No. 18.
Baron Schaeffer to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Sir: With your letter of June the 27th of this year, relating to the case of the Hungarian ship Ararat, Capt. Sylvio Ferlan, in the conflict arisen between the local jurisdiction and the consular jurisdiction at Philadelphia, the latter having been claimed in virtue of our treaty, you have kindly informed the then chargé d’affaires, Count Lippe, that all the papers have been submitted to the honorable Attorney-General of the United States, with an expression of the views of your Department, and consideration been asked, to the end of assuring the execution of the intent of the treaty provisions in question.
Since that time left without any further communication, I should feel very much obliged if you could give me the opinion expressed by the above honorable gentleman in the matter, and acquaint me with your advice how to act in order to avoid for the future the discrepancy of conception of our treaty rights by municipal authorities.
Further, I venture to remind you, sir, of your personal promise to let me have a well-digested reply of your Government to the question of our Government on international law, as laid before you in a similar case (viz, ship Mimi P., Capt. A. Randich) in a memorandum annexed to my letter of the 19th February last.
[Page 30]I must add that at my last stay in Vienna I ascertained that our minister lays much stress upon knowing your personal opinion in that particular point of international law.
Accept, &c.,