Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 7, 1896, and the Annual Report of the Secretary of State

Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Olney.

British Embassy,
Washington, July 26, 1896.

Sir: I have the honor to inform you that in compliance with the request contained in your note to me No. 413, of the 8th ultimo, concerning the municipal affairs of Samoa, I transmitted to Her Majesty’s principal secretary of state for foreign affairs the request of King Malietoa that the consuls of the three treaty powers should, on the departure of Mr. Schmidt, president of the municipal council at Apia, be instructed to act as president and hence become the advisers of the Government of Samoa.

I am now in receipt of a reply from the Marquis of Salisbury informing me that a proposal has been made to Her Majesty’s Government, and, it is understood, to the Government of the United States also, by the Imperial German Government, stating that Mr. Schmidt will continue to hold his appointment until the end of the year, and proposing that Dr. Raffel, Imperial German district judge at Dar-es-Salaam, should be nominated to succeed him.

I am instructed to request an expression of the views of the United States Government on the proposal that the president of the council should be, as heretofore, a German, and if they are disposed to assent to the proposal, whether they would accept Dr. Raffel as the nominee.

I have, etc.,

Julian Pauncefote.;