Hon. William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington. D. C.
Protest of the Argentine government on the
bombardment of Valparaiso.
[Translation.]
Department of Foreign
Affairs,
Buenos Ayres,
April 27, 1866.
The Argentine people have been painfully affected with the news that
on the 31st March the city of Valparaiso was bombarded and
deliberately set on fire by the naval forces of her Catholic Majesty
blockading that port.
The civilization of modern times has established the principle that
the operations of war should be limited to such as can bear upon the
issue of the struggle, condemning those measures which are only
calculated to do a wanton injury to the enemy by way of a cruel and
bootless revenge.
By bombarding and setting on fire a city purely commercial and
unprepared for resistance of any kind, when such extreme severity
can neither give any advantage nor weaken the enemy, much less
hasten the end of the war, the government of her Catholic Majesty
has openly violated this principle, which is regarded as a guarantee
among civilized nations.
The government of her Catholic Majesty is aware of the interest with
which the government of this republic has watched the course of the
events which have been unfortunately taking place in the
Pacific.
Bound as the Argentine nation is with the Spanish people by a recent
treaty which strengthens our friendly relations by an extensive
commerce, and an increasing and laborious emigration constantly
flowing in from Spain; connected, on the other hand, with the people
of Chili in similar relations, and, moreover, by the lively
traditions of our common dangers and glories in the war of
independence, our government, without entering into an investigation
of the motives which have arrayed two friendly nations in war,
hitherto confined itself to deploring its inability to avoid the
evils consequent on so terrible a conjuncture, fulfilling strictly
the obligations of a strict neutrality, which we hope has been duly
appreciated by her Catholic Majesty’s government.
The Argentine government feels that the special nature of its
position authorizes and justifies its addressing that of her
Catholic Majesty to protest against the adoption of measures which
it considers contrary to the sacred principles of the law of
nations, as also for the injuries that may be already or hereafter
so caused to Argentine citizens and their properties, whose
indemnification shall be demanded in due time; and, finally, to
manifest the difficulties that must arise to a continuance of the
friendly relations that at present exist between Spain and the
Argentine republic, (which on our part we labor to cultivate and
strengthen,) if the Spanish government persist in using these
measures of war with the towns of America.
Your excellency will hand a copy of this note to his excellency the
minister of state of her Catholic Majesty.
May God preserve you many years.
His Excellency D. Mariano Balcance,
Plenipotentiary near her Catholic
Majesty.
