Mr. Choate to Mr. Hay.
London, January 4, 1900.
[Mr. Choate reports that in an interview with Lord Salisbury on the previous evening he represented to him the views expressed in Mr. Hay’s telegram of January 2. Lord Salisbury stated that he had no knowledge of the Beatrice; that as to the Maria, he understood her to be in the same category as the Mashona—a British vessel seized for violation of the municipal law of Great Britain—and the seizure of the cargo only incidental; that he would take into consideration and give prompt answer to the request for the restitution of the goods; that he was troubled by the marks Z. A. R., which were said to be on the goods, as bearing on the question of property. He also hinted at a difficulty arising from cargo being in the prize court with the vessel under the same clause of British statute. Mr. Choate insisted that release of the goods could be procured by orders from Lord Salisbury to the proper law officer and that United States citizens should not be sent to the prize court for their property. Lord Salisbury promised to soon state his views as to contraband goods and to furnish as early as practicable a written statement of the grounds of seizure in each case.]