Mr. Denby to Mr.
Blaine
.
Legation of
the United States,
Peking
,
January 26, 1890.
(Received November 4.)
No. 1037.]
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith a copy of
my communication to the yamên of the 14th instant, a translation of the
yamên’s reply of the 18th instant, and a copy of my communication to the
yamên of the 24th instant, all relating to the claim of the Rev. Gilbert
Reid for damages. It will be seen that I deny the statement that Mr. Reid
was not assaulted and so injured. There is considerable force in the
allegations of the yamên that a payment of damages might lead to riot and
disturbance.
Damages, if paid at all, would, of course, be paid by the local authorities
and ultimately by the people. Such action would lead to ill feeling, which
would embarrass the missionaries in their work, and the evil results would
not be compensated for by the small amount of money that in any event would
be received by the Rev. Gilbert Reid. I have [Page 159] frequently expressed, in my dispatches, the opinion
that Mr. Reid, having been officially notified that the deed to the lot in
question would not be sealed by the authorities and the trade was off, was a
trespasser in forcibly going upon the lot to take possession thereof, and
does not occupy a position that the law would view favorably. It can not, in
general, be expected that any government will pay damages to a person who is
injured while he is doing an act that he has been forbidden to do. Besides,
such a claim for money compensation on the part of a missionary tends to
give the Chinese an erroneous idea of his sacred calling. In my last
communication to the yamên I have endeavored to procure an order that the
local authorities shall at least make some sort of an apology. The
Department will recognize, without any extended comment from me, the
difficulty of the minister here, in view of the new crusade that has
overtaken China, to hold the balance even between the alleged rights of our
missionary citizens and the Chinese. The whole question requires in the
treatment conciliation, prudence, and sometimes firmness. In view of the
extensive correspondence that has reached you on this subject, and the whole
case being before you, I solicit some instructions as to how it shall be
treated by me.
I have, etc.
[Inclosure 1 in No. 1037.]
Mr. Denby to the
Tsung-li-yamên.
Legation of the United States,
Peking
,
January 14,
1890.
Your Highness and Your Excellencies: I have had
the honor to receive Your Highness’s and Your Excellencies’
communications of the 1st of December, 1889, and 10th of January, 1890,
having relation to the Chi-nan-fu property case, the contents of which I
have duly perused. In your last communication, Your Highness and Your
Excellencies made no reference to the claim presented by the Rev.
Gilbert Reid, which I laid before you in my communication of the 23d of
November last. I will thank Your Highness and Your Excellencies to be
good enough to give me a definite answer as to whether it will be
favorably entertained or not, so that I may be in a position to inform
Mr. Reid. As to the original land question, I may say that I have
already addressed my Government in reference to it, setting forth the
circumstances. I beg to extend my thanks for the assistance that has
been rendered by the local authorities at Chi-nan-fu in the matter of
the land leased by Dr. Coltman.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 2 in No.
1037.—Translation.]
The Tsung-li-yamên to Mr.
Denby.
Peking
,
January 18,
1890.
Your Excellency: Upon the 14th instant we had
the honor to receive a note from Your Excellency, wherein you stated
that in reference to the claim presented by the Rev. Gilbert Reid, which
Your Excellency laid before us in your communication of the 23d of
November last, you would thank us to give you a definite answer as to
whether it would be favorably considered or not, so that you may be in a
position to inform Mr. Reid, etc.
In reply, we would observe that it appears that the Rev. Gilbert Reid in
the night forced his way in the courtyard of Lin Mêng Kwei, which in the
beginning was not right and proper. At the time the women and the girls
pushed him and he fell, but he was not assaulted. Furthermore, his first
wish or desire was that he only wanted the local authorities to assist
him in hunting for another house or property. Afterwards, [Page 160] on account of our having found
a house, he thereupon wishes, or has the intention, to claim indemnity
for injuries, and he does not evade borrowing or assuming a cause or
reason for his false and trumped-up claim, which is an unbecoming act.
Now, the matter of leasing houses and land has already been
satisfactorily arranged, and, if the question of indemnity is again
brought up, there is certainly fear that if the people bear of it they
may not be quiet, and the land now settled may be taken up and lead to
other complications. Besides, Mr. Reid, in carrying on his evangelical
work there, will also find it difficult to command the respect of the
people. We therefore hope that Your Excellency will clearly show to Mr.
Reid the right way to pursue and that he must not again bring up a
nonadvantageous request.
Cards with compliments.
[Inclosure 3 in No. 1037 ]
Mr. Denby to the
Tsung-li-yamên.
Legation of the United States,
Peking
,
January 24,
1890.
Your Highness and Your Excellencies: Upon the
18th instant I had the honor to receive from Your Highness and Your
Excellencies a note in reply to my note of the 14th instant relating to
the case of Rev. Gilbert Reid. You state that “at the time the women and
the girls pushed him and he fell, but he was not assaulted.” I am not
willing to allow this statement to pass without my protest and
contradiction. From all the evidence before me, I am sure that there was
a mob, composed of persons in the neighborhood, who had nothing to do
with the house or its occupants. I am satisfied that Mr. Reid was
injured by the mob by being stricken by some missile and by being thrown
down on the ground. There are some other observations in the
communication of Your Highness and Your Excellencies which are worthy of
serious attention. I will refer them to my Government for its
instructions. In this case, it seems to me that, in any event, some
reparation should be made to Mr. Reid in the way of expression of regret
by the local authorities for the insult and injury that he has suffered
and by a proclamation to the people announcing that such rude and
violent conduct as the mob was guilty of is disapproved, and the people
should be warned against making any further attacks or insults against
the missionaries. Being desirous, above all things, that peace and
harmony should prevail between my fellow-citizens and the people by whom
they are surrounded, I hope that Your Highness and Your Excellencies
will see your way to comply with these suggestions.
I have, etc.,