The following are copies of letters which have passed between Messrs, Seward and Medhurat and the Tuotai, in regard to th Survey of the Woosung Bar Massns, Sewanp ANd MEDHURST 70 THE
Str,—You were good enough to favor us with an interview on the 16th instant, la orler to afford ws an opportunity of ting for your consideration a preposition in respect to the Woorung Bar; namely that you should make an appropriation of nels 2,000 for the purpose of engaging the services of to Dutch professional meu, now in the employ of the Japanese Government, to survey and report nyon the Bar. his proposition ino way contemplated interference with the ral question now under subini ig Government, its object. being to embrace an opportunity happily offered for satisfying the Chinese and foreign local authorities, at a trifling cost, aa to the actual nature and cause of the obstruction, and as to the most practical method of rein warmly in view of the fact that We were prepared to urge the prop
Japan of the Engineers in question uncertain, and that consequently the oppor: tunity to secure their services may be lost, if steps are not promptly take was to represent the inutility of any attempt our fest effort on learning our purpose to improve the present condition of the over entrance, basing your arguments upon certain theories as to the action of the current upon the banks and channels of the river; but it urged in reply that merely empirical of no service in elucidating the ques needed is. professional knowledge; and an opportunity Leingnow afforded for securing such knowledge, it should by all means be taken advantage of in the interest of all parties.
You thereupon fell back upon your official responsibilities, pleading firefly, that inasmuch as the matter had been made a subject, of reference to Peking, it would be presumpti on your part to forestall the result by inde: pendent action. Secondly, that if you di sanction the survey, and the result. prov favorable to the claims of the Consuls, yeo would be committing your Government to 4 course of action which it might, not be com venient for them to pursue. And, thirdly, that in any event you could not as Taotat expend public moneys for administrative pur poses without previous reference to the high authorities. We met these objections by representing that a mere survey could not have the effect of anticipating the decision the supreme authorities, whilst it might
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.