Y Garcia to Wells Williams, October 10, 1873

Señor Garcia to Mr. Williams.

Sir: On arriving at this port on the 7th instant I received the note, dated 22d September, which you have kindly written to me in reply to mine of August 25, relative to my mission in this empire, and inclosing copies of your dispatch, dated September 18, to Prince Kung, and of his answer to you of 20th of the same month.

Allow me, sir, in the first place, to express my thankfulness for the promptitude with which you have taken the necessary steps near the imperial government, requesting a special interview and addressing a communication to Prince Kung, in order to remove the prejudices which seemed to exist in the high officers of the government there. Your friendly action has certainly produced this result that the Chinese government has understood the responsibility that would weigh upon them if the envoy of Peru, sent out here with so humane and friendly purposes, was not received at Tien tsin as the minister of any other sovereign state, whether it be or not a treaty Power. I am flattered by the hope that you will please continue lending me your good offices; and I trust it will be so with greater reason, since the representative of the United States, on account of the absence of the other foreign agents from Peking, is precisely the only one who may now be addressed by the first envoy of another American republic, who aspires with most laudable aims to enter into relations with this Oriental nation.

Your interesting note, to which I now reply, embraces various important points. I am exceedingly obliged to you for the frank expression of your opinions on Chinese emigration and the subject of contract-labor. I quite agree with you on many of them; in regard to others, there is room for discussion, and I would very much like to have, at present, sufficient time to express to you my ideas. I beg you will allow me to postpone doing so for another occasion.

Confining myself to the direct question which is the object of my own dispatch to Prince Kung, and of his answer, I see that the prince insists for the present on his first ideas about the negotiation of a treaty, but declares “that as the high authorities of each province have been accustomed to receive all ministers and high dignitaries who have come to this country, whether from treaty powers or not, with the courtesy which their position demands,” the Peruvian minister may enter into communication with the superintendents of trade for the northern or southern ports.

Upon this, you express the opinion that I “would be able to remove many misconceptions in the minds of the officials by going to Tien-tsin, and discussing the whole matter with the governor-general of that province.”

It follows from this that the imperial government not only does not invite me to go on to Peking, but does not even accept your suggestion of their “appointing a special commissioner of equal rank to meet me at Tien-tsin.” Allow me to say frankly that I have constantly believed, as my government now believes, that although such has been the general practice of the Chinese government, after the admission at Peking of the Austro-Hungarian envoy, and the facilities he received there, the representative of the Peruvian republic ought also to be treated with equal favor, particularly as the special affair which he comes to discuss is of such great moment.

I think, also, and you will agree with me, that bringing, as I bring, an autograph letter from the President of Peru, which I must deliver to His Majesty the Emperor, this important fact must be taken into account by his imperial highness Prince Kung, in order that my stay at Tien-tsin be as short as possible, specially in view of the approach of winter, which makes locomotion so difficult, and the unhealthiness of the place due to the last inundations.

Permit me to close this dispatch, informing you that on the 14th day of this month I shall leave Shanghai for Tien-tsin, where I beg you to favor me with your esteemed communications, (care of the United States consul,) and from where I shall forward to you my next one.

I beg to renew to you, sir, the assurances of my respect and consideration.