Mr. Burlingame to Mr. Seward
No. 102]
Legation of the United States,
Peking,
March 11, 1865.
Sir: I have the honor to send herewith
correspondence in relation to the prohibitions that exist in China
against entering forbidden places.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington,
[Enclosure.]
Prince Kung, chief secretary of state for
foreign affairs, herewith makes a communication:
Some time ago, owing to the non-acquaintance with our regulations
respecting going into the gate of the forbidden city, or the
enclosure of the Yuen-ming gardens, or the imperial mausolea at
Tsun-hwa, and at Mukten in Manchuria, which foreigners exhibited,
inasmuch as they had heedlessly broken the rules and intruded into
these important places, notifications were made [to the foreign
ministers] in order that they might enjoin the same on whom soever
it concerned.
A minute has recently been received from the sacrificial board upon
this subject, as follows:
“The imperial statutes respecting entrance into altars, temples, and
other forbidden places, should be most carefully observed, and it is
for their protection that officers and soldiers are distributed at
them to guard against intrusion. Except the policemen and official
employes who are detailed for this duty, all idlers and persons
having no duties there are not allowed to go in and out. If the
present condition of things is allowed to remain longer it is really
to be feared that by and by some untoward event may happen from
foreigners, ignorant of these prohibitions, trying to go into these
enclosures and buildings against the wishes of the police guarding
them, and the bes,t way, therefore, will be to inform the foreign
ministers beforehand, in order that they may strictly require their
countrymen not to intrude into these for bidden places. Such a
course will tend to show the importance of the statutes and our
usages, as well as manifest the dignity of the nation.”
I have, therefore, the duty to inform your excellency of these
things, in the expectation that you will enjoin upon those persons
under your direction that hereafter they are not to go into the
precincts of the imperial tombs, or into palaces and other forbidden
places where guards are stationed to prevent intruders, in order to
ramble about and see them. This intimation is given in the spirit of
the well-known maxim, “When you enter a kingdom learn its
regulations,” and I shall await a ready reply to it so that I can
inform the officers of the sacrificial board of the same.
January 18, 1865, (Tunchi, 3d year, 12th
moon, 21st day.)
His Excellency Anson
Burlingame,
United Stales Minister,
[Enclosure.]
Mr. Burlingame to Prince Kung
Legation of the United
States,
Peking,
February 15, 1865.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of a despatch from your Imperial Highness of the 17th
ultimo, in which you have quoted from a document which had been
received
[Page 436]
from the
sacrificial board respecting the prohibitions that exist against
foreigners entering forbidden places, and asking that they1 may be warned not to forcibly intrude
into them.
I have carefully read this despatch, and need only remark in relation
the subject, that as the path of propriety is plain, every man of
judgment will see what the circumstances at any time require, and if
any person under my control is at all guilty of making disturbance
he will be dealt with according to the provisions of the treaty, and
in the spirit of friendship which exists between our respective
countries. It is, however, proper that the officers of the
sacrificial board designate the time and place where an offence has
been committed before I can act in this matter.
I beg here to refer your Imperial Highness to the third volume of
Wheaton’s International Law, chap. 1, (in the Chinese version,)for
some details upon the usages of western nations in their intercourse
with the representatives of friendly powers who reside at their
courts, as they are there clearly described.
I have the honor to be, sir, your Highness’s obedient servant,
His Imperial Highness Prince Kung, &c.,&c.,&c.