No. 258.
General Schenck to Mr. Fish.
London, December 19, 1874. (Received January 4, 1875.)
Sir: On the receipt of your No. 641, Lord Derby being out of town, 1 waited three or four days without an opportunity to comply with your instruction to read to him Mr. Bingham’s No. 131. Yesterday, however, on ascertaining that his lordship would not probably be at the foreign office until after the Christmas holidays, I called on Lord Tenterden, who is in charge. I found that he was informed as to the conversation I had had with Lord Derby, and the communication I had made, as reported to you in my No. 620, and that it would be all the same if I read to Lord Tenterden this last inclosure from Mr. Bingham, setting himself right as to his absence from the meeting of the foreign representatives, and his not having signed the joint note to the Japanese government.
I read it, therefore, but left no copy. Lord Tenterden made a note of the substance of Mr. Bingham’s statement, with a view, I suppose, to asking some explanation from Sir Harry Parkes.
I am, &c.,