Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 3, 1889

Mr. Anderson to Mr. Blaine.

[Extract.]

Legation of the United States,
Copenhagen, July 16, 1889. (Received July 29.)

No. 313.]

Sir: I have the honor to send you a copy of Sir Edmund Monson’s dispatch to me, and a few additional particulars in regard to the Butterfield claim.

As reported in my dispatch No. 311, dated July 1, identic notes were sent by the Royal Danish minister for foreign affairs and by me to Sir Edmund Monson at Athens, inviting him to assume the task of arbitration. On the 8th instant I received from Sir Edmund a telegram containing these four words: “Arbitration accepted; letter follows.” With this telegram I called at the Danish ministry for foreign affairs. No message had there been received from Sir Edmund and we agreed that the short telegram received by me should be regarded as a private communication to me and could not be considered as a sufficient notice to either Government of the arbitrator’s acceptance of the power conferred upon him by the treaty. The Royal Danish minister urged that it was necessary to see Sir Edmund’s acceptance over his own signature and to examine its phraseology before it could be received as a proper notice in accordance with Article II of the treaty. To this view of the matter I gave my consent.

Yesterday, the 15th, I received by mail from Sir Edmund Monson a dispatch, of which I herewith inclose a copy, and in which you will see that he accepts the position conferred on him without reservation.

The language of the treaty and of your instructions in your dispatch No. 131 being perfectly clear, I at once cabled Sir Edmund’s acceptance to you, adding that the evidence must be filed before the arbitrator within seventy-five days from yesterday; that is, before September 28.

I have, etc.,

B. B. Anderson.

[Inclosure 1 in No. 313.]

Sir Edmund Monson to Mr. Anderson.

Athens, July 8, 1889.

Sir: I had. the honor to receive last night your excellency’s dispatch of the 1st instant in which you transmit to me a copy of the agreement entered into between the Government of “the United States of America and that of his majesty the King of Denmark, signed by yourself an i Baron Rosenörn-Lehn on the 6th of December of last year, in virtue of which they propose to refer to my arbitration the claim known as that of Carlos Butterfield and Company.

Your excellency, acting under instructions from the honorable the Secretary of State, invites me to accept the power conferred upon me by this agreement.

In reply I hasten to state to your excellency that I recognize with the most sincere appreciation the honor done to me by the two Governments in selecting me for this task, and that I readily place my services at their disposal.

I have not as yet received a similar formal invitation from the Government of the King of Denmark, but as soon as I do so I shall forward to Baron Rosenörn-Lehn an affirmative reply.

I shall have great pleasure in contributing to the utmost of my power to the settlement of a question of such long standing between two countries in each of which I have passed several years of diplomatic service and for both of which i entertain the kindliest and most friendly feeling.

I have, etc.,

Edmund Monson.