No. 11.
Baron Schaeffer to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Sir: Unfortunately I ought to accept your private views so kindly expressed in your unofficial note of November 10, concerning the unhappy occurrence of the uncalled-for resistance of Capt. Andrea Randich, of the Hungarian vessel Mimi P., to the officers of the law in Philadelphia. Nevertheless, I cannot but appreciate your favorable disposition to extend the privilege of the consul’s presence, as provided for in our treaty of 1870, to all judicial matters.
I have, therefore, the honor to ask you officially whether the American Government would be prepared to alter in this sense the meaning of Article X of the said treaty for all American ports, in which case I should write to the imperial and royal Austro-Hungarian Government for authorization to accept this change also for the Austro-Hungarian ports in favor of the American seamen. Such an alteration would benefit both seafaring nations, and avoid in the future any excuse whatever, with respect to the ignorance of the laws and want of knowledge of the language of the respective country, on the part of the offenders.
Accept, &c.,