To the Editor of the "Norra-Cama Darty News."
Ste,—At the sixth annual dinner of the American-Asiatic Association held at New York on the first of June last, excellent speeches, as usual, were made, a summary which has been in your and other papers.
I find, however, that the genial toastmaster in introducing the Chinese Minister, Sir Liang Chénv, was misled by him into making this inaccurate statement: " Ihave his (Sir Liaog's) permission to make the very important announcement to-night that the latest, if not greatest, of his diplomatic achievements has been the bringing in of China as a signatory of the Geneva Convention."
Now, the facta, as I have gathered from most reliable sources, areas follows:—The first effort to get the Government of China to join the Red Cross station was made by' his Excellency Yi Keng some years ago when he was Chinese Minister at Tokio, When the Russo-Japan war broke out in February last, there was some
of moving the Government in that* diveo: talk in official Fole here and in Peking tion. Accordingly, when the International branch of the Red Cross Association was formed in Shanghai, and.when the Treaty presen! rial Government ti Commissioners who were its members
advisability of formally joining the Associa. tion, the Peking Government, upon the advice of the Waiwupu, readily consented, and instructions were at once sent to his Excellency Chang. the Chinese Minister at London, to take immediate steps for that The Swigy Minister in London, at the request of his Excellency Ohaug, communicated to his government the wish of China to join the Association and to request the International Committee to recognise China in the meantime as one of the members, pending the arrival of the credentials suutiorting Mr. Chang to sign the Conven-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.