No. 17.
Mr. Jay to
Mr. Fish.
Legation of
the United States,
Vienna, September 18, 1874.
(Received October 5.)
No. 800.]
Sir: Major General H. G. Wright and General C. B.
Comstock called upon me yesterday, and reported the arrival at Vienna of the
commission appointed by the President in reference to the improvement of the
mouth of the Mississippi.
Learning that they wished to see what was to be seen here as soon as
possible, and having as yet received no reply from the foreign office to the
note which I addressed to the Count Andrássy on the 4th September, and of
which I sent you a copy with my No. 796, I called immediately on the Baron
von Hofmann, now acting as the minister for foreign affairs; his excellency
explained the delay in the replying to my note by alluding to the absence of
nearly all the officials at this season; but promised to attend to the
matter without any delay.
This morning I received from him a note, of which I inclose the original, a
translation, and a copy of my reply. This evening his excellency dined with
General Wright and General Comstock and a few other gentlemen at the
legation, and furnished them with the addresses of two additional
departments in Vienna, where they would be officially aided in their
inquiries. I subsequently presented General Wright to Sir Andrew Buchanan,
the British ambassador, who obligingly offered to send him a note of
introduction to an English officer hear the mouth of the Danube; and General
Von Schweinitz will give him another to a German officer connected with the
Danube commission on the Black Sea 5 and the Baron. Von Hofmann is to send
me an official note, commending the commission to the authorities at
Pesth.
To-morrow General Wright and the members of the board are to inspect the new
Danube regulation near Vienna under official guidance, and on Sunday
evening, the 20th, they propose to proceed to Pesth.
I have, &c.,
[Page 42]
[Inclosure 1 in No.
800.—Translation.]
Count Andrássy to
Mr. Jay.
Vienna, September 17,
1874.
In gladly complying with the wish expressed in the esteemed note of the
4th of this month, the minister for foreign affairs has lost no time in
notifying the imperial and royal minister of the Interior of the
soon-expected .arrival of the board of engineers which has been sent to
Europe by the Government of the United States of America, for the
purpose of observation with reference to the improvement of the
Mississippi, and to acquaint him with the desire of that board to
examine the engineering works at Vienna.
In pursuance of this wish, Baron Von Lasser has instructed the
Danube-regulation commission in Vienna to give to these officers any
required information, and to grant them the desired examination of all
plans, drawings, &c.
As to the other water-works of rivers being under the control of the
state, which the commission may propose to inspect, the board will be
pleased to apply to Ministerial Counsel Mathias Wanick, the chief of the
water and street regulation department in the Imperial and Royal
Ministry of the interior.
Should the commission also conclude to extend its visit to Hungary, and
be desirous of obtaining a like recommendation, the minister for foreign
affairs with pleasure expresses its readiness, after a communication
from Mr. John Jay, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of
the United States of, America, to offer his mediation alike in this
direction.
The undersigned, minister of the imperial house and for foreign affairs,
gladly embraces this opportunity to renew to the envoy the assurance of
his distinguished consideration.
For the minister of foreign affairs.
HOFMANN.
Mr. John
Jay
,
Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America,
Vienna.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 800.]
Mr. Jay to the
Count Andrássy.
American Legation,
Vienna, September 18,
1874.
The undersigned, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the
United States of America, has the honor to acknowledge the receipt, this
morning, of the courteous rote of his excellency the imperial and royal
minister for foreign affairs, advising the undersigned of the
arrangements made by the imperial and royal government to assist the
commission appointed by the President in reference to the improvement of
the mouth of the Mississippi. The undersigned prays his excellency to
accept his sincere thanks for this prompt compliance with the wishes of
the commission in regard to their visit to Vienna, and to say that he
accepts with pleasure the obliging offer of his excellency to furnish
the board with a letter of recommendation to Pesth, to which capital,
General Wright and his associates propose to proceed on Sunday
night.
The undersigned will be most happy to receive such a note on their behalf
before their departure, and embraces with pleasure this occasion to
renew to his excellency the assurance of his most distinguished
consideration.
To his excellency the Count Andrássy,
Imperial and Royal
Minister for Foreign Affairs.
