File No. 2151/290.

Minister Gummeré to the Secretary of State.

Sir: I have the honor to report, in confirmation of my telegram of the 19th instant regarding the presentation by the dean of the diplomatic body of the collective note to Mulai Hafid, as follows: On the 17th instant the dean circulated, among the diplomatic body, letters received by him from the French and Spanish ministers, respectively, in which, by order of their Governments, they informed him that all the powers signatory to the general act of Algeciras having approved, without reserve, of the Franco-Spanish note to Mulai Hafid and its presentation to him by the dean of the diplomatic body at Tangier, they therefore inclosed a certified copy of the said note for presentation, in reply to the note of the 6th of September last. The dean proposed to the diplomatic body two [Page 652] modes for the transmission of the said note: First, to deliver the note itself to Mulai Hafid’s representative at Tangier; second, to address a letter directly to Mulai Hafid himself in the sense of the note, and called a meeting of the diplomatic body for the next day to consider the two propositions, and in the meantime the interpreters of the several legations were called together to translate the note itself into Arabic. In response to the dean’s call, a meeting of the diplomatic body was held at the Belgian Legation on the morning of the 18th instant to consider the manner of the presentation of the collective note to Mulai Hafid, when it was unanimously decided that the same should be done by means of a letter written by the dean directly to Mulai Hafid and transmitted to him through his representative at Tangier. It was also decided that the letter transmitting the note should be written in the following terms, viz:

A l’auguste, victorieux, éclairé, très, élevé Prince chérifien, Mulai Hafid, Proclamé Sultan par tous les peuples de l’Empire du Maroc. De la part des Puissances signataires de l’Acte Général d’Algeciras, Jesoussigné, Envoyé Extraordinaire et Ministre Plenipotentiaire de S. M. le Roi des Beiges, en qualité de Doyen du Corps Diplomatique, ai reçu la mission de transmettre, en réponse à la communication du 6 Septembre, la note dont voici le texte (suit le texte de la note collective).

The letter ends as follows:

que le Tout Puissant vous garde en honneur et an paix.

Fait a Tanger. le 18 Novembre 1908.

(signed) Comte Conrad de Buisseret
E. E. et M. P. de S. M. C. le Roi des Beiges.

I have the honor to report further that the said letter, together with the collective note, having been translated into Arabic by the interpreters of the several legations at Tangier, the same was delivered by the dean to the representative of Mulai Hafid for transmission on the 19th instant.

I am, etc.,

S. R. Gummeré.