[Inclosure in No. 713.]
Mr. Denby to the
Tsung-li Yamên.
Legation of the United States,
Peking, September 27,
1888.
Your Highness and Your Excellencies: Iain
compelled again by urgent requests from my compatriots at Chi-nan-fu, to
trouble you with another statement of the pending difficulties and to
ask your assistance in their settlement.
It is more than eight months since this matter was first called to the
attention of your highness and your excellencies, yet nothing has been
done towards arranging it.
No steps have been taken to investigate the circumstances of the riot in
any judicial proceeding and none of the rioters have been arrested or
punished, though their names are well known to the authorities and to
this legation. We have patiently waited until the examinations are over
and now there seems to be no reason for further delay.
April 6, 1888, your highness and your excellencies addressed to me this
language:
“If the said missionary wishes to find at another place a suitable house
for a hospital he can at any time with the local officials discover the
action to be taken. The Yamên will also address the governor of
Shan-tung to render assistance in devising a plan of action, but if
property can not be acquired at once the missionaries then will only
have to be forbearing and wait, and not show a hasty temper.”
July 3, 1888, your highness and your excellencies had the kindness to
write me the following:
“The Yamên, now besides having communicated the foregoing to the
governor, urging the official of said province to properly manage the
case, as in duty bound sends this note, etc.”
As the result of these orders issued by your highness and your
excellencies an interview took place between the missionaries and the
taotai, but nothing came of it.
The taotai does not seem to regard that any responsibility rests on him,
notwithstanding the orders of your highness and your excellencies.
I have the honor to request that the governor be directed to grant Rev,
Gilbert Reid an interview, because we have no consul at Chi-nan-fu, and
an oral discussion might lead to a settlement.
The clear idea was expressed by your highness and your excellencies that
an exchange of property might be made. The missionaries are still
willing for an exchange. The officials excuse themselves by saying that
they can find no property, and the people are intimidated from selling
or renting to the missionaries directly. I recognize the difficulty of
purchasing houses in the city, but I am advised that there [Page 73] would be no difficulty in
purchasing open land in the east, south, or west suburbs. It is only
necessary that a guaranty be given of protection and that there will be
no maltreatment or imprisonment of a vendor, and that the people become
assured that the officials are really willing that they may sell to the
foreign religious and charitable association.
If an equitable and just exchange can not be made whereby the original
landlord and vendor would lose nothing on account of his trade, then the
best plan would be to confirm the missionaries in the possession of the
original tract purchased.
Your highness and your excellencies are in possession of all the facts
attending the original purchase. And it would seem that when one man is
willing to sell, and others want to buy, and the transaction was at
least tolerated by the authorities, and promises were made to seal the
deeds, that the transaction ought to be completed in spite of the
opposition of a few of the gentry. I am informed that the landlord has
been compelled to make a deed disposing of the property to the
ringleaders of the riot. I believe that this is contrary to Chinese law
as long as the deed of the first sale is in the hands of the
missionaries and the money has been actually transferred. It seems to me
that no attention whatever has been paid to the orders of your highness
and your excellencies.
I would be glad if additional strict orders were issued by your highness
and your excellencies for a just and equitable and satisfactory
management of all the points and a speedy termination of this
troublesome case. The matter creates scandal, greatly retards the work
of the missionaries and is injurious to their well-being and health and
tends to produce public disorders.
On all accounts it ought to be speedily settled.
I respectfully request that the taotai be directed to grant the
missionaries an interview and to hear their petitions.
I beg leave to suggest that in settling this case it would be better to
issue specific orders either to grant an exchange of sites or to confirm
the original purchase-General instructions to “manage” seem to produce
little results.
Trusting that your highness and your excellencies will favorably consider
the foregoing requests,
I avail, etc.,
