Russell Young to Prince Kung, October 24, 1892

Mr. Young to Prince Kung.

The undersigned has the honor to bring to the knowledge of his imperial highness Prince Kung and their excellencies the ministers of the Tsung-li yamên that the following request, to be laid before the yamên, has been addressed to him by an American firm at Shanghai, acting on behalf of a number of mercantile houses in China.

The telegraphic communication along the Chinese coast and between Hong-Kong and Shanghai having been irregular for a considerable time, in consequence of frequent accidents happening to the single cable existing between these places, great inconveniences and losses have been thus caused to the mercantile communities in China. During the last few months the interruptions of the telegraphic service have become so frequent that the necessity of another independent cable being laid has made itself more and more felt.

A company formed by merchants of all nationalities is willing and desirous to undertake the work of laying a cable between Shanghai, Foo-Chow, Amoy, Swatow, and Hong-Kong, and, the permission of the imperial Chinese Government once obtained, to invite Chinese merchants residing at the above-mentioned places to join them in the undertaking.

The ends which the company have in view being purely commercial ones, it would aim less at pecuniary advantages than to do away with the existing disadvantages of the present system and others which are likely to arise from it in future.

If the company should obtain permission to land the cable in the neighborhood of the above-named places, it promises that, where it shall be necessary, to join the cable by a land line to the offices of the company in those places, such work shall be undertaken only with the approval and sanction of the Chinese authorities and with due regard to the rights and the interests of private persons.

While bringing this request for the permission of laying a cable between Shanghai, Foo-Chow, Amoy, Swatow and Hong-Kong to the knowledge of the Tsung-li yamên, and recommending it most warmly to the favorable consideration of the Chinese Government, the undersigned begs to draw the attention of his imperial highness Prince Kung, and their excellencies the ministers of the yamên, to the many advantages which must result to the Chinese Government and people from the establishment of an independent telegraphic communication between Shanghai and Hong-Kong and the intervening ports by a company composed of Chinese merchants and foreign merchants residing in China, having its seat in China and offering to the Chinese Government all the political, financial, and commercial guarantees which these facts must carry with them.

A request similar to the one now laid before the Tsung-li yamên has been addressed by mercantile houses of other nationalities to the representatives of Great Britain, France and Germany, and will be brought to the knowledge of the yamên at the same time as the one contained in this note; but all these requests refer to one company only, and to one cable to be laid.

While hoping for an early favorable reply from his imperial highness and their excellencies, the undersigned profits, &c.,