Mr. Tang Yü to Mr. Gresham.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge with sincere thanks the receipt of your note of the 11th instant, in which you kindly transmitted to me a sealed envelope, received through the minister of the [Page 176] United States to Guatemala. The said envelope was found to contain a joint petition addressed to me by the Chinese subjects residing in the country of Guatemala. It appears that there are perhaps one hundred Chinese residing in that Republic, where our Government has no accredited representative to whom our people can look for protection. The petitioners pray that some expedient may be found by which the interests of the Chinese residents may be cared for and protection secured to them.

Inasmuch as China has no treaty relations with the Republic of Guatemala, no representative can be properly appointed by our Government to that country. This being the case, the suggestion presents itself that the good offices of the U. S. Government may be invoked, by which the minister and consular representatives of the United States to Guatemala may be duly invested with the proper authority to afford protection to those Chinese who may reside in that country.

I shall be glad to be informed, in due course, whether or not the U. S. Government can see its way to entertain favorably the proposal as stated above.

Accept, etc.,

Yang Yü.