The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-28
Oh l N A.
The First Audience OF the Foreign
Ministers at Pekin.
\ CHAPTER IN HISTORY.
The Notion of Isolated SUI
proInacv at an End.

raruament dispatches from Mr.. Wade, the English
Minister at Pekin, giving interesting account OF
the audience granted to the Ministers OF the Vest
ern Powers last year. 1t was an event which
marks new era In Chinese diplomacy.
AR. WADE TO EARL GRANvILLE-(REcEIvRD SEP
TEMBER l..
As my telegram OF the 10th OF June Win nave in.
formed Your L0ruship. the Emperor OF China on
that day gave audience TO myself and my COL
leagues, the representatives OF Russia, the United
States, France and Holland.
IL Will have been seen from my telegram that the
without discussions. the negotiations oI the last
four months have been conducted by the represent
tatiyes OF four or i've Powers acting together.
The Imperial decree IN which the audience was
first accorded appeared IN the manuscript edition
OF the Pekin Gdzette OF the l4th OF June, ana was
communicated to the Legations on the 18TH, In q
despatch rom the Prince OF kung, OF which en-
sentative ol Holland included, were at the same
time invited by tue ministers OF the Yamen to meet
them there upon the .Brn.
First, that foreign ministers were declared In 1t to
have "numoly begged" or 'implored', an audi
ernment letter, by which, In official correspond
ence, Chinese describe letters oil cfedence, or
letter rom the chief OF q otate-were placed in the
text without any OF the honor due TO the dignity
Ol foreign government IL might be added That
the words ENJOYS or Ministers were referred to
with as little ormality AZ they would nave been
had the persons referred to represen ed States de-
pendent on china; but lrIespectlvey OF the argn-
ment advanced by the Chinese, tnat there was
certain difference in the form employed. there
would have peen naturally an indspOslLlon on the
part OF foreign Ministers to insist too much on
what might have been regarded as offending their
personal dignity rather than the dignity OF their
States.
Remarks on the other two points could not be
avoided and, although at the conference OF the
10Th, the etiquette to be observed did at last come
to be considered, the discussion which occupied
the carrier part OIL the interview had rendered pro-
gress lar difilcnt mat IL was not until the 18th
Inst. tnat the memorandum OF etiquette to be
observed at the audience was agreed TO by foreign
Ministers. This was revised edition OF memo-
when nad nean considered m a very Lengthy con-
ference ned atthe Russian Legation on the 3d. The
paper IN Its present shape Was formally enclosed
to us by the p lnce vi kung upon the 10th. The
Yan.en nad wished US 10 slgn IL IS we mad signed
the protocol OF the 18th OF May but We had de-
cllned. append translation OF this memorandum.
Upon the AFTERNOON OF the same day, the 26tn,
we met the Prince OF ekung by invitation at
the Yamen to communicate TRANSACTIONS OF our let
ters OF crcdence, and all conditions be observed
having been carefully Reconstructed, upon the 9th
His Highness wrote officially to inform tnat the
Emperor mad verbally given orders Tor our recep-
ton on the 18th.
i shall mention here that the Japanese Ambassa
dor, SOyesma PaneOml, was also invited to the
Yalnen on the Goth. The chinese Ministers lett 1t
to us to fix ourOwn precedence and, by common
Ambassador Of Japan. might add That Soy esima
had had difficulties OF his own to surmount His
con erences with the Chinese Ministers mad been
separate, but IRON his frequent Intercourse with
us we mad Deen kept fully informed OF what was
ernment OF Japan has every reason to be satisfied
with the part played by Its Ambassador throughout
this negotiation. The knowledge which, as . Jap
aneSe, he necessarily possesses OF Chinese lltera-
ture and OF the usageS OF China deferred him from
undue exlgence on any point Of form, but ne
showed, at the same time, much frmness and dig
nifty the assertion OF his rights.
Ii was agreed that Soyeslma was to have his au-
dience FIRST This, both in consideration his rank
as Ambassador, and possibly because the letter OF
the Mika0O with when he was charged was not q
letter OF credence but OF congratuation only. The
viz the Ministers OF Russia, America aud France,
win myself and MIR. ferguson, diplomatic agent Of
NOT nar apdu n
Inc order OF proceeding was as i0l0WS:-...j
The place appointed BY the Empefor Was the
Tz'u-Kuang KO, OF purple pavilion, large stored
building IN the grounds west 0. the paiace. the
palace iIsell-that 49, the place designated by for
viii snow, about midway between the east and
west outer walls oil Pekln proper. Round ths pre-
nue. runs an enceinte Known as the Huans
Ch'eng usually rendered the Imperial city. This
is divided INTO streets and with the exception OF
orally open to the puolic The grounds III ques
ton lie westward OF the palace, communicating
with 1t toward the southern end OF large piece OF
water, on the west bank Of which Is situated the
purple pavilion.
little west OF the grounds, but well within the
Imperial City, stands the Pei-t'ang, Romish
cathedral MISSION house, butt within the last
few years upon grouno bestowed upon the Garner
missionaries IN the reign Of Kung-n and recovered
by Its present occupants under the Convention OF
1850. 1t was settled thai at SIX IN the morning
the five representatives VI Western Powers should
meet there. M. Delaplace, the Bsnop resident,
had been so good as to give US rooms TO dress IN
and were thence escorted by q minister Of the
Yamen to the north gate OF the palace grounds In
SqdSe which spans tSe pece OF water suove mem
tloued, being closed to the pubic eastward by de-
sire OF the Emperor. We had come to the Pei
tang through the west OF the outer city, large
numbers oil people being already on the alert to
see the foreigners who were to he presented to
the Emperor without Frustrating themselves.
dense crowd was assembled III the vicinity OF the
Pei-t'ang Tor the same purpose.
At the Flu hua-Men, the gate by which the palace
our chairs and We're received by the Grand Secre-
tary and all oiher ministers OF the tne famen the
We had been told that they would be IN attendance
all the morning on MS Majesty.
We prOceeded, according TO the programme, TO
the ShlnyIng- Kung, or palace OF seasUnabeneSS,
temple IN which, as circumstances require, the
Emperor prays Tor rain or Tor cessation OF RAIN
Confectionery, tea and Chinese wine from the EN-
perors buttery we're offered u.s. and, alter waiting
above an hour. we moved on with the Ministers to
a large tent pltcned westward OF Inc purple paw
lion.
soon as had been led TO expect. The reason
assigned was the receipt OF important despal cneS
from the seat OF war in the northwest. The Prince
OF Kung and the two ministers with him were
already waiting outside the tent to explain the
delay and returned again and again, rs 1t was,
apologetlcally, to keep us company Win the rest
Tue grounds were thronged with officials; but, ex
Cept few men wearing Chinese sabres Of antique
form, l saw nothing like a soldier IN our immediate
vicinity At length, alter we mad waited in tue
tent at least an hour and hall, the Japanese Am
bassador was summoned TO the presence, and, his
In front OF the pavilion, In which we were re-
ceived, Is great platform OF stone, accessible on
three sides by flights 0i steps. We assembled. as 1t
mad been agreed after some debate we should, by
the steps on the western side; and, entering the
pavilion, found ourselves at once III large hall
divided Dy wooden pillars, IN the usual northern
style, into five sections. We came into this by
the second section from the west, filing into the
centre section until we were opposite the throne,
on which the Emperor was seated at the north
end Of the hall. We then bowed to the Emperor,
advanced lew PAGES and bowed again, anu then
"A
halted before q long yellow table about mali way
up the hall, should say some ten or twelve PAGES
distant from the throne.
The throne was, think, raised above the floor
OF the dais on which 1t stood BY couple OF steps.
The dais itself was separated rom the hall by
light rail broken right and lett Of the throne by
low flights OF three stairs eacn. The Emperor was
seated Manchu fashion, that 49, cross-legged. Upon
his lett were the Prince OF Kung, his brother,
known the SeYentn Prince. and another Prince.