Mr. Burlingame to Mr. Seward
No. 88.]
Legation of the United States,
Peking,
July 5, 1864.
Sir: I have the honor to send a letter from
Robert Hart, esq., inspector general of customs, (marked A,) in which he
requests me to secure the services of three Americans, over 18 and under
22 years of age, for the Chinese customs service. They will receive on
their arrival in China £200 sterling each, (about
$900, Mexican,) to reimburse them for expenses incurred in paying
passage out. For the first two years they will be located at Peking, to
study Chinese, where they will be furnished with rooms, and receive pay
at the rate of £400 (about $1,800) a year. At the
expiration of the second year the pay of each will be raised to £600, (about $2,700,) from which it will
gradually rise, as promotions occur, to £800, £1,000, and £1,200, and
when advanced to commissioners (of whom there are twelve) to £1,200, £1,400, and £2,000. At the expiration of five years’ service
they will be entitled to a year’s leave, on half pay. If the Chinese
government should decide to dispense with their services, they will be
entitled to either three months’ notice or three months’ pay. After two
years at Peking, they will be sent by the inspector general to the
ports, as their services may be required.
Mr. Hart is from Belfast, in Ireland, and graduated with high honors from
one of the first British colleges. He is a man of most excellent
character, and of unusual administrative abilities. The men selected by
him, as far as possible, are of the first class. If he shall continue at
the head of the service, I do not see why the Chinese government will
not put other nations behind it in the quality of its customs force. The
pay is nearly twice that of any other
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country of corresponding service. I hope you will
give your personal attention to this, and secure young men of the very
highest moral as well as intellectual qualities. They will be brought
into immediate contrast and competition with young men who are graduates
of Cambridge and Oxford, and who were selected for the British service
after the severest competitive examination.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, &c., &c.,
&c.
A.
Mr. Hart to Mr. Burlingame
Inspector General’s Office,
Peking,
June 25, 1864.
My Dear Mr. Burlingame: In a service such
as ours, cosmopolitan in nature, and transacting business with
people of so many different countries, it would be but natural to
expect that, numerically, the United States would be strongly
represented. Unfortunately, I have found it quite impossible to
recruit in China for our offices. We have no difficulty in procuring
seafaring men and others fit to perform the work of out-door
departments, and accordingly amongst the tide-waiters, whose pay
ranges from £240 to £600 a year, a great many Americans are to be found. Of the
dozen commissioners who preside at the ports, three are American;
three are French; one Prussian, and five are English. We have not
one American who can interpret, or who can be said to have any
knowledge of Chinese, and the few that we have in the offices as
clerks are very far indeed from being a superior class of men.
I should, therefore, consider it a very great favor if you could get
for me from America three young gentlemen, above 18 and under 22
years of age, who have received a collegiate education. I should
like men of at least fair average abilities, of good standing in
society, and of industrious habits. £200
sterling (about $900, Mexican,) would be paid to each on his arrival
in China, to reimburse him for expenses incurred on his passage out.
For the first two years they would be located at Peking, to study
Chinese, where they would be provided with rooms, and receive pay at
the rate of £400 (about $1,800) a year. At
the expiration of the second year the pay of each would be raised to
£600, (about $2,700,) from which it would
gradually, as vacancies occurred in the service, and as
opportunities for promotion allowed, rise to £800,£1,000, and £1,200. In the course of time they might expect to become
commissioners, whose pay is at the rate of £1,200, £1,400, and £2,000 a year. An industrious, hard-working, and able man
might fairly expect to be a commissioner in eight or ten years.
After five years’ service, a year’s leave is granted on half pay. In
the event of the Chinese government desiring to dispense with any
one’s services, he would be entitled to either three months’ notice
or three months’ pay. After the second year in Peking, the inspector
general would locate each gentleman at the port he might consider
the most fitting.
If you can assist me in this matter, you will confer a favor on
myself and the customs services.
With much respect, very truly yours,
Hon. Anson Burlingame, &c., &c., &c.
