Office of the Historian

Mr. Le Gendre to Mr. Seward

No. 17.]
Consulate of the United States of America, Amoy, April 1, 1867.

Sir: I have the honor to bring to your immediate knowledge an extract of a despatch just received (enclosure No. 1) from Mr. McPhail, of Formosa, and conveying to me the painful intelligence of the murder of 13 Americans.

I shall leave at once for the seat of the occurrence, availing myself of the presence, at Foochow, of the United States gunboat Ashuelot to strengthen my hands in the measures I may be compelled to take to obtain redress and compensation from the local authorities of the island.

I advise the minister at Peking of the affair, asking for instructions as to future steps.

This painful news reached me as I was furnishing a special report of the Coolie case, tried in this court during the quarter ended March 31, 1867, which I had hoped to send you by this mail; I shall do so by the next French mail. This case appears, however, in the usual quarterly report sent to the department through the consulate general.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

CHARLES W. LE GENDRE, United States Consul.

Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.

Extract of letter of Mr. McPhail, of Formosa.

About ten days ago the American bark Rover, from Swatow, bound to Neuchwang, in ballast, was wrecked on the “Bashas.” The crew, 14 in all, made their way to a place called “Pang Livio,” about 20 miles from Tachow, in the long boat, where they were all murdered by the savages, except one who has arrived at Takow.