No. 428.
Mr. Wallace to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Legation of
the United States,
Constantinople, March 28, 1884.
(Received April 14.)
No. 357.]Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of
your dispatch No. 157, of February 29, 1884, relative to my note to the
Sublime Porte offering to accede to its request for lists of American
citizens in Turkey upon conditions named.
The views you were pleased to present therein in support of objections to the
concession as proposed, are certainly unanswerable, and while it is true
that it was not in my mind to make a consular certificate of citizenship
take the place of a formal passport, or leave the list furnished by the
legation determinative of all who might be entitled to protection as
citizens, the points you present have given me new light upon the subject.
In fact my faith in the possibility of gaining the object aimed
at—reservation to consuls of right to determine questions of citizenship to
the exclusion of Turkish authorities—is so shaken by your paper that instead
of remodeling my note, as you kindly suggest, I have taken the liberty of
altogether withdrawing the proposals presented to the Sublime Porte. The
note of withdrawal is herewith inclosed.
Being satisfied that this is at least the safest course, I venture to hope it
will meet your approval.
Very respectfully, &c.,
[Page 557]
[Inclosure in No. 357.]
Mr. Wallace to
Aarifi Pasha.
Legation of the United States,
Constantinople, March 27,
1884.
note verbale.
The Imperial Ministry of Foreign
Affairs:
The legation of the United States of America had the honor to acknowledge
the receipt from the imperial ministry of foreign affairs of a circular
note relative to the inscription of American citizens resident in the
Empire and to assure the said ministry of its willingness to comply with
the desires expressed therein upon certain conditions.
The reply of the legation is contained in a note
verbale, No. 199, hearing date January 25, 1884.
The legation begs to say now that further consideration of the subject
has disclosed the great inconveniency, if not absolute impossibility, of
such compliance, due regard being had to the laws of the United States,
to regulations of long standing there under, and to a prudent
conservatism with, respect to rights of American citizens in the
imperial dominions.
The legation of the United States therefore withdraws its offers
contained in the said note verbale, No. 199, and
deters conclusions on the subject.
The imperial ministry of foreign affairs not having as yet signified
acceptance of the conditions proposed by the legation, it may be
presumed that the deferment herein announced will not be provocative of
any inconvenience.
