Mr. Bayard to Mr. Cox.
Washington, October 28, 1885.
Sir: Your dispatch No. 26, of the 13th instant, in regard to the resumption of tariff conferences with the Porte, is received.
In view of the friendly disposition in the premises on the part of the Turkish minister of foreign affairs and the grand vizier, as described in Mr. Wallace’s No. 466 of the 25th January last, and as the accession of a new and, as you say, liberal-minded minister of foreign affairs seems to afford a favorable opportunity for a renewal of the negotiations relative to a new tariff on the part of Turkey, and eventually, if possible, a commercial treaty, Mr. Heap is hereby authorized to take part in any conferences for that purpose under your general supervision.
This Department, though not fully admitting that the Turkish Government gave due notice of the abrogation of the treaty of 1862, nevertheless is disposed to waive that point and to participate with the other treaty powers in the conferences on the tariff revision on the basis of the most-favored-nation privileges being granted to the United States in any new agreements, as were in fact conceded by the treaty of 1830.
If new instructions for Mr. Heap should be necessary, as seems to be implied by his dispatch to you of the 10th instant, they should, as he suggests, correspond with those given to the delegates of the other nations, making no allusion to the treaty of 1862 as to a revision of tariff. By Mr. Wallace’s No. 476 it appears that “the Austrian commercial treaty is now the only one with an undisputed future expiration,” and that the Sublime Porte has declined to accede to the request of the Aus trian ambassador that the rates applied to other nations may be extended to his. This circumstance will not probably, however, stand in the way of tariff negotiations with other nations, or in the drawing up of identical commercial treaties, as is reported by Mr. Wallace in his No. 466 to be the desire of the Turkish Government. It is desirable that you should obtain and transmit to the Department a copy of the draft of any such treaty which may have been prepared by the council of ministers as intimated by the late minister of foreign affairs to Mr. Wallace. It is presumed that Mr. Heap has followed out his own suggestion of making a valuation of the articles of importation and a comparison of the same with those charged on them as a basis of agreement concerning the rates of duty to be charged. Mr. Heap appears to indicate in a general way within what limits the new rates will range.
It is intended that these instructions should enable you to appoint Mr. Heap as delegate from the United States for conference with the delegates of the Ottoman Government and those of other nations with a view to a new commercial tariff.
I am, &c.,