De LANO, United States Consul to Chester Holcombe, August 31, 1878

Mr. DeLano to Mr. Holcombe.

Sir: On yesterday afternoon an immense mob of Chinese, led by the literati, assembled upon the premises of the English Church mission at Wu Shih Shan, within the vcity walls of Foochow, to give expression to their indignation on account of the erecition by the mission of a fine school building, then in course of construction and nearly completed.

At present I am, only so far advised about the matter as to be able to say that, for a long time past the literati and gentry have sought to effect the ejection of the mission from the city, and have stubbornly resisted the erection of this school building from the first, and the officials have so far yielded to their demands as to have, some time since, entered upon negotiations with the mission’s agent, the Rev. Mr. Wolfe, looking toward an exchange of their property for other property outside the city. Mr. Wolfe, under instructions from the society, declined to make the exchange, and persisted in going on with the construction of the building (which was being erected within the compound where other mission buildings have been standing for some years).

A meeting of the Chinese officials, Her Majesty’s consul, and Mr. Wolfe, upon the premises was arranged for yesterday, upon which occasion a mob of some thousands of people assembled, and by them the objectionable building was fired and destroyed; the officials, I hear, making but a very feeble attempt to prevent it.

It is currently rumored that the consul, Mr. Wolfe, and other members of the mission, were assaulted, but I cannot undertake to state this as a fact.

“The American Board of Missions” owns property only a short distance from “Wu Shih Shan,” and it is likely that if the Chinese succeed in ejecting the English church mission they will not be content till they have also ejected the Americans. I shall keep you advised of any further developments in the case.

I have, &c.,