The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-04-05
Commercial Advertiser.
NARRATIVE
or THE
lNERICiN EMBiSSY TO PEkING,
BY : WELLS WILLIAMS IL D. SECRETARY AND N
TEEPRETEg To THE EMBASSY

The next day the Imperial Commissioners, y ho had
reached the city the 10Th, Informed that the
American Minister had arrived and was ready %
confer with them IL deemed 10y Nr. Ward ~ De
only suitable mark Of respect % the Chinese Gov
eminent, that until he had seen the Commissioners
the members o.: his suite should not O abroad The
!etters for the Russian Legation were sent, and an
acknowledgement received from them the even
ing
On Friday morning. Seh, the provincial Judge Of
kaugsii, confer rc-Uectiug the meeting with
kweiliaug AMI 70 -relk Of the presentation 70 th.
Emperor This man. while holiu, the Office of In
teuiIHt at Shanghai, hai been brought into contact
with foreigners and hal been associated with the
Commissioners on rccour 81 his experience; be had
O. PeSng their secretary 10 the expected con-
ference with foreign ministers. I, = Of tai
ent- and craft and the efec Of the late victory
apparent in his altered belring 1t this visit ne
wI-heI % learn much Of views 5 would give
his Government idea Of the course pursue.
referred 90 t'e plenpotentitries themselves who
we're 20 meet GA the orrON they would discuss every
point AMI their zuDOrlultss could come 70 no con-
clu-iOu-
The Judge however stated. that in consequence Of
the part taken by the Toegatq on the 2jjh uIt the
Emperor IN doubt respecting thc sincerity
Of the peaceful professions ~ the Americans; aud their
movements that day gave force 10 the hostile
prC--tIus u-et Et-t year IN % Mr.. Reeds dis
patches. iu which me pJke Cf being forced Join the
Miles. The remark furnished opportunity u tell
him What was done BY the Commodore On that Day,
auI exhibit the serious consequence which had, and
might still, arise his country frou. IT, NEGLECT
10 preparing for the reception of the foreign ministers
the coIst. The impression his got abroad among
the people. he assured a. that theAerttus Ian et
their from the boats towel ur bv the TJ-g-
,rgI, derived chiefly from the Of the
English prisoners, who sad that he American,
ami bah landed from -lf1-e boats IL j. not srpris-
ing that such iIe hal obtained crelence, though
it, existence first learned, and OppCru-
nifty improved 20 state the Of the tender
being there, aud SIeh that, though she hal
tOwet boats IA and out, she had not landed "A
nor fired gun.
About / o'coci, the next day Nr. Ward attended
by three of his suite repaired ON horseback To the
ka-hlug--z nctr the northwest corner Of the HrIHg
ching lmr eral Citadel. which surrounds the wall
Ell Inclo-ure called the Forbidden CITY, In which the
Imperial family lives He there by the
Commi--i0ucr~, attended by about hundred officials
OF every shade Of button, all d.esse in their easy
summer costume; but none Of them in full emJrOi-
cry The betwe' i this meeting in the capt.
tal Of China, where not 81 soldier, nor an implement
of war seen, a musician, to the military
par lie which Is common IN European capitals and
courts such occasions, illustrated the different
usages in the governments at the East and West Of
this vast continent III these particulars The Com
mssioners themselves courteous usual, and
Eweiliang in better health than when at Shanghai.
Ffr opened the by - full expression o
his feelings at the recent occurrences at Taku and at
having been refused interview Shanghai by the
English and French Ministers He was, Of course,
interrupted in whatever he wished say, bat
uigIng from his energetic, and almost bitter manner
of expression, seemel II he felt that vindi
cation of his policy required under the cir
cumstances- He in the presence of his fel-
low eoJrtiers, many OF whom opposed to his I
policy, and watching for his fall; and from the free
AMI unusual conduc' Of some of them, We inferred /
that they persons Of far higher position,
perhaps Oi the Imperial household, than their insignia
IniicItei-;in inference which afterwards con-
frmeI- IL surprising thu: individuals about 4
the palace should desire To be present the inter
view. after what had recently trauspired almost
within their hearing. Regret the sudden dis-p-
Pontment Of his plans and hopes may have had its !
weight III the mind Of kweil.ang; and a he now /
auxously looked forward tie further ev velOpment
rf eve he rtay f.. ne had Wvl he
could TO bring about peaceful solution Of difficulties
10 tar my feelings went, they those Of /
strong belief that they would have been able TO have
given all the treaties full effect II their arrangements
hai not been unexpectedly frustrated.
II was sometime before the Commissioners We're
really upon the principal object of the inter
view. They saii that the Emperor wished To do .
honor TO the American Minister, now that he had
reached his capital, alone TO exhibit his friendly
feeling 20 him personally, but % prove tie respect he
felt for tine President; and thSeforc they had now
only discuss the mode and time for audience
IN speaking the President. they used the II
Hr1Hg-h, August Emperor, and hiaH-rbI or
urJneey ruler; they have also learned the word
Pre,itsaf, bit it i awkward combination Of un-
meaning syiLlbies IN Chinese. and they seldom en-
ployed IT,
These are great changes from former usages. md
IL order explain them, IL viii be well 70 refer briefly
the views entertained by the Chinese respecting the
POSITION of their sovereign They suppose thar OH
the human has been placed under the authority
og heal by superior Powers These Powers, IN
Cluierl uurT the comprehensive names Of TJs1 and
r. or Heaven and Earth. have delegated the direct
control of mankind 20 the one Man. who and al
wty- has been the Emperor vf China; u = he alone
who makes with Heaven and Earth, the Trinity Of
Powers, TtsH. IT, Jim, T. ?. Heaven. Earth and Man
The Emperor - China has the 2 -itIur therefore, OF
the Ni-e.ereut cF-0riiuate o.; Heaven, and 10 =
solcci-ai ~ the mind % every true subject Of his
throne 20 -1rpose or admit o: second Ia Hwiugti.
The cIfm this title has in fact been waived since
the times by nearly all other AsltIc -yereigus
in favor Of the Chinese. RsmuSlt observes, that all
the ambitious conc IeTurs vino nave arisen ON the con-
tIueut have regarded their tIl title 10 he ne SUNe-
reign Monarch II the race - imcoiupeie until they
had obtained the throne ot China The Chinese now
are beginning. learn differently; and the terms
ri-eI this ily for the chief ruler Of friendly and
independent power eviuc the prugress Of the change
StIlI, whatever terms the Commissioners might use
denote the entire equality of the President with
their Emperor. his Representative only was now IN
Pekiag. ari IN their view audience with the sOye-
IN indispensable. before the treaty could be
exchanged They agreed that the United States was
totally unlike AMMAN, Corea, Lewchew, or SIAM
whose ENJOYS brought tribute 70 court VINO made the
pTostrtiOus consisting Of three kueelIugs and
nine knocking, which were performed by native OIL
hcials. AMI vino houOred by presents after the
ceremony. The American EmbasSadOr had brought
no tribute aui would not be asked 10 perform the
usual rite; "bur,' nterpOsed Judge Sch, who was
set-el with the Commissioners, ''Ouce kneeiInC and
thrice knocking will do for a friendly power This
remark not taken up by them. however. nor ever
alluded 20 again compromise; the proper hOtHu,
a rite which implies knocking the head on the ground
either thrice, never required OF Mr.
Ward 4 condition of his audience IL Is contu-
sion terms and ideas tO represent the issue that
made being dependent this act, and pre-
vents our understanding how much the Chinese real
ly conceded.
Before they began describe what mode Of ap-
proach would be admissible, Mr.. Ward deemed 1t bet
state explicitly what his views on this
subject which now began TO assume an Importance
it had not before taken; for the Commissioners had
hintei at an audience in Shanghai, taking IT for
granted doubt, that it sequence of visit 70
the capital He assured them of the great respect ne
felt for Hrs Majesty, in which he knew he likewise