No. 292.
Mr. Dinsmore to Mr. Bayard.
[Extract]
Legation of
the United States,
Seoul
Corea, September 30, 1887. (Received
November 10.)
No. 53.]
Sir: To-day at 3 o’clock p.m. I had the honor to
dispatch to you a telegram reporting that the departure of the recently
appointed Corean envoy to the United States had been interfered with by the
Chinese minister at Seoul, acting under the instructions of the Emperor of
China.
It was publicly announced in Seoul in the official gazette on that date that
Mr. Pak Chun Yang had been appointed by His Majesty the King of Corea envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the United States. Since that
time Mr. Pak and his friends have been very active making preparations to
set out on the mission, the King taking the greatest interest in the matter.
The minister’s suite was fully formed, all the secretaries and interpreters
being appointed.
At the King’s urgent request, Dr. H. N. Allen, one of our best and most
useful American residents, was induced to accept the second place in the
mission with the title of American secretary. Dr. Allen repaired with his
family to Chemulpo, there to join the minister and sail on the 27th instant,
and two other members of the mission had gone overland to Fusan there to
attach themselves to the suite, when on Saturday last the minister, having
taken formal leave of His Majesty, retired immediately without the walls, as
is their custom, to leave his capital city for Washington.
The Chinese minister, since his visit to Chemulpo professedly to leave for
China in August last, as reported in my number 51 of August 23, has been in
seclusion almost the whole of the time, but within the last ten days he has
made his presence known by his efforts to interfere with the mission to
America.
He importuned the King, as I am informed, to change his purpose, but the King
insisted that the minister should go, even after Mr. Yuan, the Chinese
minister, had reported to him a telegram received by him from the Viceroy Li
Hung Chang.
I have obtained a reliable translation of Mr. Yuan’s note communicating this
message, and have the honor to inclose a copy herein, and a second telegram
reported as having been received from the Viceroy, by order of the Emperor,
demanding that Corea must first obtain China’s consent before she sends
ministers abroad.
A correct translation of Mr. Yuan’s note, containing a copy of this telegram,
is also inclosed herewith.
[Page 434]
When Mr. Pak had gone out of the city gate he was met by Chinese officers, it
is said, and was induced to delay his departure. Heremained outside of the
walls, I am informed by Coreans, two or three days, when he was summoned
back by the King, who is extremely anxious to have his minister go, and has
sent me messages every day that he would send him; but he has been led to
believe that China will make war on him, and he knows that without
assistance he could offer but a weak defense.
On Tuesday, accordingly, I wrote a note to Mr. Yuan, in respectful terms,
expressing my surprise at what I had learned to be his course in the matter
of the Corean mission to the United States, citing the terms of the treaty
and the instrumentality of the Viceroy in effecting the treaty and his
knowledge of its provisions, and asking why he should discriminate
unfavorably against us as between the United States and Japan; that no
objection had been urged to a minister going from Corea to the latter
country. Inclosed I transmit a copy of my note.
On my return to the legation from the telegraph office I found an official
letter in answer, a copy of which is herewith inclosed, setting forth what
he understands to be the facts, and denying that he prevented the departure
of the minister, but setting up the claim of the suzerainty of China and the
necessity of her consent before Corea may send missions abroad.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1 in No.
53.—Translation.]
Mr. Yuan Sü Kwai to
the Corean Government.
On the 2d of this moon (September 18) I received a telegram from Li Hung
Chang of following contents: “According to general rules of
international relations of Corea, she has first to consult with me. I
heard lately that Corea is sending ministers to foreign countries, and
does so without first consulting me. Besides, in foreign countries Corea
has no merchants or trade. What necessity is there, then, for sending
ministers abroad? It would only overburden you with debt. What affairs
have the ministers to attend to, and what object have you in view?
“Communicate the receipt of this telegram to the Corean Government and
let me know the result.”
Having received this telegram, it became my duty to inform the Corean
Government. Send me an answer soon, so that I may send it in due time to
the Viceroy.
I hope you will refrain from carrying out your inclination.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
53.—Translation.]
Mr. Yuan Sü Kwai to
the Corean Government.
To-day at 9 o’clock I received from his excellency the Viceroy Li Hung
Chang the following telegram:
I have received by telegram, through Tsung-li Yamên, the following
imperial order Corea is sending ministers to western countries. She has
certainly first to ask our permission, and after getting it, to send
them.
“This would be the way for a dependent State to act.
“Let the Corean Government know this as soon as possible, so that it may
be able to act in accord with the imperial order.”
Having received this, I feel it my duty to officially inform the Corean
Government. Please kindly take notice of this and carry out the imperial
order.
[Page 435]
[Incloaure 3 in No. 53.]
Mr. Dinsmore to Mr.
Yuan Sü Kwai.
Legation of the United States,
Seoul Corea, September 27,
1887.
Sir: More than a month ago it was publicly and
officially announced by the Corean authorities in Seoul that Mr. Pak
Chun Yang had been appointed by His Majesty the King of Corea minister
plenipotentiary to the United States. On the 16th instant I received a
dispatch from the Corean foreign office, informing me officially of the
appointment, and saying that the minister would proceed at once to
Washington. The minister’s suite was completely formed, the secretaries
duly appointed, one of whom is Dr. H. N. Allen, an American citizen,
who, in pursuance of his appointment, has disposed of all his property
in Seoul at a sacrifice and left the capital with his family for the
port of Chemulpo, where he expected to join the minister and sail
immediately for America. I am advised that his excellency the minister
had taken formal leave of his sovereign, preparatory to departure, when,
at the last moment, I learn to my surprise that he is not to depart, and
that the cause is interference of your excellency, acting officially
under authority of His Imperial Chinese Majesty’s Government.
Will you kindly inform me whether it be true that you have prevented the
sending of the minister to the United States, as His Majesty the King of
Corea was about to do, and whether you have been directed by your
Government to do so?
Such a course on the part of the Chinese Government could not but be
surprising, when we consider that the treaty between the United States
and Corea, largely brought about through the kindly instrumentality of
his excellency the Viceroy Li Hung Chang, to whom all its terms were
fully known, expressly provides that “the high contracting powers may
each appoint diplomatic representatives to reside at the court of the
other, and may each appoint consular representatives at the ports of the
other which are open to foreign commerce at their own convenience.”
Again, I am unable to conceive upon what ground China would make a
discrimination between the United States and Japan unfriendly to the
former Government. A minister was sent by His Majesty the King of Corea
to reside at the court of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Japan,
without objection from the Chinese Government. It is difficult to
believe that the Imperial Chinese Government has adopted a course
towards the United States in this matter so at variance with its
friendly and considerate conduct in the past, and with the expressions
contained in their treaty of friendship which have been so long
observed.
I have, etc.,
Hugh A.
Dinsmore,
Minister Resident of
the United States.
[Incloaure 4 in No. 53.]
Mr. Yuan Sü Kwai to
Mr. Dinsmore.
His
Imperial Chinese Majesty’s Residency,
Seoul, 30 September, 1887 (14th
day, 8th noon, 13th year, Kwang Sü).
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of
your dispatch No. 28 of the 27th instant, in which the contents have
been carefully noted.
In reply I beg to say that I have heard all along about the same that you
did with reference to the official announcement of Mr. Pak Chun Yang as
having been appointed minister plenipotentiary to te United States, and
that the secretaries and the minister’s suite were completely
formed.
But as to your statement that “when, at the last moment, you learned with
surprise that the minister was not to depart, and that the cause was my
interference, acting under instructions from His Imperial Chinese
Majesty’s Government,” I can not esiplan your surprise otherwise but
that you are not acquainted with its full particulars, which I will
hereafter explain to you.
In the year of 1882, and the eighth year of His Imperial Majesty, the
reign of Kwang Sü, my Imperial Government granted special permission to
the King of Corea to establish a treaty of peace and friendship with the
United States, and wherein it distinctly declares, and your Government
acknowledges, Corea as a vassal State to China, and that any of her
obligations to China shall be carried out without the slightest
interference from other treaty powers, and I presume that you were aware
of this before your arrival in Corea.
[Page 436]
At the present circumstance, Corea sends missions abroad to all foreign
courts when she has complied with such obligations that are binding her
to China, and such obligations shall be performed without the slightest
interference on the part of your Government.
Further, permit me to say that when Corea sent the minister to Japan my
Government were informed of its proceedings after the mission had left
Corea, and my Government had not but more than received the information,
and had not even time to give it a reply, when again we hear that a
minister plenipotentiary had been appointed to the United States.
Therefore my Government, thinking that Corea had no longer remembered
her obligations to China, telegraphically instructed me to inform the
Corean Government to perform her duties and abide with the etiquette of
a tributary state. I am not aware that the mission had been prevented,
and moreover I am not aware that I prevented the sending of the minister
to the United States.
It is the sincere desire of my Government to be on the friendliest of
terms with all powers, and hope that you will be convinced that we make
no discrimination between one country and another, and as to your
statement that China makes a discrimination between the United States
and Japan, it is only because your excellency is not aware of the fall
details of its proceedings and has been caused a most unnecessary
uneasiness and surprise.
I avail myself, etc,
Yuan Sü
Kwai,
H. I. C.
M.,
By
S. Q. R.
