Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, with the Annual Message of the President, December 6, 1875, Volume I
No. 186.
Mr. Seward
to Mr. Cadwalader.
Shanghai, June 29, 1875. (Received August 9.)
Sir: I have the honor to hand to you herewith copies of my dispatches to the legation, numbers 442 and 443, the former having one inclosure, a dispatch No. 16, to myself from the consul at Chin-kiang. These relate to a disturbance at that port and my action; which latter will, I trust, receive your approval.
I am, &c.,
Mr. Colby to Mr. Seward.
Chin-kiang, June 1, 1875.
Sir: I have to report that a very serious disturbance, which at one time threatened to become calamitous, occurred here last Monday evening, (the 14th instant,) about 7 o’clock. While neither the life nor property of any American citizen seemed to be imperiled, except upon general principles in the event of a general riot, still, as my wife and I were the prime though innocent cause of the difficulty, and as I may become officially a party to the settlement of the affair, I deem it my duty to report to you the facts of the case as I understand them.
During the evening in question, at the hour mentioned, my wife and I were taking our accustomed walk, with the usual curious crowd of natives following, some of whom were disbanded soldiers or “braves,” and were both saucy and insolent, calling us names (not foreign devils) unfit to appear in this paper, something seeming directed more particularly toward my wife; at the same time they came rather near to her, and from indications they apparently intended to place their hands upon her. We were passing up a street in the British concession, not very far from Her Britannic Majesty’s consulate, and by this time had arrrived at the intersection of a cross street upon which a native municipal police officer was patrolling. He came upon the scene just in time to check the crowd from following us too closely, and to prevent their further insults, to which we had paid no attention. Not wishing to become involved in a street imbroglio with the crowd, but caring more to get my wife in a place of safety, as there seemed to be a chance of doing when the crowd appeared to stop to parley with the policeman, we turned around the corner of the next block. I looked back, and saw the policeman having an altercation with two of the soldiers or braves, as though he was trying to arrest them.
But, not thinking it likely to become a serious matter, we went on, but had proceeded only a short distance when my wife called my attention to the tumult in the direction from which we had come, remarking that “there must be a terrible fight.” I suggested that probably some foreigners had come to the assistance of the native officer, and we walked on. Before passing entirely out of view of the vicinity, I looked back and saw a crowd of natives running in the direction of the English consulate. We continued our walk, passing around the “consular hill,” past the English cemetery, intending to pass by the road somewhat to the rear and around the hill above the English consulate, and from thence to the upper end of the bund and down the bund homeward. As we were about passing the open space of ground between the base of the hill and the river, in order to reach the bund, a foreign gentleman connected with the customs came running to us, stating that there was some trouble, and that we had better come to the English consulate. We did so, and upon our arrival there found a number of foreigners collected, and very soon afterward most of the foreigners in port arrived at the consulate. By this time, outside of the consulate gate were assembled a crowd of a thousand or more Chinese. I here learned that, as I expected, Mr. Nunn. English consular constable, had gone to the relief of the native officer, and that, with the aid of some friendly Chinese, they had succeeded in arresting “two braves,” and had brought them to the English consulate. Of what then transpired I know nothing [Page 415] personally, but I am told by Mr. Baber, and it is no doubt true, that a hundred or more comrades of the prisoners attempted their rescue, vigorously assaulting the gate of the consulate, and swearing they would kill the “foreign devils.” I have no doubt the result would have been terrible, ending with loss of life, but for the timely arrival of Chinese officials, to whom Mr. Baber had very wisely sent a private messenger warning them of the disturbance. In about an hour, all apparently being quiet and immediate danger passed, my wife and I went home.
I am co-operating with Mr. Baber in demanding from the Chinese a prompt and severe punishment of the men engaged in the outrage, as well as immunity from a repetition of such insults and insolence, and am glad to say that they seem to regret the circumstance, and manifest a disposition’ to yield to any reasonable demands in the premises. I learn from Mr. Baber to-day that the braves have been degraded and turned over to the civil authorities to be further dealt with, and I hope punished. I shall write to the Taotai and insist that they be made an example of, in order to deter others from committing similar offenses.
I do not feel that there is any immediate danger of another outbreak; still I may be deceived as to appearances, and shall be happy to receive any instructions or advice from you that you may deem necessary.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
George F. Seward, Esq.,
United States Consul-General, Shanghai.
Mr. Seward to Mr. Avery.
Shanghai, June 17, 1875.
Sir: I have the honor to hand to you herewith a copy of a dispatch which I have received from Mr. Colby, reporting a serious disturbance which occurred at Chin-kiang on the 14th instant.
I have had an opportunity to learn the contents of the dispatch addressed by the British consular agent at Chin-kiang to the consul here in regard to the same matter. It is more detailed, and puts the business in quite as bad a light as does Mr. Colby’s.
Under these circumstances, I have consulted with the British consul, Mr. Medhurst, and at a later moment with Mr. Wade, the British minister, and it has been arranged that Mr. Medhurst and I shall proceed at once to Chin-kiang. The British sloop-of-war “Thalia” will also be dispatched for that port so soon as possible, and Captain Bridgman, of the American gunboat “Palos,” will follow a little later.
My object will be to advise with Mr. Colby, with a view to concert such measures between him and the Chinese officials as will prevent a recurrence of the annoyances to which he has been subjected, and which may at any time end seriously. It may be possible to secure the punishment of some of the ringleaders in this particular case of annoyance, two of whom are, as I believe, the men who were lodged at the British consulate, and for whose rescue the attack on the consulate was made.
I shall also give such support to my British colleague in the grave matter which he has in hand as may appear appropriate.
This movement may be in one sense unnecessary; but regarded in another light, it appears to me very desirable. The Chinese are not, as a rule, troublesome at the ports. The native population at the ports has, however, a large rabble element, which is cowardly enough as a rule, but when excited it is cruel in the extreme. The best way to keep this element in subjection is to show the ability and readiness to act strongly and rapidly in any given case of trouble. The advent of Mr. Medhurst and myself, supported by two ships of war, and followed by appropriate measures for the punishment of the offenders, and for the future security of our people, will have a good effect at the port for years to come.
I ask your approval for my proposed course as above reported, and trust to be able to inform you in a few days of the satisfactory settlement of the whole affair.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
United States Consul-General.
Hon, Benjamin P. Avery,
United States Minister, Peking.
Mr. Seward to Mr. Avery.
Shanghai, June 22, 1875.
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that I returned to Shanghai last evening from Chin-Kiang, and to report the facts of the recent trouble at that port, and of the action which has been taken in view of it.
It appears that Mr. and Mrs. Colby were walking on a street of the English settlement, and that a lot of braves, ten or a dozen in number, followed them and used vile language toward or regarding Mrs. Colby. A Chinese policeman, who was patrolling in the neighborhood, thought it desirable to warn them to desist. This led to an altercation between the policeman and some of the braves, and he finally called to his assistance some of the Chinese of the foreign hongs, and with them arrested two of their number. Whereupon the other braves ran off and called together a considerable number of their comrades, perhaps fifty, who proceeded to the British consulate with the avowed object of releasing the prisoners, who had been taken there by the policeman and the constable of the consulate.
Seeing the approach of the soldiers followed by a large crowd of their country-people, Mr. Baber closed a gate on a public street in the rear of the consulate, thus cutting off the approach on that side. In front of this gate the soldiers stood, some urging that the gate should be broken in. It appears, however, that from the time when the gate was closed, being pressed back upon the crowd, until the end no attempt was made to force it. During the twenty minutes or half hour that the crowd stood in front of the gate a number of the foreign residents made their way through the crowd and entered the consulate, the gate being opened for them. Others, including Mr. and Mrs. Colby, came in by another gate. An officer of the corps to which the soldiers belonged also appeared, and used some exertions in the way of strong language and actual blows with his riding-stick, which resulted in dispersing the soldiers.
Mr. Baber and Mr. Colby wrote the Taotai after the occurrence, stating what had occurred, and asking him to secure the punishment of the offenders, both those who had been so troublesome toward Mr. and Mrs. Colby, and those who had made the demonstration before the consulate. The Taotai responded to this that the two men actually arrested and then in his hands had been dismissed from the service and would be tried and punished. Further than this he made no promise, and it would appear that he did not feel able to make any, in view of the independent nature of the military branch.
By consent matters remained in this form until Mr. Medhurst and I arrived on Saturday, live days after the trouble. We at once proceeded with Mr. Baber and Mr. Colby to take the evidence of the police officer, the constable of the British consulate, and a tide-waiter at the customs, who had seen a great deal of the disturbance. We also heard what Mr. Baber and Mr. Colby had to say. The substance of all this evidence I have given above, and it does not seem necessary to encumber this dispatch with copies of the actual statements.
Saturday afternoon Mr. Medhurst met the Tao-tai and impressed upon him the need of his urging the military commandant to arrest a considerable number of the offending Chinese.
The Taotai as Mr. Medhurst has told me, did not express himself hopefully in the matter, but appeared willing to do what he could.
My own task with the Taotai was easier than Medhurst’s. I was able to secure from him promises—
- First. To try the two prisoners in my presence the next morning.
- Second. To urge the commandant very warmly to arrest others of those who had used the vile language toward Mr. and Mrs. Colby.
- Third. To issue a proclamation setting forth the facts of the case, reprobating the conduct of the soldiers in suitable terms, and warning others against the commission of a like offense.
I reported this result to Mr. Medhurst and asked him to be present at the trial and to urge against the same men the charge of resistance to the police officer. This he thought well of and agreed to do.
The next morning we proceeded to the Taotai’s Yamen and watched the trial as conducted by the Chi-hsien. The two men were sentenced to fifty blows each, and to be cangued in the street where they had assailed Mr. and Mrs. Colby with vile language, for thirty days, their offense to be stated on the cangue.
An incident of the trial was the proposal of the Chi-hsien to bamboo the prisoners to make them tell the names of their comrades. The two men were actually led out, thrown upon their faces, and their thighs stripped for the whipping, before we could make the Taotai understand that the use of torture to procure evidence is not sanctioned by our laws, and that we could not assent to such a procedure.
[Page 417]So far as the punishment was concerned, the Taotai’s readiness to meet our representations may he understood when I say that he was quite willing to administer one hundred blows to the prisoners, or even two hundred, if we thought it desirable. We took pains to indicate to him that we had no wish to be vindictive; and that it was the adequate punishment of a considerable number of persons and not the cruel punishment of the two in question, that we desired.
After I had again impressed upon the Taotai the need of his calling upon the commandant to make further arrests in Mr. Colby’s case, and had told him that Mr. Medhurst had suggested the issue of one proclamation embracing the whole case, and that I had assented to this, Mr. Medhurst urged upon the Taotai strongly the need of his appealing forcibly to the commandant to arrest and punish those soldiers who had made the demonstration at the consulate, and told him that unless he received word that this work was going on satisfactorily by the next evening, he would proceed to Nankin to state the case to the Viceroy.
The business having been so far prosecuted, and my duties here demanding my attention, I left for this place the same afternoon.
You will see that the newspaper reports of the case have been somewhat exaggerated, and you may consider that we showed quite as much rigor as the case required.
I do not think that more has been done or projected than the circumstances demanded. If the Chinese are allowed to use toward foreigners language of the vilest character, that prestige of the foreign name which is essential to the security of foreigners in the smaller ports will be more or less injured. To pass by a grave demonstration against a consular residence would be a still greater mistake. If Mr. Medhurst shall succeed in carrying the whole business to a satisfactory conclusion, the result will be one for which the residents of Chin-kiang may congratulate themselves, as promising to them a greater degree of security for a long time to come. And even if the soldiers are not further punished, which I cannot believe will be the case, good will come of the demonstration which has been made.
My co-operation with Mr. Medhurst was warm and hearty throughout, and that of Mr. Baber and Mr. Colby has been equally satisfactory.
I should say that Mr. Baber’s coolness, when his consulate was besieged, is deserving of much appreciation, and that all his steps were carefully taken. Mr. Colby has shown excellent judgment throughout.
The further action needed to secure the results aimed at by me will be undertaken by him, and I have but little doubt that he will succeed perfectly. He takes a quiet unbiased view of the business, and will insist upon such action as that contemplated in my conversations with the Taotai.
I have to express my gratification at the promptness with which Captain Bridgman, of the Palos, met my suggestion, that he should show his flag at Chin-kiang.
I respectfully ask an expression of approval of my course, if it shall seem to you to have been judicious.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Consul-General.
Honorable Benjamin P. Avery,
United States Minister, Peking.