Wells Williams to Aurelio Ga. y Garcia, September 22, 1873

Mr. Williams to Señor Garcia.

Sir: I had the honor on the 10th instant to receive your excellency’s dispatch of the 25th ultimo, in reply to that of Mr. Low of the 17th July, in which you have entered very fully into the points alluded to in Prince Kung’s dispatch; and on the 15th I had again the honor of receiving your second letter of the 2d instant, inclosing a copy of the preliminary treaty which you have negotiated between Peru and Japan.

In accordance with your request in the first letter, I have made known its contents to Prince Kung, to whom I sent a note requesting a special interview for this purpose. This he allowed me on the 16th instant, and I then stated fully all its leading points. I had no time to put it into Chinese, but I think he clearly understood the main points; and, as there were five of the members of the foreign office present, there was no lack of discussion during the full hour the interview lasted. It may be that some of the points were not so clearly remembered as they would have been if a translation had been placed before them, but, in order to bring the matter to a point, I next day addressed the prince a dispatch, of which I inclose a copy. In it you will see that I suppose a complete statement of the whole question will be made whenever the officials from both countries shall meet at Tien-tsin, and you place in their hands all the facts and arguments in your possession.

The Prince’s reply gives you the option, while he declines to appoint a special commissioner of equal rank to meet you at Tien-tsin and negotiate a treaty, for you to address yourself to either the southern or northern superintendents of trade at Nankin or Tien-tsin. They will, no doubt, be instructed to open a correspondence with you. In my interview I insisted on the impropriety of refusing to receive and confer with an envoy sent with the most friendly intentions, from a foreign country, and dismissing him without even hearing what he had to say, even if the Chinese objected to make a treaty. Such a course had not been pursued toward their own envoys in western countries, and it was inconsistent, therefore, with the dignity of a nation to reject that of the Peruvian government in its friendly proposals.

This argument had its weight, no doubt, in modifying their refusal to meet you on the basis of negotiating a treaty. The opportunity of explaining the present condition and prospects of the thousands of Chinese laborers now in Peru, with such an astute official as Ti-Hung-chang, the present governor-general of Chili, will enable you, if you conclude to come to Tien-tsin, to set forth the intentions of the present government of Peru.

In respect to the subject of contract-labor in China, I may be, allowed to explain that at present the imperial government is earnestly desirous to put a stop to the manner in which its subjects have been deluded to engage themselves and have been carried off through Macao to foreign countries, from which few of them have ever returned. The atrocities and wrongs connected with this business have left the impression on the minds of those who know anything of the matter that it is equivalent, almost, to a living death for one of their countrymen to be taken away as a coolie. Few or no letters are ever received from those thus stripped away, and their friends, who have no idea of the countries whither they are gone, regard them as dead.

It is to be hoped, even in the interests of humanity, that the present efforts of this government to put a stop to the shipment of coolies from Macao will be entirely successful, and no more ships will find their human cargoes at that port.

If it be, as you remark, that “Peru must have Chinese laborers,” let them go there of their own accord. The emigration to California, as you well know, began and has been carried on wholly by the Chinese themselves, and not a cargo of contract-laborers has ever been engaged for that country. In this dispatch it is said that the emigrants, after the term of their engagement, having “acquired the language and become fond of the country, have settled there, raised families, gone into business, and made fortunes, so that in several towns, and particularly in the city of Lima and commercial ports of the coast, whole districts are occupied exclusively by Chinese storekeepers and merchants, to some of whom ship-loads of goods directly arrive; beside these there are thousands engaged as domestics in the houses of the best families, and if they remain in Peru it is because they wish it.” If there is such a degree of contentment with their lot, it seems to me that all that is necessary to develop the emigration your government desires, is to encourage these Chinese, now so happily and prosperously settled in Peru, to write for their friends in Canton province and elsewhere to join them, or to help them go home themselves to explain to their townsfolk what an opening is offered them abroad to better their condition. The payment of good wages and a just treatment to all this class of laborers will conclusively prove the sincerity of the present government of the republic to foster them. In a few years, if such a course was pursued, it seems to me the tide of free emigration would begin to flow thither, and those grievances which your excellency has come to China to aid, if possible, in removing by means of a treaty, would cease of themselves. However, if they cannot all be immediately removed I cannot agree with the opinion now expressed that even if the Chinese government “should finally decide not to treat with Peru, the republic will have done her duty to herself and the world, and she will have no responsibility for anything which may occur hereafter.” The existence of abuses toward the Chinese in former times in Peru is acknowledged in this dispatch, and the Chinese government, in trying to protect its ignorant subjects by preventing them engaging themselves as contract-laborers in other lands, to their own damage, is doing the same thing in fact that Peru would do to protect her own citizens, but with indifferent success compared to what the case requires. But I may be permitted to say that responsibility does and must attach to those who encourage the deportation of Chinese laborers in the manner carried on at Macao for the last few years. I have myself resided in that colony, and know something of the wrongs perpetrated upon the natives to beguile or entrap them to go abroad. I cannot believe that there is no better way to get laborers than by contracts, if it be fairly and patiently tried, and no government has a better opportunity than that of Peru to prove its succsss.

My own opinion respecting the unwillingness of the imperial government to negotiate a treaty with your excellency is, that if they assent and appoint an officer of equal rank to meet you—and this step of itself involves their agreement to enter into contracts for laborers—and while the discussion with the Spanish legation during the past summer has been so excited, they are unwilling to bind themselves with a second power.

I think you would be able to remove many misconceptions in the minds of the officials by coming to Tien-tsin and discussing the whole matter with the governor-general of this province; but whether that would be suitable to your views and position you are the wisest judge.

I avail myself of this occasion to express to your excellency the assurance of my high respect.