[Handed to the President by Minister Wu, October 17, 1900.]
The following telegraphic Imperial letter, dated October 14, 1900, forwarded by the privy council from Tung-Kuan (in Shensi) and retransmitted from Shanghai by Director-General Sheng under date of October 16, has been received by Minister Wu:
The Emperor of the Ta Tsing Empire to His Excellency the President of the United States, greeting:
We are extremely grateful to Your Excellency for taking the initiative in the withdrawal of troops (from Pekin) and for consenting, in the interest of friendly relations, to use your kindly offices between China and the friendly powers who have been offended on account of the recent unexpected uprising in China.
We therefore especially delegate our envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, [Page 29] Wu Ting-fang, to personally deliver this telegraphic letter to Your Excellency conveying our sincere expression of thanks.
We beg that Your Excellency, in the interest of peace and international good relations, will exert your friendly influence with other powers toward the complete effacement of all ill feeling and the speedy determination on their part to negotiate for a peaceful settlement. For this we shall feel unbounded gratitude toward Your Excellency, whose good offices we are now earnestly beseeching.