No. 239.
Mr. Evarts
to Mr. Noyes.
Washington, July 28, 1880.
Sir: Referring to instruction No. 208, of the 10th of February last, to Mr. Hitt, relative to the unfavorable position occupied by American life insurance companies in France as compared with similar foreign corporations of other countries, I have now to state for your information that Mr. William H. Beers, the vice-president of the New York Life Insurance Company, in a letter dated the 10th instant, writes that his company [Page 367] has received a cablegram from Paris stating that the council of state, to whom the matter in question was referred, finding no objection to the granting of the concession, had referred it again to the minister of foreign affairs for his favorable action in case he should see no objection to such a course.
In view of the foregoing statement, it is thought by the Department that you may already have received a reply from the French Government in relation to this matter. If such should not be the case, however, you are instructed to lose no time in asking the minister of foreign affairs whether his government has yet reached any conclusion upon the subject. You may add that this Department is exceedingly anxious to have this matter disposed of as soon as possible, on account of the serious losses which American interests are suffering in consequence of the delay in settling the question which has been so long pending.
I am, &c.,