Wells Williams to Hamilton Fish, February 9, 1874

No. 139. Mr. Williams to Mr. Fish.

Sir: I have the honor to send for your information the translation of a dispatch received about four months since from Prince Kung, (inclosure 1,) who therein upholds the report of the intendant at Shanghai, protesting against the action of the Great Northern Telegraph Company, whose managers had opened a station at Woosung, and taken up the cable between there and Shanghai. The intendant had applied to the consular body to interfere in the matter, and restrain the telegraph company, whose agents had, without regarding the agreement made between Mr. Wade and the Yamun at Peking, erected their poles between Woosung and Shanghai. The consular body referred his complaint to a committee, whose letter in explanation of the thing, and report of their personal interview with him, are inclosed as the best explanation of Prince Kung’s dispatch, (inclosures 2 and 3.)

This was sent as a circular to all the legations, and the general understanding was that the best course was to let it remain unanswered. If a discussion arose, the proceedings at Woosung could not be defended according to the terms of the agreement referred to in it, which had, however, been made with special reference to an English line. Its privileges had been used by the Danish company, which was first in the field. The general terms of this agreement are given in Prince Kung’s dispatch and the other inclosures, and confined all telegraphic operations to hulks and submarine cables.

The intendant has taken no steps to remove the poles sinces the interview described, and the people along the river-bank have now become accustomed to their appearance there and in the settlement. No one has any apprehension, therefore, of a repetition of the acts of 1864, when they were all taken up in a night by the country people, with, the connivance of the intendant, because they interfered with and injured the good luck of the region.

Moreover, as a good thing is always its own best argument and vindicator, the native merchants at Shanghai have begun to employ the telegraph to carry on their business with Hong-Kong and Canton and Japan to such a degree that they desire no interruption to the line; and this public opinion has its influence with the intendant. We shall, I think, now that several months have passed, hear no more of the matter.

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I have, &c.,