138 Kenneth S. Latourette, 



the letter by mistake/*^ and that if the acting viceroy had sent 

 it directly to his house the accident would not have happened. 

 He then lectured Ching on the use of salutes. "China," said he, 

 "will find it very difficult to remain at peace with any of the great 

 states of the West, so long as her provincial governors are pro- 

 hibited either to give or to receive manifestations of that peace 

 in the exchange of ordinary courtesies of national intercourse." 

 On May 9th, Gushing wrote saying that he would wait a little 

 longer before going North, to allow ample time to hear from 

 Peking, and reminded Ching that "foreign ambassadors repre- 

 sent the sovereignty of their nation. Any disrespect shown to 

 them is disrespect to their nation. . . . Causelessly to molest 

 them is a national injury of the gravest manner." He also said 

 that the delay would cause dissatisfaction in the United States.^*® 

 However, the American was secretly not anxious to go to Peking. 

 He preferred to negotiate at Canton rather than to jeopardize 

 the success of his mission by going to Tien Tsin or Peking.^*' 



Cushing's insistence on going to the capital and his growing 

 impatience finally had its desired effect. Kiying, the newly 

 appointed viceroy of Kwangtung and Kwangsi, was made 

 Imperial High Commissioner and was given full powers. ^*^ 

 Cushing with a parting note to the acting viceroy expressing his 

 satisfaction at Kiying's appointment, but reasserting his intention 

 of ultimately going north, prepared to meet the commissioner. 

 He later felt that the months of waiting had been well spent. 

 His correspondence with Ching had settled the question of the 

 necessity of a treaty, and had given him the chance to "say all 

 the harsh things which needed to be said and to speak to the 

 Chinese government with extreme .... frankness in a 

 degree which would have been inconvenient .... in imme- 

 diate correspondence with" the commissioner.^**" Kiying made 



^'■' Ibid., p. 17, Apr. 22, 1844. 



""While this discussion was going on, there was some minor disturbance 

 over the weather vane on the new American flagstaff in Canton, which 

 the Chinese thought brought ill-luck ; but it was removed as soon as the 

 objection was raised, and the trouble ceased. Ch. Rep., 13:227. 



""Cushing to Upshur, May 27, 1844, and the same to Calhoun, July 15, 

 1844, Sen. Doc. 67, 28 Cong., 2 Sess., pp. 31, 58. 



'*" Ibid., p. 28. 



""Cushing to Sec. of State, Ibid., p. 40. (July 9, 1844.) 



