No. 31.
Mr. Kasson
to Mr. Evarts.
Vienna, June 1, 1878. (Received June 14.)
Sir: The telegram dispatched to me by the Department (bearing no date) was received here on the morning of the 30th ultimo, as follows:
[Telegram No. 9671.]
Kasson, Minister Vienna:
Urgence. Vienne de Washington, 85.14 V. Brest. Telegraph answer of Austria respecting monetary conference and date thereof.
SEWARD.
On the same day I called at the foreign office to advise the urgency of your desire for early information of the decision of this government. Baron Orezy, who personally approves the plan of a conference, told me that while the invitation of the United States had been accepted by the Hungarian Government, the Austrian had not yet acted upon it; but he would address a personal note to Baron de Pretis, the Austrian minister of finance, requesting an early decision.
The jurisdiction of the coin questions involved in the monetary conference proposed by the United States, does not belong to the common ministry of the whole empire, but to the respective local governments of the Austrian Empire and Hungarian Kingdom. To them your invitation was referred by the minister of foreign affairs. He has deferred the formal communication of the decision of either to me until he shall be able to communicate the resolution of both governments. Verbally, he notified me of the Hungarian decision. I therefore telegraphed an answer to you on the same day your telegram was received, in the following terms:
State Department, Washington:
Hungary accepts. Austria still undecided. Action urged.
KASSON.
I shall also telegraph you the formal decision as soon as notified to me.
I had not neglected to previously call the attention of this government from time to time to the invitation. While Hungary acted with [Page 42] promptitude, Austria deliberates at leisure. But it is to be remembered that the Austrian as well as the Hungarian Government has been much engaged and embarrassed by the unsettled condition of the relations between the two parts of the empire.
From my conversation with Baron Orezy I conclude that the preference of this government will be for Paris as the place, and the month of September as the time for the meeting of the conference.
I have, &c.,