1858-October-21: Jonathan Elliot, an American agent in the Dominican Republic, reported to the State Department on the clandestine efforts of Maxime Raybaud,…

1858-October-21: Jonathan Elliot, an American agent in the Dominican Republic, reported to the State Department on the clandestine efforts of Maxime Raybaud, the former French Consul General in Haiti. Raybaud had allegedly attempted to induce the Dominican Republic to reunite with the Haitian Empire as the only means of avoiding “continued misery and defeat” at the hands of the more powerful Haitian army. Dominican President Pedro Santana immediately expelled Raybaud for this suggestion, fearing a loss of independence. Elliot warned Secretary of State Lewis Cass that American investments in the region would never be secure until Haiti formally recognized Dominican independence.