HENDERSON, Consul to To George F. Seward, March 12, 1877
Mr. Henderson to Mr. Seward.
No. 46.]
Sir: I beg to hand you under this cover a copy of some proposed municipal regulations which were recently agreed to at a public meeting of the foreign residents of Amoy, and transmitted to the consular officers on yesterday, with the request that we obtain for them, if possible, the sanction necessary to give them the force of law. The consular officers accordingly agreed, yesterday, to forward the regulations to their respective ministers and recommend their adoption, at the same time requesting the ministers, should they approve the rules, to obtain for them the approval of theTsung-li Yamên.
In compliance with the request of the community and the agreement of the consuls referred to, I now have the honor to submit these regulations for your consideration, and respectfully request that, if they meet your approval, such action be taken on them as may be necessary to make them binding on citizens of the United States at this port.
I may further remark that, owing to the absence of the regular Tao-t’ai at this time, the assent of the native local authorities has been neither solicited nor obtained for the rules.
But I am not sure that their assent would be at all necessary, even for the information of Tsung-li Yamên. I will forward for your use a Chinese translation of the rules by next opportunity.
I am, &c.,
Consul.