Letter from William Medill to Stephen S. Remak., 07/09/1859-07/09/1859

Written between the years of 1859-1861, the Stephen S. Remak Papers consist of one bound letter book containing the official outgoing correspondence of Remak during his term as United States Consul at Trieste, an Italian port city on the Adriatic.

Perhaps of the most value for researchers in this collection is the extensive research Remak carried out on the contemporary state and history of Austrian currency, which he included in his correspondence to officials at the United States Treasury Department. In addition, he submitted detailed Annual Commercial Reports to the State Department, which outlines trade and commerce not only in Trieste, but in other important European port cities as well.

The letters are still physically bound together, however, each letter has been assigned to a separate folder for cataloguing purposes. In addition to letters, notes written to transmit Remak's account information are found throughout the book. Because of their brevity they have been assigned to the folder of an adjacent letter or grouped together into one separate folder. Finally the cataloger has numbered the pages themselves so that each letter can be referenced more easily. The page number on which each letter can be found is included in the folder descriptions.

At the time of Stephen S. Remak's appointment by James Buchanan, Trieste had been under Austrian control since 1382 when it established a political alliance with Austria in order to escape it's political and commercial rivalry with the Republic of Venice. As the sole Austrian port and natural outlet for central Europe, Trieste achieved an unprecedented degree of social and cultural development. Remak was stationed at Trieste during a time of political instability in Europe, of which a brief history is given below. There are numerous references in his letters to the on-going threat of war with France and Sardinia. Of great concern to Remak was the threat posed by war in Europe to the United States' commercial interests in Trieste, a topic on which he focuses on frequently.

Abraham Lincoln's election to President of the United Staes in 1861 marked the end of Remak's term and the beginning of the Civil War. Because Remak's official business did not pertain to United States' internal affairs, he never discusses the Civil War in great length. However, he does occasionally mention the division of the Union in his correspondence, especially since many officers of the Austrian army inquired instructions from him on how to join American naval and land forces in order to participate in the struggle.

Most of the Remak's correspondence was sent to United States Diplomats and Government Officials, although a few were sent directly to the Austrian Imperial Government. Remak's jurisdiction over American seamen also placed him in frequent contact with ship captains and sailors. Although the handwriting in which the letters are written in has yet to be determined, they were most likely copied into the letter book by the clerk in Remak's office. The handwriting is consistent until the last three letters in the book. It is probable that Remak wrote these drafts himself right before his consular duties ceased on November 18, 1861.