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Letters.

There is a letter on file from Samuel Bayard to Passport Rufus King (minister to England) introducing George Washington Talbot, who is going to France. A memorandum appears, "Granted passport. 7. Oct. 96 for three months."

The following is in printed form :

Letters.

No. 1135. James Monroe, Ministre Plénipotentiaire des Passport Etats-Unis d' l'Amérique, près la République Française.

Je prie tous ceux qui sont à prier, de laisser passer librement et en toute sûreté John Bryant Capte de navire âgé de trente cinq ans, taille de cinq pieds deux pouces, cheveux et sourcils chatains bruns yeux gris bleus nez retroussé bouche moyeienne menton rond front bas visage rond Citoyen Américain, allant à divers lieux de la republique francaise, sans lui donner, ni souffrir qu'il soit donné ancun empêchement; mais de lui accorder au contraire tous les secours qui sont en leur prevoir: en conséquence de quoi j'ai signé le présent Passe-port, valable pour trois mois et j'y ai fait apposer le Sceau de la Légation.

[SEAL.]

Donné à Paris, le 12 Octobre 1796-25 Vendé-
miare l'an 5e, l'an 25me de la République Améri-
caine.

JOHN BRYANT.

JAS. MONROE

At the bottom is written the following:

Le Ministre des relations extérieures Certifie que la signature cy dessus est celle du C. Monroe, ministre plénipotentiare des Etats unis d'Amérique auprès de la république française. À Paris le Vendemiare an 5 de la République française.

SEAL OF MINISTRY Par le Ministre

FOR, RELS.

CH. DELAIROIX.

I Passport
Letters.

1 Passport Letters.

An example of the letters sent to the legation in London is as follows:

George Astor, of Cornhill, London, Merchant, maketh oath and faith that John Jacob Astor, of the City of New York in the United States of America, Merchant, is a citizen of the United States.

GEORGE ASTOR.

Sworn at Guildhall London 7 of March 1797 Before me
BROOK WATSON,

Mayor.

Among the papers is the following in printed. form:

Frederick Jacob Wichelhausen,

Consul of the United States of America at the Port of

Bremen.

These are to certify that the bearer hereof, Mr. Richard Johns, 21 years of age, 5 feet 71⁄2 Inches high, with light Hair and light Complexion, having produced certificates of his being an American Citizen belonging to and born at Georgetown, State of Maryland, I do in consequence thereof grant him this Pass to prevent his receiving any Molestation in the legal pursuit of his Business, & do request all whom it may concern to afford him every assistance and Comfort.

Given under my hand and Seal of office this 18th day of September, One thousand Seven Hundred and ninety

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I Samuel Williams, Consul of the United States of

America, do hereby certify, that Martin Henderson Parkinson is an American citizen.

Witness my hand and the seal of the Con[SEAL.] sulate, at London, this 11th day of September,

1799.

MARTIN HENDERSON PARKINSON

S. WILLIAMS

It appears from drafts of letters that King refused passports to those who were not American citizens.

Many of the letters to him were from citizens landed at Dover, who wrote from that point requesting passports to permit them to proceed to London, as they were detained in Dover by the British authorities.

Several of the following appear:

Aged
Color

Height

Marks

Eyes

Nose

Mouth

Chin

Hair

American Consulate, London.

I, George W. Ewing, Consul of the United
States of America, do hereby certify That

a description of whose person is in the
margin, is a citizen of the said United States.
Given under my hand and Consular Seal
in the year of our Lord
1803 and of the Independence of the United

[Signature of the bearer.]

this

day of

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I Passport
Letters.

The eighth section of the act of February 28, 1803, 2 Stat., 205. provided that if any consul, vice-consul, commercial agent, or vice-commercial agent should knowingly issue a passport or other paper to an alien, certifying him to be a citizen of the United States, he

General

to Consuls,

should be punished by a fine not to exceed one Instructions thousand dollars. The General Instructions to 1855, par. 249. the Consuls and Commercial Agents of the United States, published in 1855, added to this the penalty of deprivation of office. The personal instructions of 1853 to our diplomatic agents did, however, permit the granting of passports, under "special circum11 Stat., 61. stances," to aliens. The act of 1856 made the offense a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars and imprisonment for not more than a year.

The instructions which have been sent from time to time to our agents abroad have required that they should exact from applicants for passports proof of citizenship the same in character as that required by the home office. The force and effect of passports issued by them should, therefore, be substantially the same as of passports issued by the Department. Nevertheless, passports issued at Washington have usually commanded a greater certainty of recognition than those issued abroad, and travelers have been advised to secure them in this country. In the Consular Regulations of 1856, and in subsequent editions, until that of 1870, it was stated: Regulations "Passports granted by the Secretary of State secure Officers, 1856, to the bearers facilities from foreign governments not accorded to those issued by diplomatic officers, consuls-general, or consuls."

Ante, P. 47.

for Consular

par. 403.

II Stat., 61.

Until the act of 1856 prohibited a consular officer from issuing a passport in a country where there

Circular,

1853.

Form pre

passports.

was a diplomatic agent, except during the latter's absence, passports were granted by consuls as a regular part of their duties; but June 1, 1853, Secretary furce, Marcy issued a circular ordering that whenever there was a legation and consulate in the same place, the former only should issue passports. The form pre-scribed. scribed for legations and consulates was the same, mutatis mutandis, as that used in the Department; but from 1870 to 1885 it was permitted to issue what was known as a "qualified passport." It was Qualified given to those citizens whose parentage was Ameri- Consular can, but who were themselves born abroad. In addi-1870, par. 115. tion to the statements found in the regular passport it contained the following: "But the right of the said to ask of the United States, its officers and agents, such aid and protection is limited and qualified by the obligations and duties which attach to him [or her] under the laws of the Kingdom [Empire or Republic] of (his [or her] father then being a citizen of the United States) and where he [or she] now resides."

Regulations,

June 29,

1885.

June 29, 1885, the Department issued a circular Circular, setting forth the views of the Solicitor, Francis Wharton, LL. D., on the subject of this regulation, and it was definitely ordered to be annulled, the citizens to whom it was intended to apply being placed thereafter in the same category with other citizens.

Regulations

From 1856, till the Consular Regulations now for Consular in force went into effect in 1896, a consul-general

Officers, 1856, par. 405. Consular

or, in his absence, a consul had authority to issue Regulations,

1896, par. 148.

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