The following petition was recently presented to the Hon. Walter Q. Gresham, Secretary of State, and to the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, for the establishment of U. S. Consulates at Erzerum and Harpoot. The necessary legislation has been promptly enacted, for which the thanks of all Americans in Turkey is due to His Excellency the President, to the Secretary of State and to members of both Houses of Congress. WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 3, 1895. Apropos to the recent massacre of five thousand Armenians in Turkey, it is clearly inexpedient for the United States to mix up in the Eastern Question. But it is equally clear that _the duty of protecting a large body of native-born American citizens constantly subjected to danger, injury and insult in that land is not complicated by any Monroe Doctrine_. In their interests, attention is called to this brief statement of facts, and to a practical request for consular protection. 1. NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS AND INTERESTS INVOLVED. Distributed in thirty of the principal cities of Asiatic Turkey alone, there is a permanent body of _two hundred and fifty Americans_, not including their children, who hold _over two million dollars_ of American property for residence and the use of their educational, medical, publishing and religious enterprises. These figures do not cover the large commercial interests of Americans in Turkey, for which statistics are not at hand. 2. NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE DANGER TO WHICH THEY ARE EXPOSED. There are two sources of danger: first, the _lawlessness_ of numerous highwaymen who infest the country, and of the fanatical Moslem population of the cities; and second, the _hostility_ of Turkish officials, who have repeatedly failed to restrain, and in some cases have even encouraged attacks upon the lives and property of American citizens. 3. EVIDENCE OF THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION. So far back as June 29th, 1881, Secretary Blaine, in official instructions to Minister Wallace at Constantinople, wrote: