The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1845-03-18
UNITED STATES LEGATION,

Jdacao .dpril 20, 1874.
SIR have the honor to acknowledge the receipt
this day, Of your Excellcncy's three letters under
date OF the 18th and Goth instant to certain points Of
which some brief reply seems requisite.
When i addressed your Exceliency on the 18th,
thanking you for copies of the treaty of Marking and
Of that of Portugal, | not aware of the fact,
which ! have since discovered with much regret,
that your Excelleucy did not deem it convenient to
communicate 10 me- the whole Of the treaty of Nam
king. 1r-
In regard to the letter which Mr. Forbes opened,
~ 10 bus Justice 10 hun 10 state that he did II in the
company OF Lieutenant Pegram, the aid-dc camp of
Commodore Parker, under the superstition that as
stated to him by the bearer of it, the letter de-
signed for Commodore Parker. ] regret the occur
renee OF the mistake, and it the farthest
possible from the intention of Mr.. Forbes to be
guilty OF any disrespect towards your Excellency-
No such accident could have happened, if The letter
had been sent To my residence instead of that Of Mr.
Forbes
In regard 10 he Brand WINE it is hardly necessary
Tor me 10 repeat that the object In visiting Whampoa
was one OF respect and friendship only, far IT
concerned the Chinese Government
1t Is customary, among all the nations of the West
for the ships OF of country to visit the ports
oil another IN time OF peace, and, n doing for the
commodore to exchange salutes with the local au-
hores and to pay his comp nents 10 person to the
principal public functonary. To omit these testi-
monies of good will is considered as evidence Of a
But your Exceency says the Provincial Govern
ment has no authority to exchange sautes with Com
modore Parker or 10 receive visit of ceremony from
him. And deeply regret, for the sake of China that
such is the fact. China will find it very difficult TO
main peace with any the GreatStaes of the West
so long as her Provincial Governors prohibited
either to give to receive manifestations of that
peace, 10 the exchange of the ordinary coureses of
national intercourse.
And cannot iorbesr to express my surprise that,
in the great and powerful Province of kwapg Tung,
the presence of single ship Of should be cause
Of apprehension to the local Government.
Least Of all should such apprehension be enter
tanned in reference to any ships of belonging to
the United States which now feels, and (unless Ill
Treatment OF our public agents should pr, duce
change Of sentments) will continue TO feel the most
hearty and sincere good will towards China.
And your Excellency will hnd, on inquiry, that
Commodore Parker, instead of doing any unusua
thing in anchoriog in the Bogue, has but followed the
example, in this respect, OF his predecessor, Commo
dore kearney, who spent some time at anchor there
two years ago, with the United States ships of war
Constellation and Boston.
Your Excelency quotes the late treaty with Eng
land as bearing on this question.
have examined The article referred to, and find
that by it England is required TO keep Government
vessel at anchor In each Of the FIVE ports of kwang
chow, Fucbow, Annoy, Ningpo, and Shanghai; but !
find nothing IN the article TO unit the size and the
armament of that vessel, and nothing which prohibits
England from keeping two or ten Government yes
sells in each of The five por,s if it suits her pleasure.
presume she consults her own convenience IN Keep
ing at present only Government vessel and tbat
Of small size, anchored at XIV angchow, which she |
may well do, having feet of large vessels at
hand at Hong Kong.
But does that article apply to the other great ma
tons of the West2 If so, and each of them is re-
quired TO keep government vessel In each of the |
five ports the effect will be to ell the very interior ports
Of China with large squadrons of foreign owar,
TO degree which might well give dIsqueiude to the
Chinese Government.
TO sst-ly your Government bat the late treaties be-
tween CHINA and Great Britain, instead of dispensing
witt all occasion for lies with America and France
have but odered such treaties he ndispensa
bly, necessary 10 the maintenance of peace and good
understanding.
| am confident your excellency will, reflection,
perceive that OF the cited, of the practice
of the British Government its officers, can have
any bearing the United States, for the reasons
which were limited at in my last commun ication.-l
The two cases will not begin to be parallel until
America shall have deemed her honor aggrieved by
the conduct OF China towards her public officers, and
shall thereupop have taken up arms, and shall have
seized upon portion Of the territory of the empire
God forbid that any such deplorabe events should oc-
to disturb the harmony which exists between
China and the United States.
have only to add, that when the Brandy wine
went TO Whampso IT was the intention of Commo-
dorc Parker to return the state of the tide
should adui If her crossing the bar in safety and
TO this original intention he will still adhere. have
no disposition to increase the ombMrsssments to
which your escflcncy is already subjected, by the