and that these places are not open to the residence of foreign consuls, who could look after and arrange such difficulties as they arise; and I would suggest that you take into careful consideration what has so often been urged upon the attention of the government, and see whether the opening of these disturbed districts to trade and the residence of foreign consuls would not be the best means you could adopt to prevent missionary troubles. But, conceding that the charges you make are substantially correct, and the troubles as great as you represent, the remedy, it appears to me, is quite simple, requiring no extraordinary rules or regulations. You say that the trouble arises chiefly from the illegal acts of the native Christians, and the attempt on the part of the missionaries to shield these people from the just punishments for their crimes. In reply, I have to say that the Government of the United States, while it claims to exercise, under and by virtue of the stipulations of treaty, the exclusive right of judging of the wrongful acts of its citizens resident in China, and of punishing them when found guilty according to its own laws, does not assume to claim or exercise any authority or control over the natives of China. This rule applies equally to merchants and missionaries, and so far as I know all foreign governments having treaties with China adhere strictly to this rule. In case, however, missionaries see that native Christians are being persecuted by the local officials on account of their religious opinions, in violation of the letter and spirit of the XXIXth article of the treaty between the United States and China, it would be proper, and entirely in accordance with the principles of humanity and the teachings of their religion, to make respectful representation of the facts in such cases to the local authorities direct, or through their diplomatic representative to the Foreign Office; for it cannot be presumed that the imperial government would sanction any violation of treaty engagement, or that the local officials would allow persecutions for opinion's sake, when once the facts are made known to them. In doing this the missionaries should conform to Chinese custom and etiquette, so far as it can be done without assuming an attitude that would be humiliating and degrading to themselves. With reference to Rule 1, as proposed, the undersigned is not prepared to speak. The American missionaries have no establishments of the kind alluded to, and he cannot assent to or dissent from a proposition which has for its object the regulation and government of asylums of a distinct religious sect, under the special protection of another nation. He would, however, observe in this connection, that there are Roman Catholic orphan asylums in all parts of the United States, over which the Government exercises no surveillance or control; and, instead of arousing suspicion and hatred, these charities are so well and favorably known that they merit praise and commendation, and receive contributions for their support from both government and people, irrespective of religious creed, wherever they are located. It would, I think, be well for the gov ernment of China to expend its energies in the more weighty concerns of administration, and allow charities of all kinds, which have for their object the amelioration of the condition of children or adults, the largest freedom compatible with the safety and well-being of the people. Rule 2 is without apparent reason, and unjust. Among all western nations females attend churches in common with the males, and their religious teachings conduce to the highest good. Their attending church in company with parents, husbands, and friends should in no manner give rise to suspicions. On the contrary, their presence in such places is a guarantee against illegal combination or plots against the state or individuals. In western lands it is considered of the highest importance that females be educated in literature and religion, so that they may be fitted to rear families who will become useful and honest members of society. So fixed has this principle become in all Christian countries that a proposition of this character will be regarded as an unfriendly interference to prevent the carrying into effect, in its proper sense, Article XXIX of the treaty before alluded to. I deeply regret that such a rule should have been proposed. Instead of being accepted by the treaty powers, the mere mention of it will, I fear, cause some to doubt the good faith of the government and people of China in their profession of a desire to observe all treaty stipulations. Rules 3 and 4 appear to me entirely unnecessary. Missionaries have no right under the treaties to do the things complained of; hence any additional regulations to prevent such acts are superfluous. When native Christians offend they are subject to, and under the control of, the laws and officials of their own country; nor do I see how it is possible for the missionaries to oppress the people in any way. In the United States every person is allowed the largest liberty in the discussion of all subjects pertaining to government or religion. In this way the people hear all sides, and are the better able to judge between the true and the false. If the Buddhist, Taoish, Confucian, and Christian faiths could all be explained without hinderance, the people will judge of the merits of each and adhere to the one that seems to be the most reasonable and true. Each sect will find adherents and followers, but there need not on this account arise ill-will, jealousy, or hatred between the followers of these sects. It would be well, I think, for the government to make further inquiries into the customs of foreign nations, and see whether it would not promote a better understanding between natives and foreigners, without weakening the government or lessening the respect of the people for their rulers, if greater freedom were allowed in the worship of all religions, and the adherence to any sect the people choose without interference on the part of the government. If native Christians are exempted from the payment of contributions for theatrical plays and processions it shows a spirit of justice on the part of their rulers, and should in no way cause them to evade the payment of their proportion of other proper taxes and assessments; nor should missionaries uphold them in such acts. But foreign missionaries, while it is their duty to refrain from any interference between natives and the officials, except to explain cases when explanations will be of service to enable justice to be done, and which the officials will, without doubt, always be glad to have if they are honest, cannot be held subject to Chinese law except in the way of arrest and delivery to the consular officers of their own country, according to the rule laid down in the treaties. In the cases cited which occurred in Szchinen, where it is charged that the Christian culprit ran away and evaded justice, the proper officers are, it seems to me, alone responsible for all this. The missionaries had no right to shield, screen, or secrete these people, nor should they be censured if they refuse to act the part of police officers in the arrest of Christians. This all belongs to the local officials to do. If the men were guilty, I fail to see any good reason why they were not arrested and punished the same as Ho Tsai and Liuh Fuh, if the officers had done their duty. Rule 5 seems to me proper enough, except that portion authorizing a refusal of passports for provinces where rebellion may exist. If consented to, this might practically nullify the whole passport system provided for in the treaties. Missionaries will hardly take the risk of going into districts where rebellion is rife ; and if they do, on them will fall the penalty of such rash acts. In the last ten years, during which passports have been granted, no cases have been reported in which the holders have gone among rebels to aid them in any way. Rule 6. I fail to see what practical good would come from a registry of the members of each church, were it assented to. It is not to be supposed that all enrolled as members of the Buddhist, Taoish, Confucian, or Christian sects are pure and honest men; nor should the fact of their being so enrolled exempt them from arrest and punishment in case they commit offenses against the laws. In the cases mentioned that happened in Kweichan in 1866 and 1869, instead of making these a ground of general complaint to the Foreign Office, why did not the governor cause the arrest and punishment of the brigands? Their profession of Christianity certainly did not exempt them from the just consequences of their evil deeds. It would seem that the officers, instead of attending to their own proper duties in the administration and due execution of the laws, chose to allow these people to escape for the purpose of reporting these cases, and on them founding a general charge against Christianity and the missionaries. If lawless people, whether Christians or non-Christians, are allowed to oppress the orphans and the helpless, deceive and exact from the villagers, and assume improper positions in the courts, instead of listening to such complaints from those whose duty it is to prevent and punish such outrages, the officials should, it seems to me, be summarily deprived of their rank and severely punished for allowing these things to go on. Rules 7 and 8. If the missionaries assume to exercise powers unauthorized by treaty and regulations, use seals, or adopt a style in addressing the officials in any way unbecoming, the representative of the government to which they belong, upon a proper statement of the facts, would issue such orders as would prevent a repetition of such improprieties. In case of any gross breach of etiquette by an American missionary, I should, upon the fact being made known to me, take steps to prevent such occurrences in the future. It is the custom of the American missionaries to use caution when they go to a new place to rent rooms or houses, and they endeavor by all means to so manage as to gain the good will of the people. Instances have occurred where they have been prevented from renting or buying property for no other reason, apparently, than a disposition to embarrass and hinder them in their preaching. Many cases of this kind have occurred which would have formed just grounds for complaint to the Foreign Office. I have, however, refrained from making complaints of this character, as I felt sure that as soon as the real purposes of the missionaries became better understood there would be less and less opposition to them on the part of the people. With reference to the restoration of property which was confiscated many years ago, and of the use of which its proper owners have been deprived, that is a matter which concerns the missionaries of the Roman Catholic faith alone, and must be arranged with the representative of France. It is, perhaps, but natural that disputes and difficulties should occur in the settlement of such a question. No fixed rule is possible which will apply in all cases of this nature. Nothing but mutual forbearance, and a desire to settle amicably, in a spirit of justice, these questions, will be likely to accomplish a satisfactory result. The experience gained in the solution of these questions will, undoubtedly, prove a useful lesson to both officials and people. It will clearly demonstrate that unjust and unlawful persecutions and confiscations will require reparation sooner or later, and prove that the best way to avoid the difficulties that have caused so much anxiety and trouble during the past ten years is to act justly toward all people and all religious sects; then foreign nations will have no claims of this nature to urge. To assure peace in the future, the people must be better informed of the purposes of foreigners. They must be taught that merchants are engaged in trade which cannot but be beneficial to both native and foreigner, and that missionaries seek only the welfare of the people, and are engaged in no political plots or intrigues against the government. Whenever cases occur in which the missionaries overstep the bounds of decorum, or interfere in matters with which they have no proper concern, let each case be reported promptly to the minister of the country to which it belongs. Such isolated instances should not produce prejudice or engender hatred against those who observe their obligations, nor should sweeping complaints be made against all on this account. Those from the United States sincerely desire the reformation of those whom they teach, and to do this they urge the examination of the Holy Scriptures, wherein the great doctrines of the present and a future state, and also the resurrection of the soul, are set forth, with the obligation of repentance, belief in the Savior, and the duties of man to himself and others. It is owing, in a great degree, to the prevalence of a belief in the truth of the scriptures that western nations have attained their power and prosperity. To enlighten the people is a duty which the officials owe to the people, to foreigners, and themselves; for if, in consequence of ignorance, the people grow discontented and insurrection and riots occur, and the lives and property of foreigners are destroyed or imperiled, the government cannot escape its responsibility for these unlawful acts. If the danger is as great as the contents of your communication would appear to indicate, and that, owing to the ignorance of the common people, all will be likely to suffer, irrespective of nationality or religious belief, then it certainly is a matter of great concern to all foreign governments, which should lead them to consult and seek means to prevent, if possible, such a catastrophe, and also adopt measures for defending their rights under the several treaties. If I have failed to comprehend fully the difficulties and dangers which surround the ⚫ situation which you have endeavored to point out, or if I have omitted noticing any point of importance, I am quite ready and willing to meet you and the other members of the Foreign Office, and discuss these as well as other questions of difference between your country and foreign nations, in a spirit of forbearance, with an earnest desire to so arrange and settle all questions that peace and mutual confidence may long continue. With renewed assurances of regard and consideration, I have the honor to remain your excellencies' obedient servant, Their Excellencies WAN-TSIANG. FREDERICK F. LOW. [Inclosure No. 3.-Dispatch No. 56.] [Translation.] Copy of a confidential note addressed by the Chinese minister Wán-tsiang to Sir Rutherford Alcock, late British minister at Peking. The writer again addresses. [Sir R. Alcock.] JUNE 26, 1869. The object of foreigners who enter the interior to propagate their doctrines is the exhortation of men to virtue. But among their converts there are evil-disposed and well-disposed. [The latter,] relying on their creed as a sort of magic spell which shall protect them, by their conduct bring the preaching of Christianity into such discredit that [the people] are unwilling to allow the missionary to remain in any place that he goes to. Add to this that the missionary only thinks of the number of converts he can make; he makes no inquiry into private character, but receives and enrols all [who come.] Having entered the [Christian] society, the good are bent, no doubt, on being good; but on the other hand, the evil make [their religion] a pretext for defrauding and oppressing unoffending people, till, by degrees, indignation and rage reach a point at which the relations of the two parties become as those of fire and water. At the present time, as the British minister must doubtless be well aware, case after case of murder has occurred, the consequence of feuds between Christians and non-Christians. Although the creeds of the various foreign countries differ in their origin and development from each other, the natives of China are unable to see the distinction between them. In their eyes all [teachers of religion] are "missionaries from the west," and directly they hear a lying story [about any of these missionaries,] without making further and minute inquiry [into its truth] they rise in a body to molest him. The Yang-chow affair is plain evidence of this. Now, if no preventive measures be taken, some great catastrophe will inevitably arise. Regulations ought, therefore, to be drawn up with such care as shall enable them to protect native Christians from making their religion a pretext for extorting money from honest people, or the non-Christians from taking advantage of their numerical superiority to defraud and oppress the Christians, which shall, besides, bring missionaries, even as the priests of the Buddhist and Taoist sects, under the jurisdiction of the local authorities. Seeing that missionaries wish to reside in China, and that their doctrines may gradually be propagated far and wide, they cannot wish the Chinese to look upon them as differing from themselves. They ought, therefore, to put themselves on the same footing as Chinese subjects. Buddhism is also a creed of western origin, but the reason why its followers have so long been at peace with the Chinese, each party adhering to his own religion, is this: that although there is a difference of religion, the propagators of this creed are, as well as the others, under the control of the local authorities; and so in Confucianism, the system most esteemed in China, when such men as Chin-Shih and Hau-lin, (those who have taken the highest degrees,) after having filled official positions, return home or become the heads of schools, they become subordinate, as they were before [they took office,] to the local authorities. This is always the rule. At the present time foreign missionaries as a general rule adopt the Chinese dress, but they do not [at the same time] submit to Chinese law. They thus begin by holding themselves as outside, [the pale of the law,] and show to others that they are not to be treated as ordinary people; and the native Christians go further. They defraud and oppress ordinary subjects of the country, or withstand and disobey the authorities. [Such being the case,] it is not to be wondered at that men become indignant, and that surprise is everywhere manifested. But let only this change be made, viz, that [missionaries] be placed under the control of the local authorities, (who must not be allowed to be vexatious in their treatment of them,) and the result will be that Christians and non-Christians will be placed on a just level vis-à-vis each other, and no trouble will arise from unexpected sources. The missionary question moreover gravely affects the whole question of commercial relations. Such measures must, therefore, be devised in time that shall insure the maintenance of everlasting and sincere friendship. The writer hopes for a reply. No. 61.] No. 29. Mr. Low to Mr. Fish. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Peking, April 3, 1871. (Received July 22.) SIR: I have the honor to send herewith translation of a note from the Foreign Office, in reply to one from me requesting the good offices of the Chinese government to send a letter from me to the King of Corea. The note, you will observe, contains a declaration that, while Corea is considered and treated as a tributary kingdom, entire independence is conceded in all that relates to its government, religion, and intercourse with foreign nations. This declaration is made at this time, undoubtedly, to guard against complications that may possibly grow out of an attempt by foreign nations to open intercourse with Corea, and relieve this Government of all responsibility for the acts of the Coreans, whether hostile or otherwise. It is altogether probable that this course has been adopted by the Chinese officials in consequence of the action of the representative of France, who assumed to hold China responsible for the acts of the Coreans who murdered and expelled the French missionaries in 1866. The announcement that the sending of the letter is a departure from long-established custom and therefore exceptional, which must not be construed into a precedent for granting similar favors in the future, is put forth in this way to be quoted in case any other government should ask a similar favor. The timidity of the Chinese officials when called upon to perform any duty not in accordance with long-established precedent and custom is quite apparent, and also their desire to avoid all complications which may by any possibility involve their government in difficulty. The note in question also exhibits in rather a striking manner the superabundance of circumlocution with which all action of the officials is attended. This will be more apparent when you are informed that, prior to writing the letter in question or making any request to have it sent, I sought an interview with the members of the Foreign Office, at which I explained fully my purposes, the objects I have in view, and what I desire them to do, and obtained from them a promise that my wishes should be complied with. I have the honor, &c., F. F. LOW. No. 1. LETTER FROM THE FOREIGN OFFICE, SIR: We were honored on the 7th of this month by receiving your dispatch, in which you informed us that, as you had been appointed special envoy to go to Corea, there to negotiate upon matters of public interest, you had decided to send a letter to the authorities of that land, and therefore requested us to forward it on your behalf. In relation to this request we may observe, that although Corea is regarded as a country subordinate to China, yet she is wholly independent in everything that relates to her government, her religion, her prohibitions, and her laws; in none of these things has China hitherto interfered. It was necessary, therefore, in order to forward your dispatch, for the Foreign Office to present a memorial, requesting that it might be transferred to the board of rites to be sent on; but we previously stated to you, that it is impossible to determine now whether the Corean authorities will return an answer. On the 12th instant we memorialized the throne, requesting that the board of rites might be allowed to write a dispatch to accompany this letter to be forwarded to Corea, and notified that board at the same time. We have now received an answer from the board, stating that on the 22d of this month His Majesty had been informed that this dispatch, carefully sealed, had that day been transmitted to the board of war to be sent on by its couriers. This answer further stated that in all the relations of China with its dependent states the long-established rules of the board of rites had never contained any provision about forwarding letters to them; the permission now granted for it to do such a thing was therefore only for this occasion; it was an extraordinary favor, quite in excess of usage, and one which could not, on any account, be again granted. We therefore make known this reply to your excellency; and while doing so avail ourselves of the opportunity to wish that you may enjoy daily happiness. Cards of WANSIANG, PAOYUN,. No. 68.] No. 30. Mr. Low to Mr. Fish. ON BOARD FLAG-SHIP COLORADO, SIR: By the last mail I received a dispatch from H. M. Brent, esq., United States chargé d'affaires in Peru, inclosing a document written in the Chinese language, which he supposed was a petition from the |