No. 375.
Mr. Bingham to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Tokio, April 14, 1883. (Received May 24.)
Sir: Referring to instruction No. 719, of date the 7th ultimo, in which you were pleased to acquaint me of the appointment of Mr. Foote to be envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States to Corea, I beg leave to say that on the 6th instant and before the receipt of your instruction, Mr. Inouye, His Majesty’s minister for foreign affairs, having sent me a copy of a telegram stating that Mr. Foote had sailed from San Francisco on the 29th ultimo for Corea, I called on the minister to thank him for the telegram, when he took occasion to say that this action of our Government in ratifying so promptly its treaty with Corea and accrediting a minister to that Kingdom gave great satisfaction to His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s Government, and was accepted as another evidence of the policy of justice so often manifested [Page 604] by the United States towards the eastern states of Asia. He also said that it was considered an act of friendship towards Japan as well as Corea. I but anticipated your instruction in assuring the minister that he interpreted aright the purposes of our Government in the action it had taken to promote the interests of both countries, and that our Government is desirous to draw into lasting friendly relations with the United States all the countries of the East.
I have, &c.,