No. 178.
Mr. Denby
to Mr. Bayard.
Legation of
the United States,
Peking, June 17, 1887.
(Received August 1.)
No. 388.]
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith a
translation of the reply of the Tsuug-li yamên to my request that a
certificate be granted to Rev. Lai Ki to return to the United States.
The request was made at the pressing instance of two missionaries of the
Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions residing at San Francisco. The
applicant had -resided in San Francisco until February 5, 1880, and had
there been employed as a preacher of the Gospel. His services are again as
urgently required among his fellow nationals in California in the same
capacity.
It will be seen that without establishing a precedent, but as a “special
arrangement,” the yamên courteously grants my request.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure in No.
388.—Translation.]
The Tsung-li yamên to Mr.
Denby.
Your Excellency: The ministers have had the
honor to receive your excellency’s note stating that the Rev. Alexander
J. Kerr and Rev. H. W. Loomis, missionaries of the Presbyterian Board of
Foreign Missions in San Francisco, had requested you to apply [to the
foreign office] for a passport to enable a native Christian to return to
the United States. These gentlemen represented that Mr. Lai Ki, a
Cantonese, went to San Francisco in 1875, and was from that time until
February 5, 1880, a preacher of the Gospel in that city in connection
with the said board. On the latter date, which is without the limits
provided by the restriction act, he returned to Canton, where he has
since been engaged as a preacher under the said Board of Foreign
Missions. They desire again to secure his services, and your excellency
requests that a passport may be issued to the applicant, etc.
The ministers would observe that although it does not appear from the
records that the yamên has ever issued a passport to native Christians
to proceed to foreign countries
[Page 224]
for the purpose of preaching the Christian doctrine; still, as they
have received your excellency’s note applying for a document of this
nature, as a special arrangement, for the present case, they issue a
passport, which is herewith inclosed to your excellency for transmission
to the said Christian, Lai Ki.
In future, however, in matters of this kind, as to whether the yamên,
should issue the passports or whether the local officers exercising
jurisdiction in the native place (of the applicant) should issue them,
after the yamên has communicated and made due examination, a uniform set
of rules can then be decided upon for action in the premises.
Compliments, with cards of seven ministers.
