Mr. von Holleben to Mr. Hay.
Washington, February 9, 1901.
Mr. Secretary of State: On the 19th of October of last year the United States marshal of Philadelphia libeled the Hamburg steamship Assyria, code signal R. L. C. G., of the Hamburg-American Packet Navigation Stock Company, then lying in that port, without advising in advance, conformably to Article XII, paragraph 2, of the consular convention of December 11, 1871, between the United States and the [Page 162] German Empire, the imperial consul at Philadelphia of this process serving on board the ship.
While bringing the foregoing case to the knowledge of your excellency, I have the honor, with reference to my notea of the 31st of March of last year, and your excellency’s obliging notea No. 417, of the 19th of April, to apply to your kindly intercession to the end that the officials concerned be instructed, in order to avoid the recurrence of similar violations of the provisions of Article XII of the consular convention between the United States of America and Germany, to advise the imperial consular officers in the future before serving processes on board German merchant vessels, and thus afford the said consular officers an opportunity of being present at such serving.
Be pleased, etc.,