Mr. Eddy to Mr. Hay.
St. Petersburg, November 2, 1904.
Sir: Referring to the Department’s Nos. 155 and 157, of October 13 and 17, respectively, I have the honor to inform you that I had an interview this afternoon with the minister for foreign affairs, Count Lamsdorff, and that in this interview I discussed with him the subjects mentioned in the instructions above referred to. * * *
In regard to the tampering with the United States mail on the steamship Calchas I expressed to the minister the belief of my Government that the justice of our protest would be properly appreciated, and that we might have an assurance that in future the mails of the United States, inasmuch as they were of a neutral power, would be safe from all interference. He replied that he would prefer sending a written communication on the subject, and that he would reply to my note on this subject at as early a date as possible.
A copy of this note I had the honor of transmitting to the Department in the embassy’s No. 197, of October 26.
I have, etc.,