Mr. Leishman to Mr. Hay.
Constantinople, April 9, 1903.
Sir: Referring to my audience with the Sultan, while I have nothing absolute to report I was informed to-day by the minister for foreign affairs, during a personal interview, that immediately after the audience His Imperial Majesty had given orders to finish the different matters as quickly as possible.
The school question is the most difficult, as it is necessary to first secure official confirmation of the list, which requires correspondence [Page 753] with many distant vilayets, and it is much more of a task to check up the 300 American institutions than it was to verify the 10 or 12 in the case of the Germans and Italians.
Trusting I may be able to report a definite settlement of the different matters at an early date,
I have, etc.,