于文泰로부터 제너럴 셔먼호 생존자 정보 입수, 송환 협조 요청
LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,
Peking, March 3, 1868
Peking, March 3, 1868
Sir:
Referring to my note to the Foreign Office of October 28, 1866, respecting an American merchant vessel, the schooner General Sherman, which had been stranded in Corea in August of that year, at which time I was favored by a reply assuring me that the military and civil authorities of Manchuria should attend to the wants of such of the crew as might be handed over to them, I have now the honor to bring the subject again before your imperial highness, with the request that you would communicate upon it with the Corean government.
It appears, from reports received after the date of my note of October, 1866, that when the General Sherman got ashore in Corea the natives of the country flocked about her, and that a quarrel arose between them and the crew, resulting in injury and wounds to both parties, and a fight, in which all the latter were ultimately destroyed. In consequence of this report, the admiral commanding the United States squadron in these seas last summer dispatched one of his vessels to Corea to make inquiries into the matter, and ascertain the real circumstances of the affair on the spot; but this he was not able at the time to do in a satisfactory manner.
A day or two since I received from the United States consul at Chifu the report of a pilot, named Yu Wautai, who last year returned from Corea, and related to him “that he had gone up a stream called Piyang river, and about 10 miles from the sea had seen a foreign vessel lying on the southern bank, without master or sails, and her hull full of water. He had also met a Corean, named Kin Tsz’ping, a native of an island called Tsioh Tau, or Sparrow island, who told him that in March last he had himself seen two foreigners and two Chinese at the magistrate's office at the chief city of the district of Piyang. The rest of the foreigners and Chinese had all been killed by the farmers and people of the country, and not by the Corean authorities or soldiers. He saw these two foreigners walking in the streets without any instruments of torture upon them, followed by policemen to see that they did not get away; but he could not ascertain why the Corean magistrates detained them in this manner.”
This report of the pilot Yu Wautai seems to me to possess a degree of truth, and not to be a made-up story, and I therefore lose no time in making it known to your imperial highness, to see whether some plan cannot be carried into effect to secure the liberation of these four men. I have myself also received directions from the government of the United States, in consequence of the report having reached Washington of the destruction of the General Sherman by the Coreans two years ago, to ascertain the true facts of the case and report upon them. This order, in connection with the unsuccessful visit for that purpose of the United States man-of-war last year leads me now to make known these particulars to your imperial highness, and respectfully request that a communication be sent by his Majesty’s government to the Corean government for them to deliver over the two foreigners and two Chinese to the Chinese authorities.
The government of the United States has no direct relations with that of Corea, but there is something quite inexplicable in the fact that when this American vessel went there her crew should be treated so barbarously, and there must have been some cause for it, which the American government cannot permit to pass by silently, and without full investigation being made into all the circumstances.
The governments of China and the United States have long been on the most friendly terms, and I therefore entertain the strongest expectation that his Imperial Majesty will so represent this affair to the Corean government that they will see the propriety of transmitting a correct account of all the facts connected with the destruction of this American schooner within their territory, in order that I may report the same to the President. This act of courtesy will likewise add another evidence of the friendly relations existing between our respective governments, and will be duly appreciated.
I have the honor to be, with great respect, your imperial highness’s obedient servant,
Referring to my note to the Foreign Office of October 28, 1866, respecting an American merchant vessel, the schooner General Sherman, which had been stranded in Corea in August of that year, at which time I was favored by a reply assuring me that the military and civil authorities of Manchuria should attend to the wants of such of the crew as might be handed over to them, I have now the honor to bring the subject again before your imperial highness, with the request that you would communicate upon it with the Corean government.
It appears, from reports received after the date of my note of October, 1866, that when the General Sherman got ashore in Corea the natives of the country flocked about her, and that a quarrel arose between them and the crew, resulting in injury and wounds to both parties, and a fight, in which all the latter were ultimately destroyed. In consequence of this report, the admiral commanding the United States squadron in these seas last summer dispatched one of his vessels to Corea to make inquiries into the matter, and ascertain the real circumstances of the affair on the spot; but this he was not able at the time to do in a satisfactory manner.
A day or two since I received from the United States consul at Chifu the report of a pilot, named Yu Wautai, who last year returned from Corea, and related to him “that he had gone up a stream called Piyang river, and about 10 miles from the sea had seen a foreign vessel lying on the southern bank, without master or sails, and her hull full of water. He had also met a Corean, named Kin Tsz’ping, a native of an island called Tsioh Tau, or Sparrow island, who told him that in March last he had himself seen two foreigners and two Chinese at the magistrate's office at the chief city of the district of Piyang. The rest of the foreigners and Chinese had all been killed by the farmers and people of the country, and not by the Corean authorities or soldiers. He saw these two foreigners walking in the streets without any instruments of torture upon them, followed by policemen to see that they did not get away; but he could not ascertain why the Corean magistrates detained them in this manner.”
This report of the pilot Yu Wautai seems to me to possess a degree of truth, and not to be a made-up story, and I therefore lose no time in making it known to your imperial highness, to see whether some plan cannot be carried into effect to secure the liberation of these four men. I have myself also received directions from the government of the United States, in consequence of the report having reached Washington of the destruction of the General Sherman by the Coreans two years ago, to ascertain the true facts of the case and report upon them. This order, in connection with the unsuccessful visit for that purpose of the United States man-of-war last year leads me now to make known these particulars to your imperial highness, and respectfully request that a communication be sent by his Majesty’s government to the Corean government for them to deliver over the two foreigners and two Chinese to the Chinese authorities.
The government of the United States has no direct relations with that of Corea, but there is something quite inexplicable in the fact that when this American vessel went there her crew should be treated so barbarously, and there must have been some cause for it, which the American government cannot permit to pass by silently, and without full investigation being made into all the circumstances.
The governments of China and the United States have long been on the most friendly terms, and I therefore entertain the strongest expectation that his Imperial Majesty will so represent this affair to the Corean government that they will see the propriety of transmitting a correct account of all the facts connected with the destruction of this American schooner within their territory, in order that I may report the same to the President. This act of courtesy will likewise add another evidence of the friendly relations existing between our respective governments, and will be duly appreciated.
I have the honor to be, with great respect, your imperial highness’s obedient servant,
S. WELLS WILLIAMS
His Imperial Highness PRINCE KUNG,
Chief Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Chief Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
별지: 漢譯文
美國照會
爲照會事 所有函託轉詢高麗一事 査前年九月間 本大臣函內 言八月間 有本國兩枝桅之商船 在高麗擱淺 當經函覆 稱分致盛京將軍 及海關監督 妥辦在案 嗣後風聞該船在擱淺之處 高麗土人與船上人打仗 彼此傷害 洋人死亡殆盡 去年夏間 本國水師提督 派兵船往彼 査察情形虛實 未得底細而回 昨據煙臺美國領事官申詳 有中國帶水人于文泰回來云 伊到高麗 見披陽河南邊 有夾板船一隻 竝無桅棚 船內空空 滿水而已 離海三十餘里 遇有住雀島之高麗商人金子平 說二月間 親眼見有洋人二名 華人二名 在披陽省衙門內 其餘洋人華人 俱被莊農人打死 非高麗官兵所傷 且見洋人在大衢走 身上竝無刑具 卻是後面有人跟緊 不解高麗官留下洋人何故等語前來 本大臣因思帶水人于文泰所說 亦足爲據 非無稽之言 貴親王能設法救出四人否 請轉達高麗國 將洋人二名 華人二名 送交中國官 本國與高麗素無交涉 該商船往入彼境 遽加殘害 有乖情理 其中必有原由 本國斷難隱忍 定欲追尋其故 我兩國多年和好 敢希轉行知高麗 將本國商船在彼如何被害之實在憑據 詳述前來 以便本大臣奏知國家 以昭友誼關切 是所感謝
爲照會事 所有函託轉詢高麗一事 査前年九月間 本大臣函內 言八月間 有本國兩枝桅之商船 在高麗擱淺 當經函覆 稱分致盛京將軍 及海關監督 妥辦在案 嗣後風聞該船在擱淺之處 高麗土人與船上人打仗 彼此傷害 洋人死亡殆盡 去年夏間 本國水師提督 派兵船往彼 査察情形虛實 未得底細而回 昨據煙臺美國領事官申詳 有中國帶水人于文泰回來云 伊到高麗 見披陽河南邊 有夾板船一隻 竝無桅棚 船內空空 滿水而已 離海三十餘里 遇有住雀島之高麗商人金子平 說二月間 親眼見有洋人二名 華人二名 在披陽省衙門內 其餘洋人華人 俱被莊農人打死 非高麗官兵所傷 且見洋人在大衢走 身上竝無刑具 卻是後面有人跟緊 不解高麗官留下洋人何故等語前來 本大臣因思帶水人于文泰所說 亦足爲據 非無稽之言 貴親王能設法救出四人否 請轉達高麗國 將洋人二名 華人二名 送交中國官 本國與高麗素無交涉 該商船往入彼境 遽加殘害 有乖情理 其中必有原由 本國斷難隱忍 定欲追尋其故 我兩國多年和好 敢希轉行知高麗 將本國商船在彼如何被害之實在憑據 詳述前來 以便本大臣奏知國家 以昭友誼關切 是所感謝
별지: 總署의 회신 영역문
Note from the Foreign Office
July 11, 1868
When we received that dispatch of March 3 from your excellency, relating to the American schooner General Sherman, lost in Corea in 1866, concerning which an American man-of-war had gone to inquire about and had not succeeded in her mission, so that you requested us to communicate with the government of Corea to ascertain who were the two foreigners reported to be held in confinement there, and learn the reasons why they were so treated, that something might be done for their welfare, we replied that measures would be taken to further your wishes.
We accordingly presented a memorial to the throne, requesting that orders might be transmitted to the board of rites, directing its president to address the King of Corea and ask him to inquire whether two foreigners were really detained in his country. We have recently received a dispatch from the board of rites stating that a reply had been received from the King to the following effect:
“A two-masted foreign vessel went ashore in the Ping-jang river, bit this government had no hand whatever in the disasters which happened to her and her crew; nor has any envoy from the United States been here to inquire respecting them. If you have any means of communicating this to him, you can no doubt fully inform him of this fact. It is a fixed rule of this country, moreover, that when unfortunate men are cast ashore they must be rescued and treated kindly, so that if there were at this time any such pitiable cases here of persons who had drifted sown upon us, how could we detain them against their will? This rumor of two foreigners and two Chinese being kept here has no foundations; and it is a point, too, which can easily be ascertained. I shall be obliged if the officers of the board of rites will make these explanations on my behalf to those who may wish them.”
It appears to us from the above that the statement by the Corean authorities that none of your countrymen are detained in their boarders has much to confirm it; and in sending this reply we avail ourselves of the occasion to renew to you the expression of our best wishes for your happiness.
We accordingly presented a memorial to the throne, requesting that orders might be transmitted to the board of rites, directing its president to address the King of Corea and ask him to inquire whether two foreigners were really detained in his country. We have recently received a dispatch from the board of rites stating that a reply had been received from the King to the following effect:
“A two-masted foreign vessel went ashore in the Ping-jang river, bit this government had no hand whatever in the disasters which happened to her and her crew; nor has any envoy from the United States been here to inquire respecting them. If you have any means of communicating this to him, you can no doubt fully inform him of this fact. It is a fixed rule of this country, moreover, that when unfortunate men are cast ashore they must be rescued and treated kindly, so that if there were at this time any such pitiable cases here of persons who had drifted sown upon us, how could we detain them against their will? This rumor of two foreigners and two Chinese being kept here has no foundations; and it is a point, too, which can easily be ascertained. I shall be obliged if the officers of the board of rites will make these explanations on my behalf to those who may wish them.”
It appears to us from the above that the statement by the Corean authorities that none of your countrymen are detained in their boarders has much to confirm it; and in sending this reply we avail ourselves of the occasion to renew to you the expression of our best wishes for your happiness.
Cards of PRINCE KUNG
WANSIANG
PAUYUN
TUNG SIUN
TAN TINGSIANG
TSUNG LUN
SEU KI-YU
WANSIANG
PAUYUN
TUNG SIUN
TAN TINGSIANG
TSUNG LUN
SEU KI-YU
색인어
- 이름
- Yu Wautai, Kin Tsz’ping, Yu Wautai
- 지명
- Manchuria, Corea, Chifu, Corea, Piyang river, Sparrow island, Piyang, Corea, the Ping-jang river
- 관서
- the Foreign Office, the Corean government, the government of the United States, Corean government, The government of the United States, the American government, The governments of China, the Corean government, the government of Corea, the board of rites, the board of rites, the board of rites
