Lascelles to Granville Leveson-Gower, April 6, 1883

Mr. Lascelles to Lord Granville.

My Lord: With reference to my dispatch No. 9 of the 21st of February, I have the honor to inclose a copy of a note which I have addressed to Mr. Zancoff, to return to him two summonses which he had sent me to be forwarded to two American citizens residing at Sistova.

Your lordship will perceive that the reason I give for returning the summonses was that they reached me too late for me to be able to forward them to their destination by the time fixed for the trial, and I also reminded Mr. Zancoff that his predecessor had given me the assurance that no legal proceedings should be taken against the American missionaries until the question of their right of opening schools at Loftcha and Sistova should have been settled by the Bulgarian Government.

I have urged upon Mr. Zancoff the necessity of settling this question without delay, and have pointed out to him the hardship which has been entailed upon the American missionaries by having been obliged to close their schools. Mr. Zancoff replied that he believed that the closing of the schools had been ordered in consequence of complaints made by the population of Sistova against the proselyting zeal of the Americans, and that a law was being prepared to regulate the position of all schools in the principality.

I told Mr. Zancoff that the American missionaries desired to fulfill all the requirements of the law. As yet, as far as I could learn, they had done nothing illegal, and the closing of their schools had been an arbitrary act of the authorities. If the missionaries found that they could not comply with the new law, they would leave the country, as it was one of their principles not to act in defiance of the authorities. They had been in the country for upwards of twenty years and had not been molested under the Turkish rule, and I pointed out to Mr. Zancoff the bad impression that would be created if they were now forced to leave. The fifth article of the treaty of Berlin moreover assured the freedom and outward exercise of all forms of worship to all persons belonging to Bulgaria as well as to foreigners.

Mr. Zancoff having expressed the wish to see the American missionaries, I requested Mr. Challis, who is now staying at Sofia, to call upon him, which he did the day before yesterday. Mr. Challis has informed me that in this interview Mr. Zancoff, who seemed imperfectly acquainted with the question, was very guarded in his language and recommended him to call upon the acting minister of public instruction, which Mr. Challis intends to do.* * *

I have, &c.,