File No. 2413/146–148.
Minister Rockhill
to the Secretary of State.
[Extract.]
American Legation,
Peking, July 16,
1908.
No. 966.]
Sir: In further reference to your telegraphic
instruction of May 25, 1908, directing me to inform the Chinese
Government that Congress had passed an act authorizing the President to
modify the indemnity bond given the United States by China under the
provisions of Article VI of the Peking final protocol of September 7,
1901, and remit to China, as an act of friendship, a portion of it, I
have the honor to inclose copy of my note to the Prince of Ch’ing, his
reply thereto and the supplementary note outlining the scheme of the
Imperial Government for the creation of an educational mission in the
United States.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
Minister Rockhill to the Prince of
Ch’ing.
American Legation,
Peking, July 11,
1908.
Your Highness: It is with great
satisfaction that I have the honor to inform your highness, under
direction of the Secretary of State of the United States, that a
bill has passed the Congress of the United States authorizing the
President to modify the indemnity bond given the United States by
China under the provisions of Article VI of the final protocol of
September 7, 1901, from $24,440,000 United States gold currency to
$13,655,492.29, with interest at 4 per cent per annum. Of this
amount $2,000,000 are held pending the result of hearings on private
claims presented to the Court of Claims of the United States within
one year. Any balance remaining after such adjudication is also to
be returned to the Chinese Government in such manner as the
Secretary of State shall decide.
The President is further authorized under the bill to remit to China
the remainder of the indemnity as an act of friendship, such
payments and remissions to be made at such times and in such a
manner as he may deem just.
I am also directed by the Secretary of State to request the Imperial
Government kindly to favor him with its views as to the time and
manner of the remissions.
Trusting that your imperial highness will favor me with an early
reply to communicate to my Government, I avail, etc.
[Inclosure
2.—Translation.]
The Prince of Ch’ing
to Minister Rockhill.
Foreign Office,
Peking, July 14,
1908.
Your Excellency: I have the honor to
acknowledge the receipt of your dispatch of July 11, informing me
that you had been directed by the Secretary of State to notify me
that a bill has passed the Congress of the United States
[Page 68]
authorizing the President to
modify the indemnity bond given the United States by China under the
provision of Article VI of the final protocol of September 7, 1901,
from $24,440,000 United States gold currency, to $13,655,492.29,
with interest at 4 per cent per annum. Of this amount $2,000,000 are
held pending the result of hearings on private claims presented to
the Court of Claims of the United States within one year. Any
balance remaining after such adjudication is also to be returned to
the Chinese Government in such manner as the Secretary of State
shall decide. The President is further authorized under the bill to
remit to China the remainder of the indenmity as an act of
friendship, such payments to be made at such times and in such a
manner as he may deem just. As directed by the Secretary of State,
your excellency requests the Imperial Government kindly to favor him
with its views as to the time and manner of the remissions, and asks
an early reply to communicate to your excellency’s Government.
On reading this dispatch I was profoundly impressed with the justice
and great friendliness of the American Government, and wish to
express our sincerest thanks.
Concerning the time and manner of the return to China of the amounts
to be remitted, the Imperial Government has no wishes to express in
the matter. It relies implicitly on the friendly intentions of the
United States Government, and is convinced that it will adopt such
measures as are best calculated to attain the end it has in
view.
The Imperial Government, wishing to give expression to the high value
it places on the friendship of the United States, finds in its
present action a favorable opportunity for doing so. Mindful of the
desire recently expressed by the President of the United States to
promote the coming of Chinese students to the United States to take
courses in the schools and higher educational institutions of the
country, and convinced by the happy results of past experience of
the great value to China of education in American schools, the
Imperial Government has the honor to state that it is its intention
to send henceforth yearly to the United States a considerable number
of students there to receive their education. The board of foreign
affairs will confer with the American minister in Peking concerning
the elaboration of plans for the carrying out of the intention of
the Imperial Government.
A necessary dispatch.
[Seal of the Wai Wu Pu.]
[Inclosure 3.]
The Foreign Office to
Minister Rockhill.
Foreign Office,
Peking, July 14,
1908.
Referring to the dispatch just sent to your excellency regarding
sending students to America, it has now been determined that from
the year when the return of the indemnity begins 100 students shall
be sent to America every year for four years, so that 400 students
may be in America by the fourth year. From the fifth year and
throughout the period of the indemnity payments a minimum of 50
students will be sent each year.
As the number of students will be very great there will be difficulty
in making suitable arrangements for them. Therefore in the matter of
choosing them, as well as in the matter of providing suitable homes
for them in America and selecting the schools which they are to
enter we hope to have your advice and assistance. The details of our
scheme will have to be elaborated later, but we take this occasion
to state the general features of our plan and ask you to inform the
American Government of it. We sincerely hope that the American
Government will render us assistance in the matter.
Wishing you all prosperity,
- Prince of Ch’ing.
- Na T’ung.
- Yuan Shih-k’ai.
- Lien Fang.
- Liang Tun-yen.
