Date: Sat, 15 Feb 1812 18:23 -05:00
From: chlewey@shwi-isot.org
To: ingoman1223@shwi-isot.org
Subject: Letter to Caldas
Hello James.
I have finally proclaimed the Free State of Darien and
so, our friend Caldas is officially our new ambassador
in your Country. I have a letter giving instructions
to him and, as usual, I ask you to put it on paper and
deliver it when you judge a fast snail mail would have
arrived, probably before the actual news arrive.
BTW: how are your preparations for the rematch against
Spain. well New Spain. Isn't it all messy with _king_
Carlos in Mexico and Ferdinand in Old Spain? Well.
Luck with your projects to make a navy of Chinese
Cascadians.
-- Carlos Th
Nóvita, Free State of Darién
February 13, 1812
Don Francisco José de Caldas
c/o V.P Juan Dahl
Dear Francisco José:
As I had told you in my previous letters, we have been
preparing a revolution in the Darien region. I want
to inform you that this revolution has succeeded in
getting control of the main Spanish cities in the
region, as well as we have support from most Indian
villages and palenques down here.
In two days we are making the official proclamation,
which means that when you get this letter you will be
officially promoted as Ambassador of the Free State of
Darien in the Republic of Cascadia.
You will probably hear that this Free State is just a
Negro rebellion or something like that, you should
know that this is not really true even if most of our
soldiers are not Whites. One of the things that you
must do is to clear this out. As you had seen in the
experience of Cascadia, my real goal is to step into a
nation where race is not an issue, and I hope to
spread this idea into the whole of New Granada. Even
if we both come from the province of Santa Fe, even if
you are white, Darien is your nation and neither
Carlos nor Ferdinand are your kings. You have no king
but the nation of Darien.
As I can read from the political situation soon our
continent will be in the state of war. The Spanish
Civil war that has reached the Americas, the unrest
in West Florida by the United States, and the
insurrections in Rio de la Plata and Venezuela are
just the beginning of a major war. Undoubtedly we
will see major confrontations between Carlists,
Ferdinandists and Patriots all over the Americas, and
a major confrontation between the United States and
both fractions of Spain. Chances are that Cascadia
will be in war again. In this situation we all must
see how to get the better from the outcome, and your
duty is to get the better from the Cascadians to help
the people of Darien and New Granada.
Diplomacy is the art of deceive. So are politics.
You should remember that while people like Don Juan
Dahl are idealists that want to see the Americas free
from tyranny, there are common interests between
Cascadia and us and there will also be conflicts of
interests. We need Cascadia to be in our side, not
just in this conjuncture but in our future. You have
to play the card of common interests and find a way to
negociate our difference out for our own sake and the
sake of the mutual relationship.
With this letter I am sending a similar letter to Don
Juan Dahl and your formal presentation to the
Government of Cascadia, so you will have all the
benefits of an Ambassador. You should know that I
will not accept to be the president of Darien, so the
president you are representing will probably be Don
Prudencio Mendoza.
I hope you enjoy your new position.
Sincerely yours.
-- Carlos Eugenio Tomás Pinzón G.
Nóvita, Free State of Darien.