No. 587.
Mr. Bayard to Mr. Edwardes.
Washington, July 2, 1888.
Sir: Referring to my reply of the 11th of April last, to Sir Lionel West’s note of the 19th of March, 1888, relative to the proposed establishment by the Turkish Government of certain lights in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, I now have the honor to inform you that I have received a letter from the Secretary of the Navy on the subject, in which he expresses the opinion that it would be inexpedient for this Government to assent to the Turkish proposal.
My colleague, moreover, observes that apart from the general inexpediency of assenting in any new case to the imposition of light dues [Page 813] upon passing vessels, the present proposal is open to specific objection in this, that out of the twelve coast lights proposed only four can be considered as in any sense necessary or desirable, namely, Jebel Tier (16), Zebayr (18), Abou Ail (21), and Mocha (23); secondly, the tolls which it is proposed to levy are excessive and apparently combine in one system of charges the maintenance of coast lights and harbor lights; and thirdly, no provision is made for the publication of accounts of light dues, or for any measures looking to their early reduction and ultimate abolition, but on the contrary it is provided in the concession that they are to continue in force for forty years after a certain number of lights shall have been erected.
The Secretary of the Navy is therefore of the opinion that the proposal in its present form would be extremely burdensome and should not be agreed to, but that this Government might safely assent to a properly guarded arrangement providing for the erection of the four above-mentioned lights, and for the collection of reasonable tolls for their maintenance, with the understanding that the tolls should cease at an early date.
I have, etc.,