No. 959.
Mr. Wurts to Mr. Bayard.

No. 213.]

Sir: Referring to your instruction No. 144 of the 25th of September last, and to my reply No. 202 of the 10th ultimo, on the subject of the refusal of the Russian consul at Tabriz, Persia, to visa the passport of the Rev. Mr. Easton, an American missionary in Persia, who desires to pass through Russian territory in traveling to the west, I beg you to [Page 1415] find inclosed herewith a copy of my note to the Russian foreign office requesting that Mr. Easton and his family be permitted to pass through Russian possessions, and a copy and translation of the answer from the Imperial ministry of foreign affairs communicating the refusal of the minister of the interior to grant the desired authorization, on the ground that Mr. Easton had on former sojourns endeavored several times to make conversions to the Protestant faith among Russian Armenians.

I have, etc.,

George W. Wurts.
[Inclosure 1 in No. 213.]

Mr. Wurts to Mr. de Giers.

Your Excellency: The Department of State of the United States informs me that the Russian consul at Tabriz, Persia, has refused to visa the passport of the Rev. Mr. Easton, an American missionary in Persia, who desires to make the journey to western countries with his family by way of Baku and Batoum instead of taking the longer and more difficult route through Armenia to Trebizond, the delicate state of health of the wife of Mr. Easton making it desirable to avoid this more fatiguing journey.

I have no doubt that the refusal of the Russian consul is based upon the general law which requires special authorization for ecclesiastics to enter the Empire.

Should this be the case, I beg your excellency to have the kindness to give orders to grant this special permission to Mr. Easton to enable him to enter the Empire with his family.

I would be much obliged if your excellency would graciously favor me with an early reply on this subject, and avail, etc.,

George W. Wurs.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 213.—Translation.]

General Vlangaly to Mr. Wurts.

Mr. Chargé d’affaires: By a note dated September 28 (October 10) you requested the intervention of the imperial ministry of foreign affairs in order to obtain permission for Mr. Easton, an American missionary, domiciled at Tauris, to pass through the Caucasus in proceeding to Western Europe.

I have to-day the honor to inform you that the minister of the interior, to whom I communicated this subject, has not deemed it possible to grant said authorization to Mr. Easton, for the reason, based on information furnished to the, ministry of the interior by the authorities of the Caucasus, that during the sojourns formerly made by Mr. Easton in our Caucasian provinces, whither he had gone from Tauris, he had several times endeavored to make propaganda of the Protestant faith among Russian Armenians.

Please accept, etc.,

A. Vlangaly.