Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, with the Annual Message of the President, December 6, 1875, Volume I

No. 134.
Mr. Avery to Mr. Fish.

Legation of the United States,
Peking, December 10, 1874. (Received February 24, 1875.)

No. 2.]

Sir: As another slight evidence of the disposition of the Chinese to adopt tentatively such foreign improvements as they are led to believe may be advantageous to themselves, I inclose a copy of a letter to Mr. Williams from Mr. James Henderson, a British subject lately resident at Ten-tsin, who has been employed by Li-Hung-Chang, the viceroy or governor-general of this province, to purchase in England the machinery and appliances necessary for the scientific working of coal and iron mines at Pung Chung, in the province of Chili.

I am not disposed to exaggerate the importance of this new enterprise, and am aware that, like many other promising things in China, it is liable to be interrupted and abandoned through some contingency or freak that elsewhere would have no weight. Yet it is really a hopeful sign when one Chinese official of the rank and influence of Li-Hung-Chang is willing to brave the prejudices and superstitions that heretofore opposed the working of mines by foreign methods; and if this experiment succeeds, it can hardly fail to be followed by others, leading to the martial development, at least, of the great mineral resources of this empire.

The economical working of coal and iron deposits must ultimately be followed by the construction of railroads, to bring the product to the open ports, where it would meet a large foreign demand. One step of progress will follow another, and thus it becomes interesting to watch the east that may be taken.

I have, &c.,

BENJ. P. AVERY.

[Inclosure in No. 12.]

Mr. Henderson to Mr. Williams.

Tien-tsin, September 26, 1874.

Dear Mr. Williams: I have now the pleasure of informing you that His Excellency Li-Hung-Chang has decided, through the directors of the Shanghai and Tientsin arsenals, to work the coal and iron at Pung Chung, and that I have been appointed to purchase the plant for this work, which will comprise coal and iron mining, blast-furnaces, puddling-furnaces, forge and rolling mills all complete, for the manufacture of iron. I am also authorized to select competent workmen to superintend the different branches of the work. I believe these works will be carried on, as they will be begun, entirely on the responsibility of the viceroy. The funds for the work will, I believe, be found by the directors of the two arsenals. I intend leaving Tien-tsin for England, via America, on the 7th October, and hope to be back at Tien-tsin in about eight months from that time. The plant I expect will be here in about two months after my arrival here.

Yours, very truly,

JAMES HENDERSON.

S. Wells Williams, &c., &c., &c.