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Abraham Lincoln,
President of the United States of America
To His Majesty, Leopold,
King of the Belgians.
Great and Good Friend: I have received through the minister of the United States accredited to Your Majesty, the award in the case of the claim of certain citizens of the United States upon the Government of the Republic of Chili, which by agreement between this Government and the Government of that Republic, was submitted
to Your Majesty's arbitrament, a trust was accepted by Your Majesty. The confidence in Your Majesty's uprightness, impartiality and intelligence which led the parties interested to seek from Your Majesty a decision of the long pending controversy adverted to will, it is believed, be regarded by all the parties interested, as justified by the result. In this respect, I can speak with perfect assurance, at least on the part of this Government. I cannot omit to add an expression of my thanks for the pains which Your Majesty must have taken to reach a correct conclusion in so arduos a business, and my belief that Your Majesty's success in this instance will not be regarded as an unimportant proof of the wisdem which has characterized Your Majestys illustrious reign. And so I pray God to have Your Majesty in His safe and holy keeping
Written at the City of Washington the 13th. day of June Anno Domini 1863. Your Good Friend ABRAHAM LINCOLN
By the President
WILLIAM H. SEWARD Secretary of State
[1] Copy, DNA FS RG 59, Communications to Foreign Sovereigns and States, III, 230-31. The convention with Chile of November 10, 1858, provided that the King of Belgium should act as arbiter in the claim to proceeds of the cargo of the U.S. brig Macedonian, consisting of silver in coin and bars, forcibly taken in 1821. On May 15, 1863, Leopold rendered his decision, awarding the U.S. $42,400