Mr. Sperry to Mr.
Gresham.
[Extract.]
Legation of
the United States,
Teheran,
Persia, March 8, 1893.
(Received April 14.)
No. 28.]
Sir: The correspondence herewith transmitted
explains itself. It consists, first, of a resolution adopted by the American
missionaries at Tabriz on the 7th of January 1893; second, of my letter
forwarding this resolution to the Persian foreign office, dated January 23;
third, my letter to Mr. (Rev.) S. G. Wilson, under date January 23.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 23.]
At a meeting of the American missionaries held in Tabriz, Persia, on the
7th instant (January, 1893), the following action was taken:
Resolved, That we as American citizens, having
heard of the arrival of his excelency the Hon. Watson R. Sperry, the U.
S. minister to the court of the Shah, hereby send our cordial greetings
and warm welcome to Persia, and extend to him our best wishes for a long
and successful administration.
We also note in this connection, with pleasure, the auspicious coincident
of his excellency’s arrival and the removal of the seals and the opening
of the doors of our church and school, the closing of which was the
cause of so much annoyance to us all.
We also request his excellency, if he can do so conveniently, to express
to his Imperial Majesty the Shah of Persia, and to his ministers of
state, the sincere thanks of the Protestant community, as well as our
own, for their gracious favor in this unhappy affair.
- W. S. Vannemann, M. D.,
- W. L. Whipple, Agent of the American Bible
Society,
Committee.
Tabriz, January 9,
1893.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 28.]
Mr. Sperry to the
minister for foreign
affairs.
Legation of the United States,
Teheran, January 23,
1893.
It is with great personal pleasure that I transmit the inclosed paper to
the ministry of foreign affairs. I cordially approve all that is
expressed in the inclosed paper, in the way of thanks to his Imperial
Majesty and to his ministers, for the removal of the seals from the
church and school of the Presbyterian mission at Tabriz. And I beg to
add my personal gratitude to the minister for foreign affairs of his
Imperial Majesty for the energy and good will and promptness with which
the minister for foreign affairs acted in this matter.
I have, etc.,
[Page 496]
[Inclosure 3 in No. 28.]
[Extract.]
Mr. Sperry to Rev.
S. G. Wilson.
Legation of the United States,
Teheran, Persia, January
23, 1893.
My Dear Sir: Your note of the 7th of January
reached me late Saturday evening, the 21st of January. Permit me first
to thank you for the very handsome resolution adopted by your committee
in regard to my relation (mainly mechanical) to the removal of the
Persian seals from your church and schools, and then to say that no
conditions whatever were imposed upon the removal of these seals, hut
that they were simply removed, and that is all.
What is told to you as conditions for the removal of the seals ought to
be shown to you in authentic form, otherwise the statement is mere words
and of no value. I can not believe that any conditions would have been
imposed, in fact, without making them known to this legation, and I know
that there is no authority in Persia to consider and decide about
conditions of the kind in question except at this legation. As I have
just said, I do not believe the Persian Government made any conditions
whatever. I think they removed the seals for the simple reason that it
was a right and friendly thing to do.
I write hastily, but with every consideration of respect and esteem.
I am, etc.,
