request to issue an edict forbidding all Confederate ships of
war from entering Chinese ports. Mr. Foster declares that
``such an order enforced by the governments of Europe would
have saved the American commercial marine from destruction
and shortened the Civil War.''[44]


[44] Foster, ``American Diplomacy in the Orient,'' p. 259.


The treaty of Washington in 1868 gave great satisfaction to
the Chinese Government as it contained pacific and, appreciative
references to China, an express disclaimer of any designs
upon the Empire and a willingness to admit Chinese to the
United States. The treaty of 1880, however, considerably
modified this willingness and the treaty of 1894 rather sharply
restricted further immigration. But in the commercial treaty
of 1880, the United States, at the request of the Chinese Government,
agreed to a clause peremptorily forbidding any citizen
of the United States from engaging in the opium traffic with
the Chinese or in any Chinese port.

Our national policy was admirably expressed in the note sent
by the Hon. Frederick F. Low, United States Minister at
Peking, to the Tsung-li Yamen, March 20, 1871:--


``To assure peace in the future, the people must be better informed of
the purposes of foreigners. They must be taught that merchants are
engaged in trade which cannot but be beneficial to both native and