As I was then nominally in private life, holding no public office, my visit to Havana was understood to be a winter trip for health and recreation. But during the ten days which I spent in the island I was enabled to confer fully with the leading planters and exporters and have a conference with the Governor-General, and I returned to Washington with the assurance that the Government at Madrid would be made to understand without delay that it would be ruinous to the island to have its sugar taxed on its importation into the United States, while that of Brazil was admitted free of duty; or, in other words, that a reciprocity arrangement with our country was a necessity.

Soon after my return to Washington I undertook my second mission to Spain, which I have mentioned in the preceding chapter. All that is necessary to say further on the subject is that my mission was entirely successful, and that having effected reciprocity with Cuba and Porto Rico on the basis of the law of 1890, we were able to push our negotiations with the other countries with rapidity.

I found on my return a special representative of San Domingo waiting to take up reciprocity negotiations, and being accredited with "full powers" by the President for the purpose, I next turned my attention to that Government. In view of the fact that a commercial treaty had been made with San Domingo in 1884, we took that as a basis and were enabled in a short time to come to an agreement. As the States of Central America were exporters of sugar and coffee, they were brought into a similar arrangement soon after San Domingo.

The British colonies in the West Indies required special treatment on account of their nominal dependence on Great Britain, which was a free-trade country, but which allowed these colonies to make their own tariffs, which in some instances contained burdensome discriminations against American products. Recognizing the semi-independent character

of these colonies, the American consular officers at their respective seats of government were instructed to bring to the attention of the governors the reciprocity provision of the Tariff Act of 1890, and information had been received at the Department of State that the governors or other authorities had been exchanging views with the British Colonial Office on the subject.

In passing through London on my return from Madrid, I learned that the Colonial Office was disposed to permit the colonies of the West Indies to pursue their own negotiations. In the autumn of 1891 delegations from the Barbadoes, the Leeward and Windward Islands, Trinidad, and British Guiana began to arrive singly in Washington to seek an arrangement for their respective peoples. The tariff of each one of these colonies was different from the others and their local interests were not in all respects similar. Hence separate conferences had to be held with each delegation.

The negotiations were nominally conducted through the British Minister in Washington, but the only participation which Sir Julian (later Lord) Pauncefote had in them was to present the different delegations on their arrival to Secretary Blaine and introduce them to me in the diplomatic receptionroom. Thereafter all the conferences were held between the delegations and myself in the room in the department set apart for my use, or at my residence. Usually a secretary of the British Legation, Mr. Spring Rice, was present, but he took no part in the discussion and did not worry his brain with the array of statistics and the controversies over discriminations which perplexed the delegations and myself through several weeks. He was one of the most popular of the young diplomats in Washington, and he has since risen to important posts in the foreign service of his country. Something of his vivacious temperament may be seen from a note which I found among my reciprocity papers:

DEAR GENERAL FOSTER:

BRITISH LEGATION,

Nov. 30, '91.

The Delegates from Barbadoes have arrived and are dying to see you. Can you satisfy their passion on Tuesday at 11? If not, I will break it to them as gently as may be.

I hope the turkey was good. The goose which was cooked for us was wholesome but not nutritious [a part of the yield of a shooting-expedition].

Yours sincerely,

C. A. SPRING RICE.

The colony of Jamaica held out for some time against making any reciprocity arrangement, but after I had reached an agreement with the other West Indian colonies, they sent a delegation to Washington. We had considerable difficulty in reaching an agreement, as the delegation claimed that the people of the island were strongly opposed to making any reduction in their revenue, and they earnestly sought to make better terms than the other colonies. After the agreement was published in the Island, I sent Mr. Spring Rice some newspaper comments showing satisfaction with the result. It is to these he refers in his note to me, which concluded our intercourse on these matters:

MY DEAR GENERAL,

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 1892.

Thank you very much for the cutting, which I showed to Sir Julian, who read it, as well as the articles which have appeared in the "Tribune," with great interest. It is very satisfactory to see that such a view of the arrangement has been taken; although it does not at all correspond with the views which have reached us here from other sources. But we are glad to know that Hocking [the Jamaican delegate] won't have to seek refuge from an infuriated populace in the United States Consulate.

I take this opportunity of thanking you for the great kindness and courtesy which you have shown me personally throughout the negotiations.

With the best wishes for the New Year to you and Mrs. Foster, Believe me, yours very sincerely,

C. A. SPRING RICE.

During the negotiations with the British colonies, which were protracted and somewhat intricate, I fell ill and was confined to my bed for ten days or more. Mr. Blaine, hearing of my impaired health, called at my residence to inquire, and, learning of my condition, wrote me a letter which, as displaying one of his characteristic traits, is worthy of insertion here:

MY DEAR MR. FOSTER:

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 1891.

I had no idea that you were really very ill. I thought you were tired, as you well might be, and taking a little rest. There is no need of hurrying at all with the British islands affair. Take your time and get well, and remember that your health is infinitely more valuable than all the British islands together.

I have sent the cablegram to Venezuela in cipher, but I have little hopes that they will have sense enough to adopt your suggestions. I think they are bent on being the "awful example."

Take no trouble at all about official matters. No man can get well without dismissing everything of that kind from his head. If I were issuing an order I should say, "Mrs. Foster is authorized to enforce this order." Very truly yours,

J. G. BLAINE.

Our negotiations with Germany under the reciprocity clause of the Tariff Act of 1890 were the most notable, if not the most important. For a number of years our commercial