Transcription
Madrid March 31st 1843
My dear Papa:
I am looking forward in about a week to the / pleasure of receiving a letter from you by the Great Western = by the last steamer. I heard of your return to New York and a short visit to / Nevis _ Tell all about your plans and what I can do to aid you: / As I before said my remaining here or returning [^ home] depends upon this / point alone; always supposing a sufficient notice to Mr. Irving.
We had had comparatively our hands full of business / during two or three weeks: the latest affair; an outrage on an American / vessel at the port of Malaga, which has created quite a sensation / throughout the Peninsula: The Chief of the Customs on a very slight / suspicion and in opposition to all the other officers of the Port, sent armed / men to seize the Barque Empress of New York with order to fire on the / crew in case of resistance: They stripped off the American flag from / the hatches, which were then broken open, and the Cargo landed: / The American [?Cenad] and our Countrymen behaved with great prudence / and discretion, and the opposition papers have been filled with / violent attacks on the officer and the Government _ Three days / ate a long note was sent to the Gov’t; very moderate + courteous to / them; but with a full statement of the improper conduct of the / officer, and leaving to their own sense of propriety the choice of a / reparation _ The next day an answer was returned; and last / night at the British Embassy I ascertained that the collector had / been already removed _ His Excellency and the Secretary (as in / duty bound) are much pleased with this prompt termination of an / unpleasant affair, especially as our brother Diplomats mediated /
[END OF PAGE 1]
That months would pass (as usual) before anything would be done _ I / don’t believe Spanish Ministers have been in such a hurry within ten / year as on this occasion, and [^this] with several other instances occurring / recently, proves that our country and their ministers are on a pleasant footing.
Today, we had Sir Robert Peel’s great speech on the Washington / Treaty, and his handsome compliments to Mr. Webster: Sir Robert certainly makes / several fair hits against your friend Lord Palmerton, who will be little flattered / by his notice of Mr. Benton as “the Palmerston of the United States”. D’Israeli / proved very clearly that the “red line” so much talked over of late, is not at all / against our claim, but on the contrary the investigation after Maps, tends rather, / if any thing to exhibit bad faith on the side of English Ministers _ I am very / much pleased with this explanation of what seemed at first an awkward matter, / and and am especially delighted that Mr. Featherstonhaugh, the original of “Tom / Straddle” is appreciated at his true value in England.
The Contract for four Years of the Quicksilver mines of Al: / =Maden was closed on the 28th _ These mines you know are [^furnish] the only supply of / any importance throughout the world and consequently the Contractor has a mono - / poly _ The Rothschilds have been for many years in possession of it, and general - / ly heavy bribes, to Spanish Ministers contrived to make seven or Eight hundred / thousand dollars a year out of this poor Gov’t _ As Jews, they and their representatives / are properly hated by the Dona, among [^ which] the term “Judeo” or Jews is the vilest / reproach, as that of “Christiano viejo” or Christian of pure blood, is of the / highest honor _ In order to take the contract out of Rothschild’s hands an asso - / ciation was formed [^to] run up the price of the metal and a [^mutual] guarantee entered into, / in case of loss from too high an offer _ The bidding consequently was very / active, and finally was determined in favor of a Mr. Saliamanca, acting / for / Spanish houses, who offered 10 cents more per hundred pounds than the / Rothschilds were prepared to give _ this advance in the price over the former / contact makes a difference in favor of the Gov’t of $500,000 a year _ It is / said however that the new Contractor has made an arrangement with the /
[END OF PAGE 2]
House of Rothschild by which the profits are divided; they bearing all the / expense _ My chief interest in the transaction is that this poor country will be a / little relieved by the operation, and therefor escape in some degree from the / hands of these grasping bankers who prey upon it through its embarassments [sic].
On Monday next the Cortes are opened with great pomp / and ceremony: the Queen in person, as a spectator only, while Espartero / delivers the Speech _ the State of parties is not entirely known but sufficiently so, / to determine that the majority will support Espartero, and the constitutional / Government, tho it is probably that present minister will fall: a courier has been / already despatched for General Sancho, the Spanish Ambassador in London inviting / him to form a cabinet: It is thought he will decline leaving his present comfortable / post: _ The English Everlasting Treaty will be again in the Carpet, and people / according to their party feeling predict its failure or success _ We have been / trying in a quiet way to do something for American trade to the Peninsula / which is falling off very rapidly and causing great distress in parts of Anda - / lusia.
Mr. Irving is recovering slowly, and is now able to walk about a / little: the bad weather has delayed his progress, but I hope next week he / will be able to ride out, and have some relief from the tediousness of his / confinement: _ I read to him, and do all in my power to improve his Spirits; / but I suspect he controls his present condition too often with the comforts / of his little roost, to permit [^ bear] patiently the discomforts of his present situation. / He has thoughts of an Excursion in the beginning of the Summer to the / Baths of the Pyrennees, and suggested it in a draft of a despatch which / he showed me yesterday: For your + Mama’s benefit I give an extract / “In case I have to absent myself from my post, I will have the / satisfaction of knowing that in leaving it in change of Mr. Hamilton, I / confide it to a person who by his talents, intelligence, acquirements, / and apt and prompt discharge of business is fully competent to carry / on the affairs of the Legation!” _ with all my vanity I can hardly / copy this paragraph without blushing; but it may amuse you /
[END OF PAGE 3]
To see how well I have contrived to impose upon my excellent friend, / In the copy to the Department, I shall take the liberty of altering this / draft, so as to bring it nearer to the truth _ Don’t let it be known beyond / the family that Mr. I has thoughts of making such an excursion. ___ /
Saturday morning. April 1st _ I send off to night by the Frenchman, this / letter for the Great Western on the 15th _ We have a bright, sun, soft air, and / the young leaves of Spring _ I doubt whether you are so well off. _ As the / fatal Monday approaches and the period to make or unmake ministers, the / plot thickens: I dined yesterday with Mr. Aston, at the Embassy which is the / centre of information _ It appears that the present Cabinet following a very / laudable example of their predecessors are helping themselves in anticipation / to very valuable posts and promotion, in order to break their fall decently: for / instance the Minister of War appoints himself Direct. Gen’l; He of Marine; Admiral / and so on: the reason given is that when out of office no body else will appoint / them however much they may deserve it, so they take care themselves to reward / merit in their own persons for the sake of the example only: _
The Gazette, official paper, this morning announces the dismissal / of the Interdente at Malaga and the temporary appointment of another person: / This is sharp work; the note from the Legation was dated 27h passed to the / Gov’t on the 28th and after travelling thro’ the Department to the Regent / the decree dismissing the officer was signed on the 30th. _ We had a letter / yesterday from the Consul, and tho it was known at Malaga, when he wrote / that orders had arrived for the liberation of the vessel, yet the Custom House / office with true Spanish obstinancy denied he had received them _ poor / fellow! The next intelligence he will received will be that his services are no longer / wanted: this case which has attracted much attention and has been so followed / so promptly by the punishment, will be of great service to the foreigners trading / on that coast who have be exposed to the arbitrary determination of Spanish / officials : _____
I have been delighted with some suggestion in a work on “Agro / cultural Chemistry” by Dr. Liebig, a German: there is an American Edition / which I wish you would read; you will find in it very useful hints / for Nevis _ How is the Grapery? With another year over its head, it ought
[END OF PAGE 4]
To be quite productive this Season _ I did not taste one good peach last summer: / a thousand kisses to Mama + the Girls; and a great deal of love to all / the family Your affec. Son
Alex HamiltonTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
