1875-January-15: The Haitian government initiated a long-standing dispute by contending that Mrs.

1875-January-15: The Haitian government initiated a long-standing dispute by contending that Mrs. Maunder, the widow of a British subject, was failing to fulfill a contract for cutting and exporting mahogany from the Island of La Tortue. Mrs. Maunder countered that Haitian authorities had deliberately interfered with her operations and damaged her property. When she sought protection from London, Haiti claimed she was a Haitian citizen and therefore ineligible for British diplomatic intervention. This dispute eventually escalated into a major diplomatic crisis involving the threat of British naval force.