The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-18
OFFICIAL TEXT OF AUST TRIA'S
 ANCONA REPLY
Continued from Page one.)


 '"The government of the United States has also failed to designate the persons upon whose testimony it re- lies and to whom it apparently be- lieves it may attribute a higher de- gree of responsibility than to the commander of the imperial and royal fleet. The note also fails to give any information whatsoever as to the number, names and more precise fate of the American citizens who were on board of the said steamer at the criti- cal moment.
 However, in view of the fact that the Washington cabinet has not made 6 positive statement to the effect that citizens of the United States, if any, came to grief in the incident of ques- ton, the imperial government is in principle ready to enter into any ex- change of views in the affair with the government of the United States. It must. however, in the first place. raise the question why that govern ment failed to give judicial reasons for the demands set forth in its note with reference to the special circum- stances of the discriminating events upon which it itself lays stress, and why in lieu thereof, it referred it to an exchange of correspondence which it has conducted with another govern ment in other cases.
 s'The imperial and royal govern ment is the less able to follow the Washington cabinet on this, unusual path since it by no means possesses authentic knowledge of all of the pertinent correspondence of the gov ernment of the United States, nor is it of the opinion that such Knowledge might be sufficient for it in the pres- ent case, which, insofar as it is in- formed, is in essential points of an other nature than the case or eases to which the government of the Unit i ed States seems to a11ude.
 '.The imperial and royal government may therefore leave it to the Wash 1 ington cabinet to formulate the par 1 ticular points of law of which the commanding officer Of the submarine l Is alleged to have offended on the oc- caston of the sinking of the Ancona. 1 The government of the United | States has also seen fit to refer to the latitude of the Berlin cabinet assum- ed in the above mentioned cores l pondence. The imperial and royal government finds in the much es- | teened note no indication whatever Of the intent with which this refer ence was made. Should, however, the 1 government of the United States thereby have intended to express ar opinion to the effect that prejudice l of whatever nature existed for the I imperial and royal government ItwitT respect to the juridtcal consideration of the affair in question this govern ment must. in order to preclude pos sib1e misunderstanding declare thaf as a matter of course it reserves tc itself full freedom of maintaining it. own legal views in the discussion o1 the case of the Ancona.
 ls Tn having the honor to have re course to the kindness of His Excel | lency, the Ambassador of the United l States of America, with the most re spectful request to be good enougl to communicates the foregoing to tn, American government and on this oe casion to state that the imperial ane royal government, in no less adegre. lthan the American government anc under all circumstances most sincere 1y deplores the fate of the innocen victims of the Incident in question l the undersigned at the same tim. I avaiIs himself of this opportunity tt I renew the expression of his most dis tinguished consideration to His Elk cellency the Ambassador.
 (Signed) BURIAN.