No. 329.
Mr. Hay to Sir Edward
Thornton.
Washington, December 20, 1879.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 13th instant, referring to the communication of the minister of the United States at Vienna to the Austro-Hungarian Government in relation to the application made by the Government of Nicaragua, that certain documents in the archives of the United States relating to the question in dispute between Nicaragua and Great Britain should be laid before the arbitrator, and to the unwillingness of the United States to hand over the documents in question on the request of one party, and to its readiness to examine what documents would have to be sent over for the purpose proposed in ease the arbitrator should think the request of the Government of Nicaragua justifiable.
You state, furthermore, that the Marquis of Salisbury has conveyed to the Austro-Hungarian Government his opinion that any application of the Government of Nicaragua to that of the United States for papers which the former may think would be of use to it in the arbitration is a matter entirely between those two governments, and does not affect in any way either the arbitrator or Her Majesty’s Government.
In reply, I have to inform you-that this Department, upon learning the views of the Marquis of Salisbury, as stated in your note, and as also communicated to the arbitrator by Her Majesty’s chargé d’affaires at Vienna, sent forward a number of papers relating to the question in dispute between Great Britain and Nicaragua to the minister of the United States at Vienna, to be laid before the arbitrator.
I have, &c.,
Acting Secretary.