Minister Rockhill to the Secretary of State.
Peking , August 18, 1905 .
Sir: In continuation of my previous dispatches I have the honor to inform you that yesterday afternoon His Excellency Chü Hung-chi, member of the grand council and senior minister in the foreign office, (Waiwu Pu), called on me to discuss my recent dispatch (see my No. 60 of the 17th instant) and in reference to China’s failure to suppress the boycott which I had insisted was a conspiracy in restraint of our trade carried on under official guidance and with the sympathy of the central government.
He assured me that the foreign office and the board of commerce had on the 16th instant telegraphed to the provincial authorities to stop the boycott, and that additional telegrams were sent the following day after receipt of my note. The Prince Ch’ing and the grand council were most anxious that this agitation should be at once stopped. Proclamations by imperial order would be shortly put forth, but they feared to do so at once as it might lead to trouble. A little time must be allowed before this final step could be taken.
His excellency said that the government now fully realized the gravity of the movement, and that it was greatly disturbed that we could think it was supported in anyway by governmental sympathy, for the Chinese Government was solely animated by the strongest feelings of friendship and gratitude to the United States.
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I have, etc.,