Office of the Historian

No. 114.
Mr. Seward to Mr. Evarts.

Legation of the United States,
Peking, October 11, 1879. (Received November 28.)
No. 490.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose to you ‘herewith an extract from a dispatch recently received by me from Mr. De Lano, reporting the fact that the local officials at his post have of late dealt with missionary cases occurring in the interior promptly and satisfactorily, and, in some cases, without intervention on his part. Such cases have been frequent at his post in the past, and settlement of them has been obtained only with great difficulty.

I attribute the improved condition of things to a better feeling on the part of the Chinese generally, and to greater caution on the part of the missionaries, resulting in a measure, as I believe, from the circular letter which I addressed to them in March, 1876 (vide Diplomatic Correspondence 1876, p. 77).

I am especially pleased to find that appeals made by the missionaries directly to the local officials have resulted well at Foochow and elsewhere. I have been and am very desirous that the missionaries shall be encouraged to go to the local officials for the redress of their grievances, and in this way to avoid the appearance that our official establishments in China exist largely to sustain efforts for the propagation of religion.

I have, &c.,

GEORGE F. SEWARD.
[Inclosure 1 in No. 490.]

No. 130.
Mr. De Lano to Mr. Seward.

August 8, 1879.

Sir: * * * * * * *

Consular cases growing out of missionary work, such as have hitherto claimed much of my attention, have become rare, and I am glad to say that when such cases do arise, of late, in which American missionaries are concerned, the Chinese officials take them up without solicitation from the consulate and settle them with promptness and fairness, either procuring recompense for native converts who have been maltreated or despoiled of their property by mobs, or causing chapels to be rebuilt or repaired when torn down or damaged.

At Yeuping-foo the American Methodist mission had occasion to make some alterations and repairs upon their chapel during the last winter, when the obstructive society known as the “Lien-chiah” interfered and stopped the work. This was reported through the consulate to the provincial officers, who at once caused the “Lien-chiah” to retire, and the work was completed without further opposition.

* * * * * * *

I have, &c.,

M. M. De LANO.