44
423
rod reason to believe that my refusal to recognize the
"Tai On" as Pritish was due to a misapprehension, Wis
Excellency never made any attempt, either by sending a
Secretary to discuss the matter with mo, or informing me
of the Kongmoon Commissionor's statement, to clear up
the misunderstyinding. Onu or other of the Viceroy's five
secretaries are constantly calling at this Consulate with
rerard to current business, often of the most trivial nat-
uro. I had ge: n the Viceroy, with whom I un person lly on
most friendly terms on two occations during the wook
immediately preceding the seizure; jet neither Vis
Excellency nor any one of his facraturies dropped ovom u
hint that it was proposed to take the important stop of
seizing a British stesnor.
This silence, ae I took occasion to inform the
Viceroy, at our subsequent interview, appours to me to show
a lack of consideration towards this Consulatu-Cener: 1, of
which I have more thin once hid russon to complain, aná
I told Vie Excellency that in the present ins once this
unfriendly treatment w s all the more unnerited as i had
ut the