1891-April-25: Following the failure to secure the lease for Môle Saint-Nicolas, American businessman William P.

1891-April-25: Following the failure to secure the lease for Môle Saint-Nicolas, American businessman William P. Clyde wrote to Secretary of the Navy Tracy, emphasizing that he had “half a million dollars at stake” in the matter. Clyde alleged that his associate, General Pierson, had found Minister Frederick Douglass’s assistant, Ebenezer Bassett, to be “both influential and purchasable.” Clyde suggested that if the refusal were final, Douglass, Bassett, and Admiral Gherardi should all be recalled and replaced by Dr. Torres as chargé d’affaires to retrieve American dignity and commercial influence.