Babcock had minimal qualifications for the job; he was not fluent in Spanish and did not have extensive knowledge of the West Indies. Babcock's official instructions, signed by Fish, were to gather knowledge of the people and the culture. In addition, he was to investigate the nation's agriculture and mineral wealth, as well as determine whether the government was stable and whether the people desired annexation. He was also instructed to find out about the country's economy, including the interest rate on the national debt and the strength of the Dominican currency. Grant also gave Babcock verbal orders to find out the terms by which the Dominican government would accept annexation, although Fish did not authorize Babcock to formally negotiate an agreement.