No. 538.
Mr. Wallace to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
[Extract.]
Legation of
the United States,
Constantinople, March 14, 1883.
(Received April 3.)
No. 189.]
Sir: I received on the 13th instant two
communications from the Sublime Porte, through his highness the minister for
foreign affairs, one relative to the treaty of commerce between Turkey and
the United States of America of 1862, and its duration; the other relating
to re-, vision of the old treaty, and presenting propositions, one to seven,
inclusive, which the imperial Government offers as a basis for the
negotiation of a new treaty.
As the papers came to hand too late for the last mail to America, I have
availed myself of the interval to have them translated. They are now
inclosed by copy and translation. I have the honor to forward them without
loss of time.* * * Excepting the item pertaining to cards and matches, the
several propositions have been made as obscure as generality will permit;
still, it is possible to arrive at the objects they cover with sufficient
certainty to form an opinion of them.
Since their receipt I have not been able to see my colleagues of the corps
and hear their views. It is not to be doubted, however, that the powers
whose existing treaties are not yet subject to denouncement will decline to
waive their present rights for the prospect of obtaining a maximum rate of
20 per cent, in place of 8 per cent., as now established How far the
favored-nation clause is in such case available in our behalf, I am equally
confident will receive due attention from the Department.
I have done no more in the matter than receipt for the two communications,
and will not until your advices are to hand.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 1 in No.
189.—Translation.]
Aarifi Pasha to Mr.
Wallace.
Although the duration of the treaty of commerce concluded between Turkey
and the United States of America has been fixed to twenty-eight years
from the 1st (13th) of March, 1862, each of the high contracting parties
has “nevertheless reserved to itself the faculty to make it known to the
other party at tbe expiration of the fourteenth or the twenty-first
year, if it has the intention to revise this treaty or to make it cease
at the expiration of one year from this information.”
In the opinion of the imperial Government the experience acquired during
the past twenty-one years since the treaty of commerce has entered in
force proves the necessity of radically modifying the stipulations
therein. In fact, it is evident that the existence of a special tariff
of importation for each country, the uniformity of an import tax for all
goods imported, the taxation according to the presumed value of a large
number of articles, and other causes inherent to the stipulations of the
treaty of 1862 have created a state of things very injurious to commerce
and prevent any amelioration in the customs administration of the
Empire.
The Sublime Porte having hence decided to take advantage of the faculty
stipulated in the before-mentioned article, the undersigned minister of
foreign affairs of His Imperial Majesty, the Sultan, makes it his duty
to declare to his excellency Mr. Wallace, envoy extraordinary of the
United States of America, that the treaty of commerce concluded between
the two countries on the 25th of February, 1862, will cease to be in
force on the expiration of one year from the date of the present
notification.
In requesting his excellency Mr. Wallace to take notice of the
declaration which precedes, the undersigned avails, &c.,
[Page 837]
[Inclosure 2 in No.
189.—Translation.]
Aarifi Pasha to Mr.
Wallace.
Mr. Envoy: In connection with my communication
of this date, I hasten to inform your excellency of the proposition
that, in the opinion of the imperial Government, should he used for a
basis to the new treaties of commerce which Turkey wishes to make with
the United States and the other friendly powers.
They may be resumed as follows:
- 1.
- To tax the goods with specific dues to be established on the
unity either of weight, of volume, or of surface.
- 2.
- To make up a sole tariff, to be applied indistinctly to the
products of all countries, and imposing jewelry and silversmith
trade with specific dues not to exceed 3 per cent, and graduated
in the reversed proportion of the value and the remaining
articles imported to dues of two categories, the one smaller and
the other higher, but not to exceed 20 per cent.
- 3.
- To increase the dues imposed on wines and alcoholic drinks in
proportion with the excise dues which might be established on
similar Ottoman articles.
- 4.
- To reserve the right of establishing the monopolies on playing
cards and matches.
- 5.
- To suppress the transit dues and grant the faculty of real
warehouses, and absence of establishments of this kind,
fictitious warehouses, in conformity with regulations to be
edicted.
- 6.
- To maintain the collection of the dues on light-houses,
anchorage, and quarantine, and to reserve the faculty of
imposing on all articles shipping and landing dues, exclusively
assigned to the expense of the establishments necessary to the
harbors of importation and exportation.
- 7.
- To regulate the payment of duties in gold medjidies at 100 piastres.
In requesting your excellency to be good enough to bring these
propositions to the knowledge of the Government of the United States of
America, I am pleased to hope that it will kindly accept them as the
basis of our future negotiations for the conclusions of a new treaty of
commerce between the two countries.
Accept, &c.,
