Office of the Historian

EXHIBIT G.

Legation of the United States,
St. Petersburg, July 11, 1894.

Your Excellency: I am instructed by my Government to call the attention of the Government of His Imperial Majesty to the case of the American schooner James Hamilton Lewis, seized with her cargo by the Russian war cruiser Aleut, on August 2, 1891, regarding which I inclose a copy of a memorial of the owner, master, and crew, all American citizens.

The said schooner cleared from San Francisco on March 7, 1891, as is claimed, on a fishing and hunting expedition to the North Pacific Ocean, and was seized as above.

It is alleged that the master was obliged to sign a paper in the Russian language, which he did not understand, against which proceeding he filed a written protest. It [Page 168] is also alleged that all belonging to the ship were subjected to serious hardships, from which they suffered greatly, and that no trial was given, though the master of the ship often demanded one.

The damages claimed and itemized in the accompanying document are $123,000.

Requesting the attention of the Imperial Government to this very important matter, I avail myself of this occasion to renew to your excellency the assurance of my most distinguished consideration.

Andrew D. White.

To His Excellency M. de Giers,
Imperial Minister of Foreign Affairs, St. Petersburg.

Embassy of the United States of America,
St. Petersburg, Russia.

I, Herbert J. Hagerman, second secretary of the embassy of the United States of America at St. Petersburg, Russia, do hereby certify that I have compared the foregoing copy of a note to the Imperial Russian ministry of foreign affairs from the legation of the United States at St. Petersburg, dated July 11, 1894, with a copy of the original of said note recorded in the archives of this embassy, and that same is a correct transcript therefrom and of the whole of said note.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the embassy of the United States this 3d day of March, in the year 1900.

[seal.]
Herbert J. Hagerman,
Second Secretary, United States Embassy.