Mr. Jackson to Mr. Hay.
Sinaia, Poumania, September 24, 1903.
Sir: I have the honor to report that I left Sinaia on the 15th, and, traveling by way of Bucharest and Rustschuk, the most direct line, [Page 22] reached Sofia, Bulgaria, on the 17th; that I left Sofia again on the 21st and arrived here yesterday. On the 19th instant I cabled you as follows:a
On my arrival in Sofia, after conferring with Mr. Elliot, I called at the Bulgarian foreign office, made the acquaintance of the minister and several other officials, and left a formal request, in French, that arrangements be made for me to present my credentials to the Prince. The next day I was informed, verbally, and subsequently I was notified in writing, that an audience would be granted me on the afternoon of Saturday, September 19. At the time set I was called upon at my hotel by an adjutant (a colonel), who accompanied me to the palace in a court carriage, drawn by four horses, and with a cavalry escort. At the palace I was received with the customary ceremony, which was quite as much as that connected with the reception of an ambassador at Berlin.
Having been told that it was usual to make a formal speech in connection with the presentation of my letters (a copy of my remarks having been asked for in advance by the foreign office), I spoke as follows, on being received by the Prince:
Monseigneur: I have the honor to present herewith the President’s letter accrediting me as diplomatic agent of the United States to Bulgaria. In delivering this letter it is my agreeable duty to convey assurances of the best wishes of the American Government for the prosperity of Bulgaria and of the cordial friendship which is felt in the United States for the Government of Your Royal Highness. I am charged to act in a manner to cultivate and maintain harmony and good will between the two countries, and I am happy to say that it will give me pleasure to use my best efforts to this end.
On receiving my letter (standing) the Prince replied in French. A copy and translation of his remarks are appended hereto. Afterwards he gave me his hand, we sat down, and a general conversation followed, which lasted for about half an hour. General Petroff, the prime minister of Bulgaria and the minister of foreign affairs, was present at the audience, and a number of court and other officials were in attendance in the anterooms. I was escorted back to my hotel with like ceremony.
In the evening a dinner was given in my honor at the palace at which were present, among others, the prime minister, Mr. Elliot the personnel of the British agency, and the “American colony” in the person of Doctor Wheeler (who was described as being interested in various kinds of mining enterprises). During our conversation in the afternoon the Prince learned of my fondness for Wagner’s music, and in the evening a specially arranged programme included “Marching through Georgia,” “The Belle of New York,” Sousa’s “High School Cadets,” as well as selections from the Rheingold, Meistersinger, and Parsifal. During the dinner the Prince proposed the health of the President, in English (a copy of his toast is appended hereto), and after cheers were given the orchestra played the “Star Spangled Banner.” In reply, I proposed the health of the Prince, the royal family, and Bulgaria in a few words in French.
The Prince had heard of the discomforts connected with my trip from Rustschuk to Sofia (there being no sleeping car, and my having to sit up all night in a compartment with five other people), and on my arrival at the station on Monday evening I found that, by his orders, a special car had been placed at my disposal. This I enjoyed [Page 23] as far as the Danube, the Bulgarian-Roumanian frontier. The Prince had offered to give me a special train, as I at first thought of returning to Sinaia by another route, on which there were no good connections, but I was able to decline the honor, as I did not wish to put myself under any great obligation.
In this dispatch I have gone into more detail than usual, as I wanted to show that everything possible was done to make it evident that great pleasure is felt at the naming of an American diplomatic agent to Bulgaria. In conversation the Prince referred to this fact repeatedly. The newspapers announced that he had returned from Eoxinograd for the express purpose of receiving my credentials. The Prince’s secretary (Mr. Dobrovitch, “chef de la chancellerie”) told me that hehad telegraphed an account of it to the New York Herald, and he also told me that the Prince had sent a telegram to the President, and subsequently he let me know that “a very amiable answer” had been received by his royal highness.
The date of my reception was the anniversary of the “union of South Bulgaria to the principality” (or, as the Turkish commissioner called it—with a different point of view—the “anniversary of the appointment by His Majesty the Sultan of the Prince of Bulgaria as governor-general of East Roumelia”), and considerable stress was laid upon my visit to Bulgaria “at this sad time.”
I have, etc.,
- Printed ante.↩