Foreign ministers to Prince Kung, March 5, 1873

Foreign ministers to Prince Kung.

Sir: The undersigned, ministers for Russia, Germany, the United States, Great Britain, and France, have the honor to refer to their collective note of the 24th February, in which they expressed their desire to have an audience of His Majesty the Emperor of China for the purpose of presenting their congratulations to His Majesty, and requested his imperial highness to move His Majesty to issue orders for their reception.

It has been intimated to the undersigned, by the ministers of the yamên of foreign affairs, that their excellencies had had it in contemplation to call at their respective legations for the purpose of having some conversation upon the subject of the collective note, but that the indisposition of the grand secretary, Wên Hsiang, had induced them to postpone their visit.

The undersigned regret extremely the continued illness of the grand secretary. The matter of their note of the 24th February, as attested by the fact that the note was collective, is, however, of the highest importance, and the undersigned, in order to the satisfaction of its object at an early date, feel it their duty to address a second note to his highness for the purpose of requesting an interview with him at such time and in such place as may suit his imperial highness to name.