File No. 594/22–23.
Minister Gummeré to
the Secretary of State.
American Legation
Tangier, March 5,
1908.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of instruction No. 133, of February 6, 1908, regarding the wish
of the Gospel Union Mission to rent a house in the native quarter of
Mequinez, inclosing copy of a letter addressed by the department to the
Rev. George S. Fisher, president of the mission, and further directing
me to again address the shereefian government, inquiring as to the
nature of the shereefian orders given to the basha in November, 1906,
asking explanation of their nonenforcement and demanding assurances that
they will be carried out as soon as possible.
In pursuance with the said instruction I have addressed a letter to Sid
Abdelkrim Ben Sliman, the grand vizier, a copy of which is herewith
inclosed, setting forth the matter briefly and requesting that he will
inform me as to the nature of the shereefian orders given to the basha
of Mequinez in November, 1906, and an explanation of their
nonenforcement and also demanding assurances that they will be carried
out as soon as possible.
I am, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
Minister Gummeré to the Minister for
Foreign Affairs.
American Legation
Tangier, March 5,
1908.
No. 21.]
After compliments. I have the honor to inform your excellency that I
am instructed by my Government to again bring before you the matter
of the securing of a suitable house by the Americans residing in
Mequinez. Your excellency will recall that during my visit to the
court of his shereefian majesty, in the latter part of the year
1906, I brought this matter to the notice of his majesty and
yourself in an especial manner, and not only received the personal
assurances from his majesty that my request for such a house would
be granted, but also a written statement from yourself, dated
November 23, 1906 (Shoual 1324), in which it was expressly set forth
that a shereefian order had been issued by His Majesty the Sultan to
the governor of Mequinez “to be mindful of the said Americans, to
take care of their affairs, and treat them with favor and kindness
and not place obstacles in the way of their renting a residence in a
part of the town not objectionable, but to assist them in the
same.”
[Page 641]
As I informed your excellency in a letter dated March 12, 1907
(Morarrem 27, 1325), when the said Americans presented themselves to
the said basha of Mequinez, instead of assisting them in securing a
house he raised foolish objections to those which they proposed, and
on their calling on him to assist them, as your excellency had
assured me His Majesty’s letter had directed, he replied that he
would look at the letter and that they could return the next day,
and on their so presenting themselves, he refused to see them, but
sent word that he could not find the letter of His Majesty. To this
your excellency replied that when the governor of Mequinez was
written to on the subject he had replied “that the Americans had
never applied to him nor informed him of any house, etc.” This reply
of the said governor was, as your excellency must have seen, after
reading my letters of March 12, 1907 (Moharrem 27, 1325), and June
11, 1907 (Rabe Thany 29, 1325), on the subject, an absolute
falsehood, and as I have previously informed your excellency, my
Government is exceedingly annoyed at the manner in which the solemn
assurances of His Majesty the Sultan and of yourself to me, when on
a special mission to His Majesty, have been entirely disregarded and
unfulfilled.
I have the honor to inform your excellency that I have now received
instructions from my Government to request that you will inform me
exactly what were the shereefian orders given to the basha of
Mequinez in November, 1906, regarding the securing of a house for
American citizens and also an explanation as to why the said orders
were not enforced. At the same time I am instructed to demand from
the shereefian government assurances that the solemn pledges given
to me in this matter will be carried out at the very earliest
possible moment.
In peace,
