Mr. Denby to Mr. Blaine.

No. 1304.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith a copy of a communication addressed this day by the diplomatic body to the foreign office, touching riots in China wherein foreigners and their property are injured. A committee of the foreign ministers will present this communication in person. This action was chiefly caused by the riots which occurred at Wuhu two or three days ago. I have only received telegraphic accounts thereof, but it appears that the buildings of the Roman Catholics were burnt, the English consulate was threatened, and some of the foreign customs buildings were injured. Wuha is situated on the Yangtse, in the province of Nganhui, halfway between Chingkiang and Kiukiang. It is a thriving town of 78,000 inhabitants. It is in the consular district of the consul at Chingkiang. The American Methodist Episcopal Church has a mission about a mile and a half below Wuhu, situate on the bank of the river. The missionaries there are Rev. J. Walley and wife and Dr. G. A. and Mrs. Stuart. No harm has yet befallen this mission, but a telegram sent by the British consul on the 16th instant stated that the rioters openly proclaimed that the mission buildings would be destroyed on the 31st instant. I immediately informed the foreign office of those threats, and stated that, as the prince and ministers were now forewarned, there would surely be no difficulty in protecting that mission, and I urgently demanded protection. Grave fears are entertained in China that a pre-concerted plot has been formed for a general uprising against foreigners at several of the ports. There were indications of this scheme some weeks ago at Tien-Tsin, when inflammatory placards were posted calling on the populace to rise and destroy the foreigners and then to march on Peking and dethrone the present dynasty. The 31st of this month was fixed for the day of the uprising. Some of the men concerned in the posting of these placards were arrested, and one was executed. Consul Jones entertains serious fears for the peace of Chingkiang.

Taking the condition of China into account, it will be seen that the inclosed paper is well warranted. It sets forth the frequent recurrence of outrages on foreigners and asserts that, though indemnities have been paid, no rioters have ever been punished, and it winds up with [Page 394] the distinct assertion that the foreign powers will themselves take measures for the protection of foreigners if the Chinese Government fails to do its duty. The original “gunboat” policy, which has been practically abandoned, may be renewed with great vigor. As there is no similarity between the form of government of China and our own dual form of government, and as here all officials are appointed by the Crown and are practically slaves of the Crown, the Imperial Government is properly held responsible for the acts and defaults of its agents. I did not, therefore, hesitate to join my colleagues in presenting the inclosed paper. In this connection, I beg leave, with diffidence, to suggest that the squadron on the Asiatic station should be increased. I thoroughly understand that these questions are for the Navy Department, and not for the State Department. Nevertheless, the minister in China is more or less charged with the protection of American citizens in China, and he may be excused for suggesting that the squadron in the east is entirely insufficient for the duties it has to perform. The Asiatic station covers about 14,000 miles. To protect American interests over this enormous space we have the Alliance, the Monocacy, and the Palos. While I write telegraphic news comes that the situation at Nganking and other places is critical. But the Imperial Government is doing what it can to concentrate troops at the threatened points. Every disposable gunboat of the foreign powers has been ordered to the scene of the recent outrages, and there is reason to hope that the worst is over. It does not appear that any foreigner has been injured, but the buildings of the Catholics at Wuhu were entirely destroyed.

The yamên has answered my communication. It states that all possible efforts will be made to protect the American mission.

I have, etc.,

Charles Denby.
[Inclosure in No. 1304.]

The foreign representatives to the tsung-li yamên.

Your Highness: Most of the representatives of the treaty powers accredited to His Majesty the Emperor of China have had occasion during the past few years to remonstrate more or less frequently with the tsung-li yamên against the remissness of the Chinese Government in protecting the persons and property of their nationals residing in China under the stipulations of treaties.

Incendiary placards, infamous publications, insults, and attacks upon life and property have formed the subject of their remonstrances; in some cases indemnities have been paid, in others proclamations issued, but in not one single case has one of the culprits been punished, even when hundreds had been engaged, in the outrages in broad daylight. When complaints are lodged at the tsung-li yamên, your highness and your excellencies either give the independence of the provincial authorities as the reason for not interfering more energetically or refer to the feeling of the population as the reason why the authorities could do nothing to prevent outrages or punish the perpetrators thereof. The result of such inaction on the part of the Chinese authorities has been, as it could not be otherwise, an increase in the insolence and daring of lawless individuals and in consequence in the number of outrages, which have again culminated a few days ago in an organized attack by a mob upon the foreigners living at the treaty port of Wuhu, the fourth repetition of such an occurrence within a few years, not to count the numerous attacks upon the persons and property of foreigners in the interior.

Your highness and your excellencies will be certainly aware that when in 1868 Mr. Burlingame was sent by the Chinese Government to the governments of the treaty powers, one of the objects of his mission was to obtain from these latter the assurance that’ in future they would abstain from holding the Chinese provincial and local authorities directly responsible for outrages committed within their jurisdiction, and from securing redress on the spot by the means at their disposal, but that they would present their complaints and reclamations to the Central Government, [Page 395] who, on their part, would see justice done and wrongs redressed. The foreign governments and their representatives have strictly adhered to the promise then made, hut the results of the policy have not been such as they had a right to expect; on the contrary, instead of executing their part of the understanding, the Chinese Government, by not exercising over the provincial and local officials that authority which they undoubtedly possess, have succeeded in nullifying entirely the results expected by the foreign governments from their compliance with Mr. Burlingame’s request. To-day, and we regret to have to say for a number of years past, the only result of the attitude assumed by the governments at the demand of China has been to encourage the tsung-li yamên in abstaining from efficacious action, thus rendering the provincial and local authorities virtually independent of the Central Government in all questions referring to foreign interests.

Your highness and your excellencies will understand that this state of things can not continue any longer without seriously endangering the friendly relations between the treaty powers and China. The former have the right to expect that the Chinese Government will instruct and, when necessary, force the provincial and local authorities to protect the persons and property of foreigners in the treaty ports, as well as inland, and that when outrages against them are committed the culprits will be apprehended and punished. The undersigned must particularly insist that this shall be done with the cases still pending in which no redress has been obtained so far, and especially with the latest outrage at Wuhu. They would regret very much if the continued inaction of the tsung-li yamên should oblige them to report to their governments that neither protection nor redress were obtainable at the hands of the Central Government, and that they would have therefore to look to their own means for protecting the persons and property of their nationals and obtaining on the spot redress for injuries or insults inflicted on them.

The undersigned avail themselves, etc.