Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-07-27
UNVRITTEN HISTORY,

How Commodore Shufeldt Maligned the
Empress of China, and Afterwards Brow
beat the Chinese Government Out of
Treaty With Corea-The Tonquin Affair
Especial Telegram to the Globe.
CHICAGO, July 25.-Deputy Commission
er of Customs Clayson, of Canton, China,
is at the Palmer house. In the course of
conversation with a reporter concerning
Chinese commercial and political relations,
among other things Mr.. Clayson let out
bit of the inner workings of certain diplo-
matte negotiations to which the American
government was a party. It app ears
that Commodore Shufeldt, who was
sent to China over a year ago to
being about treaty with Corea, was so
imprudent pending the negotiations as to
write letter to Senator Sergeant, of Cali
fornia, wherein among other things con-
corning the Chinese people this now re-
tired officer of the American navy de-
scribed the empress of China as being "a
most VIGOROUSLY licentious woman" The
letter got into print in California, but
before disqualification reached China the
head officials there, according to Mr.. Clay
son, received notice of the terrible accusa-
ton against the fair fame of their distin-
guished ruler, and it was quietly
decided to set down on the
American commodore and send him back
| to his native land, treatyless and covered
| with royal rebukes. Mr.. Clayson says the
| remark was made in Chinese official cir
cles and made in spirit of Indignation"
| 'What can this American know about our
empress when we, her noble subjects, are
not able to learn anything about her in
her life of calm seclusion. The idea that
this new conner has had opportunities of
learning anything about our empress,
| perish the thought"'
| The commodore was called up to the
vice royals palace, and that dignitary pro-
pounded to him, with all the solemnity and
| sternness that became a monarch, the es-
cutcheon of whose house had been tarnish-
ed by one not even to the manner born,
this interrogatory: 'Did you write letter
| to friend in America declaring that the
empress of China was VIGOROUSLY licen-
tious:" 'Emphatically 1 did not, sir;
most decidedly did not" was the reply of
the blunt old tar, who had sailed the
high seas DER. This was enough, said Mr..
Clayson. The little uupleasantness
was kept secret. Ii appears that the
American commodore grew restless, how
ever. All of a sudden he insisted that
the Corean treaty must be signed right
away, or he would at once steam of
for Yankeeland, treaty or no treaty. In
short it must be signed that day. There
fore it was that Ma-chien- chung-Ta
superintendent of circuit, the vice royal
and Mr.. Clayson arranged the matter with
the Coreans, and after the representatives
of the contracting parties had completed
their duties Commodore Shufeldt re-
marked:
'This will probably be the last official
act of my life with foreign powers, unless
1 come back to get the treaty ratified
Mr.. Clayson said that the very next day
the printed copy of the commodore's let
ter containing the offensive allusion to the
empress was placed in possession of the
Chinese government. What was its horror
to find that the treaty had been negotiated
with foreigner who had sIandered the
empress. Such thing, said Mr.. CIayson,
would have been an impossibility if the
signing of that treaty had been delayed
twenty-four hours. It has never, until
now, been divulged that the American gov
eminent only escaped by hairs breadth
from having no treaty with Corea.
Mr.. Clayson is an Englishman, but has
been fourteen years in the Chinese service,
and although he would be entitled to two
years leave of absence after serving seven
years, he has not availed himself of the
privilege until now. Being an English
man and intelligent withal, he discusses
the problems that at present vex the Chi
nese nation in an enlightened manner.
Speaking of the Tonquin affair, growing
out of the effort of France to extend the
line of its commercial and political in
fuence in Tonquin, he declares that France
is only keeping up these threatened dis
ruptions with foreign powers for the pur-
pose of diverting attention from its own
internal dissensions and communistic agi-
tations. France, he believes, does not ex-
pect to secure any prominent Judgment
at Tonquin beyond what it now has. The |
French, he thinks, would not be apt to Sc
cure much of victory if they engaged in |
warlike demonstrations and disaster to |
their people in an engagement would be |
great one. Both nations, he believed. |
will settle the question entirely by the aid |
of diplomacy. Since the American law |
restricting Chinese immigration went into |
effect, the people there. he says, are salts
fed, but are demanding that the American |
government keep Americans out of China,
and they will keep the Chinese at home.
How to Prevent Strikes