The morning call., 1893-10-27
A DIPLOMATS EXPERIENCE.

A DIPLOMATS EXPERIENCE.
Among the cabin passengers on the City
of New York was Yang BOe Gong. secre-
tary of the Chinese Consul-General at
Havana, Cuba. He arrived here about
week ago and was the guest OF Ii 4ung
Yam, the Consul-General at San Francisco.
Yang Boe Gong at first intended to sail
on the Gaelic, but as he would gain week
by so doing he engaged passage on the
City of New York. He has been fourteen
years in the Chinese diplomatic service,
two years having been spent in Cuba. His
present trip was undertaken in conse-
Quence Of the granting of six months fur
Tough, which he resolved TO spend in a
visit to China.
Accompanied by Consul-General ii
Yung Yam. Vice-Consul King OwyaDg and
a number of Chinese merchants. he left the
Consulate about O'Clock Yesterday after
noon. His countrymen wished him bon
voyage and he embarked. retiring i'm
mediately to his cabin. His subsequent
experiences were related by him to CALL
reporter at the Consulate about midnight,
through the medium of Vice Consul Kings
Interpretation.
L UdS0 Spcut IUultcCu gculo
in the diplomatic service OF China" began
the secretary of the Cuban Consul-Gen-,
eral, "and have traversed many leagues
both by land and sea, / am very poor
traveller. My sailing experiences repre-
sent simply so many days OF deplorabie
wretchedness, which | cusJomarlly spend
in prayer and repentance. have pre-
else ana accurate knowledge OF all the
symptoms from the first premoDitlon to the
happy moments when | set foot on the
gangplank in the act of disembarking.
"With a resigned consciousness of an
other period of misery, as soon as the
steamer left the dock this afternoon l
sought my cabin and retired at once to my
bunk. l considered myself fortunate
when l began to acquire feeling OF drow-
siness. This l diligently cultivated. and
before long fell fast asleep.
IL knew nothing more until | was hur-
redly awakened by some one pounding
vigorously on the door of my cabin. When
| was aroused sufficiently TO open the door
found a very excited boy, who told me the
steamer was aground. | dressed hastily
and went on deck. There was a great
hubbub forward, where the Chinese steer
age passengers were making loud
cIamor. | could not ascertain their pre-
else remarks, but terror has universal
language Their cries and shrieks were
unmistakable. They seemed certain that
they would all be drowned. Their terrified
appeals for assistance were much more
pteous than ridiculous.
wives clung TO husbands and parents
embraced their children. The women
prayed to their gods for preservation. and
even the men seemed frightened enough to
be penitent and not to swear. 1t was an
exciting scene, and to my mind there was.
more danger to the steerage passengers
from the violence of their fright than from
any external condition.
ut was not long before l thoroughly ap-
preciated the situation. l felt con fdent
that there was no occasion for any great
alarm, and l repressed a feeling of excite
N ent.
"When the tug Sea King came along |
was taken on board with some officers,
and was afterward transferred to the
steamer Acapulco, which landed me at IL
o'clock. At first the Custom-house officers
refused to allow me to land on the score
that | was not registered and that had
not my papers with me. My passports and
credentials were in my box. which l did
not have near me.
"Fortun ately for me the Consul-General
here and the Vice-Consul heard of the ac-
cident. Anticipating my predicament and
perhaps alarmed for my safety, they
came down to the dock. Upon the assur-
ance of these officials that was member
of the Chinese diplomatic corps. l was
permitted to land shortly before midnight
Here L am and here l shall remain until /
follow up my original Intention and sail
homeward by the Gaelic. No, am not
alarmed or excited. nor was l frightened.
II am a diplomat" concluded the Secre-
tary with dignity, land one of the first
lessons I was taught in diplomacy was
under no circumstances to lose control OF
myself"
Whether or not Yong Boe Yong was
more frightened when he was first hurried
on deck than he subsequently admitted is
not known. 1t Is certain that when he
stepped from a carriage and walked TO the
Chinese Consulate on Stockton street, near
Sacramento. late last night. he exhibited
no signs of trepidatiOn. The calm exterior
he preserved would have done some credit
to a sphinx.
''Sorry l can't give you better story"
concluded Vice Consul King, in Journal
istic psrlance. as he wound up his tranla-
ti0n of the narrative.