No. 563.
Mr. Hoffman to Mr. Evarts.
St. Petersburg, July 16, 1880. (Received July 31.)
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your dispatch No. 10, addressed to Mr. Foster, in relation to printed matter coming to Mr. Edwards, consul-general of the United States at this port, through the Russian post-office.
A few further observations upon this subject may perhaps be of interest to the Department.
In my interview with Mr. de Giers he stated that he was confident that there would be no difficulty in putting Mr. Edwards upon the footing of any other consul at St. Petersburg, and permitting him to receive any printed matter received by them. The difficulty in his case was, that he wished to receive printed matter not admitted into Russia at all, that is to say, a number of newspapers published in the United States. The Department will understand that these newspapers are not excluded as American or on account of the views they hold and inculcate, but simply because their publishers, in the absence of subscribers here, have not thought it worth their while to comply with the Russian law in reference to caution money or other security. The Imperial [Page 878] Government, however, waived this rule in the ease of the United States consul-general, and permits him now to receive unopened all printed matter addressed to him.
Mr. Edwards informs me that one of the censors has called upon him and stated that all his printed matter will hereafter be delivered to him unopened. That if by chance anything should be opened, he must look upon it as an accident arising from the immense amount of matter submitted to them. But should such an accident be repeated, he is requested to call the attention of the censors to it.
I have expressed to Mr. de Giers the satisfaction with which you have heard of the courteous action of the Imperial Government in this matter.
I have the honor to inclose a copy of my note.
I am, &c.,