2 pages, visible 9 9/16 x 14 3/8 in., matted and framed to 15 3/4 x 20 3/4 in., framed double-sided so both sides of the document are visible, not examined out of frame.

Written entirely in a secretarial hand, the document announces to the President of Chile, that Mr. Thomas H. Nelson (1824-1896), a Republican organizer from Indiana, has been named the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America. It goes on to state that Mr. Nelson is "well informed of the relative interests of the two countries, and of our sincere desire to cultivate and strengthen the friendships and good correspondence between us."

The president at the time of composition was Manuel Montt (1809-1880) though his term would end on 18 September 1861 when José Joaquín Pérez(1801-1889) took office. During Thomas H. Nelson's time in Chile, he notably helped to organize rescue operations during the catastrophic Church of the Company Fire in Santiago on 8 December 1863. He would later serve as the U.S. Envoy to Mexico under President Grant.