Mr. Hay to Mr.
Loomis.
Department of State,
Washington, March 18,
1901.
No. 402.]
Sir: Referring to your No. 564, of February 23
last, in regard to the visit of the U. S. S. Scorpion to Santa Catalina, I inclose for your information
copy of a letter from the Secretary of the Navy, pointing out the
distinction existing between the ordinary visit of a man-of-war and a
visit for “scientific purposes.”
I am, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
Mr. Long to Mr.
Hay.
Navy Department,
Washington, March 13,
1901.
Sir: The receipt is acknowledged of the
letter of the Department of State of March 11, 1901, inclosing a
copy of a letter from the United States minister to Venezuela to the
State Department with copies of its two inclosures, being a letter
of the United States minister to Venezuela to the foreign office of
that country, and a copy of the translation of the reply
thereto.
[Page 546]
In the practice of this Department there is a distinct and
well-recognized difference between the visit of a man-of-war and a
visit for “scientific purposes,” such scientific purposes being
usually hydrographic and occasionally topographic examination of
territorial waters or shores of a foreign country.
The Department would ordinarily not order one of its vessels to any
port of any country having a recognized Government to conduct
surveys or examinations, without having first not only notified that
Government of its wish, but having obtained explicit permission for
conducting the survey upon the occasion of the visit.
On the other hand, it would neither send notice nor request
permission in case the visit was not undertaken for the purposes of
conducting such survey or other similar purpose, unless the waters
proposed to be visited were expressly denied to passage of
men-of-war by national decree, as in the case of the Amazon.
Very respectfully,