Mr. Denby to Mr. Blaine.
Peking, July 6, 1891. (Received August 17.)
Sir: I have the honor to report to you that a committee of the foreign, representatives, consisting of the ministers of Germany, Great Britain, and France, had a lengthy interview with the members of the foreign office on the 29th ultimo. The committee charged that proper steps had not been taken with regard to the arrest and punishment of the leaders of the recent riots. The Chinese ministers denied this charge. They stated that seven arrests had been made at Ten Yang, six at Wuhu, and two at Wusueh. I learn since the interview that two decapitations took place at Wusueh. Two men were also beheaded at Wuhu. The yamên stated that it was in constant communication with the local officials and was urging energetic action. It was then said by the committee that some of the officials who had done their duty had been dismissed, and others who had not done their duty were retained. The yamên answered that the officials retained were inferior officers and were not responsible for the happening of the riot, but that the superior officers were dismissed on the ground that a riot had occurred in their jurisdiction. The dismissal of the taotai at Wuhu, who had not done his duty, was then demanded. The yamên answered that the taotai of Wuhu depended on the governor of Nganhui, and his report would have to be received before action could be taken. The committee then stated that the riot took place May 12, and an abundance of time for a report to be made had intervened. The committee then called the attention of the yamên to a very abusive proclamation that had been issued by the provincial authorities addressed to the governor [Page 416] general and tartar-general of Szechuen. This proclamation stated that a copy had been forwarded to the yamên. The yamên at first denied that such a proclamation had been received, but afterwards admitted that fact, and stated that it issued before the imperial edict appeared, and now it would inquire about the proclamation, and would telegraph to the governor-general of Szechuen to withdraw it. The representative of France then called the yamên’s attention to the terrible persecutions that Christian converts had suffered in Szechuen, and demanded that stringent measures be taken to put an end to them. The yamên, being asked whether it had any information of the receipt of the imperial edict in the provinces, answered that it had not, because, according to Chinese etiquette, an imperial edict could not be acknowledged by telegraph. Attention was called to the fact that even at Tien-Tsin, 80 miles from Peking, no steps had been taken to publish the edict until the 27th ultimo. The yamên replied that it had been published in the Gazette, and everybody had seen it. The yamên having tried to throw the blame of the riots on the native Christians, the committee demanded to know one instance in which the class had acted badly. The yamên was unable to furnish any such example. The committee stated that the native Christians were allowed to be attacked by all the officials and nobody defended them; that it was quite natural that the people should follow the example of the officials; and that this conduct prevented the execution of the treaty stipulations, and the Government would be held responsible, and no attempt to shift this responsibility on the local officials would be permitted. The yamên regretted that the foreign representatives had no confidence in it, but stated that the Government understood perfectly the situation and was doing its best to arrive at a solution. One of the ministers, Sun-yi-wen, stated that after a solution was arrived at stringent regulations would have to be elaborated with regard to the missionaries. He intimated that children under 12 years of age would not be allowed to be received at the orphan asylums.
I have, etc.,