Ambassador McCormick to the Secretary of State.
St. Petersburg, February 6, 1905.
Sir: Referring to my cablegram of January 7 and to those of Mr. Eddy dated, respectively, January 3 and 6, in which it was requested that the owners of the cargo shipped on board the steamship Arabia should, with as little delay as possible, forward to this embassy full proof of their inability to communicate directly with Vladivostok, together with their affidavits to that effect, I have now the honor to inform you that, up to this day, I have received none of these documents, nor has Mr. Berline, counselor of the embassy, had any word from the owners on this subject.
I therefore beg to suggest that the attention of the owners may be called to the fact that since they have not seen fit to comply with this very reasonable requirement of the admiralty court neither the State Department, this embassy, nor Mr. Berline can be held responsible in case it should prove impossible to obtain a rehearing of the case.
I have, etc.,