Mr. Denby to Mr. Olney.
Peking, August 19, 1895. (Received Sept. 26.)
Sir: You have no doubt ere now received reports of the proceedings of meetings held by the foreign residents at most of the settlements in China. Coming on the heels of the Kutien massacres, it was to be expected that a natural indignation would produce intemperate utterances.
I have already explained to you my connection with the proposed Chengtu commission, and I have shown that I have abandoned all participation therein on or about the 26th ultimo, and that I never consented that Mr. Tratman, the acting British consul at Chungking, should represent American interests. This announcement was made by the British consul-general at Shanghai, but was erroneous. When I [Page 111] saw that the British consul general had said that Mr. Tratman would represent American interests on the Chengtu commission, I immediately inquired of the British minister how it happened that such an announcement had been made in the face of the fact that I had formally withdrawn from any participation in the commission more than three weeks before. He immediately and emphatically denied that he had ever instructed the consul-general to make such an announcement, and in proof of his denial he showed me the original telegram sent to Mr. Jamieson. That telegram did not in fact contain any statement to the effect that Tratman would represent American interests.
The error on Mr. Jamieson’s part arose, I believe, as follows: The British minister had a long time before sent to Mr. Jamieson a statement of the duties which would devolve on Mr. Tratman and, among others, that he would represent American interests (that was before I had withdrawn), and had instructed Mr. Jamieson to state in addition to the contents of the telegram what those duties were. Mr. Jamieson, not knowing that I had withdrawn, stated that Tratman would represent American interests. The British minister immediately wired Jamieson to make a public announcement that I had long since withdrawn from the commission.
I was very bitterly criticised for consenting that Americans should have no representation on the commission, a thing I had never consented to. It thus happened that I was attacked for doing something that I had never done and never dreamt of doing. As I intrusted American interests to a British consul at Chungking in 1886 without objection from any quarter, the crime of doing so again in 1895 would not have been very heinous, but the Americans seem to think it would be. It is well, therefore, to state the facts, as I have done.
I informed Consul-General Jernigan, under date the 26th ultimo and later by telegram, that I had abandoned all connection with the proposed commission.
I have, etc.