Office of the Historian

File No. 803/5–7.

Chargé Coolidge to the Secretary of State.

American Legation,
Peking, November 20, 1906.
No. 454.]

Sir: Continuing the subject of my No. 439, of November 3, with regard to the designation of officials empowered to issue certificates to Chinese of the exempt class traveling abroad who desire to visit the United States, I have the honor to inclose the reply of the Chinese Government to my note, and a further communication which I have addressed to Prince Ch’ing concerning certain selections which seem to me obviously undesirable.

As the dispatch from the Chinese minister, which arrived while my first note was under discussion, shows that he is negotiating with the [Page 277] department about the same question, I shall await instructions before taking any further steps.

I have, etc.,

John Gardner Coolidge.
[Inclosure 1.—Translation.]

The Prince of Ch’ing to Chargé Coolidge.

Foreign Office,
Peking, November 16, 1906.
No. 206.]

Your Excellency: On the 3d of November, 1906, I had the honor to receive a dispatch from your excellency stating that the State Department of the United States had never consented to the proposal that Chinese proceeding to the United States from countries other than China should obtain the certificates needed from Chinese ministers, chargé d’affaires, consuls-general, or consuls, resident in such countries, and that, in compliance with your instructions, you had to request me to designate a number of proper officials for this purpose.

While my board was just in the act of dealing with the question, a dispatch was received from His Excellency Sir Liang Chen-tung, the Chinese minister at Washington, stating that the Department of State of your honorable country had requested that a list might be prepared and sent to it, giving the ministers, chargé d’affaires, consuls-general, and consuls who were authorized to issue the said certificates, and the countries to which they were accredited, in order to facilitate examination.

My board has accordingly sent to His Excellency Sir Liang Chen-tung a list of the ministers, chargé d’affaires, consuls-general, consuls, and commercial agents in various countries as being those authorized to issue such certificates, to which list additions will be made from time to time, due notice thereof being given.

In addition to this action, it becomes my duty to forward inclosed a copy of the said list for your excellency’s information. A necessary dispatch. (Inclosure: List, as above.)

[seal of the wai wu pu]

[Subinclosure.]

The following is a list of the Chinese ministers, chargés d’affaires, consuls-general, consuls, and commercial agents, as at present stationed in various countries:

  • Ministers:
    • The minister to the United States,
    • The minister to Great Britain,
    • The minister to France,
    • The minister to Germany,
    • The minister to Russia,
    • The minister to the Netherlands,
    • The minister to Belgium,
    • The minister to Italy,
    • The minister to Austria-Hungary; and
    • The minister to Japan (being 10 in all).
  • Chargés d’affaires:
    • The chargé d’affaires in Spain,
    • The chargé d’affaires in Portugal,
    • The chargé d’affaires in Mexico,
    • The chargé d’affaires in Cuba; and
    • The chargé d’affaires in Peru (being 5 in all).
  • Consuls-general:
    • The consul-general in South Africa,
    • The consul-general in Korea,
    • The consul-general in Singapore,
    • The consul-general at Manila,
    • The consul-general at Yokohama; and
    • The consul-general at San Francisco (6 in all).
  • Consuls:
    • The consul at New York,
    • The consul at Kobe,
    • The consul at Nagasaki,
    • The consul at Honolulu,
    • The consul in the Chia-li-yo (Callao?),
    • The consul at Fusan,
    • The consul at Chemulpo,
    • The consul at Gensan (Port Lazareff),
    • The consul at Chinnampo; and
    • The consul at Penang (10 in all).
  • Commercial agent:
    • The commercial agent at Vladivostok (1 only).

[Inclosure 2.]

Chargé Coolidge to the Prince of Ch’ing.

American Legation,
Peking, November 19, 1906.
No. 185.]

Your Imperial Highness: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a dispatch under date of November 16, in which your imperial highness forwards a list of ministers, chargé d’affaires, consuls-general, and consuls of China in foreign countries, to whom it is proposed to intrust the duty of issuing certificates to Chinese desiring to proceed to the United States from the countries in which such officials are stationed. I note that a similar list has been sent to his excellency the Chinese minister at Washington.

I will immediately refer to my Government for further instructions, but I am sure that it would conduce to an early settlement if your imperial highness, in accordance with the principles expressed in my previous note, would reduce the number of these officials to one each in Japan and Korea, respectively, and would eliminate those stationed in the United States, who can not be concerned in the matter of issuing certificates to Chinese in other countries.

I avail, etc.,

John Gardner Coolidge.