266
foreign Consuls left it to the United States Con-
(
sul at Canton, and to the United States Legation
in Peking to obtain such redress as seemed due
in this particular case.
Paragraph 17 does not represent correctly
the tenor of the Viceroy's communication to me.
I did not inform the Governor that the "Viceroy
"could not be responsible for the conduct of the
"people towards foreigners in the villages, and
"that therefore missionaries and foreigners had
A copy
"better keep themselves within door".
of my letter to Hongkong on which the above state-
ment is based is herewith enclosed. The words I
used were: "The Viceroy has informed me that tran-
quillity in the city can be assured, but that in
butlying districts further removed from Central
Authorities, there is cause for uneasiness; and
he has requested me to desire all missionaries to
keep quiet, and to abstain from pursuing their
"avocations for the present".
In paragraph 20 it is stated:
"the directors of the benevolent hospital at
"Canton through the Agency of the Viceroy re-
"quested that any sick Chinese who might wish
"to go to Canton, or desire in case of death to
"have their corpses sent to their native vil-
"lages might be forwarded in specially prepared
"junks to that Capibal".
The true history of these negotiations was given
in my confidential despatch of the 11th June; and a
copy of the Viceroy's request was enclosed therein.
The Viceroy's letter made no reference to the corpses
of those dying in Hongkong being sent to their na-
tive villages.
Paragraph 21 states that to have complied with
the above request would have defeated the efficiency
of the house to house visitation, and resulted in
cases of sickness not being reported to the police.
This objection has been put forward more than
once, but I can see no force in it. The Viceroy
and the Canton Benevolent Societies only asked that
patients might be removed from the Hongkong hospitals
"The
and
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