Mr. Vignaud to
Mr. Hay.
Embassy of the United States,
Paris, July 31, 1900.
No. 708.]
Sir: The minister of foreign affairs did
not fail to acknowledge with thanks the information given to him
from time to time under your telegraphic instructions concerning the
affairs of China. Under date of the 27th instant he sends, in his
turn, copy of a telegram received by the President of the French
Republic from the Emperor of China, which is herewith inclosed with
a translation of the same. In transmitting this document Mr.
Delcassé simply remarks that it is worded in terms almost identical
to the one received by our President.
I have the honor to be, etc.,
Henry Vignaud,
Chargé d’Affaires.
[Inclosure—Translation.—Telegram
received the 20th July from totai of Shanghai by the Chinese
minister at Paris.]
Imperial letter addressed to Franee and
transmitted by cable by the governor of Shantung the 23d day
of the Chinese moon (19th of July,
1900).
His Majesty the Emperor of
China to His Excellency the President of the French
Republic, greeting:
China has been bound in friendship for many years with your
honorable country. All the affairs concerning the frontiers of
Kuang Si and of the Yunnan have been discussed and are on the
way to a satisfactory settlement. There are no grievances
between us. Recently the population and the Christians becoming
hostile to one another, certain rebels among the population have
profited by the occasion to give themselves up to depredations;
whence it has resulted that foreign nations have suspected that
the Court has given proof of its sympathy for the people and its
jealousy toward the Christians. Since, the attack upon and the
capture of the Taku forts have taken place; after which military
action and misfortunes have succeeded, rendering the situation
still more complicated and serious. Since we consider that in
the international relations of China your honorable nation has
the most cordial bearing toward China, and that since China is
to-day so pressed by circumstances as to be at the point of
calling down upon herself the anger of the whole world, it could
not be otherwise than that we should count upon your honorable
country alone to arrange the difficulties and to unravel
complications. We lay bare to you our most private sentiments,
and with absolute frankness we address you this letter in the
sole hope that you will find means, Mr. President of the
Republic, to arrange things, and that you will take the
initiative to change the actual situation. We pray you at the
same time to have the kindness to address to us a kindly reply,
which reply it is impossible that we should not await with the
most extreme anxiety.
The 23d day of the sixth moon of the
twenty-sixth year Kuang hsü (July 19,
1900).
We pray you to transmit the proceeding in obedience to the
Imperial decree, and to reply to me by cable.
