File No. 406/66.
Minister Rockhill to the Secretary of State.
Peking, June 29, 1907.
Sir: In further acknowledgment of your instruction, No. 291, of May 10 last,a in regard to the negotiating of a copyright convention with China, and notwithstanding the fact that the Chinese Government has declined to discuss the question of a revision of Article XI of the treaty of October 8, 1903, until the time fixed for revision in [Page 257] said treaty, i. e., ten years, has arrived, I think it may be possible to reopen the case at a later date with the Wai-wu-Pu with some chance of success. For some months past, as you are aware, the Government of China has been making such sudden and constant changes in the offices at Peking that it has been next to impossible to secure the attention of the Wai-wu-Pu to any question, even the most urgent and important. What little time the high officials have had to give to the consideration of foreign affairs has been taken up with negotiations with the Japanese and Russians. At the present time there is only one person in the Wai-wu-Pu with any authority, the senior minister, Na-tung, and he is burdened with a number of other offices.
When the new junior minister, Lu Hai-huan, and the new assistant secretaries have taken up their duties in the foreign office, which they will probably do before next autumn, it is to be hoped that more time will be found for the transaction of business with the foreign representatives. I will at the first favorable opportunity bring this matter to their attention, and trust that it may be possible to get them to reconsider the decision taken in their note of June 1, sent to you in my No. 631 of June 3, 1907.
I have, etc.,
- Not printed.↩