Mr. Choate to
Mr. Hay.
American Embassy,
London, August 4,
1900.
No. 372.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that, in
pursuance of your cable instructions of 1st instant,1 I addressed to Her
Majesty’s minister for foreign affairs, on the 2d instant, a note,
and on the 3d instant I received from Lord Salisbury a personal note
in reply, of which I inclose a copy.
I have the honor to be, etc.
[Inclosure.]
Lord Salisbury to Mr. Choate.
Foreign Office, August 3, 1900.
Dear Mr. Choate: I am much obliged to
you for your note of yesterday informing me of what has passed
between the Government of the United States and Li Hung Chang
with regard to the proposal of the latter that the advance on
Pekin should not take place pending negotiations for the
establishment of free communications between the foreign
representatives and their Governments.
I need hardly assure your excellency that I entirely concur in
the terms of the reply of the Secretary of State.
[Page 347]
Messages of a similar kind have reached me from the Emperor
through the Chinese minister, and I have always said that no
negotiations were possible until I was in a position to
communicate freely with Her Majesty’s minister in Pekin.
Believe me, my dear embassador, very truly, yours,