No. 519.
Mr. de Pestel to Mr. Evarts.

Mr. Secretary of State: In pursuance of orders received from, my government, I have the honor to inform your excellency that it has pleased the King, my august sovereign, to recognize the principality of Roumania as an independent state.

The government of His Majesty has always been of the opinion that the decision which it would have to propose to the King on this subject should be subordinate only to the final and satisfactory settlement of the religious question in the principality. That question having now been thus settled, His Majesty has not esitated to adopt a decision which was called for both on international grounds and by his personal sympathies, and to officially recognize a dynasty which is connected with the royal house of the Netherlands by ties of relationship.

On this occasion the King has seen fit to raise the consulate-general of the Netherlands at Bucharest to the rank of a diplomatic agency.

Be pleased to accept, &c.,

DE PESTEL.