George F. Seward to Prince Kung, May 11, 1880

Mr. Seward to Prince Kung.

Your Imperial Highness:

I had the honor to wait on the ministers of the Yamên, on the 29th instant, as a delegate of the diplomatic body, to lay before them certain facts and considerations in regard to the Chinese currency, which my colleagues and myself agree in believing have a prejudicial effect on trade, in order to secure such a reform as will secure to our country people reasonable certainty and accuracy in their payments of customs dues and duties, and I have now to hand to your Imperial Highness a memorandum which I have prepared, setting forth in brief my remarks and the responses of the ministers.

This memorandum has been submitted to my colleagues, and meets their approval.

I beg leave to hand to your Imperial Highness also two memoranda in English, regarding the Chinese currency, prepared respectively by His Excellency Mr. von Brandt, the minister of Germany, and myself. My colleagues and I believe that they may assist the ministers to reach an understanding of our views upon this important subject. I should remark, however, that they were not prepared for the Yamên, but for our own use and the elucidation of the questions involved.

I seize this opportunity, &c.,