Early Relations hchveen the United States and China. 139 



his public entry May 30th/^'' and negotiations were at once 

 opened. The relations between the two commissioners were on 

 the whole very pleasant. The first two letters from the Chinese 

 had in the address the name of the United States one line below 

 that of the Chinese government, an expression of inferiority, 

 but when Cushing returned them, tactfully considering the offense 

 the "result of clerical inadvertance," they were promptly cor- 

 rected. ^^^ On July 17th, Kiying crossed the boundary to the 

 Portuguese colony of Macao, and took up his residence in a 

 temple in the village of Whanghia, or Wang Hiya. The next 

 day he visited tlie fleet, and on the following day (June 19th), 

 the Americans returned the call. That same evening three 

 Chinese officers attending the commissioner met Webster, Bridg- 

 man, and Peter Parker, Cushing's secretaries, and arranged the 

 course of the negotiations.^^- On the 21st, Cushing presented a 

 pro jet for a treaty, basing it, as he said, on five principles^^^ : that 

 the United States were to treat with China on a basis of friend- 

 ship and peace ; that they did not desire any perfect reciprocity, 

 but since their ports were all open to the ships of all nations and 

 there were no export duties, and since the Chinese had opened 

 only five ports and had an export tariff, they would acquiesce in 

 the view of the subject which it had pleased the Emperor to 

 adopt; that any difference between the American pro jet and the 

 British treaty was due to the fact that Great Britain had posses- 

 sion of Hongkong, and the United States neither possessed nor 

 desired such a concession ; and that in drawing up the pro jet 

 the interests of both sides had been borne in mind. The Chinese 

 and American secretaries met for several days, sometimes in 

 Cushing's house in Macao, sometimes at Whanghia, and discussed 

 and modified this projet until both principals were satisfied. 

 Within the first week after their meeting, Kiying told Cushing 

 that if he insisted on going to Peking negotiations must be broken 

 off. Cushing yielded with a show of reluctance, stipulating a 



^^° Chinese Rep., 13 : 335. 



"^ Cushing to Sec. of State, Sen. Doc. 67, 28 Cong., 2 Sess., p. 34. (June 

 13, 1844.) 



"- Cushing to Sec. of State, July 8, 1844, Sen. Doc. 67, 28 Cong., 2 

 Sess., p. 38. 



^^' Cushing to Kiying, June 21, 1844, Ibid., p. 41. 



