(1) I, the Empress Dowager, Tzo-hsi-tuan-yn, ete., hereby issue the following edict:—Bver since this country has been opened to international commerce natives and foreigners have all been treated impartially, without distinction of national ity. Edict after edict has been issued instructing the local authorities every where to protect missionaries in their work and it should have been the duty of the gentry and literati of all provinces to vid Government in, enforcing peace and harmony and cordially troating all missionaries who come among them. We re-Por to maintain friendly relations always, jentedly warned them not to be suspicious
I find, however, that of late the people of the various provinces have been troubling the Christians, and moreover that certain cases involving the people and Christians in the province of Szechuan have, nto the present, not been settled. It is indeed cause for indignation that ignorant people should start rumours and so cause riots and conflicts to arise, and that the local authorities have been unable to prevent such by previous exhortations and teachings. They cannot therefore escape the charge of incapability and consequent punishment. Thereby issue this special decree to the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.