[Inclosure in No. 692.]
official intercourse—minute in
response.
A minute has been received upon the intercourse between foreign consular
officers and Chinese provincial officers, whether personal or by
correspondence, submitting several points in which a modification of the
present system is desirable, and asking that they receive attention,
&c.
The subject was mentioned in a conference had with the foreign
representatives upon the 20th of April, and hereinafter will be found
the response of the foreign office upon the several points raised.
Point 1st.—A consular
officer having occasion to speak to the governor-general or governor of
a province on business, whether at a port or in the interior, should be
assured access; and he should not be treated as the subordinate of the
high authority, no matter what the inferiority of his official rank, but
according to the etiquette established between host and guest.
Upon this proposition the Yamên remarks: “The treaties state that consuls
and acting consuls rank with intendant of circuit; vice-consuls, acting
vice-consuls, and interpreters rank with prefects. Since viceroys and
governors, although not to be compared in their official rank with
intendants and prefects, and notwithstanding the difference in rank, at
the “present time do receive consular officers without other etiquette
than than of host and guest, they will certainly continue to receive
them whenever occasion arises.”
Point 2d.—Consular officers
having occasion to correspond with the high provincial authorities upon
official business, such correspondence should not take the form of a
report from a deputy to his superior, nor of an instruction, from the
higher officer to the lower. But, no matter what the difference of rank,
the phrase “wen i” should be used, thus implying no assumption of
authority of the one party over the other.
Upon this the Yamên remarks: “The treaties declare that consuls and
acting consuls rank with intendants; vice-consuls, acting vice-consuls
and interpreters with prefects. They shall have access to the official
residences of these officers, and communicate with them, either
personally or in writing, on a footing of equality. This refers to an
actual equality of rank between the parties concerned. But if,
regardless of inequalities in rank, the phrase ‘wen i’ were to be used,
there would appear to be an inconsistency with the stipulations of the
treaties.”
Point 3d.—In Chinese
dispatches, when addressing a consular officer, the word “Kai” is not to
be used, and it is suggested that whenever provincial authorities
address a consular officer they should prefix the word “Kuei” to his
title, and whenever speaking of a consular officer they should mention
his name as “Mr. Consul so and so.”
Unon this the Yamên observes: “This point involves in no way the dignity
of China, and instructions will be sent by the foreign office to the
several provincial authorities to conform to these instructions.”
Point 4th.—Chinese
provincial authorities, in their instructions to subordinate officials,
have been in the habit of using a vermilion pencil to bracket or point
out certain parts of the dispatch. This, looked at in the light of an
instruction, in its employment in dispatches addressed to consular
officers is not called for, and it is suggested that the practice be
discontinued.
[Page 273]
“There is no difficulty in complying with this suggestion. But in all
Chinese official communications, it is customary to use the vermilion
pencil at the moment of affixing the seal, both to punctuate the
document and to indicate any erasures or alterations in the text. For
example, the six boards use it int heir correspondence with this Yamên
and certainly there can be no assumption of authority in their
communications to us.”
The foregoing remarks are made in careful view of all the circumstances,
and in a spirit of fairness, and submitted for the consideration of
their excellencies the foreign representatives.
