Mr. Tower to Mr.
Pay.
Embassy
of the United States,
St.
Petersburg, March 4,
1902.
No. 540.]Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your dispatches, No. 275 of the 6th of February and No. 278
of the 15th of February, both relating to complaints made recently by
the United States consul at Niuchwang, as well as by merchants engaged
in business at
[Page 924]
that port, of
interruptions to telegraphic communication arising from restrictions
prescribed by the Russian authorities at Niuchwang.
In compliance with your instructions I have brought this subject to the
attention of the Russian minister for foreign affairs in a personal
interview with him, and I have also written him a note setting forth the
case, a copy of which is hereto attached. He informed me that he had
lately received complaints of a similar nature from other sources, and
that he believed the interruption had arisen from purely mechanical
causes. At my request he promised, however, to make an inquiry as to the
facts in detail and to communicate the result of it to me.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
Mr. Tower to
Count Lamsdorff.
Embassy of the United States,
St. Petersburg, March 4, 1902.
Mr. Minister for Foreign Affairs: In
compliance with the request made to me at the personal interview
which I had the honor recently to have with your excellency, I beg
leave to recall to your attention the complaints made by the United
States consul at Niuchwang, as well as by merchants engaged in
commerce at that port, of interruptions to telegraphic communication
between Niuchwang and other ports of China, and with foreign
countries. The consul of the United States, in particular, declares
to the Department of State at Washington that the restrictions which
have been prescribed by the Imperial Russian authorities at
Niuchwang are of such a nature as to render it exceedingly
difficult, if not quite impossible, for him to communicate by
telegraph with his official chief, the American minister at
Pekin.
I am instructed, therefore, to bring these facts to the attention of
your excellency with the request that free and direct communication
may be permitted by telegraph at all times between the United States
consul at Niuchwang and the United States minister to China; and
also that American citizens engaged in the pursuit of commercial
undertakings at Niuchwang may be given the facilities for
telegraphing to their correspondents in any part of the world which
the pursuit of their business affairs may require.
I avail, etc.,
