JOHNSON, Chairman to J. Stahel, May 22, 1878

Chamber of Commerce to Mr. Stahel.

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 6th instant, inclosing four copies of a memorandum on the currency of China by his excellency the United States minister at Peking.

The members of the committee have perused the documents with much interest, and the possession of so valuable a record of information, and so clear a statement of the question, will prove most useful to the chamber in considering the subject of which his excellency treats.

The committee regrets to be forced to the conviction, by the result of recent endeavors to induce the Chinese Government to place the currency of the country on a more satisfactory basis, that there is no present prospect of progress in the matter; but it will, nevertheless, not cease to engage the attention of the chamber, in the hopes that means may ultimately be found of persuading the government to recognize and perform what in western countries is considered the ordinary duty of the state.

I have to request that you will be kind enough to convey to Mr. Seward the thanks of the chamber for his excellency’s communication.

I have, &c.,