No. 45.
Mr. Low to Mr. Fish.
Peking, October 17, 1872. (Received December 26.)
Sir: In pursuance of a decree issued some months since, the imperial marriage was celebrated yesterday with all the forms and ceremonies usual on such occasions in this country.
The procession left the palace grounds at about 4 o’clock p.m. on the 15th instant, and proceeded to the residence of the empress elect, which is located outside of the Forbidden City, in the one where the legations are; it returned, escorting the chair of the empress, by the same route, and reached the palace before daylight of the 16th. All the streets through which the procession passed were closed to spectators, as well as travelers, on the two days mentioned.
On the 13th instant two ministers of the yam en, Chunghow and Chuuglin, visited the foreign legations. Their intended visit was announced beforehand, but no mention was made in the note (which is usually the case) of its object.
At this interview the conversation commenced by their informing me that their visit was made in obedience to the orders of Prince Kung, for the purpose of notifying the several legations that the imperial marriage would be celebrated on the 16th instant; that the streets of this city through which the marriage procession would pass would be closed on the 15th and 16th; and that, in order to secure to the procession entire seclusion from the public, barricades would be erected across all streets intersecting the main route, and a patrol of police and soldiers would be stationed along the route to arrest all who should attempt to transgress the rules laid down. In addition, the foreign ministers were requested to give notice to all their nationals of the facts before stated, and issue strict orders to prevent any attempt on the part of foreigners to appear on the streets forbidden to the public.
The foregoing is, in substance, what was said, although the conversation was interspersed with polite and excusatory expressions by Chunghow.
In reply I said that if the government chose to make the imperial marriage a private ceremonial, no objection could be reasonably urged against it by foreign governments, although such was not the custom usual in Christian countries; and that if the municipality closed, temporarily, [Page 118] certain streets of the city, I should not conceive it to be my duty to inquire into the reasons for so doing. In the present instance, however, the marriage had, by this action of Prince Kung—sending the ministers to notify the foreign legations—been changed from a private to a public ceremonial; and as such, foreign governments might reasonably object to the mode and manner in which the announcement had been made.
I also observed that, as regards the issuing of the notification to my countrymen, it would be done as an act of courtesy, but I could not allow the occasion to pass without frankly expressing the opinion that the orders of the government placing the foreign ministers on a par with their servants, so far as the orders for exclusion went, were wanting in that hospitality and politeness which should characterize intercourse between friendly nations.
The Chinese ministers tried to excuse and explain away this act of apparent rudeness, but their explanations, though undoubtedly satisfactory to themselves, failed to change my opinion of the whole affair.
It is understood that the other foreign ministers viewed the whole thing in the same light I did, and expressed opinions not unlike mine, though perhaps stronger.
I have, &c.,