relation to the house of Puig Brothers, Spanish traders, of the city, I beg leave to submit the following:

My police and detective officers received information from the most reliable sources that the house of Puig Brothers had been and still was carrying on the nefarious traffic of supplying the rebels with arms and munitions of war from Havana, and for that purpose one of the partners was a resident of Havana, to ship the contraband articles, which the other received and distributed here. Acting upon this information, a seizure of the effects of the house was ordered, together with their books and papers, for the purpose of obtaining at the same time evidence of the facts and security for the appearance of the parties, one of whom had absconded at the moment. The books and papers show the most conclusive evidence of the criminal complicity of the house in breaking the neutrality laws in every possibly form. The resident partner here had just taken refuge on board the Spanish vessel of war Blasco de Garay, and upon inquiry for him there his presence was denied. I beg leave, in this connection, to call the attention of the War Department, and ask that the attention of the Secretary of State, and through him the Spanish minister, may be informed of the fact th-of-war lying in this harbor is made the fraudulent asylum of criminals, protecting them from justice and trial. How far such conduct can be justified by the comity of nations I have a very decided opinion, and certainly, unless otherwise authoritatively advised by the War Department, upon the repetition of such conduct I shall order and enforce the absence of the offending vessel from the harbor.

Being made aware of these facts, and of the place of refuge of the criminal, as will appear by the affidavits of the Messrs. Cabeyas and Cayya (copies whereof are hereto annexed), I did not choose to pursue the investigation of the case of an absconding criminal in his absence, when he was putting me at defiance on board of a man-of-war of a friendly power.

Therefore, when the Spanish consul made application for an explanation of the causes of the seizure of the house of Puig Brothers, as soon as I was ready to go on with the trial I replied that "I would continue the investigation if he would bring Mr. Puig before me." This I did because I was assumed that the Spanish consul knew of and connived at the place of concealment of Puig, and I did not wish to involve myself with the Spanish authorities in attempting to take Puig from his place of concealment on board of the man-of-war by force, but rather, if he thought himself innocent, that he should come forward. I believed that if Puig desired in good faith to have an investigation which would establish his innocence that he would come forward, and I did not believe that it would be decent to my own self-respect to try the question of Puig's guilt with the Spanish authorities by correspondence while they concealed the criminal, so that, if found guilty, he would be beyond my reach. I observe that Mr. Tassara makes it a matter of complaint that my notes to the Spanish consul were "by the hand of one of my adjutants." I am not aware of any exaltation of rank in a Spanish commercial agent which obliges a major-general of the U. S. Army to answer his communications by his own hand; besides, there being some ten consular agents here who are continually writing letters upon the most frivolous subjects, as well as those of graver importance to me, answers in person have become a physical impossibility, specially taken in connection