No. 457.
Mr. Brown to Mr. Fish.
Legation of
the United States,
Constantinople, November 6,
1871. (Received December 2.)
No. 28.]
Sir: I have the honor to transmit to the
Department copies of a correspondence with the consular-general at
Beirut, and to request most respectfully your instructions on the
subject to which it relates.
I have very great respect for all of the American missionaries in all
parts of this country, and many of them are personal friends. They are
fully entitled to all of the protection which the legation can secure
for them. The opinions which I have expressed in my reply to the
vice-consul-general are based upon my experience and knowledge of the
feelings of the Turkish government.
I have, &c.,
[Page 664]
[Inclosure No. 1.]
Mr. Brown to Mr.
Say.
Legation of the United States,
Constantinople, November 4, 1871.
Sir: I have had the honor to receive your
dispatch of the 11th October, asking instructions from me on the
subject of the amount of protection, if any, consuls may give to the
teachers, pupils, and natives who have been connected through the
ministry of the American missionaries, from persecution on account
of their religious belief.
As I am not in possession of any instructions from the Department of
State on the subject, and as it is one that must greatly interest
the missionaries in Syria, I shall now transmit to it a copy of your
dispatch and of my reply, for its consideration. It is for the first
time, that I am aware of, that such a request has been submitted to
the legation from missionaries in any part of Turkey; and I must
regret that anything has now occurred to render it necessary.
It seems to me that much as the Government of the United States may
be interested in the principle of religious liberty and toleration
in all parts of the world, the question is one of so much delicacy,
when it relates to other countries and governments, as to prevent
its direct official interference to sustain it.
By reference to the fifth article of the treaty, you will perceive
that it has been established that the legation and consulates of the
United States shall not protect Ottoman subjects, either openly or
secretly, &c., and the same principle you will find repeated in
your berat or exequatur of the consul-general. I do not see how this
stipulation can be departed from on the ground of religious
toleration in this country. Although the Ottoman government
tolerates the labors of missionaries among its subjects, it does so
unwillingly, and is not disposed to favor or promote them. With this
fact before me I cannot instruct you to claim a right to give your
official protection to the individuals afore stated. I believe the
local authorities will not allow it; the question will then be
referred by them and yourself here, and I shall have invited upon
the legation a question of an untenable nature. The recent case of
the teacher of the Rev. Mr. jessup offers an evidence of what I
state. I certainly do not advise you from refraining to offer your
officious solicitations in behalf of any clearly established cases
of religious persecution, be the sufferer whomever he may, or
whatever his faith, and from invoking the well-known liberal
principles of the Ottoman government in such matters; but this
should be done with much discretion. It would be certainly an error
to interfere in the affairs of the individuals you allude to
disconnected with religion.
You are misinformed on the subject of any “Mussulman who, for having
embraced Christianity, may be put to death.” Several years ago the
Sultan officially declared that this principle of Islam holy law
should never be practiced; and there are now some few Christians
here who were once Moslems, residing at the capital, and in frequent
intercourse with the higher functionaries of the government. I am
probably better acquainted than yourself with its feelings. I would,
therefore, not encourage you to do what, though very creditable to
your feelings as a Protestant, I should not be able to sustain you
in.
You may, however, easily verify what I have stated by putting forward
a claim to protect the individuals mentioned in your dispatch.
As to the American missionaries, I of course need not add that every
possible means should be adopted for their protection. Their
dwellings and establishments are inviolate, and will never, I
presume, be molested.
I am, &c.,
J. Baldwin Hay, Esq.,
United States Vice-Consul-General,
Beirut.
[Inclosure No. 2.]
Mr. Say to Mr.
Brown.
United
States Consulate-General,
Beirut, October 11,
1871.
No. 48.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge your
official note, dated the 19th ultimo, on the protection alleged to
have been given by the United States consular agent at Tripoli to an
employé of the Rev. Mr. H. S. Jessup. This is the first that I have
heard of the affair, and I have requested Mr. Tanni to give me full
particulars of the case, and to
[Page 665]
what extent he has protected the said employé;
and I shall send you his report as soon as received.
In the meanwhile allow me to request special instructions respecting
the claim of American missionaries in Syria to official protection
in their vocation.
The American missionary enters the Ottoman Empire with the avowed
object of teaching the Christian religion to the subjects of this
empire, not secretly, but openly. The Ottoman government, by reason
of according them permission to teach and preach the Christian
religion, and to open schools, cannot; justly offer them any
molestation or hinderance in pursuing their object, nor can it
consistently injure, threaten, or persecute such of its subjects as
may embrace the religion which it allows the missionaries to teach.
If a Mohammedan subject of Turkey embraces Christianity, by the laws
of Mohammedanism his evidence is worthless, and he can be put to
death; but a recent decree of the Sultan proclaims religious toleration throughout the empire. This decree is
not practically enforced in Syria, and American missionaries often
desire and expect consular interposition to succor persecuted native
teachers and native converts. Such a course is offensive to the
local authorities, who are secretly (if not openly) upheld in
Constantinople by their superiors.
Only the firm pressure of Christian nations
caused the Sultan to proclaim religious liberty, and a constant
pressure is absolutely necessary to secure this liberty of
conscience to converts who desire to experience its benefit.
Having thus briefly stated the position of American missionaries in
Syria, I earnestly desire instructions as to how far they are to be
protected in their calling, and to what extent, if any, consuls can
protect their teachers, their pupils, and the natives who have been
converted by their ministry. (The word protection in this case means
protection from persecution on account of religious belief.)
I am, &c.,
J. HALDWIN HAY,
Vice-Consul-General.
Hon. John P. Brown,
United States Minister,
Constantinople.
