The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1859-12-13

A STRUGGLE WITH CHINESE ETI-
~" s'a QUETTE.

The American Minister at Pekin seems to have
been overcome more by Chinese etiquette than
Chinese diplomacy. A long squabbe took place
over Mr. Wards refusal to t'touch the ground
before the "Brother of the Sun" either with his
head or knees The last expedient is thus descib-
ed
The Chinese Commissioners were Obliged TO go
out twelve mile to summer residence Of uenmlng-
yuen to report to His Majesty, who was passing the
hot weather there, and no reply was expected from
them till the 4th; but the next morning the Judge,
with countenance anything but joyful, unexpcc-
tedly appeard. He had come from the summer
palace where he and the commissioners had been
all night with plan which he thought would sue
ced. This was hat they should address Mr. Ward
letter, stating that the Emperor intended to no
nor him with an audience to receive the President
letter; be should then reply that he was willing IN
honor, to make his respects to his Majesty IN the
same manner that he would before the President,
neither diminishing or adding there to- There
was Of course, no objection to this procedure and
the drafts of both documents were made out, and
the Judge took copies away with him. The detail
of the expedient to be observed was also explained
which was, that when the Minister came towards
the throne, the table on which the Presidents let
ter was to be placed standing between the two, he
should bow as low as he had represented, and then
up, with the exclamation, "Dont kneel' He
would then present the letter by placing it on the
table from whence it would be taken by another
chamberlain, who on his knees, would hand it to
the Emperor. sr #. -
The Judge went away with happier vsaee than
he came, and the next dispatch from Kwelliang
was looked for with impatience. Instead OF the
expected document, Sich himself returned next
morning to tell us the Commissioners had been
1 n . l., = hat
less the American Minister would either touch one
knee or his finger to the ground, he would not see
him. While this concession was refused, as being
much more than an American representative ever
performed his own any other ruler, it was again
declared that in this persistence in our own usages
there was no disrepect intended to the Emperor,
who must of course be the final Judge of what he
deemed suitable to his dignity The question of
an audience was thus settled, so far as the Ameri-
can embassy was Interested, after five days earnest
discussion. During the whole of it the Chinese
Commissioners made of nothing but fair argu-
mcnt They never even alluded to the helpless
position of twenty foreigners reason for their
complying with ceremony, which seemed to them
doubtless the extreme of libcraity. 1t is imposs-
BILE to decide the question satisfactorily, but the
final obstacle to the audience seems to have been
the conviction in the minds of the Chinese that
Mr.. Ward would not do what was really done at
European courts, and what they declared the Eng
lish Minister had promised last year be would do,
viz: perform the same ceremony before the En-
peror which he would before the Queen. The
Judge remarked at once that he certain that the
United States Minister had come to an un-
derstanding at Tientsin last year respecting the
proper ceremony at audience, but he was assured
that Mr. Reed had never come to agreement on
the subject with anybody. 1t is unfair to the
Chinese. in reporting this discussion, to take up
Il H.,
all their assertions, and had no scruple in what
they said; for in theis position erroneous ideas
night easily be firmly believed, and it was known
to us that Lord Amherst did agree to kneel before
the Emperor he did before his King; but neither
we nor the Chinese alluded to that embassy.