No. 959.
Mr. Wurts
to Mr. Bayard.
Legation of
the United States,
St.
Petersburg, November 10, 1888.
(Received November 28.)
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.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 213.]
Mr. Wurts to Mr.
de Giers.
Legation of the United States,
St. Petersburg, September 28 (October 10),
1888.
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.,
[Inclosure 2 in No.
213.—Translation.]
General Vlangaly to
Mr. Wurts.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Asiatic Department, October 28 (November 9),
1888.
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.,
