Department of State,
Washington, January 27,
1899.
No. 344.]
[Inclosure in No. 344.]
Mr. Cridler to
Mr. de Castro.
Department of State,
Washington, December 15,
1898.
No. 29.]
Sir: Referring to your No. 20, of October
29 last, relative to certain instructions issued by you to our
consul at Naples in regard to the inspection of emigrants, etc., you
are informed that you have in part misapprehended the meaning of the
Department’s instruction to you, No. 25, of October 4 last.
The policy of the Department is that no charge whatever should be
made by the consul or anyone connected with the consulate in
connection with the inspection of emigrants and the dispatching of
vessels, except as authorized in the “Tariff of United States
consular fees.”
You will therefore withdraw that portion of your instruction to the
consul at Naples, permitting the vice-consul to accept from the
steamship company a sum of 60 lire in each instance. You are also
informed that the consul or, if he prefers, the vice-consul acting
as his representative, should attend these inspections. If the
vice-consul act it must be as the representative of the consul, not
as “official inspector,” no such title being recognized by the
Department. In case the services of the vice-consul are not
available the consul may designate some other employee of the
consulate to attend to the work, but it should be
[Page 424]
some person in whose reliability he
has confidence, and for whom he is willing to assume responsibility.
Expenses actually and necessarily incurred in going to or returning
from vessels may of course be paid by the steamship company.
With these modifications your instructions of October 22 last to our
consul at Naples are approved.
You are directed to similarly instruct our consuls at Genoa and other
ports in Italy.
I am, etc.,
Thos. W. Cridler,
Third Assistant Secretary.
