Samuel P. Lord to Lyon, September 27, 1872

Mr. Lord to Mr. Lyon.

Sir: I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your several communications dated the 19th, 21st, and 24th instant. I am glad to hear that the proclamation has been issued, and that any of the men have been released, though sorry that their release should be coupled with extortionate demands for money. This, however, you must know, is no new thing in China. It always, or nearly always, happens when, for any cause, just or unjust, persons who have money or friends fail into the hands of mandarins.

I shall, of course, lay the matter you mention, with all others of the case, before our minister at Peking; but I have little hope that anything will or can be done to remedy the evil of which you complain. It might be difficult to set wrongs of this kind right, even at the open ports; to do it in the interior—where the right of foreigners to reside at all will at present not be insisted, I presume, by the English and American governments—would be doubly difficult. You must not lose sight of the fact that your residence in Hangchow is at present but a precarious one. While you are there I shall do what I can to protect you from violence and wrong. But you must know that consuls are not armed with power to do always what they think ought to be done; and they always find it especially difficult to protect natives, even when suffering on our account. It is easy enough to quote the treaty on this point, but then we are always met with the plea that the matter has no connection with foreigners.

This, of course, would be the plea in the present case.

I am, &c.,