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My Lord: I have had the honor to receive your lordship’s dispatch of the 16th instant, requiring information as to the disabilities to which aliens are subject in Würtemberg.
I am able to reply without loss of time that the Würtemberg legislation on this subject is extremely liberal and is based entirely on reciprocity. An alien establishing himself in this country can claim by law every advantage and liberty possessed by a Würtemberg subject desirous of settling himself in a commune to which by birth he does not belong, if a similar liberty be granted to Würtemberg subjects in the country of the alien in question. In a contrary case the law reserves to the authorities the right of refusing to the aliens privileges which would not be enjoyed by Würtembergers in the foreign country in question, but the exercise of this right by the authorities is very seldom practiced, and would be so only under special circumstances.
In the case of an alien purposing to practice any trade or industry in Würtemberg all that is required is that he shall establish his nationality and furnish proof, if called upon to do so, (and this last does not often occur,) of the right of Würtembergers to do the like in the alien’s own country. A case of this nature has, however, lately come before me, where difficulties were thrown in the way of a British subject employing work-people in a particular fancy manufacture practiced successfully in a Wiir-temberg town. The individuals who had hitherto had this trade in their hands were jealous of the Englishman’s interference and success, and the probable consequent rise of prices of labor in the manufacture in question, and notwithstanding the manifest advantage to the town which the competition occasioned, the Englishman was so far incommoded as to be threatened with prohibition of his further proceedings by the authorities there, unless he produced his passport and a certificate from Her Majesty’s legation that a Würtemberg subject would be permitted to engage in a similar trade in London. The man came to Stuttgart, and after being supplied with the papers in question, no further obstacle is interposed to his undertaking.
There is a certain latitude in the authority of the police with regard to aliens establishing themselves in Würtemberg by which, if the latter should conduct themselves in a disorderly manner, or render themselves obnoxious to the public peace or propriety, or even to the government authorities, they may be summarily sent out of the country; but the same right is exercised by the authorities of any commune in the country against Würtembergers not belonging to it, and who can be under the above circumstances turned out of the place.
It may therefore be answered to your lordship’s question that no disabilities exist in Würtemberg against aliens, who may purchase real property and inherit the same as freely as natives.
I have instructed Mr. Baillie to report to me upon the state of the law in the Grand Duchy of Baden on the above subject.
I have, &c.,
The Right Honorable Lord Stanley, &c.