IMMIGRATION AND COMMERCIAL TREATIES BETWEEN THE U. S. & CHINA 97

or threatens to affect, the interests of that country, or to endanger the good order of any locality within the territory thereof, the Government of China agrees that the Government of the United States may regulate, limit, or suspend such coming or residence, but may not absolutely prohibit it. The limitation or suspension shall be reasonable, and shall apply only to Chinese who may go to the United States as labourers, other classes not being included in the limitation. Legislation in regard to Chinese labourers will be of such a character only as is necessary to enforce the regulation, limitation, or suspension, of immigration, and immigrants shall not be subject to personal maltreatment or abuse.

Art. IL-Chinese subjects, whether proceeding to the United States as traders or students, merchants, or from curiosity, together with their body and household servants, and Chinese labourers who are now in the United States, shall be allowed to go and come of their own free will and accord and shall be accorded all the rights, privileges, immunities, and exemptions which are accorded to the citizens and subjects of the most favoured nations.

Art. III. If Chinese labourers, or Chinese of any other class, now either permanently or temporarily residing in the territory of the United States, meet with ill-treatment at the hands of any other persons, the Government of the United States will exert all its power to devise measures for their protection, and secure to them the same rights, privileges, immanities, and exemptions as may be enjoyed by the citizens or subjects of the most favoured nation, and to which they are entited by

treaty.

Art. IV. The high contracting Powers, having agreed upon the foregoing Articles, whenever the Government of the United States shall adopt legislative measures in accordance therewith, such measures will be communicated to the Government of China, and if the measures, as effected, are found to work hardship upou the subjects of China, the Chinese Minister at Washington may bring the matter to the notice of the Secretary of State of the United States, who will consider the subject with him, and the Chinese Foreign Office may also bring the matter to th: notice of the U.S. Minister at Peking and consider the subject with him, to the end that mutual and unqualified benefit may result. In faith whereof, the Plenipo- tentiaries have signed and sealed the foregoing at Peking, in English and Chinese, there being three original; of each text of even tenor and date, the ratifications of which shall be exchanged at Peking within one year from the date of its execution.

Done at Peking, this 17th day of November, in the year of our Lord 1880, Kang Sũ sixth year, tenth moon, fifteenth day. Signed and sealed by the above- Damed Commissioners of both Governments.

time

The Commercial Treaty

The following is the text of the commercial treaty signed at the same place and

The President of the United States of America and His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China, because of certain points of incompletenes in the existing treaties between the two Governments, have named as their Commissioners Plenipotentiary: The President of the United States of America, James B. Angell, of Michigan; John F. Swift, of California; and William H. Treecott, of South Carolina, as his Com- miss oners Plenipotentiary; and His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China has appointed Pao Chun, a member of His Imperial Majesty's Privy Council and Super- ensen of the Board of Civil Office; and Di Hung Tsao, a member of His Imperial Majesty's Privy Council, as his Commissioners Plenipotentiary; and the said Com- Tuissoners Plenipotentiary, having conjointly examined their full powers, and having discussed the points of possible modification in existing treaties, have agreed upon the following additional articles :—

Art. I. The Governments of the United States and China, recognizing the benents of their past commercial relations, and in order to still further promote such reations between the citizens and subjects of the two Powers, mutually agree to give the most careful and favourable attention to the representations of either as to much special extension of commercial intercourse as either may desire.

4

Digitized by

Google

Share This Page