12th, 1843.

My dear M. de Vidal, – When I received M. Gelly's official letter upon the entry of Oribe's troops into the Banda Oriental, I was myself too unwell to thank you for your letter of the 28th ult. on the subject of your resignation, and too sad and discouraged by it at the idea of your retirement from office at the present moment. But now when I see, by the Nacional of the 3d, that you have nobly decided upon still retaining the foreign and home departments, I am as anxious to congratulate you and your country upon this resolution, as I was averse, on the day I wrote to M. Gelly, to take up my pen for any body or any thing, but for this letter of yours above mentioned. The two official communications, which I send you with this opportunity, would have gone with my letter to M. Gelly, luckily, it's of little consequence whether you receive them now or this day month. What has prevented the British and French naval forces from coming long before this to the River Plate, I can have no conception. The interview between the British Ambassador and Guizot took place on the 9th September, when he agreed to all that Lord Cowley proposed, of uniting their forces to put an end to the war. Before the end of December I would have sworn that they would have been here. I cannot conclude my letter without expressing to you my truest thanks for the expression of your friendship towards me, and my confidence that, happen what may, you will always duly appreciate my public and private conduct to you. Believe me, my dear M. de Vidal, that my sentiments and my utmost efforts will always be in unison to draw closer the ties of friendship, which have been so happily established, through you in great part, between the two countries where we first drew our breath, and my labour will be unceasing to preserve them unchanged.

J. H. MANDEVILLE.

To his Excellency Don Jose Antonino Vidal.