The Netherlands Minister to the Secretary of State .

[Translation.]

Mr. Secretary of State: According to a communication I have just received from the minister for foreign affairs at The Hague, an insane person named Wybrand Feddema, who arrived at Rotterdam from New York in October last without means of support, is at present under treatment at the state asylum of Medemblick at the expense of the department of the interior.

As your excellency will be pleased to observe, from the certificate I have the honor to append hereto,a the said Feddema has been an American citizen since August 2, 1899, and it appears from other information that has been gathered in his case that Feddema left for the United States on April 5, 1889; was an inmate of the Islip State Hospital in New York from August 6, 1902, until December 21, 1904. In June last he gave for his address “Mount Vernon, N. Y., Wilson place, No. 3.”

I have been instructed by my Government to ask that the Government of the United States will kindly reimburse the cost of the patient’s maintenance in an asylum for such time as may be deemed necessary, or declare its readiness to take charge of him for treatment in America.

The Government of the Queen is of opinion that the first solution would be more simple and to the better advantage of the insane man, who has several relatives living in the Netherlands, so that he would likely stay with them whenever discharged from the asylum.

Thus complying with my instructions,

I embrace this opportunity, etc.,

Van Swinderen.
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