Mr. Burlingame to Mr. Seward
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that, on the 5th of August, I received from Prince Kung a letter, (marked A,) in which he expressed a great desire to see me, but regrets that he is as yet too weak, on account of previous illness, to have an interview. On the 15th of August, I received another letter from him, (marked B,) stating that though not quite well, yet, that he might carry out his desire for a friendly interview, he would fix upon Wednesday, the 20th of August, at 3 o’clock p. m. On that day, accompanied by Dr. S. Wells Williams, B. Wistar Fellowes and J. S. G. Schereschewsky, I proceeded to the Chinese foreign office, where I was received by the Prince and suite in the most friendly manner. The interview lasted for two hours, and was marked by great freedom and cordiality of expression on both sides. I spoke to them of our long continued friendship, and said that our policy was one of peace; that our relations were such that we could never have any motive but for our mutual good; that from our contiguity, numbers, and growing trade, we must be brought in the future into more and more intimate relations, which would require mutual kindness and forbearance. The Prince and suite were pleased to learn of the proposed line of steamers to Shanghai; they inquired kindly after their people in California. We discoursed of the rebellion in China, and of the means of overcoming it; of the success of General Ward, an American, with his Chinese soldiers, trained after the foreign forms. I recommended that they should abandon the old style of fighting, and that they should organize a smaller, but more efficient, force against the rebellion, and, above all, that they should adopt a more liberal policy towards all but the leaders of it.
I presented a history of the United States in Chinese, by Dr. Bridgeman, to the Prince. I presented, also, through the Prince to the Emperor, a splendid edition of the bible, at the request of Bishop Borne, and in behalf of the American Bible Society. It was accompanied with a little history of the book in Chinese by Dr. Williams. They were much pleased, and one of them (Wansiang) said that they received the book as a symbol of our friendship. The interview was exceedingly agreeable, and would seem to indicate, on their part, a total abandonment of their ancient policy of exclusiveness. To-day I have been informed by letters and by messengers that a portion of the Prince’s suite would return my call next Tuesday, and that the Prince himself would call on Wednesday. I send a copy of a note, (marked C,) which I received in response to copies of the history of the United States, which were sent.
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I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State.