Mr. Hay to Mr. Wu.
Washington , March 11, 1902 .
Sir: Referring to your note No. 213, of October 25 last, inclosing for the Department’s information the translation of a dispatch addressed to you by His Excellency Liu Kun-yih, viceroy at Nanking, relative to a rupture at Hsin-Chin between Chinese converts of the American Protestant mission and those of a Roman Catholic mission, * * * I have the honor to inform you that the Department is in receipt of a dispatch, dated January 21 last, from Minister Conger, inclosing a copy of correspondence on the subject with the United States consul-general at Shanghai.
As showing how sedulously the American missionary societies in China endeavor to prevent such unseemly occurrences, I have the [Page 138] honor to inclose herewith for your information a copy of a communication,a dated August 26, from Viceroy Liu to the consul-general, and a copy of the latter’s replya dated August 29.
In this case the American mission at Nanchang, the nearest station, had no connection whatever with the matter. The correspondence exchanged between the consul-general and the viceroy in August makes this clear, and disposes of the viceroy’s complaint addressed to you on August 19.
Accept, etc.,