Mr. White to Mr.
Sherman.
American Embassy,
London, February 18,
1898.
No. 267.]
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith
copies of telegrams which I sent yesterday, at the request of the
personages mentioned therein, with respect to the terrible disaster
which has befallen the Maine; also
[Page 1058]
copies of telegrams from the
Duke of Connaught and the Lord Mayor of London, and of my replies
thereto, and those of a letter from Sir Francis Knollys, private
secretary to the Prince of Wales, on which my telegram conveying the
sympathy of His Royal Highness was based, and of my answers to the
same.
I have the honor furthermore to inclose the copy of a note which I
addressed to the Marquis of Salisbury upon the receipt of Mr. Day’s
telegram conveying the President’s thanks for the Queen’s message of
sympathy.
I also transmit herewith for your information leading articles from all
the principal London morning newspapers of the 17th instant, being the
day after the news of the disaster was made public.
I may add that most of the ambassadors and chefs de mission accredited to
this court have either called or sent their naval attachés to express to
me their deep sympathy with our Government and people in this terrible
calamity; and I have also received letters, cards, and visits from many
officers of Her Britannic Majesty’s military and naval services, as well
as from private citizens, expressive of their deep sympathy.
It would perhaps be oroper to mention that Lord Glenesk, better known
under his later name of Sir Algernon Borthwick, the owner of the Morning
Post newspaper, asked me yesterday whether any public subscription is to
be opened in the United States for the families of those lost in the Maine, as in that event he would like to open one
here in his newspaper and to subscribe thereto himself.
I also inclose copies of telegraphic instructions received from the
Department.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1 in No.
267.]
[Copy of telegram
received at the embassy from the State Department February 17,
1898.]
White, American Embassy, London:
President deeply touched by Her Majesty’s sympathetic message,
conveyed through ambassador here, and charges you to express through
appropriate channel grateful appreciation in name of Government and
people of the United States.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
267.]
American Embassy,
London, February 18,
1898.
[Copy of Mr. White’s note to the Foreign Office.]
My Lord: I have the honor to acquaint you
that I have just received telegraphic instructions from my
Government to request your lordship to be so good as to inform the
Queen that the President of the United States is deeply touched by
the sympathetic and friendly message which he received yesterday
from Her Majesty through her ambassador at Washington.
The President has furthermore charged me to convey to the Queen the
assurance that he gratefully appreciates, as do the Government and
people of the United States, the sympathy which Her Majesty has been
pleased to express in respect to our loss, under such appalling
circumstances, of the cruiser Maine.
I have the honor to ask your lordship to have the further goodness to
cause the President’s message to be transmitted to the Queen with
the least delay possible.
I have, etc.,
[Page 1059]
[Inclosure 3 in No.
267.]
Marlborough House,
Pall
Mall, S. W., February 17,
1898.
[Copy of letter from Sir Francis Knollys, C. B.,
private secretary to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.]
My Dear White: The Prince and Princess of
Wales desire me to ask you to be so good as to convey to the
President and the Secretary of the Navy the expression of their
horror at the terrible accident which has happened to the Maine, and of their profound sympathy with
them and the whole American nation at the occurrence.
Yours, sincerely,
[Inclosure 4 in No.
267.]
American Embassy,
London, February 17,
1898.
My Dear Knollys:
I have lost no time in telegraphing to Washington the message of
sympathy which the Prince and Princess of Wales were pleased to send
through me to the President and Secretary of the Navy, who, as well
as the other members of the Government and the whole American
nation, will, I am sure, be much touched and gratified by the
feeling thus shown for them by their royal highnesses, in respect to
the terrible disaster which has befallen the Maine. Will you have the goodness to express to the Prince
and Princess my sincere thanks for their sympathy. I shall doubtless
receive instructions from my Government to express the thanks of the
President and of the Secretary of the Navy to their royal
highnesses.
Yours, very sincerely,
[Inclosure 5 in No.
267.]
Copy of telegram from H. R. H. the Duke of Connaught to
the Embassy, February 16, 1898.
United States
Ambassador,
128 Victoria Street,
London:
Pray accept my most sincere sympathy at the terrible accident which
has befallen the warship Maine. I deeply
deplore the loss which your Navy and country have sustained.
[Inclosure 6 in No.
267.]
[Telegraphic reply
thereto February
17, 1898.]
His Royal Highness the Duke of
Connaught, K. G., Bagshot:
I beg to express to your royal highness my most sincere thanks for
your telegram of sympathy with my country and its Navy in the loss
of the Maine under such appalling
circumstances. I immediately cabled your sympathetic message to my
Government. The ambassador is in Egypt.
[Inclosure 7 in No.
267.]
[Further
telegraphic reply February 18, 1898.]
His Royal Highness the Duke of
Connaught, K. G., Bagshot:
The President of the United States directs me to convey to your royal
highness the expression of his deep appreciation of your sympathy
and condolence, by reason of the appalling disaster which has
befallen our Government and people in the loss of the Maine and her crew.
[Page 1060]
[Inclosure 8 in No.
267.]
[Copies of
telegrams received at the embassy from the Department of State
February 17,
1898.]
White, American Embassy, London:
President directs you to convey to His Royal Highness the Duke of
Connaught deep appreciation of his sympathy and condolence by reason
of the appalling disaster that has befallen this Government and
people in the loss of the Maine and her
crew.
[Inclosure 9 in No.
267.]
White, American Embassy, London:
Secretary of the Navy joins me in returning heartfelt thanks for
message of sympathy from First Lord of Admiralty.
[Inclosure 10 in No.
267.]
[Copy of a
telegram received from the Right Hon. The Lord Mayor of
London, at the Embassy, February 17,
1898.]
United States Ambassador,
Victoria Street:
On the part of the citizens of London, and for myself personally, I
beg to convey to your excellency heartfelt sympathy in the terrible
calamity which has befallen the American people by the loss of so
many of their gallantsailors.
Horatio David Davies,
Lord Mayor, London.
[Inclosure 11 in No.
267.]
[Copy of telegram
in reply February
17, 1898.]
The Right Hon. The Lord
Mayor, Mansion House, E. C.:
In the absence of the ambassador in Egypt, I beg to acknowledge the
receipt of, and to thank your lordship most sincerely for, your
telegram of sympathy in respect to the disaster to the Maine, which I at once cabled to my
Government. My countrymen will appreciate highly the sympathy of the
citizens of London and of the chief magistrate.
Henry White, Chargé d’Affaires.
[Inclosure 12 in No.
267.]
Copies of telegrams sent from the Embassy to the
Department of State on February 16, 1898.
Sherman, Secretary, Washington:
I have received following message from Duke of Connaught:
“Pray accept my most sincere sympathy at the terriblaaccident which
has befallen the warship Maine. I deeply
deplore the loss which your Navy and country have sustained.”
[Inclosure 13 in No.
267.]
London, February 17,
1898. (Received 2.50 p.m.)
Sherman, Secretary, Washington:
Prince and Princess of Wales request me to convey to the President
and Secretary of the Navy the expression of their horror at the
terrible accident which has happened to the Maine, and their profound sympathy with them and the whole
American nation at the occurrence.
[Page 1061]
[Inclosure 14 in No.
267.]
London, February 17,
1898.
Sherman, Secretary, Washington:
The First Lord of the Admiralty requests me to express Admiralty’s
and his personal sympathy with our Government and Navy in the loss
of the Maine. Various members of the
diplomatic body have called, including the Spanish ambassador.
[Inclosure 15 in No.
267.]
London, February 17,
1898.
Sherman, Secretary, Washington:
I have just received the following telegram from the lord mayor of
London:
“On the part of the citizens of London, and for myself personally, I
beg to convey to your excellency heartfelt sympathy in the terrible
calamity which has befallen the American people by the loss of so
many of their gallant sailors.”
[Inclosure 16 in No.
267.]
American Embassy, London, February 18,
1898.
Dear Mr. Goschen: I have just received from
the Secretary of State of the United States the following telegram
in reply to the message of sympathy which you asked me yesterday to
send the Secretary of the Navy in behalf of yourself and of the
Admiralty, in respect to the loss of the Maine, viz:
“Secretary of the Navy joins me in returning heartfelt thanks for
message of sympathy from First Lord of the Admiralty.”
Believe me, etc.,
