Patenôtre to Prince Kung, February 2, 1880

Joint note to Prince Kung.

The undersigned have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the reply of the Prince of Kung, and the ministers of the Tsung-li Yamên, to the collective note regarding the taxation of foreign trade, addressed to his imperial highness and your eminent excellencies by the representatives of the treaty powers upon the 10th November last.

In their collective note, the writers expressed a hope that they might be enabled in an early conference to discuss with the ministers of the Tsung-li Yamên, the various matters to which they had requested attention.

From the tenor of the reply now received, the undersigned are under the impression that the note of the 10th November has been to a certain extent misunderstood.

In order, therefore, to remove any possible misconstruction of their motives in writing it, as well as to secure the object for which it was originally written, the undersigned venture again to request that a time be named for a conference with the Yamên and they trust that when the New-Year festivities are concluded it may be in the power of the ministers of the Yamên to meet them.

The undersigned, &c., &c.