Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 9, 1891

Mr. Denby to Mr. Blaine.

Legation of the United States,
Pelting, January 8, 1891. (Received March 9.)

No. 1227.]

Sir: In pursuance of my intention to preserve for future use a complete record of the steps taken by the yamén and the ministers touching the audience question, I have now the honor to inclose a copy of a memorandum sent by Mr. von Brandt to his colleagues the 31st ultimo. Mr. von Brandt therein states that as the prince and ministers refused to call on him to discuss the audience question, and as his health continues bad, he is compelled to request his colleagues to select some other person to conduct the negotiations with the yamén. After the receipt of this notification I first wrote to Mr. von Brandt expressing my regret at the determination that he had arrived at and offering to delay the calling of a meeting of my colleagues for some days if he thought that his health might be so far restored as to enable him to take part in further proceedings. He replied that he certainly would not be able to go to the yamén on this business for a long time. I then invited my colleagues to meet at this legation Tuesday, January 6, to determine what ought to be done. All, with the exception of the Japanese minister, who is sick with the influenza, promptly consented to attend. I then, Monday, the 5th instant, called on Mr. von Brandt and had a full discussion with him on the whole subject. I found with great pleasure that he really was in favor of an audience. He was hurt that the prince and ministers had refused to call on him, but his health is unquestionably too delicate to enable him to assume the duty of conducting the negotiations with the yamén. In our conference we cordially agreed on several points, which I will briefly specify:

(1) It should he insisted that new ministers arriving here should he received in audience shortly after their arrival, and not be compelled to wait until the next year, as the imperial decree seems to intend.

(2) The letters of credence should be carried through the central gate and not one of the side gates. If it can be done the ministers should also go through the central gate, but this can be waived.

(3) Uniforms and swords, except in my case, to be worn.

(4) No particular point should be made over the selection of an outer gate by which to enter the palace grounds.

(5) The hall in which the ministers were received in 1873 should not be used again, because an impression then went out that this hall was generally used to receive the representatives of subject nations. But the selection of another hall should be left to the Emperor.

(6) Oral and not written communications with the yamén, because the Chinese do not like to recede from written statements.

(7) Each minister should be received separately with his staff. This course accentuates the recognition of the equality of China with the foreign powers. Letters of credence should be presented with a short address. A translation should previously be sent to the yamén.

(8) If there can not be a separate audience for each minister, then the ministers having letters of credence may present them all together.

(9) After the presentation of letters of credence, then all the ministers and the charges d’affaires who have no letters of credence could all go together to the presence of the Emperor.

(10) The letters of credence should be placed on a table near the Emperor.

(11) Ministers should not be kept unduly waiting.

(12) If possible, ministers should go in chairs near to the hall of audience, and not be compelled to walk from the outer gates.

(13) The staffs of the ministers should be present at the audience.

Possibly you may consider some of the above suggestions as trivial. But it must be remembered that in dealing with China forms embody principles. It should be strenuously seen to that nothing of a character derogatory to the representatives of the foreign powers is permitted to occur.

That we may be compelled to recede from some of the above propositions is likely, but there is no harm in demanding them at the beginning. The 6th day of January the representatives of Great Britain and Ireland, Italy, Spain, Russia, France, Belgium, and myself met at the American legation. The result of our interview is embodied in a protocol which was prepared by me and was signed by all the ministers. Their excellencies Messrs. von Brandt and Otori were furnished copies of the protocol, a copy whereof is herewith inclosed. It will be seen that I have been designated to open the negotiations, and that my powers are very limited.

I have, etc.,

Charles Denby.

[Inclosure 1 in No. 1227.]

Memorandum from Mr. von Brandt

Peking, December 31, 1891.

Mr. von Brandt being still indisposed and not knowing when be will be able to leave the house, and the prince and ministers of the yamén having declined to call upon him as requested to do under the given circumstances, stating at the same time that as happily no report had as yet been addressed to the Throne on the audience question, the sending in of such a report might be postponed until the health of Mr. von Brandt allowed him to call upon the yamén. Mr. von Brandt has the honor to request his colleagues kindly to choose some other person among their number to conduct the negotiations with the yamén, he being utterly unable to fix any time when he would be able to do so.

[Inclosure 2 in No. 1227.]

Mr. Denby to the diplomatic corps.

Legation of the United States,
Peking, January 7, 1891.

Col. Denby has the honor to present his compliments to his colleagues and to circulate for their information and approval a memorandum of the action taken by the members of the diplomatic body who were present at the American legation Tuesday, January 6, 1891.

Col Denby avails himself of this opportunity to renew to his colleagues the assurance of his highest consideration.

His Excellency M. von Brandt.

His Excellency Sir John Walsham.

His Excellency M. Otori.

His Excellency M. le Chevalier Pansa.

M. Ferguson.

M. de Uribari.

M. Kleimenow.

M. Ristelhueber.

M. Michel.

[Inclosure.]

Memorandum of a conference held at the American legation, Tuesday, January 6, 1891, at which were present the ministers of Great Britain and Ireland, Italy, and the United States and charges d’affaires of Spain, Russia, France, and Belgium.

It was agreed that, owing to the sickness of his excellency M. von Brandt, which was much regretted, Col. Denby should be deputed to confer with the tsung-li yamén on certain matters touching the question of audience. It was agreed that such conference should not be sought until the term of strict mourning prescribed by imperial decree on account of the death of Prince Chun had expired.

Col. Denby was directed by his colleagues to inquire of the yamén what construction the prince and ministers put on the imperial decree of the 12th ultimo as to whether new ministers hereafter arriving at Peking were to be received in audience by the Emperor within a reasonable time after their arrival, or were to wait until the succeeding Chinese new year before being so received. He was directed, also, to state to the yamén that some of the representatives of the foreign powers now at Peking were the possessors of letters of credence from their governments and others were not, and to inquire what arrangement the yaméu proposed to make as affecting the audience of these two classes of representatives.

He was directed, also, to ascertain what character the yamén attached to the audience as described in the imperial decree; that is to say, whether it was considered as an audience pure and simple or as a new year’s reception of the diplomatic body by the Emperor.

He was to inquire, also, where the proposed audience was to be held. Col. Denby was not authorized by his colleagues to enter on any discussion with the yamén as to any of the points involved in the proposed audience; but he was simply to acquire what information he could as to the ideas and intentions of the yamén, and to report the same to his colleagues at another meeting of the diplomatic body.