Lascelles to Granville Leveson-Gower, February 21, 1883

Mr. Lascelles to Lord Granville.

My Lord: I have the honor to inclose a copy of a statement which has been handed to me by Mr. Challis, one of the American missionaries in Bulgaria, with regard to the forcible closing of the American school at Sistova on the 16th ultimo.

On the receipt, on the 20th ultimo, of a telegram from Mr. Ladd, I requested Mr. Voulcovitch to cause inquiries to be made, and if necessary to take the necessary measures to redress the wrongs complained of by the American missionaries, and on the 23d I telegraphed to Mr. Ladd that I had been informed by his excellency that the school had been closed because the formalities required by Bulgarian law had not been complied with, and I also wrote at the same time recommending the American missionaries to make an application to the minister of public instruction for permission to open their school. I also recommended them to comply with all the formalities required by law.

In consequence of a further application which was made to me personally by Mr. Ladd, I requested Mr. Stoiloff, who had succeeded Mr. Voulcovitch, as minister for foreign affairs, to give immediate orders that the seals which had been affixed to the school-room at Sistova, which was also used as a place for divine worship, should be removed, as whatever right the minister for public instruction might have had to order the closing of the school, I could not admit that the Bulgarian authorities had any right to effect a forcible entrance into the house of an American citizen, and to affix seals to a portion of that house, without previous communication with the consular authority. Mr. Stoiloff at once sent the orders I asked for, and on the 24th ultimo the seals were removed on the understanding that the room should not be used as a schoolroom until the right of using it should be decided by the authorities at Sofia.

Mr. Stoiloff subsequently informed me that he had examined the question, and had come to the conclusion that the authorities had no right to order the closing of the school, as it appeared that the American missionaries had complied with all the requirements of the law. He had therefore addressed a letter to the minister for public instruction, the draft of which he read to me, asking him to state the grounds upon which he acted, and to give the necessary permission for the school to be reopened, unless there were some legal reason to the contrary.

I have told Mr. Stoiloff that the action of the authorities in this case appeared to me to be an attempt at religious persecution, and that I had been informed by one of the missionaries that the minister of public instruction had declared to him in conversation that it was the intention of the Bulgarian Government to close all the Protestant schools in the principality. I reminded Mr. Stoiloff that the treaty of Berlin guaranteed religious liberty to all the inhabitants of Bulgaria, and strongly urged him to put a stop to any tendency to religious persecution, which could not fail to create a most unfavorable impression throughout Europe.

Mr. Stoiloff replied that a party existed in Bulgaria who were supported by the clergy and the Russians who desired to suppress all schools which were not of the orthodox faith.

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The American missionaries, who have recently met at Sofia, have had an interview with Mr. Stoiloff, who gave them the most satisfactory assurances, and expressed the hope that the matter might be arranged without any official action on my part.

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I have thought it only fair to Mr. Stoiloff, who I believe is sincere in this matter, to give him an opportunity of fulfilling the promises he has made to the American missionaries, without any pressure from me, and I have therefore informed Mr. Challis, that while I should always be ready to afford them any assistance in my power, I considered it better that I should not take any further steps in the matter for the present, unless circumstances should render immediate action on my part desirable.

I have, &c.,