Lord Pauncefote to Mr. Hay.
Sir: I have the honor, by direction of Her Majesty’s principal secretary of state for foreign affairs, to inform you that his lordship communicated a memorandum to the Chinese minister yesterday in the following words:
The Chinese minister is requested by Her Majesty’s Government to transmit by telegraph, in such a manner as will insure the message reaching the Government at Pekin, notice that they will be held to be personally guilty if the members of the European legations and others in Pekin surfer injury.
I have the honor to be, etc.,