Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the First Session Thirty-eighth Congress, Part II

Mr. Burlingame to Mr. Seward

No. 38.]

Legation of the United States, Peking, May 16, 1863.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of November 24, 1862, (No. 21,) commending Colonel Raasloff, chargé d’affaires of Denmark, to my good offices, both on account of his personal and representative character. I at once addressed a letter to him at Tientsin, through Mr. Pomeroy, our consul, inviting him to become my guest while he should remain in Peking.

Accidentally informing Sir Frederick Bruce of what I had done, he informed me that he had sent horses for him to Tangchaw; and that he would take it, as a kindness on my part, if I would, considering the relation of England and Denmark by the marriage of the Prince of Wales to the Princess Alexandra, yield up Colonel Raasloff as his guest, which I most readily, under the circumstances, did.

The first notice we had of his arrival at Tientsin was from the quite angry despatch, marked A,^* addressed to the different legations by Prince Kung. I immediately addressed to the Prince the note marked B. While we were discussing the matter I went one day to the foreign office, where, to my surprise, I found Colonel Raasloff and suite. It seems the guide, an English soldier, lost himself, and the colonel, after riding round in the dust for two or three hours, saw an old man in a large mandarin cart, and, not knowing who he was, presented his card in Chinese to him. The old man turned out to be Chunglung, one of the chief officers of the empire, who instantly conducted the colonel to the foreign office, where I fortunately happened to arrive about the same time. I made the necessary explanations, when, after a hearty laugh, the question of irregularity in arriving was waived. The colonel has entered upon his negotiations under the most happy auspices, the singular event on his arrival being one of them, and I have no doubt will negotiate a treaty which will be satisfactory. We are all but too happy to aid him, not only because of the instructions from our respective governments, but because of the interest he has awakened in us by his rare personal qualities.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

ANSON BURLINGAME.

Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State.

[Untitled]

To Prince Kung, Chief Secretary of Foreign Affairs:

I regret that anything should have occurred to prejudice the interests of Denmark and China by a misunderstanding of the purposes of Colonel Raasloff. I am instructed by my government to show him every attention, and to aid him in every friendly office. If I understand it, he merely desires to make a commercial treaty, and I am sure he could not consciously do anything to defeat so good an object. He comes to Peking as the guest of the foreign legations, but not with a view to wound your just rights by any violation of your ancient usages.

ANSON BURLINGAME.

1. I find that I have not the despatch translated, but will send it by the next mail. It made objection to Colonel Raasloff, because he did not come to Peking in the usual form.