permission from the Chinese Government to allow nonmissionaries to live there. There is no doubt that the land was of little value and the people living about there very poor. If a resort were established there it would be a great benefit, not only to the natives who carry the loads and the farmers who grow the vegetables, but it would put thousands of taels per year in the coffers of the railway company and at the same time be a great blessing to the families located in Hankow who could not, for various reasons, go to a more distant resort. There is but one American merchant who owns property there, and I have warned him before he purchased it that he would have no redress whatever happened. The viceroy seems inclined to be reasonable in the matter, but the party who seems determined to make trouble is the governor of Honan. I am, etc., [Inclosure 2.] Mr. Seabury to Minister Rockhill. WM. MARTIN. THE YALE MISSION, Changsha, Honan, June 19, 1907. MY DEAR SIR: In view of certain differences of opinion as regards foreigners holding land in this city, we wish to write to you and secure instruction on this important question. Having secured property within the walled city of Changsha, we find that the officials are unwilling to stamp our deeds without our inserting the two characters “kung ch'an." Believing at first that it was an imposition upon us to urge this demand we have steadily refused to comply, until we find recently considerably divergent opinions on the propriety of this course. Believing Changsha to be an open port, it appeared to us contrary to treaty right to allow ourselves to be limited as holders of land here. Mr. Giles, the former British consul here, strengthened us in this opinion by writing: "I have at last wrung from the Chinese authorities an explicit written statement to the effect that the city is open to foreigners, whether merchants, missionaries, or others, for trading and all other lawful purposes." Further reinforced by an interview with Mr. Coolidge, secretary of legation at Peking, and Mr. Williams, Chinese secretary, and following the advice of our consul-general at Hankow, Mr. William Martin, we have not thus far yielded. But the British minister has sent instructions to the British consul here that the two characters may be written on the deeds of British subjects. It is also acknowledged that the local officials have received instructions from their superiors in Peking to require the insertion of the expression in all deeds involving the holding of property by foreigners. We beg to be informed as to whether we shall follow the precedent furnished by those who are having their deeds stamped with the inclusion of these characters, or whether we shall suffer our deeds to remain unstamped because we refuse to allow the expression to appear. SIR Replying to your communication of the 19th instant on the subject of stamping by the Chinese authorities of deeds for land purchased by your mission at Changsha, I have the honor to inform you that this legation, after consultation with the British legation, sees no reason to object to your deeds being stamped in the same manner as was finally agreed upon in the case of the British deeds, i. e., with the words "this is mission property." If in the future it should be desirable to dispose of the property the legation will then take up the matter in your behalf, if necessary. You should see to it that your deed is stamped in the identic characters finally agreed upon to be employed in the case of the British deeds for mission property. I am, etc., 85111-FR 1907- -14 W. W. ROCKHILL. File No. 135/6-7. No. 714.] Minister Rockhill to the Secretary of State. AMERICAN LEGATION, SIR: Referring to the department's instruction No. 299, of May 31 last (file No. 135-1) and my reply thereto, No. 669, of July 18, 1907, on the subject of the Chinese characters to be used by the local authorities in stamping deeds for property purchased for missionary purposes in China, I have the honor to inclose copy of a note received from the foreign office, by which it is agreed to stamp the deeds in the manner suggested by this legation. A copy of this note has been sent to our consuls in China for their information and guidance. I have, etc., W. W. ROCKHILL. [Inclosure 1.-Translation.]. The Prince of Ch'ing to Minister Rockhill. FOREIGN OFFICE, Peking, August 29, 1907. YOUR EXCELLENCY: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's note of August 27 with reference to the words (pen ch'u-local) in deeds to property purchased by American missionary societies. Your excellency in this note points out that the construction of the sentence in which this expression, "pen ch'u" appears in the regulations calls for a different reading than one which would make these words correspond with the similar expression (ko ch'u-all parts) in the treaty. You state that you have no objection to the use of the words “pen ch'u" themselves, so long as it is clear that they do not qualify or restrict the words (chiao hui-missionary society); that the following phrase, for example, would be quite satisfactory: (mei-kuo mou chiao hui tsai mou chou hsien pen ch'u ti-fang yung tzu chih kung ch'anpublic property in such and such locality of such and such department or district, leased in perpetuity to the American Missionary Society); and finally, that you hope instructions in accordance with the above will be sent to the various local authorities. In reply I have the honor to state that in the expression as contained in the last dispatch of my board, viz: (pen ch'u mei kuo chiao hui chih kung ch'an— public property of the local missionary society), and the one contained in your excellency's reply, viz (public property in such and such locality of such and such department or district, leased in perpetuity to the American Missionary Society), the idea is the same. My board therefore agrees to the use of your expression. Further instructions will be sent accordingly to the various local authorities directing them to order their subordinates to take note and act accordingly. It also becomes my duty to send this reply for your excellency's information. A necessary dispatch. [SEAL OF THE WAI-WU PU.] File No. 135/2-5. The Acting Secretary of State to Minister Rockhill. No. 350.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 10, 1907. SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your No. 669, of July 18, 1907, on the subject of the stamping by the Chinese authorities of deeds of conveyance of lands purchased in China, whether by American missionary societies or by an individual unaffiliated missionary of American nationality. The department joins in the views suggested by the legation in the dispatch under acknowledgment and approves of your letter of June 27, 1907, to Mr. W. B. Seabury, of the Yale Mission at Changsha, Hunan, wherein you say in effect that the legation sees no reason to object to Mr. Seabury's deeds being stamped by the local authorities with characters indicating that the land is to be held for mission purposes. The department also notes the view held by the legation that the two characters "kung ch'an" inserted in deeds of mission property will be clearly understood by the Chinese officials as indicating that the land is being held for mission purposes, and that in the event of these characters appearing on mission deeds they may be fairly held to mean "this is mission property.' I am, etc., No. 355.] ALVEY A. ADEE. The Acting Secretary of State to Chargé Fletcher. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, October 23, 1907. SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Rockhill's dispatch No. 714, of the 4th ultimo, in further relation to the subject of the Chinese characters to be used by the local Chinese authorities in stamping deeds for property purchased for missionary purposes in China. With the dispatch is inclosed a copy of the translation of a note from the Chinese foreign office, by which it is agreed to stamp the deeds in the manner suggested by the legation. The department is glad that the more unequivocal expression has been definitely agreed upon. I am, etc., ROBERT BACON. SETTLEMENT OF THE LIENCHOU INDEMNITY. (For previous correspondence see Foreign Relations, 1906, pp. 308, et seq.) File No. 167. Minister Rockhill to the Secretary of State. [Telegram.-Paraphrase.] AMERICAN LEGATION, Peking, January 5, 1907. (Mr. Rockhill states that the American consul-general at Canton telegraphs that the Lienchou indemnity has been paid to him by the viceroy. Mr. Rockhill also states that he has directed the consulgeneral to remit the money directly to the Secretary of State. Mr. Rockhill hopes to sign the protocol of the settlement at an early date.) File No. 167/90-91. No. 499.] Minister Rockhill to the Secretary of State. AMERICAN LEGATION, Peking, January 7, 1907. SIR: In further acknowledgment of your cabled instruction of December 11 [13] informing me that you had reached an agreement with the Chinese minister in Washington in the matter of the indemnity for the Lienchou massacre, and instructing me to conclude the arrangement of the whole affair in the manner indicated in my dispatch No. 381 of August 28, 1906, I have the honor to inform you that on December 11 I called at the Wai-wu Pu and handed His Excellency T'ang Shao-i a copy of your cablegram. He said that the foreign office had already telegraphed to the viceroy at Canton to pay to the American consul-general the indemnity agreed upon by you and Sir Chentung Liang Cheng, and that this would probably be done in a few days. He added that the delay in settling this question had been occasioned by a misunderstanding, that while the foreign office had been all the time desirous of indemnifying the families of the Lienchou victims, as ordered by the imperial edict of October 28, 1905, the Chinese minister at Washington and the Canton viceroy, misunderstanding the general statement of the missionary board that it would not receive indemnification for the killing of any of its members, had insisted that in the present case no indemnity was to be paid; hence the delay. I then told his excellency that, with the indemnity paid, all the conditions of the settlement agreed to by the American consul-general at Canton and the viceroy would have been complied with, except the publication of the proclamation to be issued by the provincial authorities of Kuang-tung stating the settlement, and which was to be submitted to this legation as provided for in the draft agreement I had handed to the Wai-wu Pu in August, 1906. (See my No. 381 of August 28, 1906.) We could then sign the final protocol of settlement, or agreement, and the whole matter would be finally disposed of. He at first raised some slight objections to the signing by the Waiwu Pu of a general agreement on the subject, contending that the local settlement by the viceroy and the consul-general was sufficient. To this I replied that the mode of settlement you had approved and authorized me to make was in strict accordance with that followed a few months ago by the Wai-wu Pu in the settlement made with the British and French ministers for the Nanch'ang Fu riots, and that he had raised no objection to it when I had previously submitted it to him. He then said that he thought the matter could be arranged as you desired, and that he would take the orders of the Prince of Ch'ing. On the 18th of December I telegraphed our consul-general at Canton as follows: AMERICAN CONSUL, Canton: Foreign office has informed me have directed Canton viceroy pay you $25,000 in gold to indemnify Americans killed Lienchou. Secretary of State has informed me has agreed to accept. You will receive it, therefore, at the rate of a See Foreign Relations, 1906, p. 324. exchange on New York on the date of payment. Advise me when paid, for further instructions. Final agreement covering the settlement will be signed here. ROCKHILL. On the 31st ultimo I received a dispatch from the consul-general informing me that the missionaries were now anxious to return to Lienchou to resume their work there, and asking me to telegraph him whether I thought they could be authorized to do so-all proper precautions being taken for their safety on the journey and after arrival at their destination. My telegraphic reply to him and the reasons for sending it appear in my dispatch to Mr. Bergholz of the 3d instant, copy of which I inclose. On the 5th instant I received a telegram from Mr. Bergholz advising me that the indemnity had been paid to him. I at once instructed him to remit the amount directly to you, and at the same time I telegraphed of the payment having been made and that I expected shortly to sign the protocol of settlement with the Wai-wu Pu. This I have not yet done. I confirm as follows my telegram to you of the 5th instant referred to above. W. W. ROCKHILL. I have, etc., [Inclosure.] Minister Rockhill to Consul-General Bergholz. AMERICAN LEGATION, Peking, January 3, 1907. SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your dispatches Nos. 32 of December 12, 36 of December 18, and 37 of December 19, dealing with the question of the settlement of the Lienchou affair. In your No. 32 you inclose copies of the texts engraved upon the two tablets erected by the local authorities of Lienchou in compliance with the arrangement reached by your predecessor with the Viceroy Ch'en, the one being the imperial edict of October 28, 1905, the other, placed in front of the cave temple in which the victims of the massacre were found by the mob, a memorial of the event, and a statement of the punishment of those guilty of the murders. You also inclose a copy of a letter from Henry V. Noyes, chairman of the executive committee of the American Presbyterian Mission, Canton, in which he says in the name of his mission that they "think the officials have faithfully carried out their agreement in regard to the Lienchou affair so far as concerns the payment for losses incurred there, and the erection of the tablets." In his note to you of December 2 last (inclosure 3 in your No. 32) the viceroy informs you that he has ordered higher rewards than those previously offered to be made for the arrest of the culprits still at large; that the acting subprefect of Lienchou has reported his readiness to use every possible means for protecting the missionaries on their return to that place, and that on their arrival he will again post the imperial edict of October 28, 1905, in conspicuous and public places in the city and district of Lienchou. As regards the conversion into a schoolhouse of the small temple used for ta tsui celebrations, the viceroy in the same note states that he has ordered the acting subprefect to devise proper means for so doing. In your dispatch No. 37 you say, in view of the subprefect's statement that he has been unable a Supra. |