CENTRAL AMERICAN         STATES.                 
  113

 to elicit from me such a reply as would either compromise the Govern-
 ment with Costa Rica or the other four states. After having carefully
 canvassed the circular as well as all the, facts in connection with the
 whole subject of the alliance, I hope to be able to write such a letter
as
 will meet your approval.
   I learn here that it is very dangerous now to travel through Hondu-
 ras, and that the president, Arias, is just about to abdicate in favor of
 Leiva. I shall not, therefore, go to Comayagua until there is a fair pros-
 pect of my finding a government that is nor just on the eve of dissolu-
 tion.
        I have, &c.
                                                   GEO. WILLIAMSON.


                              [Inclosure.-Translation.]

                      Circular of the government of Costa Rica.

                             OFFICE OF MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
                                               NATIONAL PALACE, SAN JOSE,
                                                     Costa Rica, October
24, 1873.
   SIR: The official and semi-official press of Central America has published
the treaty
 of alliance concluded at Managua on the 26th of August last between the
government
 of Nicaragua and Don Buenaventura Carazo, representative of Guatemala and
Salva-
 dor, which treaty has been approved by the congress of Nicaragua. Having
this doc-
 ument in view, the framers of which have completely forgotten the most solemn
pre-
 vious conventions, the most common principles of international rights, the
forms most
 constantly in use among nations, and every species of consideration and
respect which
 ought to be observed among governments, especially people who belong to
the same
 family, and who at one time formed one national body, and who in the future
are des-
 tined to renew this union from the same identity of interests, the government
of Costa
 Rica cannot remain indifferent. She must raise her voice to vindicate herself
against
 the calumnious charges which are made against her, to repel the menaces,
and to pro-
 test against the intervention of the other sister repub ics in matters which
concern
 Costa Rica alone. It is to this end that the undersigned has received instructions
 from his government to Vldress the other governments with whom it has relations,
 for the purpose of setting forth its policy respecting the other states
of Central Amer-
 ica, and of making a statement of the acts which preceded that convention,
and the
 compacts infringed by the government of Nicaragua in concluding the same.
Not-
 withstanding that the alliance stipulated for in the treaty appears now
to be only de-
 fensive, the government of Costa Rica, however much she may desire peace,
cannot
 delude herself, and is under the necessity of considering it offensive as
well as defen-
 sive, and adopted by these three governments in opposition to her tranquillity
and
 independence. Thus it is that she is forced to assume a position in which
she must
 and does decline all responsibility for the consequences which may fbllow
this treaty,
 so Unjust and injurious to the government of a sister republic, with whom
they were
 at peace and on terms of friendship. The administrations which governed
the repub-
 lic of Guatemala and Salvador having been overturned in 1871, in consequence
of
 events which took place in that year, the government of Costa Rica hailed
with joy
 the new administrations which succeeded, as well because of her duty to
accept the
 governments which those people had chosen for themselves, as because of
the true prin-
 ciples of liberty and progress proclaimed, which were in accord with the
sentiments
 of the administration of Costa Rica. Unfortunately the peace was disturbed
in the
 republic of Guatemala in consequence of the efforts made by the reactionists
to re-es-
 tablish the fallen regime. So far as Costa Rica was concerned, she only
lamented
 this disturbance, and desired the re-establishment of tranquillity and the
good of her
 fellow-citizens. In the mean-time, the government of tha, republic, so soon
as it was
 installed, doing due justice to Costa Rica, opened offic al relations, which
the previ-
 ously existing government had for so many years refused to entertain ; at
the same
 time it accredited near this cabinet a minister plenipotentiary with whom
a treaty
 of peace and friendship was adjusted. A short time afterward aiiother minister
 was sent to change that treaty, as he professed, although this could not
be done,
 because it had been approved neither by this government nor by that of Gua-
 temala. It is likely that the said minister did not. come to present this
question.
It is probable that the true object of this second mission was to endeavor
to
gain the aid of the government of Costa Rica for the exp~ulsion of the reverend
       8FR