No. 432.
Mr. Bingham to Mr. Fish.
Tokei, May 20, 1874. (Received June 23.)
Sir: On the 4th instant I received from Sir Harry S. Parkes a dispatch in which, referring to his dispatch of the 23d February last of which I acquainted you, he informs me of the receipt by him of another installment of the Simonoseki indemnity, of which, as he states by the agreement of Paris, he “holds on your [my] account a second sum of [Page 683] $5,833.33.” I have replied that as at present advised I have no suggestions to make touching the matter of the indemnity of which he speaks.
It may be proper to say that Mr. Woogeno, the assistant minister of foreign affairs, has told me verbally (when speaking of the installment of February last) that no part of it was paid on account of the United States.
Be that as it may, it has seemed to me, under your instructions No. 19, dated 8th January last, not advisable for me to receive money on this account from the English minister in the absence of’ any demand by our government for its payment. Having advised you of a like sum tendered by Sir Harry Parkes in February, I may add that, in the absence of instructions from the Department to receive it from him, I did not feel authorized to do so.
I respectfully await your instructions, and beg leave to suggest that it seems to me that, until our government is ready to demand and receive all the unpaid balance of this indemnity, it would be better not to receive small amounts of it, as demanded and received from time to time by the English minister.
I am, &c.,