neglected by the Chinese officials to make the affair courteous and satisfactory. I made no speech, except to introduce the Admiral. YOUR MAJESTIES: I thank you for this opportunity to bring before you a distinguished American officer, and I take great pleasure in presenting to Your Majesties Admiral Frederick Rodgers, the commander in chief of the Asiatic Squadron of the U. S. Navy. The Admiral then made a brief speech, which was interpreted into Chinese by Dr. Barchet. Prince Ching then received from the hands of the Emperor and read a reply on behalf of Their Majesties, which was interpreted into English by a Chinese interpreter. The Admiral and I were then invited to ascend the throne, where, through Mr. Lien-fang, the Empress Dowager addressed us the remarks which were afterwards handed to us in Chinese. To the several questions proposed we made courteous replies. I inclose copies of the speeches, and the correspondence leading up to the audience. This is a wide departure from the old custom here, but one audience of the kind having ever been held before, namely, that of the commander-in-chief of the Russian squadron, about one month ago. It was at that time tacitly understood by the ministers that audiences. would not be asked for naval officers, except commanders in chief. I took occasion to say to Prince Ching, Wang Wenshao, and other officials, while taking refreshments in the waiting room, that such opportunities, both here and and in foreign countries, of bringing the occidental and oriental officials in contact would prove of mutual benefit, to which they heartily assented. The Admiral left for Taku this morning, having apparently greatly enjoyed his stay in this old capital. I have, etc., E. H. CONGER. F. O., No. 398.] [Inclosure 1.] Mr. Conger to Prince Ching. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, YOUR HIGHNESS: Admiral Frederick Rodgers, commander in chief of the Asiatic Squadron of the U. S. Navy, arrived with his staff in Peking yesterday, and is desirous as a friendly act on the part of his Government to pay his respects to His Imperial Majesty. I therefore respectfully request that Your Highness will properly memorialize the Throne for the favor of an Imperial audience for this purpose. This will be an additional evidence of the friendship existing between our two Governments, and, I trust, prove of mutual benefit. The recent audience given to his excellency the Russian admiral assures me of the willingness of His Majesty to grant this request. The Admiral must soon return to his duties at sea, hence I venture to hope that as early a date as possible may be fixed upon. Thanking Your Highness in advance, and being confident that the audience asked for will be pleasing to my Government, I avail, etc., E. H. CONGER. F. O., No. 378.] [Inclosure 2.] Prince Ching to Mr. Conger. I am in receipt of your excellency's dispatch, stating that Admiral Rodgers, commander in chief of the Asiatic Squadron of the U. S. Navy, arrived with his staff FR 1902, PT 1-16 in Peking yesterday, and that he is desirous of paying his respects to His Imperial Majesty as a friendly act on the part of his Government. Your excellency requests that I memorialize the Throne for the favor of an Imperial audience for this purpose; this will be an additional evidence of the friendship existing between our two Governments. Your excellency further states that the Admiral must soon return to his duties at sea. I also received your excellency's letter stating that the audience should take place either Saturday or Sunday. As His Majesty the Emperor has to go to the temple on Saturday, and has to make offerings at the altar of earth on Sunday, it will be will be impossible to have the audience on either of the days mentioned. But if the Admiral can wait till Monday or Tuesday (June 23 or 24), I can ask for a decree to fix a date for the audience; but I do hope, however, that your excellency will send me a reply this very day to let me know. With compliments. Card of Prince Ch'ing. Dated 15th of the fifth moon (June 20, 1902). F. O., No. 380.] [Inclosure 3.] Prince Ching to Mr. Conger. I am in receipt of a dispatch from your excellency requesting an audience for Admiral Rodgers. I have memorialized the Throne on the subject and had the honor of receiving an Imperial decree in person (verbally). "Let the audience take place at the Ch'ien-ch'ing Palace on the 24th of June, at 11 o'clock, a. m. "Respect this." As in duty bound, I had this decree reverently written out for your excellency's information and for that of Admiral Rodgers. I also beg to inclose a programme for the occasion. A necessary dispatch. Dated 16th of the fifth moon. [Subinclosure.] Itineraire programme of etiquette for the audience. The Foreign office will, on the appointed day, depute officials to escort your excellency, together with Rear-Admiral Rodgers, in chairs, to the Tung-hua men. The attachés and interpreter will leave their chairs outside the Shang sze yuan and walk to the Ching yun men, where your excellency and the rear-admiral will change to palace chairs, provided by the Imperial household, and proceed to the Ch'ien-ch'ing, outside of which you will leave your chairs and walk through the middle gate of the Ch'ien-men, to the Chang-shu-fan library, where you will sit, till, at 11 a. m., Their Majesties the Empress Dowager and the Emperor shall have ascended the throne. The high minister of the Foreign office will then conduct your excellency and the real-admiral, the attachés and the interpreter to the middle throne hall, which they will enter, making a bow; after proceeding a few steps they will make another bow, and a third bow in front of the throne, when your excellency and the rear-admiral will address the Throne. After the interpreter has interpreted it into Chinese the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will respond, and the high minister of state will transmit it to the interpreter to be reverently interpreted. When this is accomplished, your excellency and Rear-Admiral Rodgers will retire with a bow, after a few steps make a second bow, and a third bow on reaching the door of the throne hall. This ends the ceremony. The attachés and interpreter will follow out by the left door of the throne hall, bowing as they go out. Your excellency will, as before, wait a while at the Shang-shu-fang library and proceed in palace chairs, passing through the Ching yun men, when you will leave the small chairs and proceed in sedans. The attachés and interpreter will walk as far as the Shang sze yuan, outside of which they will take their sedans or ponies and return to their legation. F. O., No. 381.] [Inclosure 4.] Prince Ching to Mr. Conger. With reference to the audience to be given on the 19th of the fifth moon, at 11 a. m., at the Ch'ien Ch'ing palace, to which your excellency is to bring Admiral Rodgers, we would ask your excellency to send us a list of the names and titles of the persons who will come with Admiral Rodgers to the audience. We shall thank your excellency, further, to let us know the words with which the Throne will be addressed. This should be sent in to us this very day for the information of the Throne. With compliments of the season. Card of Prince Ching. Dated 16th day of the fifth moon (June 21, 1902.) [Inclosure 5.] Address of Admiral Rodgers at audience given by Emperor. YOUR MAJESTIES: I desire to express my sincere appreciation and thanks for this opportunity of paying my respects to Your Majesties as commander-in-chief of the naval forces of the United States in Asiatic waters. I am representing the Navy Department of the United States, and it will be a great gratification to be able to report that I have been given an audience by Your Majesties. I also desire to say that it is my belief that there are no people in the world who are more familiar with or who take more interest in the history of China than those of the United States of America. Without doubt the commercial interests between the two countries will continually increase in importance, and this mutual interest should be a great factor in maintaining the pleasant relations just referred to. The friendly and cordial relations which now exist between China and the United States are certainly a source of great gratification to my Government, and that these conditions should be maintained and strengthened is our earnest desire, as we also wish peace and prosperity to this great Empire. [Inclosure 6.] Reply of the throne to Mr. Conger and to the address of Admiral Rodgers. The honorable admiral whom your excellency introduced has expressed, in his appreciative address to the Throne, sincere and friendly feelings, which we recognize with very great pleasure. The two nations have hitherto been on truly friendly terms. This friendship will, from this day, be more and more intimate, to the well-being and prosperity of the people. That we may enjoy the blessings of peace is our sincere hope. [Inclosure 7.] Supplementary remarks of the Empress Dowager at the audience given to Admiral Rodgers, June 24, 1902. Addressing the Hon. E. H. Conger: "Is the President of your honorable country well?" "Is the honorable admiral well?" "How many days was the honorable admiral on the way to Peking?" "Did he come from the Pacific Ocean, or did he come direct from America?" "We have long heard about the victories of the powerful Navy of your honorable country, and we are greatly pleased with what we know of the strict discipline and drill which obtains in the fleet in the Pacific under the command of the honorable admiral." The Empress Dowager next asked after the health of the honorable minister, and remarked that "Ever since the honorable minister came to Peking and had occasion to transact business with the Prince and ministers, he did so in a friendly spirit, to the satisfaction of all. The increasing friendship between America and China is largely owing to his endeavors. May the honorable minister enjoy peace all the time he remains in China." "When the honorable admiral returns, we ask him to convey our greetings to the President of the United States, for whom we wish happiness, long life, peace, and prosperity. 66 May the country have dignity, honor, and great happiness. "May good luck also follow the honorable admiral all the way home, and may he have at all times his heart's desire." VICARIOUS PUNISHMENT OF RELATIVES IN CHINA OF CHINESE NATURALIZED CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES. Mr. Hay to Mr. Conger. No. 541.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, SIR: In March last the Department received a petition signed by Wong Leong and Ng Fawn and seventeen others, Chinese residents. of Honolulu, Hawaii, making the following complaints against Mr. Yang Wei-pin, Chinese consul at Honolulu: That Lam Sai having fallen under the displeasure of the consul, the latter reported Lam Sai to the taotai of Quang Tung Province, China, as being revolutionary and holding opinions adverse to the Government of China, in consequence of which report Lam Sai's mother and grandmother, residing at Tong Ka, Heong San, Quang Tung, were arrested and imprisoned; and that while so incarcerated the mother committed suicide and the grandmother died, whether owing to tortures or not is unknown to the petitioners. That the said consul has in several similar cases reported the supposed antidespotic belief entertained by Chinese residents of Hawaii, with the result of similar hardships to their innocent relatives residing in China. That the said consul has instituted a form of certificate which Chinese residents were called on to procure from him, for which he made a charge of $5.25 each, such certificate declaring that the holder was a good man and not a member of any secret society antagonistic to the Chinese Government. That said consul unreasonably increased the "charge for a certificate which warranted the late Government in issuing a permit for a wife or female relative or child or a resident Chinese to come to Hawaii," from the old charge of $2 to $11 and $12.50. That said consul makes a charge of $20 for a certificate extending the United States laborer's certificate one year for alleged sickness of the holder. That said consul has caused dissension and created suspicion among the Chinese in Hawaii. Wherefore the petitioners ask that these charges be inquired into, and if found to be true, that said consul's exequatur be recalled. In a separate communication Wong Leong declares that the said consul reported to the governor of the province of Kwang Tung that he (Wong) was disloyal to the Government of China, and a member of a society in Honolulu antagonistic to said Government; that thereupon the Government caused the district magistrate to send a force to Wong's native village, Tung Hon, Heong San, China, which took possession' of the ancestral temple of his family, together with the family records, and demanded from the family the sum of $500; that under this coercion, his family, on July 10, 1900, paid that sum to have the temple and records exempted from molestation; that subsequently the said magistrate took possession of his home in Tung Hon, and compelled his relatives there to pay a further sum of $500 to prevent its destruction; that, again, the magistrate threatened to arrest two of Wong's cousins, his nearest of kin there, and that to save themselves from imprisonment they were compelled to pay a further sum of $250; that this was all done in pursuance of the report forwarded to the governor by Yang Wei-pin, consul; that his cousin writes him that the Wong family demand that he remit the sum of $1,250 to recoup the family for the amount paid by them on his account, and that in the event of his refusal or inability to remit, his inheritance will be canceled and his name struck from the roll of membership in the Wong clan. Wherefore the said Wong demands from the Government of China, for the loss sustained and the suffering and anguish caused by the barbarous actions of Yang Wei-pin, consul, the sum of $5,000, and asks the Department of State to make request of the Government of China for payment thereof. He further asks the Department to recall the exequatur under which the said Yang Wei-pin is acting as consul. Copies of these petitions were sent to the governor of Hawaii, with the request that he inquire carefully into the truth of the charges made against the consul and inform the Department of the result of his investigation. It appears from the report of Acting Governor Cooper, which has just been received, that the first serious difference between the Chinese of Hawaii and their consul was brought about by the objection filed by the latter in March, 1900, to the granting of a charter to the "Bow Wong Progressive Association," a petition for which had been presented to the minister of the interior. The basis of the consul's objection to the Bow Wong Association, as stated by him, was that its design was, under the guise of a benevolent association, to inculcate political doctrines hostile to the Chinese Government and to collect contributions to aid a revolutionary movement. The result of the consideration of the matter by the executive council of Hawaii was a denial of the charter. It is stated that the Bow Wong Association was organized notwithstanding the granting of the charter was refused. The acting governor states that the leaders of the Bow Wong Association were among the most conservative and highly respected Chinese citizens in Hawaii. The acting governor personally examined Wong Leong, He Fon, Ng Fawn, C. K. Ai, and Sheadick, five of the petitioners, Le Cheung, the governor's official Chinese interpreter, and Wing Vun, who was in China at the time of the arrest of Wong Leong's relatives, and a copy of their testimony is transmitted with his report. Ho Fon, who the acting governor believes to be absolutely trustworthy, states in his examination that the Bow Wong people are sympathizers with the Emperor of China and opposed to the Dowager Empress. In reference to the case of Lam Sai, it appears that about the time of the formation of the Bow Wong Association a prominent Chinese |