No. 460.
Mr. Brown to Mr. Fish.
Legation of
the United States,
Constantinople, November 24,
1871. (Received December 21.)
No. 33.]
Sir: I have the honor herewith to inclose a
communication from the Sublime Porte on the subject of new facilities
granted by it to merchant-vessels passing through the Straits of the
Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, together with a copy and translation of
the regulations which accompanied it.
The only fees paid by merchant-vessels passing through the straits are
the amounts payable for firmans and light-houses. The port-charges of
the capital are very insignificant. The facilities now granted to
merchant-vessels passing through the straits are very important, and
relieve them from the former necessity of stopping at the town of the
Dardanelles, often during severe weather, to deliver their firmans, as
they may now procure firmans from the harbor-office of the capital, in
place of from the bureau of the Sublime Porte, (foreign affairs,) as,
where for both going to and returning from the Black Sea, their
detention in the latter case is wholly obviated.
I have, &c.,
Server Pacha to
Mr. Brown.
[Inclosure No. 1—Translation.]
Sublime
Porte, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs,
November 22,
1871.
Sir: In the view of facilitating commercial
operations and navigation, the Sublime Porte has deemed it suitable
to make some modifications in the regulations regarding the passage,
during the night, of commercial vessels through the Straits of the
Dardanelles and the Bosphorus.
I have the honor to transmit to you, herewith, some copies of the new
regulations, definitively adopted, on this same subject, and beg you
to be so good as to give orders, whenever it may be necessary, so
that commercial vessels, under the American flag, shall conform
strictly to the dispositions of these regulations, which are to come
into vigor from the 1–13 December next.
It is well understood that, conformably with what is now practiced,
vessels will not, for any reason whatever, before sunrise and after
sunset, effect any operation, either of embarking or discharging
their merchandise, nor embark or discharge passengers in the port of
Constantinople, in the Bosphorus, or throughout the Straits of the
Dardanelles.
Accept, sir, the assurance of my perfect consideration.
[Inclosure No. 2—Translation.]
Rules for the passage of commercial vessels through the Straits of
the Dardanelles and Bosphorus.
- Article 1. In virtue of an imperial
iradet, (sanction,) commercial vessels, sailing and steamers,
native and foreign, leaving Constantinople, on their way either
into the Black Sea or for the Mediterranean, may pass through
the Straits of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles at any hour of
day and night.
- Article 2. The above-mentioned
vessels, in passing through the Dardanelles, shall deliver their
firmans on board of a ship-of-war, which will be stationed at
Galafa Bournou, opposite Gallipoli, at a point of easy
access.
- Article 3. So as to relieve vessels
arriving from the Black Sea, and bound for the
[Page 668]
Mediterranean, from the obligation
of stopping at Constantinople for the purpose of procuring
firmans authorizing their passage through the Dardanelles, it is
ordered that each vessel, on its way from Constantinople to the
Black Sea, will have the right to take two firmans, one for the
passage of the Bosphorus and the other for that of the
Dardanelles, by paying all of the fees for going and
returning.
- Article 4. Firmans will hereafter be
delivered by the maritime prefecture on the written request of
the consulate to which the vessels belong, when they relate to
ships under foreign flags.
- Article 5. There shall be paid for
each firman 70 piasters in silver, and vessels will not have to
pay fee on delivering their firmans on board the vessel
stationed at Galata Bournou. Steamers without any distinction of
flags will pay for their firmans 25 piasters in silver.
