Letter To The Emperor Of China

The following is the letter sent by Presidont Tyler to the Emperor of Ci)ina, through Mr. Cushing. It is supposed to have been written by Mr. Webster To the Emperor of China: I, John Tyler, President of the United States of America, - which States are: Maine, New ITampshire, Massachusctts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Pcnnsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, ühio. Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, and Michigan, - send you this letter of peace and friendship, signed by my own hand. I hope your health is good. Chináis a great Empire, extending over a great part of the world. The Chinese are numerous. You have mili ions and millions of subjecls. The the twenty-six Unitec States are as large as China, though our people are not so numerous. The rising sun looks upon the great mountains and great rivera oC China. Wtnpn he sets, he looks upon rivers and mountains cqually large, in the United States. Our territorios exlend from One great ocean to the other; and on the west, wc are divided from your dominions only by the sea. Leaving the mouth of one of our great rivers, andgoingconstantly towards the setting sun, we sail to Japan and to the Yellow Sea. Now, my words are, that the governmcnls of two such great countries should be al peace. It is proper, and according to ihc will of Heaven, that they should respect each other, and act wisely. I therefore end to yourCourt, Caleb Cushing, one of the wisc and learned men of ihis country. On his first arrival in China., he vvill inquire for your health. He bas then strict orders to go to your great city of Pekin, and there to deliver ihis )cttct. fie will have with him secretaries and interpreten. The Chinese lovc to trade with our people, and tosell them tea and silk, for which our people pay silver, and sometimes other arliclcs. But if the Chinese and the Americans will trade, there should be rules, so that they shall not break your laws or our laws. Our minister, Caleb Cushing, is milhorized to make a treaty to regúlate trade. Let it bc just. Let there be no unfair advantage on èither side. Let the people trade not only at Canlon, but also at Ainoy, Ningpo, Shanghai, Fu-chow, and all such other places as may offer profitable exchanges botli to China and the United States, provided. they do not break your laws nor our laws. We shall not take the part of evil-doers. Wc shall not uphold ihcm that break ynur laws. Therefore, we doubt not that you will be pleased that our messenger of peaco, with this letter ia his hand, sha'l come to Pekin, and ihere deliver it; and that your great oilicers will, by 'our order, make a treatv wiili him, lo regúlate aílairs of trade, - so that nolhing may happen to dislurb the peace betweon China and America. Let the treaty be signed by your own imperial hand. It shnll be signed by mine,by the aulhority of our great council. the Scnatc. And so may your henlth be good, and may pcacc rcign. W ritten at Washington, this twelfih day of July, in the year of our Lord ouc thousaiid cight hundred and iuriythree.