Page 449 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era
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435.

                   the  Emperor.       He  still  intended  to  fulfill  his  commission  to

                   go  to  Peking,  but  Cushing  now  decided  to  settle  negotiations

                   first.      Finally,  on  May  4,  Ch'eng  officially  confirmed  Ch'i-ying's

                   appointment  as  Imperial  Commissioner  and  announced  his  imminent

                   arrival.      Cushing  replied  that  he  felt  "particular  satisfaction

                   in  the  appointment  of  a  statesman  of  so  much  ability  and


                   experience  as  Tsiyeng  LCh'i-ying/,  to  conduct,  on  behalf  of  China,

                   the  negotiations  between  China  and  the  United  States                 . 11   But  he

                   also  told  the  governor  that  he  still  planned  to  present  "to  the

                   Emperor,  in  person,  the  letters  which  I  bear  from  the  President
                                                  11  76
                   of  the  United  States.


                                                             IV

                                                                  1
                               Imperial  Commissioner  Ch i-ying  arrived  at  Canton  on
                   May  31,  1844�       He  immediately  despatched  a  note  of  greeting  to


                   Cushing  with  an  apology  that  he  would  not  reach  Macao  until  he

                   had  settled  some  affairs  at  Canton.              Finally,  on  June  12,  the

                   Imperial  Commissioner  and  his  suite  arrived  at  Wang-hsia
                                                                                        1
                   (Wanghia),  a  Chinese  village  outside  Macao.                  Ch i-ying  decided

                   not  to  stay  inside  the  walls  of  Macao,  since  "barbarians"

                   (Portugese)  governed  the  city.              On  June  18  the  Commissioner,

                   accompanied  by  a  retinue  of  advisors,  minor  officials  and  troops,

                   ceremoniously  visited  Cushing  at  his  residence  inside  Macao.

                   Cushing  related  that  "the  interview  was,  at  his  request,  a

                   purely  friendly  one--no  business  being  transacted,  the  time  being

                   passed  in  conversation,  in  expressions  of  mutual  esteem,  and  in



                               76
                                 A  copy  of  the  Emperor's  edict  of  Apr.  9  and  Cushing's
                   reply  to  Ch'eng  of  May  14  are  in  Diplomatic  Despatches:  China,
                   C. Cushing,  May  12,  1844.
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