to discharge her Havana passengers and pay back the passage money. I take leave here to observe, upon a remark of Mr. Tassara's, the Spanish minister, "that I had not the authority to send out of my lines the Spanish consul" for so gross a dereliction of duty; in the first place, that, secondly, I know of no law, national or municipal, that requires the commander of a captured city, occupied as a military post, to keep any person in it, consul or other, who is deliberately working to render the place untenable by keeping away supplies of provisions from it through false reports. I wish, however, again to repeat that subsequent conversation, through a more intelligent interpreter in his understanding of English, has convinced me that Mr. Callejon, the consul's remarks were misinterpreted and mistaken by me as mine were by him.

These subsequent explanations have, I believe, established the most cordial relations between us. I have also learned that I have done Mr. Callejon injustice in another respect in supposing him, as I was informed, to be a Spanish merchant. Such I am now assured is not the case, but that he is a soldier who has won Honorable distinction in the wars of his own country.

In Mr. Tassara's letter of complaint it is alleged that I haverench brigantine Marie Felicite and an English schooner, Virginia Antoinette, and other vessels to come up without the same length of quarantine as the Cardenas.

These facts, it is said, will convict me of capricious discrimination against Spain in favor of other European nations. There is no reason given why I should be possessed of feelings which would lead me thus to discriminate. Indeed, if I permitted my indignation and sense of wrong as regards the manner in which my Government has been treated by other nations to influence my official actions, I assure you Spain would not be the nation toward which those feelings would find most active operation. On the contrary, I have felt that the conduct of Spain has been more friendly, especially takinwrong done her by some of the citizens of the United States in the invasion of Cuba.

No rebel privates have fitted out from her ports. I have not known that any of her islands have been made arsenals and naval depots for the Confederacy, and I have yet to be informed of any discrimination made by her between our armed vessels and those of the enemy. I have ventured to say thus much because, in weighing one's acts, motives are specially to be looked at.

I beg to refer you to the report of my medical director, Doctor McCormick, for the history of these objected cases, taken from the quarantine records, which, I believe, will in every case justify the action taken. Perhaps, however, the two cases of the Marie Felicite and the Virginia Antoinette deserve a word of comment, as they illustrate the animus with which our quarantine has been conducted.

The Marie, having an acclimated crew, had been loaded at Havre and only touched at Havanna without breaking bulk, was detained only long enough to examine her present condition as to health, presuming that she contained no latent disease or malaria which would lose its virus or develop itself by time. The Virginia, having only touched at Havana, was without passengers, and laden wholly with loose salt, a powerful disinfectant in itself. One might as well quarantine a barrel of chloride of lime! And yet, the permitting of this schooner to come up after twenty days" absence from the infected port, is brought forward as evidence of capricious discrimination