Mr. Reid to Mr. Hay.

No. 2.]

Sir: Our official calls on the other special embassies were interrupted when nearly concluded by the news of the operation on the King and the indefinite postponement of the coronation. The call on the Chinese special ambassador had not yet been made.

On Wednesday afternoon, however, His Imperial Highness Prince Chen called in person at Brook House, accompanied by a secretary and interpreter and other members of his suite. After the preliminary greetings Prince Chen explained through the interpreter that it had been his special desire to make this call, notwithstanding the interruption caused by the postponement of the coronation. He added very cordial expressions of the particular friendliness felt by the Emperor and his country toward the United States on account of our action in the late disturbances.

[Page 544]

The next day, having ascertained at what hour the Prince would find it convenient to receive a return call, I presented myself at the Hotel Cecil, accompanied by Rear-Admiral Watson, General Wilson, Commander Cowles, Mr. Morgan, Mr. Baylies, and other members of the suite. We were shown immediately into the Prince’s apartments and received by him with dignity and cordiality. We found that he was at that moment receiving the Japanese special ambassador, Prince Komatsu, accompanied by his suite, and that it was at the request of both the princes that we had been shown in before the Japanese call was finished. General conversation followed, and the Japanese soon took their leave.

The Prince then made inquiries as to the health of both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Some brief reference of mine to the services of General Wilson and Admiral Watson led to the Prince’s expressing his warm gratification and that of his Government with the conduct of the United States forces in China in upholding order and repressing outrages; and he dwelt particularly on their great usefulness in preserving the palace. He remembered also with gratitude the conduct of our Navy when the forts were bombarded. He said the Emperor had learned to look upon the United States as the true friend of himself and his countrymen. The Prince explained that, while he could not enter upon questions of domestic politics, he desired at any rate to say that undoubtedly his sovereign had not always been able to carry out his own policy or enforce his personal wishes. The Emperor had earnestly forbidden many of the regrettable acts that had occurred and had once gone so far as to declare that if the armed forces continued to disobey him and fire on the legations he would ask them rather to turn their fire upon himself.

In reply I ventured to express the opinion that the Government of the United States certainly desired the prosperity and territorial integrity of China; that it believed the interests of both countries would be equally served by peace and good order, and that it asked only the “open door.”

The conversation covered considerable ground, the Prince being apparently desirous of impressing us with the special good will of China. He spoke fluently in Chinese, asking and replying rapidly to questions with keen intelligence. A member of his suite, who spoke excellent English, acted as interpreter, and it is possible that he and his chief expressed themselves with more freedom because it had happened that I met him in the diplomatic service years before.

The interview lasted for over half an hour and was followed by friendly and cordial farewells between the members of the two suites, the Prince and the interpreter in the end accompanying us to the staircase.

These two calls and the substance of the conversation seemed out of the usual course of interviews on this purely ceremonious occasion, and in such contrast with the attitude understood to have been usually held heretofore by members of the Chinese imperial family toward foreigners, that I have thought it perhaps my duty to present this brief report of the facts.

I have, etc.,

Whitelaw Reid.