To George F. Seward to Prince Kung, April 2, 1877

Mr. Seward to Prince Kung.

Sir: Foreign merchants in China are continually exposed to grave inconvenience in their commercial transactions because of the absence of any Chinese coin of fixed and uniform value throughout the empire.

The chamber of commerce of Shanghai, which represents the larger proportion of foreign mercantile interests in China, has again called the attention of the foreign representatives to this question, in the hope that, submitted by them to the consideration of the imperial government, it may receive a satisfactory solution. This question deserves, without doubt, the most serious consideration. I doubt not that your imperial highness recognizes this, and that you will favor the discovery of some suitable means of removing the inconveniences of which foreign merchants complain. It is with this conviction that I have the honor to address myself to your imperial highness, with the request that you give to this subject that consideration which it demands, and that you will kindly inform me whether the imperial government does not judge it expedient to take some measures in the direction indicated. The creation of a system of coins would seem to be the most sure and simple mode of arriving at this end, and it is particularly with regard to this mode of ameliorating the present system that I desire to be informed as to the disposition of the imperial government.

I have, &c.,