Interesting from San Domingo.—OUR DOMINICAN CORRESPONDENCE.

The Government Blockade by French and English War Steamers—The Disaffirmance of the Encroachment—Grand Political Stroke of the Associated Soulouque—Louis Napoleon and Padre Higue—How Santana Outwitted, and the Americans Hatted—The Treaty Negotiations and In and Out of Control—International Law—What will be done at Washington?

Our situation is rather novel and extraordinary here in Santo Domingo. The Dominican government is in a state of silent blockade by the naval forces of France and England. It is no doubt very convenient to blockade a seaport, but to blockade a government, to invest it, to subjugate the action of a nation by force, yet without war, is a refined diplomatic trick which the black emperor Soulouque has made the two great empires perform for his own private purposes, and is in a fair way to make them conquer the whites for him without costing him a dollar. Soulouque is not the thick-headed, thick-lipped, stupid negro Mr. Bigelow represents him. He is as black and cruel as his infernal majesty of still warmer regions, but he has also enough of his sharpness to keep the French and English war steamers doing his errands, and may shove them into a war with the United States for his own exclusive benefit.

When Ventura Baez was President of the republic, Soulouque had arranged with him to deliver Santo Domingo to Hayti, but the plot was discovered and Baez was exiled. In the project he was assisted by a French priest—that was a priest, named Elias, who, as the price of his treason, was to be made archbishop of the whole island. After the plot was discovered, the French priest was exiled with Baez, and, like him, went to France, and was made much of by Louis Napoleon, who gave him a large salary from the secret service fund, and the cross of the Legion of Honor. He was sent back to the West Indies, with a salary to act for the white government. The French Consul-General compelled the Dominican government to receive him, although they saw through his plot, which was a bitter pill for the whites with this Haytien priest. The moment he landed he commenced preaching a crusade against Santana and the Americans, and formed a party to bring back Baez, and raise the Haytien flag.

Santo Domingo contains only about 100,000 souls, less than a mile square (within the walls), and pretty much controlled by the negroes and foreign merchants. San Domingo is the key to the island. Soulouque hates the Americans, and are entirely devoted to France and England. The Dominican government deserves the sympathy of the world, for planting the flag of the white race, and for planting it forever under the guns of Hayti, and the Dominican people, who are almost all the solid respectable population throughout the country, are in favor of the Americans, but they are overawed by the priests, and by the action of the United States. They can see that Faustin I., under the cover of the French and English government dares not trust to the slow movements of American policy. It had hardly signed a treaty with the Dominican Republic when Santana discovered it, and, without calling it a blockade, they took positions to command the city, and stopped the treaty. Maxime Raybaud, the French Minister, went about the city from daybreak to midnight to see the President, and everything shows the most hostile and mischievous action with regard to the United States. The English Consul lackeys his steps with the most ludicrous servility. Between Raybaud, Segovia and Soulouque, Santana has an uneasy life. When Raybaud arrived, the Dominican Congress passed a law authorizing the President of ratifying the treaty, but the Councils ordered Santana not to sign it in consequence of having foreign steamers, and held it back. The Dominican Congress had been called together to ratify the treaty, but when they came, were told that France and England would bring Baez and a Haytien army upon them, and Raybaud and Segovia in a hurry to avoid taking up the treaty. Several members of Congress then wrote Santana, asking if he did not notice that him no free action could be expected of that state body while surrounded by foreign forces on land and sea. Seeing this, and that the Consuls had blockaded the city, Santana informed the Congress that he had resigned. On this, the two Consuls sent Santana word to the effect that his government was treating with the enemy, and that they could not submit to the dictation or interference of the diplomatic agents of Europe.

Santana's language is no doubt severe, but let us recall how large the Vance Congress had talked about Santana, and he may be excused for giving this insulting dictation might arouse it to deeds. They sent word to the Consuls to leave the city, and the bomb-ketch Fort Fanfarron—was coming here to do it if they did not move, Santana gave orders about the treaty. They directed Santana to put the treaty before them again, and on the 1st of December Santana sent it back to the Congress ratified.

Raybaud and Padre Elias had arranged it through Santana, that it should be stopped. A phrase most insulting to the United States was written on the margin of the printed treaty, in Raybaud's own hand, and sent to the members in Congress, who were to propose to Santana that, notwithstanding this most explicit, insulting act—if not slaughter—of the treaty, when all turned out white Santana gave up the country, that the American plenipotentiary had withdrawn it. When Santana sent it back to the Congress, the delegates were under European duress, and the United States can have no doubt that they have been blockaded. The whole community is in a fever of anxiety. Foreigners have sent petitions to Congress to go on and smother the treaty, as they say, for the peace of the country. They say that the American plenipotentiary can have no such power over Santana, when it is so far off, and here is the French. Congress can tell me that Raybaud found he could not bring Santana to his terms, he threatened to abandon Dominican executive and this tete de fer of an American plenipotentiary, he had best make a jump from the eagle's nest, on the heights of San Carlos, to preach in Hayti, and leave Santana in the lurch.

This was when it appears they made nothing out of it. General Cazneau came here on the 13th of July, not for hostility, per se, as one of the primary conditions of a recognition of the Dominican Republic, but to obtain a treaty, and there was no backsliding wanting on the part of Dominica, that granting the Consul an equal right with any other nation—and of all the rights of the signature, this was no longer the case—that in the annihilation of the commercial treaty, the American government, and of its power to render the proposed equivalent, that the treaty was lost, for Santana's contract was annihilated with them. He said he was authorized to treaty with an independent and sovereign republic, and not with France and England, and, there was no independent republic when it was unable to arrest the treaty or control its ratification, it became a nullity. When the American agent was contemplated, and had altogether ceased to exist as a government, Santana gave the answer to Raybaud's position, that his powers ended with the treaty, and the treaty was no longer binding, and that it was prevented that act until it was ratified by one of the parties—all according to the treaty, not only by words, but the treaty having changed conditions, through foreign interference, while still incomplete, was null, void, and of no effect.

Whether the American plenipotentiary will take Santana's part, only Gen. Cazneau's law. If this is true, it has upset the French and English plot, and turned the laugh off the Yankees in disgust, by freeing the Dominican Congress from foreign influence. The two agents look extremely perplexed in the face of the British Consul, and so sour and yellow as Raybaud is, they say he looks blue at this stroke. Now, what will Mr. Pierce do with this blockade? Will they send down ships and drop a bombshell on the foreign agents who have blockaded two great empires of France and England? If we thought you would take no notice of this, we would advise the American steam frigates and spite before this could come to your hands. It is black and cowardly in France and England to force the poor Uriah of Santana to do what they dare not do themselves, and the United States will be shameful if, after all their Baltimore speeches, they let a French and English squadron drive them away from Santo Domingo.

ESPERANZA.