Mr. Blaine to Mr. Denby.
Washington, January 27, 1891.
Sir: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram of the 24th instant, requesting a new letter of credence or an affirmation of the one you have.
Your original letter of credence, dated June 4, 1885, was addressed to “His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China,” although at that time and during the sovereign’s minority the government was administered by the Empress Dowager as Regent. Under ordinary circumstances, that letter, so addressed, would suffice for the continuance of your mission even after the termination of the regency.
It is, however, presumed that the necessity of a new letter of credence grows out of the position taken by the United States equally with the other powers in respect to the question of audience, and that the formal presentation of a new letter to His Majesty, now that he has come to the throne, is expedient to emphasize the concession gained in this important regard.
While the Department does not fully understand the necessity indicated by your telegram, it is assumed that you, being on the spot, are in a position to intelligently comprehend the situation and to advise the Department of the formalities requisite to put the relations of the United States and China on the most regular and friendly footing.
No precedent is recalled for a formal confirmation of an existing letter of credence; and, under all the circumstances, it is deemed best not to resort to the suggested alternative, but to invest your renewed credence with all the effect and solemnity attaching to the President’s original act, precisely as though the letter of 1885 had been addressed to His Majesty’s imperial predecessor.
I am, etc.,