Gr7A^> J atljaca. JJtm Hark CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE GIFT OF CHARLES WILLIAM WASON CLASS OF 1876 1918 uate JJue «y^-— jv PRINTED IN U. ». A. (Sf CAT * NO. 23233 Cornell University Library DS 740.5.G7A3 1900 Correspondence respecting the insurrecti 3 1924 023 185 204 Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023185204 BEIT ISH PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS REGARDING AFFAIRS OF CHINA Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty 1900 LONDON 1900 ^ H Ht L I LIBii ii K Y n v \^(o03S 1,1 .ni/'.oa Y1 veil •J-VIMV CONTENTS •^ , Further Correspondence respecting the Affairs of China, 1900 /, Correspondence with the United States' Government respecting Foreign Trade in China, 1900 X Correspondence respecting the Insurrectionary Movement in China, 1900 CHINA. No. 2 (1900). CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE UNITED STATES' GOVERNMENT RESPECTING FOREIGN TRADE IN CHINA. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty. April 1900. LONDON: PRINTED FOR HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, PRINTERS IK ORDINARY TO HER MAJESTY. And to be purchased, either directly or through any Books 'Her, from EYRE and SPOTTISWOODB, East Harding Street, Flebt Street, E.C., and 32, Abingdon Street, Westminster, S.W. ; or JOHN MENZIES & Co., 12, Hanover Street, Edinburgh, and 90, West Nile Street. Glasgow; or HODGES, EIGGIS, & Co., Limited, 104. Grafton Street, Dublin. [Cd. 94.J Price \\d. rA V, W H U k Al U.NIYI. .V-i l Y TABLE OF CONTENTS. Xo. Name. Date. Subject. Page 1 Mr. Choate Sept. 22, 189a Desire of United States Government that Powers claiming " spheres of interest " in China should sign a Declaration as to treatment of foreign trade and commerce therein 1 2 To Mr. Choato . . 29, Acknowledges receipt of above. Cabinet will be consulted 2] 3 » j> Nov. 30, Her Majesty's Government are ready to make a Declaration in sense desired, provided other Powers concerned do the same 3 4 Mr. Choate Dec. 6, Acknowledges receipt of above. Gratification of President of United States at acceptance of American proposals by Her Majesty's Govern- ment 3 5 Mr. White Mar. 30, 1 900 Incloses copies of replies received from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia to proposals of United States' Government, who will now consider reply of Her Majesty's Government as final 3 6 To Mr. White Apr. 5, Acknowledges receipt of above. Her Majesty's Government are quite willing to sign Declaration in sense proposed 6 '■ y Ji An hi. i Correspondence with the United States' Government respecting Foreign Trade in China. No. 1. Mr. Choate to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 22.) My Lord, American Embassy. London, September 22, 1899. I AM instructed by the Secretary of State to present to your Lordship a matter which the President regards as of great and equal importance to Great Britain and the United States in the maintenance of trade and commerce in the East, in which the interest of the two nations differs not in character, hut in degree only, and to ask for action on the part of Her Majesty's Government, which the President conceives to he in exact accord with its uniformly declared policy and traditions, and which will greatly promote the welfare of commerce. He understands it to he the settled policy and purpose of Great Britain not to use any privileges which may he granted to it in China as a means of excluding any com- mercial rivals, and that freedom of trade for it in that Empire means freedom of trade for all the world alike. Her Majesty's Government, while conceding by formal agreements with Germany and Russia, the possession of " spheres of influence or interest " in China, in which they are to enjoy special rights and privileges, par- ticularly in respect to railroads and mining enterprises, has, at the same time, sought to maintain what is commonly called the " open door " policy, to secure to the com- merce and navigation of all nations equality of treatment within such ''spheres." The maintenance of this policy is alike urgently demanded by the commercial com- munities of our two nations, as it is justly held by them to be the only one which will improve existing conditions, enable them to maintain their positions in the markets of China, and extend their future operations. While the Government of the United States will in no way commit itself to any recognition of exclusive rights of any Power within, or control over any portion of the Chinese Empire, under such Agreements as have been recently made, it cannot conceal its apprehensions that there is danger of complications arising between the Treaty Powers which may imperil the rights insured to the United States by its Treaties with China. It is the sincere desire of my GoAernment that the interests of its citizens may not be prejudiced through exclusive treatment by any of the controlling Powers within their respective " spheres of interest " in China, and it hopes to retain there an open market for all the world's commerce, remove dangerous sources of international irritation, and thereby hasten united action of the Powers at Peking to promote administrative reforms, so greatly needed for strengthening the Imperial Government and maintaining the integrity of China, in which it believes the whole Western world is alike concerned. It believes that such a result may be greatly aided and advanced by declarations by the various Powers claiming " spheres of interest " in China as to their intentions in regard to the treatment of foreign trade and commerce therein, and that the present is a very favourable moment for informing Her Majesty's Government of the desire of the United States to have it make on its own part, and to lend its powerful support in the effort to obtain from each of the various Powers claiming " spheres of interest " in China, a declaration substantially to the following effect : — 1. That it will in nowise interfere with any Treaty port or any vested interest within any so-called " sphere of interest " or leased territory it may have in China. 2. That the Chinese Treaty Tariff of the time being shall apply to all merchandize, landed or shipped to all such ports as are within such " sphere of interest" (unless ["532] they be " free ports ") no matter to what nationality it may belong, ana that duties so leviable shall be collected by the Chinese Government. 3. That it will levy no higher harbour dues on vessels of another nationality frequenting any port in such " sphere " than shall be levied on vessels ot its own nationality— and no higher railroad charges over lines built, controlled, or operated, within its "sphere" on merchandize belonging to citizens or subjects ot otner nationalities transported through such " spheres " than shall be levied on similar merchandize belonging to its own nationals, transported over equal distances. The President has strong reason to believe that the Governments ot Dotn Russia and Germany will co-operate in such an understanding as is here proposed, ine recent Ukase of His Majesty the Emperor of Russia, declaring the port or lalienwan open to the merchant-ships of all nations, during the whole term of the lease under which it is to be held by Russia, removes all uncertainty as to the liberal ana conciliatorv policy of that Power, and justifies the expectation that His Majesty will accede to the similar request of the United States, now being presented to him, and make the desired declaration. , te „ , „ The recent action of Germany in declaring the port of Kiao-Chao a tree port, and the aid which its Government has given China, in establishing there a Chinese Custom-house, coupled with oral assurances given the United States by ^ermany, that the interests of the United States and its citizens within its " sphere would in nowise be affected by its occupation of this portion of the Province of Shantung, encourage the belief that little opposition is to be anticipated to the President s request for a similar declaration from that Power. # It is needless also to add that Japan, the Power next most largely interested in the trade of China, must be in entire sympathy with the views here expressed, and that its interests will be largely served by the proposed arrangement, and the declara- tions of its statesmen within the last year are so entirely in line with it that the co-operation of that Power is confidently relied upon. It is therefore with the greatest pleasure that I present this matter to your Lordship's attention, and urge its prompt consideration by Her Majesty's Government, believing that the action now requested is in entire harmony with its consistent theory and purpose, and that it will greatly redound to the benefit and advantage of all commercial nations alike. The prompt and sympathetic co-operation of Her Majesty's Government with the United States in this important matter will be very potent in promoting its adoption by all the Powers concerned. I have, &c. (Signed) JOSEPH H. CHOATE. No. 2. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Choate. Your Excellency, Foreign Office, September 29, 1899. I HAVE read with great interest the communication which you handed to me on the 22nd instant, in which you inform me of the desire of the United States' Govern- ment to obtain from the various Powers claiming spheres of interest in China declarations as to their intentions in regard to the treatment of foreign trade and commerce therein. I have the honour to inform your Excellency that I will lose no time in consulting my colleagues in regard to a declaration by Her Majesty's Government, and on the proposal that they should co-operate with the Government of the United States in obtaining similar declarations by the other Powers concerned. In the meantime, I may assure your Excellency that the policy consistently advocated by this country is one of securing equal opportunity for the subjects or citizens of all nations in regard to commercial enterprise in China, and that from this policy Her Majesty's Government have no intention or desire to depart. I have, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 3. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Choale. Your Excellency, Foreign Office, November 30, 1899. "WITH reference to my note of the 29th September last, I have the honour to- state that I have carefully considered, in communication with my colleagues, the proposal contained in your Excellency's note of the 22nd September, that a declaration should be made by foreign Powers claiming " spheres of interest " in China, as to their intentions in regard to the treatment of foreign trade and interests therein. I have much pleasure in informing your Excellency that Her Majesty's Government will be prepared to make a declaration in the sense desired by your Government in regard to the leased territory of Wei-hai Wei, and all territory in China which may hereafter be acquired by Great Britain by lease or otherwise, and all spheres of interest now held, or which may hereafter be held, by her in China, provided that a similar declaration is made by the other Powers concerned. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 4. Mr. Choate to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 6.) My Lord, American Embassy, London, December 6, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's note of the 30th November, in which you inform me that, after having carefully considered, in connection with your colleagues, the proposal contained in my note of the 22nd September last, Her Majesty's Government is prepared to make a declaration in the sense desired by my Government in regard to the leased territory of Wei-hai Wei, and all territory in China which may hereafter be acquired by Great Britain, by lease or otherwise, and all " spheres of interest " now held, or which may hereafter be held by her in China, provided that a similar declaration is made by other Powers. In acknowledging your Lordship's note, I have also, under instructions from the Secretary of State, to express to your Lordship the gratification he feels at this cordial acceptance by Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the proposals of the United States. I have, &c. (Signed) JOSEPH H. CHOATE. No. 5. Mr. White to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received March 31.) My Lord, American Embassy, London, March 30, 1900. WITH reference to Mr. Choate's note of the 22nd September, and to that of your Lordship in reply dated the 30th November last, I have the honour to inclose herewith copies, with translations, of the notes which have been received from the Governments of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia in reply to the proposals of my Government concerning foreign trade in China, from which you will perceive that the Declaration suggested by the United States on that subject has been accepted by those Powers. I am, therefore, instructed as the condition originally attached to the acceptance by Her Majesty's Government of the Declaration in question — namely, that all other Powers having leased territories or so-called ''spheres of interest" in the Chinese Empire, should accept the proposals of the United States — has been complied with, to inform your Lordship that my Government will consider the assent given thereto by Great Britain as final and definitive. I have the honour, furthermore, in accordance with instructions from the Secretary [532] B 2 of State, to convey to your Lordship the expression of the President's sincere gratifica- tion at the successful termination of these negotiations, in which he sees a proof of the friendly spirit which has animated the various Powers interested in the untrammelled development of commerce and industry in the Chinese Empire, and a source of vast Benefits to the whole commercial world. I have, &c. (Signed) HENRY WHITE. Inclosure 1 in No. 5. M. Belcasse to Mr. Porter. (Translation.) My dear Ambassador, [Received December 16, 1899 .J I FIND your note awaiting me on my return. The declarations which I made in the Chamber on the 24th November last, and which I have had occasion to recall to you since then, show clearly the sentiments of the Government of the Republic; it desires throughout the whole of China and, with the quite natural reservation that all the Powers interested give an assurance of their willingness to act likewise, is ready to apply in the territories which are leased to it equal treatment to the citizens and subjects of all nations, especially in the matter of customs duties and navigation dues, as well as transportation tariffs on railways. I beg you, &c. (Signed) DELCASSE. Inclosure 2 in No. 5. Mr. Jackson to Mr. Hay. Secretary of State, Washington, Berlin, December 4, 1899. T HAVE just had a conversation with Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, who stated that the politics of Germany in the Extreme Orient are, de facto, the policy of the open door, and Germany proposes to maintain this principle in the future. Germany does not wish the question to become the object of controversy between the different Powers engaged in China. She thinks it would be advantageous for the United States' Govern- ment to confer with other European Governments having interests in China. If the other Cabinets adhere to the proposal of the United States' Government, Germany will raise no objection, and Germany is willing to have the Government of the United States inform these other Cabinets that no difficulty will come from her if the other Cabinets agree. (Signed) JACKSON, Charge'. Inclosure 3 in No. 5. Herr von Bulow to Mr. Jackson. (Translation.) Mr. Ambassador, Foreign Office, Berlin, February 19, 1900. TOUR Excellency informed me, in a Memorandum presented on the 24th of last month, that the Government of the United States of America had received satisfactory written replies from all the Powers to which an inquiry had been addressed similar to that contained in your Excellency's note of the ,26th September last, in regard to the policy of the open door in China. While referring to this vour Excellency there upon expressed the wish that the Imperial Government would now also give its answer in writing. Gladly complying with this wish, I have the honour to inform your Excellency repeating the statements already made verbally, as follows : ■ " ' As recognized by the Government of the United States of America, according to your Excellency's note referred to above, the Imperial Government has, from the beginning, not only asserted, but also practically carried out to the fullest extent in its Chinese possessions, absolute equality of treatment of all nations with regard to trade, navigation and commerce. The Imperial Government entertains no thought of departing in the future from this principle, which at once excludes any prejudicial or disadvantageous commercial treatment of the citizens of the United States of America, so long as it is not forced to do so, on account of considerations of reciprocity, by a divergence from it by other Governments. If, therefore, the other powers interested in the industrial development of the Chinese Empire are willing to recognize the same principles, this can only be desired by the Imperial Government, which in this case, upon being requested, will gladly be ready to participate with the United States of America and the other Powers in an Agreement made upon these lines, by which the same rights are reciprocally secured. I avail, &c. (Signed) BULOW. Inclosure 4 in No. 5. Marquis Visconti Venosta to General Draper. (Translation.) Mr. Ambassador, Rome, January 7, 1900. SUPPLEMENTARY to what you had already done me the honour of communi- cating to me in your note of the 9th December, 1899, your Excellency, informed me yesterday of the telegraphic note received from your Government, that all the Powers consulted by the Cabinet at Washington concerning the suitability of adopting a line of policy which would insure to the trade of the whole world equality of treatment in China, have given a favourable reply. Referring to your communications and to the statements in my note of the 23rd December last, I take pleasure in saying that the Government of the King adheres willingly to the proposals set forth in said note of the 9th December. I beg your Excellency to kindly convey the notice of our adhesion to the Cabinet of Washington, and 1 avail, &c. (Signed) VISCONTI VENOSTA. Inclosure 5 in No. 5. Viscount Aoki to Mr. Buck. (Translation.) Department of Foreign Affairs, Tokio, the 26th day, M. le Ministre, the 12th month of the 32nd year of Meiji. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the note of the 20th instant, in which, pursuing the instructions of the United States' Government, your Excellency was so o-ood as to communicate to the Imperial Government the representations of the United States, as presented in notes to Russia, Germany, and Great Britain on the subject of commercial interests of the United States in China. I have the happy duty of assuring your Excellency that the Imperial Government will have no hesitation to give their assent to so just and fair a proposal of the United States, provided that all the other Powers concerned shall accept the same. I avail, &c. (Signed) Viscount AOKI SIUZO, Minister for Foreign Affairs. Inclosure 6 in No. 5. Count Mouraviefio the United States' Minister at St. Petersburgh. (Translation.) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, St. Petersburgh, Mr. Ambassador, December 18 (30), 1899. I HAD the honour to receive your Excellency's note dated the 8th (20th) September last, relating to the principles which the Government of the United States would like to see adopted in commercial matters by the Powers which have interests in China. In so far as the territory leased by China to Russia is concerned, the imperial Government has already demonstrated its firm intention to follow the policy of " the open door" by creating Dalny (Talienwan) a free port ; and if at some future tune that port, although remaining free itself, should be separated by a Custom-limit from other portions of the territory in question, the Customs duties would be levied, in the zone subject to the tariff, upon all foreign merchants without distinction as to nationality. As to the ports now opened, or hereafter to be opened, to foreign commerce by the Chinese Government, and which lie beyond the territory leased to Russia, the settlement of the question of customs duties belongs to China herself, and the Imperial Government has no intention whatever of claiming any privileges for its own subjects to the exclusion of other foreigners. It is to be understood, however, that this assurance of the Imperial Government is given upon condition that a similar declaration shall be made by other Powers having interests in China. With the conviction that this reply is such as to satisfy the inquiry made in the afore- mentioned note, the Imperial Government is happy to have complied with the wishes of the American Government especially because it attaches the highest value to anything that may strengthen and consolidate the traditional relations of friendship existing between the two countries. 1 beg you, &c. (Signed) Count MOURAVIEFF. No. 6. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. White. Sir, Foreign Office, April 5, 1900. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 30th ultimo, inclosing copies, with translations, of the notes which have been received from the Governments of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia, in reply to the proposals of the Government of the United States in regard to foreign trade in the leased territories or " spheres of interest " acquired by those Powers in China. The successful termination of the negotiations carried on by the United States' Government in the matter has been a source of much gratification to Her Majesty's Government. In reference to the territories in the occupation of Great Britain, mentioned in my note to Mr. Choate of the 30th November, I have the pleasure of informing you that Her Majesty's Government are quite willing to sign a Declaration in the sense proposed by your Government. I have, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. 3 a o 2! 1 1 * hi : ? p H O O c CHINA. No. 3 (1900). CORRESPONDENCE RESPECTING THE INSURRECTIONARY MOVEMENT IN CHINA. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty. July 1900. LONDON: PRINTED FOR HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE, BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO HBB MAJESTY. And to be purchased, either directly or through any Bookseller, from EYRE and SPOTTISWOOUE, East Harding Strekt, Fleet Street, E.G., anb 32, Abingdon Street, Westminster, S.W.; or JOHN MENZ1ES & Co., 12, Hanover Street, Edinburgh, axb 90, West Nile Street, Glasgow; or HODGES, FIGGIS, and Co., Limited, 104, Grafton Street, Dublin. [Cd. 257.] Price Is. Id. TABLE OF CONTENTS. No. 1 y 9 10 n 12 13 H 15 16 17 Name. Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic Telegraphic Sir C. Lofengluh Sir C. MacDonald 5 To Sir C. Lofengluh Sir C. MacDonald . . Telegraphic To Sir C. MacDonald Sir C. MacDonald . , »i >> To Sir C. MacDonald Sir C. MacDonald . . To Sir C. MacDonald Sir E. Monson ,, » Date. Jan. 4, 1900 Telegraphic Telegraphic Sir C. MacDonald .. Sir E. Monson Telegraphic Telegraphic relegraphic Telegraphic 10, 13, 17, Dec. 7, 1899 Jan. 27, 1900 Feh. 15, Jan. 5, Mar. 1, 10, 11, 12, IS, 14, 15, 1(5, Subject. Page Murder of Mr. Brooks in Shantung Province. Reports Murder of Mr. Brooks. Message from Throne expressing regret. Instructions issued in- sisting on punishment of offenders Murder of Mr. Brooks. Gives details and expresses regret. Steps taken to obtain punishment of offenders Murder of Mr. Brooks. Capture of three of the murderers, who have confessed. Has directed Mr. Campbell to be present at trial Murder of Mr. Brooks. Acknowledges receipt of his communication (see No. 3). Hopes shortly to hear of punishment of murderers . Marine guard for Tien-tsin. Senior Naval Officer at Wei-hai Wei instructed to furnish usual guard, which arrived on 4th instant Marine guard for Tien-tsin. Approves action Reported popular rising against German Rail- way in Shantung. 200 German troops dispatched to Kiao-chau . .' Murder of Mr. Brooks. Disturbances by " Boxers " in Shantung and Chihli. Imperial Decree enjoining punishment of murderers. Negotiations with Tsung-li Yamen Murder of Mr. Brooks. Approves action reported in above Anti-missionaries' disturbances in Shantung and Chihli. Efforts to obtain publication of Imperial Edict for suppression of secret Societies unsuccessful. If refusal persisted in recommends naval demonstration by Powers concerned . . . . Suppression of secret Societies. Desirable only to resort to naval action when other means of pressure are exhausted Suppression of secret Socieiies. M. DelcassC's views on proposed naval demonstration Suppression of secret Societies. Conversation with M. Delcasse. His views on proposed naval demonstration Suppression of secret Societies. M. Delcasse has telegraphed to Peking for further infor- mation. Has informed him that Her Ma- jesty's Government are not in favour of naval demonstration unless urgently de- manded Late Governor of Shantung. Has been ap- pointed Governor of Shansi. Recent out- rages in Shantung due to his sympathy with anti-Christian Societies . Proposed naval demonstration. Conversation with M. Delcassg. Probable policy of Her Majesty's Government and United Stales' Government . . TABLE OT" CONTENTS. JP 3] 32 33 Name. Sir C. MacDonald . » >> 'i ii To Sir C. MacDouald To Admiralty To Sir C. MacDonald Sir F. Lascelles Sir C. MacDonald >> >' '■ u Sir C. LofSngluh a j» To Sir C. Lof&igluh Sir C MacDonald j > Telegraphic Date. Jan. 17, 1000 16, Mar. 23, Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic •24, 24, 24, 25, 22, 29, Jan. 31, 31, Apr. 2, 3, n, Mar. 5, 5, Apr. 16, Subject. Murder of Mr. Brooks and disturbances in Shantung. Further details. His represen- tation to Tsung-li Yamln. Capture of three of the murderers. Unsatisfactory Imperial Edict Disturbances in Chihli. Interview with Vice- roy at Tien-tsin. Steps taken by him to restore order. Situation improving Suppression of secret Societies. Tsung-li Ya- m&n will probably refuse to issue Edict. Suggests that two of Her Majesty's ships be sent to Taku for protection of British interests. His interview with Viceroy of Chihli. Ap- proves action reported in No. 19 . . Murder of Mr. Brooks and disturbances in Shantung. Approves proceedings reported in No. 18 .. .. .. Ships for Taku. Transmits correspondence ' with Sir C. MacDonald. Asks that Com- mander-in-chief may be instructed to comply with request Ships for Taku. Her Majesty's ships " Her- mione " and " Brisk " ordered to proceed there , . Article in " Ost -Asiatisches Lloyd " protesting against rumours of coming revolution in China published by English press Murder of Mr. Brooks. Sentences passed on murderers. Compensation paid. Result unsatisfactory owing to non-punishment of late Governor of Shantung Suppression of secret Societies. Transmits copy of identic note to Tsung-li Yamen, requesting publication of further Decree. Origin of name of Boxer Society . The succession to the Throne. Transmits Im- perial Decree announcing selection of Prince P'u Chun as Heir- Apparent. Appointment of his advisers . . . . . . The succession to the Throne. Transmits Imperial Edict announcing selection of Heir- Apparent Page Murder of Mr. Brooks, passed on culprits Informs of sentences T758 Murder of Mr. Brooks. Points out that late Governor of Shantung remains unpunished, and has been transferred to Governorship of another province Suppression of secret Societies. Interview of foreign Representatives with Yamen. De- mand for publication of Decree in Gazette. Transmits correspondence Suppression of secret Societies. Memorandum of interview of foreign Representatives with Yamen on 2nd March Satisfactory Decree denouncing Boxer Society has been published in "Official Gazette." Her Majesty's ships ordered to Taku have returned to ordinary duty a 2 10 n u n n 12 12 12 13 14 16 16 17 17 21 23 IV 'J' ABLE OF CONTENTS. No. Name. Date. Subject. Pag. 35 • To Sir C. MacDonald " Apr. 20, 1900 Suppression of secret Societies. Approves proceedings reported in No. 32 . . 2 36 Sir C. MacDonald . . Mar. 16, 1 Suppression of secret Societies. YamSn refuse to publish Decree in Gazette. Transmits copy of further identic note. Appointment of Yti Hsien as Governor of Shansi officially announce'! 2 37 t* It • • Telegraphic May 17, Three villages destroyed and sixty-one Roman Catholic converts killed by Boxers near Paoting-fu. Has asked Admiral to retain marine guird about to leave Tien-tsin 26 38 ti 11 »« Telegraphic 18, London Mission chapel at Kung-tsun destroyed, and Chinese preacher killed 26 39 »J 1) • • Telegiviphic 19. Suppression of Boxers. Interview with Yamdn, who now admit danger of situation 2f 40 l> >1 • • Telegraphic 20, English and French missionaries at Yunnan -fu reported to be in danger. Yamen state there are sufficient troops for protection 2c '■- 41 ' »• )» » ■ Telegraphic 21, Suppression of Boxers. Note from Corps Diplomatique to Yamen demanding specific measures and publication of Decree 27 42 ») » Telegraphic 21, Proposal of foreign Representatives for naval demonstration in case of necessity. Hopes Her Majesty's Government will support it . . 27 43 97 JJ • • Telegraphic 21 Russian Minister's views as to landing guards and naval demonstration . . . . 27 44 To Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic 22, Her Majesty's Government will support him in measures advocated by Representatives 2 ; 45 ' Sir C. Scott Telegraphic 23, Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs thinks further pressure will be unnecessary •26 t> 46 Sir C MaiDonald .. Telegraphic 24, Colonel and party of Viceroy's cavalry destroved in ambuscade near Lai-shui . . 2t 47 ») »» • • Telegraphic 25, Suppression of Boxers. Yamen's reply to note from Corps Diplomatique unsatisfactory . . 28 48 :> >» • • Telegraphic 27, Meeting of foreign Representatives. Their views on situation. Decision to demand statement from Yamen as to measures taken, failing which to summon guards 28 4) » >> • • Telegraphic 27, Energetic measures now being taken against Boxers. Corps Diplomatique have decided to wait twenty-four hours •28 50 To Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic 27, May send for marine guard if necessary 28 51 Admiralty • • 29, Transmits telegram from Commander-in-chief stating that he has sent two ships to Taku to land guards if necessary 28 52 Sir C. MacDonald . . Telegraphic 29. Line between Tien-tsin and Peking torn up in places. Traffic stopped. Stations burned . 3C 53 >> >» • • Telegraphic 29, Foveign Representatives have decided to send tor guards 3f, 54 » n Telegraphic 30, Legation guards. Yamen have refused per- mission. Situation extremely grave Danger to European life and property 3 r 55 i i 51 >5 Telegraphic I i i 30, Legation guards. Interview with YamSn Immediate instructions to Viceroy at Tien- tsin demanr'e 1 3C TABLE OF CONTENTS. No. ? 56 57 58 59 60 61 ^62 fC- 63 Name. 64 66 ^66 67 68 69 70 72 73 74 Sir C. MacDonald . . Admiralty .. Sir C. Scott Sir C. MacDonald Sir E. Monson Sir C. MacDonald . . Telegraphic telegraphic Pelegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic » •• Telegraphic 2, To Sir C. MacDonald Sir C. Scott Sir C. MacDonald Sir E. Monson Sir G. MacDonald .. Date. May 81, 1900 31, 31, June 1, May 31, June 2, 2, Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Admiralty .. Sir C. MacDonald . . Consul Carles Sir E. Monson Sir C. MacDonald . . Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic 3, May 30, June 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, Subject. Legation guards. Yamen consent, provided they do not exceed thirty for each Legation. Decision to bring up at once those that are ready Telegram from Commander-in-chief, reporting his departure for Taku with " Centurion " and "Whiting." Two more ships to follow Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs gathers danger is less acute, and hopes guards may not be required Arrival of Legation guards. British detach- ment composed of three officers, seventy-five men, and a machine gun Conversation with M. Delcasse. His confi- dence in French Minister at Peking^ City quiet, but murders occur daily in outlying districts. Situation in Palace strained. Prince Tuan supports Boxers . . . , Party of European refugees from Paoting-fu attacked near Tien-tsin. All but nine rescued . . Empress- Dowager said to be about to fly to Sian-fti. Russian Minister authorized to support any Chinese authority capable cf maintaining order. Attitude of Her Ma- jesty's Government .. .. .. Approves his answer to Russian Minister as to attitude of Her Majesty's Government Conversation with Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs. His optimistic view of situation .. Church of England Mission . at Yung-chin* attacked. Mr. Robinson killed. Mr. Nor- man carried off. Is insisting on measures for rescue . . French Minister at Peking reports situation improved May be besieged at any moment, with railwiy and telegraph cut. Asks instructions to Commander-in-chief to consult with Com- manders of foreign squadrons for measures of relief Telegram from Commander-in-chief, reporting arrival of foreign ships and dispatch of 75 men t6 Peking and 104 to Tien-tsin Murder of Mr. Robinson and capture of Mr. Norman. Yamen's attitude of indifference. Has demanded interview with Prince Ching Mr. Norman murdered on 2nd June. . Admiral asked to send strong reinforcements. Danger of situation intensified by inaction . . Conversation with M. Delcassl, who stated that French Minister believed danger over Asks that immediate instructions may be sent to Admiral . . Page 35 35 36 VI TABLE OF CONTENTS. No. k> 75 V 76 Name. 77 78 79 80 81 82 85 87 88 89 90 81 92 ^93 Sir C. MacDonald . . »> j) Admiralty To Admiralty Admiralty .. Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. June 5, 1900 6, 83 To Sir C. MacDonald 84 Sir C. MacDonald Admiralty . . Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic 94 To Sir C. MacDonald To Admiralty To War Office Sir C. MacDonald . .' » >> Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8, e, 8, 8, 8, Subject. Yamen express regret for murder of Messrs. Robinson and Norman. They admit re- luctance of Government to suppress Boxers and appear powerless to remedy situation . Danger of insurrection and anarchy owing to attitude of Empress. Question of demand from ;Corps Diplomatique for special audienqe. Strong measures should be taken to enforce compliance Decision to postpone question of demand for audience till Saturday Telegram from Commander-in-chief. Has sent for " Aurora " and " Phosnix." Meeting of Senior Naval Officers to discuss situation . . Asks that Commander-in-chief may be in- structed to concert with Commanders of foreign i squadrons for measures of relief in case of danger at Peking or Tien-tsin Instructions to Commander-in-chief as to measures of protection in case of danger at Peking or Tien-tsin Telegram from Commander-in-chief, asking for dispatch of troops from Hong Kong for Tien-tsin and Peking Telegram to Commander-in-chief, informing him of instructions to Sir C. MacDonald . . Informs of instructions to Commander-in-chief as to measures of protection Instructs him to take such measures as he thinks expedient. His discretion must be unfettered Approves proposal to demand audience Publication of unsatisfactory Decree justifying action of Boxers by misconduct of converts, but demanding surrender of ringleaders Telegram from Commander-in-chief suggesting his taking command of expedition to Peking, with Russian Colonel as Chief of Staff Instructions to Commander-in-chief to com- municate with Hong Kong as to dispatch of troops May undertake protection of Spanish Legation if so requested Considers the Senior Officer should command expedition to Peking Suggests approving Commander-in-chief's pro- posal as to command of expedition All troops that can be spared should be sent to Taku from Wei-hai Wei and Singapore besides Hong Kong Decree has produced very bad effect. Boxers drilling openly. Legation full of refugees . . Her Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin reports withdrawal of General Nieh's force to Lutai. Abandonment of attempt to protect Peking. . Paue TABLE OP CONTENTS. Vll No. 95 96 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 ^107 Name. Sir C. MacDonald. . . »i >> Admiralty War Office.. To Sir C. MacDonald To Admiralty Admiralty . Consul Carles 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 Sir C. MacDonald >» >, Consul Carles Admiralty . . Sir C. MacDonald Date. Telegraphic Telegraphic "elegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic I'elegraphic Telegraphic Admiralty Sir C. Scott Consul Carles Sir C. MacDonald. . ■ Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic June 8, 19C0 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10. Apr. 16, 18, Jane 10, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, Subject. Telegram tp .Her Majesty's Charge\d'Affaires at T6ki6, informing him of position Situation jritical. Mejeting to be held to decide q lestion of demand for audience, and proposed! intimation to be made Telegram to Commander-in-chief, approving proposal; as to command of force . Telegram to Commander-in-chief, informing him that troops will be dispatched from Hong Kong and Straits Settlements Officers in command at Hong Kfmgand Singa- pore instructed to comply with demands of Admiral .. i .. Admiral informed that troops from Hong Kong and Singapore will bei placed at his disposal. . Concurs in proposed intimation to be made at audience .. .. Instructions sent to Sir C. MacDonald to pro- tect Spanish Legation if necessary Telegram from Commander-in-chief, reporting landing of force owing to urgent appeal from Sir C. MacDonald . . Arrangements made at meeting of Consuls and Naval Commandants for dispatch of force to Peking Departure of Admiral Seymour with British, Americans, Austrians, and Italians.. Other detachments follow Suppression of Boxers. Further negotiations with Yamen . . . . . , . Transmits text of Imperial Decree deprecating anti-Christian disturbances Relief of Peking. Second detachment of about 600 started Relief of Peking. Progress of Admiral Sey- mour's force . . . . . . . , Protection of Spanish Legation at Peking. In- structions sent . . . . ... Admiral Seymour's force. Telegram from Consul Carles, reporting increase to Relief of Peking. Admiral Seymour's party half way. Attack by Boxers on Legation Staff. Summer residence of Legation de- stroyed . . Relief of Peking. Telegram from Admiral Seymour : respecting progress of force and resistance met with . . Situation at Peking. Russian Minister, opinion Latest report from Count Mouravieff's A further detachment of 300 men has gone on to Admiral Seymour. Total force, 2,300 . . A'ks that relief party may be' informed of pos- sible resistance. Hopes Admirals will not hesitate to deplete ships . Page 42 43 43 43 44 44 41 44 45 45 45 46 49 50 50 50 51 51 51 52 52 52 VU1 TABLE Or CONTENTS. No. Name. Date. Subject. Page 117 Consul Carles . , Telegraphic June 12, 1900 Aclmiral at Langfang this morning. Fighting yesterday 53 118 Admiralty •■• 13, Progress of relief force. Russians landing an additional force of 1 ,700 5{1 119 Mr. Herbert .. Telegraphic 13, M. Delcass6 has no news of presence of Boxers in Peking 53 120 Sir C. Scott Telegraphic 13, Count Mouravieff thinks situation more threatening in South and Central China than in North. His opinion of situation at Peking .. •• •• 53 121 Mr. Whitehead Telegraphic 13, Information as to Russian force landed at Taku. Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs inquires as to intentions of Her Majesty's Government. Japan ready to send a considerable force M 122 Consul Carles Telegraphic is, Murder of member of Japanese Legation at Peking. Situation very grave. Delay in advance of relief force . . 54 123 General Officer Com- manding, Hong Kong, to the Secretary of State for War Telegraphic 13, Is sending troops to the Admiral, who has asked for every available man 54 124 Admiralty •• 13, Summary of forces now on their way to Peking 51 3 25 Sir C. MacDonald ..- Telegraphic 14, Is informed that 2,000 Russians have embarked at Port Arthur for Taku. Japanese Secre- tary of Legation killed 55 128 Consul Carles Telegraphic H, Sir C. MacDonald reports that Chinese Go- vernment will not oppose force coming to Peking if it does not exceed 1,200 55 127 >» »» • • Telegraphic 14, Report from Chinese sources that Empress- Dowager has resolved to destroy Legations. . 55 128 Acting Consul-General Warren Telegraphic H, Thinks Her Majesty's Government should come to an understanding with Viceroys at Hankow and Nankin. Situation serious .. 55 129 To Mr. Whitehead .. Telegraphic 14, To inform Japanese Government of applica- tion of British Admiral for troops and of numbers being sent 56 130 Admiralty to Rear- Admiral Bruce Telegraphic 15, Means for protecting life and property on the Yang-tsze should be provided 56 131 Consul Carles Telegraphic 13, Native city of Tien-tsin in hands of Boxers. Action of Viceroy. Communication with Admiral cut off . . , . 56 132 >> >> • • Telegraphic 15, Chinese concentrating troops towards Tien- tsin and Taku. Admirals may be compelled to seize Taku forts . . , . 56 133 5» )» »• Telegraphic 15, Boxers entered Peking 13th June. Many Chinese massacred, but no casualties among Europeans 56 134 To Mr. Whitehead . . Telegraphic 15, Murder of Chancelier of Japanese Legation. Inquires what steps Japanese Government intend taking . . . , 57 135 To Acting Consul- General Warren Telegraphic 15, Protection of British interests on Yang-tsze. Authorizes him to inform Viceroy at Nau- king that he will be supported bv Her Majesty's ships in maintaining order" Her Majesty's Consul to give similar assurance to Viceroy at Hankow 1 57 TABLE OF CONTENTS. IX No. Name. \ : •■ Date. Subject. 136 To Admiralty . . • • June 15, 1900 Proposed instructions to inform Viceroy at Tien-tsin that he may take refuge on board ( one of Her Majesty's ships if necessary . 57 137 >» !' •• . • * 15, Protection of British interests on Yang-tzse, , Asks that one of Her Majesty's ships may be sent to Nanking, and Haukow with in- structions to assure Viceroys of support . . 57 13S To India Office (also . . to War Office) * • - 15, Suggests replacing troops taken 'from Hong Kong by native troops from India 58 139 Admiralty . . » • 16, Concurs iii proposal to allow ■ Viceroy at Tien-tsin to take refuge on board one of Her Majesty's ships .. ,. . , 58 140 ,, « • . • " * 16, Protection of British interests on Yang-tsze. Instructions to Senior Naval Officer at Shanghae to send a ship to Nanking and Hankow, and give assurance to Viceroys . . ' ] 59 241 Mr, Whitehead Telegraphic 16, 1,200 Japanese troops "leave 21st June for X J Evil • • • • • • m • o'i 14 2 Acting Consul-General Warren Telegraphic ! 6 ' Disturbances at Peking on ! 3th June, Murder of converts and servants of Europeans 59 143 To Consul Carles Telegraphic 16. Instructions to communicate with Admiral by runner and ascertain his position.. . 60 144 »> jj * » Telegraphic *"";., i6, May inform Viceroy at Tien-tsin that he may take refuge on one of Her Majesty's ships . . ; co 145 To Sir C. MacDonald -TV. • . 16, Further negotiations withYanien for suppres- sion of Boxers'. Approves his proceed- ings : .. \ 60 146 To Mr. Whitehead . . • • 16, Conversation with Japanese Charg# d'A p aires as to policy to be followed by Her Majesty's Government . . . . ".. 60 147 Sir C. Scott ' . . Telegraphic 17 Dispatch of force from Port Arthur, Announce- ment expected in " Official Gazette " 6ii 148 Commander Gaunt to Admiralty Telegraphic 17, Commander-in-chief cut off 40 miles from Peking. Decision of Admirals to shell Taku 1 J rlj 5 ■ • • » • a • ■ 1 61 149 Count Mouravteff to M. de Staal Telegraphic 3(16), Dispatch of 4,000 troops ordered for protection of Russian Legation and to co-operate with other detachments. Friendly relations to be maintained with China 61 150 Acting Consul-General Warren Telegraphic 18, Her Majesty's Consul at Hankow has given assurance to Viceroy. He will ask for assistance if necessary, but is confident of ability of himself and Nanking Viceroy to maintain order . . . . 62 151 Lord Fauneefote . . Telegraphic 18, American regiment ordered to Tien-tsin from Manila . • . . 6> 152 India Office ■ • 18, Government of India requested to replace regiments at Hong Kong and Singapore by Indian regiments ., .. 62 153 Memorandum commu- nicated by Chinese Minister • • 19, Viceroy at Hankow thanks for offer of assist- ance, but both he and Viceroy at Nanking are able to maintain order. Deprecates demonstration of British naval force 63 154 Admiralty .. • • 19, Telegram from Officer Commanding " Endy- ' uiion," reporting capture of Taku forts . . CJ - '- "' ■ t :-- '.'<:,! [758] vm TABLE OT CONTENTS. No 117 118 ^6 119 y, 120 121 y 122 123 124 125 126 i/ 12/ 128 129 130 131 132 ^133 134 135 Name. Consul Carles Admiralty . . Mr. Herbert Sir C. Scott Mr. Whitehead Consul Carles General Officer Com- manding, Hong Kong, to the Secretary of State for War Admiralty . . Sir C. MacDonald Consul Carles » »» Acting Consul-General Warren To Mr. Whitehead Admiralty to Rear- Admiral Bruce Consul Carles Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegrapaic Telegraphic Date. »' » To Mr. Whitehead To Acting Consul- General Warren Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic June 12, 1900 13, 13, 13, 13, 1S * 13, 13, 14, H, 14, 15, H, 15, 15, 15, 15, Subject. Admiral at Langfang this morning. Fighting yesterday . . • • • • • • Progress of relief force. Russians landing an additional force of 1,700 M. Delcasse has no news of presence of Boxers in Peking Count Mouravieff thinks situation more threatening in South and Central China than in North. His opinion of situation at Peking .. .. Information as to Russian force landed at Taku. Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs inquires as to intentions of Her Majesty's Government. Japan ready to send a considerable force . . . . Murder of member of Japanese Legation at Peking. Situation very grave. Delay in advance of relief force . . Is sending troops to the Admiral, who has asked for every available man . . Summary of forces now on their way to Peking .. .. .. ,. Is informed that 2,000 Russians have embarked at Port Arthur for Taku. Japanese Secre- tary of Legation killed Sir C. MacDonald reports that Chinese Go- vernment will not oppose force coming to Peking if it does not exceed 1,200 Report from Chinese sources that Empress- Dowager has resolved to destroy Legations. . Thinks Her Majesty's Government should come to an understanding with Viceroys at Hankow and Nankin. Situation serious .. To inform Japanese Government of applica- tion of British Admiral for troops and of numbers being sent Means for protecting life and property on the Yang -tsze should be provided Native city of Tien-tsin in hands of Boxers. Action of Viceroy. Communication with Admiral cut off . . , . Chinese concentrating troops towards Tien- tsin and Taku. Admirals may be compelled to seize Taku forts . . Boxers entered Peking 13th June. Many Chinese massacred, but no casualties among Europeans .. Murder of Chancelier of Japanese Legation. Inquires what steps Japanese Government intend taking,. Protection of British interests on Yang-tsze. Authorizes him to inform Viceroy ai Nan- king that he will be supported bv Her \T-! e8ty , S 8hips in main *aining order" Her Majesty s Consul to give similar assurance to Viceroy at Hankow Page 53 sa 53 53 54 54 54 51 55 55 55 55- 56 56 56 56 56 57 57 TABLE OF CONTENTS. IX No. Name. Date. Subject. 136 To Admiralty •• June 15, 1900 Proposed instructions to inform Viceroy at Tien-tsin that he may take refuge on board , one of Her Majesty's ships if necessary 57 137 *» i» • • • • 15, Protection of British interests on Yang-tzse, Asks that one of Her Majesty's ships may be sent to Nanking and llaukow with in- structions to assure Viceroys of support . . 57 13S To India Office (also ..to War Office) •• 15, Suggests replacing troops taken Trom Hong Kong by native troops from India 58 139 Admiralty . . • * 16, Concurs in proposal to ajlovf . Viceroy at Tien-tsin to take refuge on board one of Her Majesty's ships .. .. ., 58 140 n . • . - • • 16, Protection of British interests on Yang-tsze. Instructions to Senior Naval Officer at Shanghae to send a ship to Nanking and Hankow, and give assurance to Viceroys . . 59 141 Mr, Whitehead Telegraphic 16, 1,200 Japanese troops leave 21st June for X JKI1 . , • * a * a » 59 ^ 142 Acting Consul-General Warren Telegraphic 16, Disturbances at Peking on ! 3th June. Murder of converts and servants of Europeans 59 143 To Consul Carles Telegraphic 16. Instructions to communicate with Admiral by runner and ascertain his position .. . 60 144 j? jj • • Telegraphic . 16, May inform Viceroy at Tien-tsin that he may take refuge on one of Her Majesty's ships . . ! i GO 145 To Sir C. MaeDonald -•».:-. • < 16, Further negotiations with Yamen for suppres- sion of Boxers'. Approves his proceed- ings .. 60 146 To -Mr. Whitehead *,. • • 16, Conversation with Japanese ChargjS d'A p aires as to policy to be followed by Her Majesty's Government . . .. .. 60 147 Sir C.Scott Telegraphic 17 Dispatch of force from Port Arthur. Announce- ment expected in " Official Gazette " 6U 148 Commander Gaunt to Admiralty Telegraphic 17, Commander-in-chief cut off 40 miles from Peking. Decision of Admirals to shell Taku ; 61 149 Count Mouravieff to M. de Staal Telegraphic 3(16), Dispatch of 4,000 troops ordered for protection of Russian Legation and to co-operate with other detachments. Friendly relations to be maintained with China 6L 150 Acting Consul-General Warren Telegraphic 18, Her Majesty's Consul at Hankow has given assurance to Viceroy. He will ask for assistance if necessary, but is confident of ability of himself and Nanking Viceroy to maintain order . . . . 62 151 Lord Pauncefote- . . Telegraphic 18, American regiment ordered to Tien-tsin from Manila • > 6> 152 India Office . « 18, Government of India requested to replace regiments at Hong Kong and Singapore by Indian regiments .. .. 62 153 Memorandum commu- nicated by Chinese Minister • • 19, Viceroy at Hankow thanks for offer of assist- ance, but both he and Viceroy at Nanking are able to maintain order. Deprecates demonstration of British naval force 6J 154 1 Admiralty . . . . 1 l i • • 19, Telegram from Officer Commanding " Endy- 5 mion," reporting capture of Taku forts . . t;,3 [758] TABLE : '6t * CONTESTS; No. Name. Date. 155 .Mr. Whitehead Telegraphic June 19, 1900 156 Admiralty .. .. • • - 20, 157 >> •• •• • • 20, 158 Admiralty to Rear- Admiral BTUCe Telegraphic 20, If 9 Sir C. Scott .. Telegraphic 20, 160 Consul Carles .. Telegraphic 20, »■ ■ 161 Acting Consul-General Telegraphic 20, - Fraser ' ' T 162 To Admiralty • • ■ -20, 163 Admiralty .. ». • • 21, 1(4 - II • • • • • • '' V, i . in! ■ ' ~ .■ .Si 165 To Sir C.Lofengluh.. • • 21, 166 To" Admiralty • • - • ' 21, 167 Consul Carles "" .. Telegraphic 21, Jul 168 Admiralty to Senior Naval Officer, Wob- Telegraphic 22, sung 169 Mr. Whitehead Telegraphic 22, 170 ,»> » •• Telegraphic 22; 171 To Lord Fauncefote . . Telegraphic 22, 172 To Acting Consul- General Warren Telegraphic 22, Subject. ' 1,300 additional Japanese^ troops to be sent . . Telegram from Officer Commanding " Endy- mion." Has arranged to send ship to each Treaty port. Viceroy at Nanking thinks presence of two ships sufficient. Present strength should not be reduced Telegrams from Rear- Admiral Bruce. Capture of Taku forts. No news from Gommander- in-chief. Tien-tsin cut off • . 600 seamen and marines leave for Hong Kong. Ships on statii n will be reinforced Details as to Russian force. Count Moura- vieff *xpects communication with Peking will soon be re-established and crisis over in fortnight . . . . • • « • Line north of Tien-tsin damaged by Boxers. Roman Catholic cathedral and Mission ctiapel burnt. Settlement attacked Viceroy at Hankow- says he arid Viceroy of Nanking are confident of maintaining order, and deprecates naval demonstration ...S ■$■■:■:■ . ?• I Offer of assistance to Viceroys. Transmits Chinese Minister's Memorandum of 19th June. Suggests" instructions to avoid de- monstration . . Telegram from -Rear- Admiral. Reinforce- ments urgently required at Tien-tsin. Casualties heavy. Serious situation. No reinforcements to send .. . I ' A '■ No communication from Commander-in-chief for seven days, or from Tien-tsin for five days. Relief force to start for Tien-tsin when in sufficient strength. Proclamation of Admirals that force will only be used acainst Boxers and those opposing march to Peking '■;.■'■>' ':. --•■■ .. -•:"r.~_ t Employes of Upper Yang-tsze Syndicate and Mr. Fritchard-Moryan. Requests him to ask Viceroy' at' Hal kbw to afford protect non« . • s . . m% - m t Concurs in opinion that strength of British naval force on Yang-tsze should not be , reduced. Suggests approving dispatch of a ship to each Treaty port . . - No news from front. Account of operations at Tien-tsin Instructions to avoid demonstration on Yang- tsze, but to promise co-operation with Viceroys when required . . Ships chartered by Japan as transports, &c. No intention to send more troops at present . To^inform Japanese Minister for ForeigS Affairs of critical situation and of dispatch of tro6ps from India, and to ask whether Japan does not intend to send further troops. . To suggest dispatch of troops from Manila .. To inform Viceroy he may count on fullest support of He» Majesty's ships Pager TAPLE OF CONTENTS. ; Xt No. 173 174 175 176 177 178 379 380 182 183 184 165 186 187 188 - 189 150 Name. To Consul Scott To Sir C, MacDonald To Mr. Herbert To M. Cambon . Sir C. LofSngluh Lord Pauncefote » >» Mr. Whitehead » u Admiralty Consul Scott Sir C. Scott Rear- Admiral Bruce to Admiralty . — Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic To Sir C. Scott >» » To Mr. Whitehead .. Telegraphic . Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. June 22, , 1900 h. »•'. -■' 2-2, . : £a,i 22, 22,: 23, 23, 23, 23, 24, 24, 24, 24, 17, 24, 25, 25, 25, Subject. .Li Hungrebang's departure from, Canton. Chinese Minister informed that if Taku torts fired without orders stale of war did not exist, and Li Hung-chang was strongly advised to go to Pfking ., .. Li Hung-chang's departure frdtn Canton. Question of existence of state of war. Con- ,4 versation with Chinese Minister .. .. Li Hung-chang's departure from Canton. Question of existence of state of war. Con- . versation with French Ambassador , Li Hung-chang's departur» from Canton. Question of existence of state of war. Answer given to Li Hung-chang , Employes of IJpper Yfifig-tsze §yndicate t .and Mr. I'ritchard-Morgan, Has telegraphed to Viceroy as desired Further troops to be sent from Manila. Uniteil States' (iovernment do not consider state of war to exist . . „ , . . Viceroy of Nanking reports safety of Ministers 22nd June . . ... . . At meeting of foreign Representative?, Minister for Foreign Affairs inquired what measures Governments proposed to take to meet grave , situation .,. , . , , - Minister for Foreign Affairs promised to sub- mit request for further troops to Cabinet Telegram from Rear- Admiral. Allied Admirals, working in peifect accord. Attempt by , , '.• Russians and Americans to relieve Tien-tsin repulsed. Number of troops landed Li Hung-chang has asked for definite instruc- tions as to going to Peking. He will re- main unless summoned . . Has applied for gun-boat for Canton . . Russian Government do not consider that state of war exists . . . . . Decision to attack Taku forts. Legations reported to have been attacked. Prince Tuan at head of Boxers Peking relief force amounts to 9,000. Tien- tsin fighting for its life. Reasons for attack on Taku forts. Will make Wei-hai Wei base hospital . . . . Will Russian Government approve dispatch, of 20,000 to 30,000 Japaiiese troops ? To point out that Her Majesty's Government a«suine Russia will send reinforcement*, and that 10,000 troops are being sent from India, but will not arrive in time to effect Conversation with Japanese Charge d' Affaires. Intentions of his Government as to dispatch of further force . . . . . . [758] b 2 Xll TABLE OF CONTENTS. No. 191 192 Name. To Viscount Gough Acting Consul-General Warren 193 Mr. Whitehead 194 Sir C. Lofengluh 195 196 197 198 Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. 5> >» If 9 TOO 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 Rear-Admiral Bruce to Admiralty To Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic Acting Consul-General Warren Consul Carles Sir C. Scott Sir E, Monson To Acting C'obsuI- General Warren To Sir C. Lofengluh,, Consul Carles Admiralty to Rear- Admiral Bruce Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Subject. June 26, 1900 -Hopes German Emperor will concur in wish to procure assurance that dispatch of Japanose force will not lead to complications, and will help in obtaining it .. 26, 26, 26, 26, 26, 26, 26, 27, 27, 27, 27, 27, 27, 27, 24, 28, Puse- 75- Governor of Shantung reports Ministers safe up to UOth June Decision to mobilize one division which will bring up Japanese force to 13,000 men. Transports available at any moment Viceroy of Szechuen requested to protect employes of Upper Yang-tsze Syndicate and of Mr. Pritchard-Morgan. Viceroys at Nan- king and Hankow assure protection of all foreigners and native Christians , . . . Telegram from Viceroy of Huquang, urging that Naval Commanders may be instructed to remain on defensive until Li Hung-chang reaches Peking for fear of aggravating situation Names of Viceroys and Governors of provinces who agree to views in above telegram Tien-tsin communicated with and reinforced 23rd June. Commander-in-chief reported 10 miles from Tien-tsin. Details as to force landed Telegram from Viceroy of Huquang communi- cated by Chinese Minister (see No. 195). Chinese Minister informed that a written assurance of safety of Her Majesty's Minister and Sir E. Seymour would cause cessation of hostilities . . . . , , Suggestion of Viceroy and Consuls that Powers should declare neutral districts except those north of where fighting is going on. Consuls replied by Admirals' Proclamation of 20th June . . Details as to troops arrived at Tien-tsin Heavy firing heard near Tel-tsang, 9 miles from Tien-tsin. Legations ordered to leave Peking Expects reply from Russian Government as to Japanese force scon M. Delcas>6 has no statement to offer for information of Japan except declarations already made in Chamber Approves reply to Taotai as to proposed declaration ot neutrality of districts south of where fighting is going on ■ Employes of Upper Yang-tsze Syndicate and Mr. Pritchard-Morgan. At knowledges receipt of note, and thanks for his action Commander-in chief being bombarded in ar- senal north of Tien-tsin. Relief urgently requ.red. Force starts at once. British casualties at Tien-tsin. Damage to Settle- ments slight . . Proposal to make Wei-hai Wei base for troops. Ships with stores to call at Hong Kong 2f> 7G 76 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Xlll Na. Name. Date. Subject. Page 20S Sir C. Scott Telegraphic June 28, 1900 . Russian Admiral reports entrance of relief force into Tien-tsin.. .. ., 81 209 ,) >! * Telegraphic 28, Russian Admiral reports relief of Admiral Seymour's force ... . . . . 81 210 5» J> • ' Telegraphic 28, Reply of Russia to Japan as to proposed dispatch of further force . . « . 81 211 Acting Consul-General Warren Telegraphic 28, Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking has de- tained steam-ship " Pioneer '' as means of escape for women and children .. 82 212 >j >> " Telegraphic 23, Viceroy at Nanking has received Imperial Rescript, dated 25th June, stating that the Legations continue to receive protection .. 82 213 Mr. Whitehead Telegraphic 28, Division now mobilized will shortly be em- barked . . . , 82- 214 Consul Scott .. Telegraphic 28, Li Hung-cl.ang has received Imperial Edict ordering him to remain at Canton 82 215 To Sir C. MacDonald •• 28, Li Hung-chang has requested Chinese Minister to state that the foreign Representatives were safe at Pei-tsang, 16 miles north of Tien- tsin, * • « • . •• • . 8» 216 Count Lamsdorff io M. de Siaal Telegraphic 16 (28), Reply made to Japan as to proposed dispatch of further force . . .. .„ 8a 217 Viscount Gough .. Telegraphic 29, German Government has not yet replied as to proposed dispatch of further Japanese force. . sa 21S C 3usul Carles . , Telegraphic 29, Customs Taotai reports Legations still safe . • S3 219 Vice- Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admi- ralty Telegraphic 29, Reports return of his force to Tien-tsin. Ac- count of fighting .. 84 220 Consul Carles Telegraphic 29, Suggestion of Consuls that Powers should inform Chinese Government that the Mauso- lea of the dynasty will be destroyed if the foreign Ministers are harmed . . . . 85 221 Consul Trat/nan .. Telegraphic 29, Ministers supposed to be si ill at Peking. Damage to Tien-tsin exaggerated. English ladies remain.. .. .. ,, 85 222 Acting Consul- General Warren Telegraphic 29, Secret Decree said to have been received by Viceroy ordering Governors to protect their provinces. Li Hung-chang has agreed to no longer recognize Peking Government. Probable usurpation of power by Prince Tuan 85 223 Admiralty . . .. ■ ■ July 1, Telegram from Rear-Admiral Bruce, reporting present position. Losses of naval brigade. Arrival of Russian Commander-in-chief. ■ Numbers of forces landed . . . . 85 224 Viscount Gough Telegraphic 1, Reply of German Government as to dispatch of further Japanese force . . , . 86 225 Acting Consul-General Warren Telegraphic 1, News from Peking up to 26th June. Prince Tuan in power. Viceroys and Governors of Southern and Central Provinces have united to resist him. Reported murder of German Minister 87 226 !> » Telegraphic 1 1, Governor of Shantung concurs in views of Viceroys. He states foreign Ministers still at Peking 26th June .. .. ,; 87 XIV TABLE OP CONTENTS. No 227 228 229 280 231 Name. 233 234 235 236 •237 238 239 240 -241 242 243 244 24A Vice- Admiral Sir E. Seymour to .Ad- miralty Consul Trai man Lord Currie Viscount Gough Admiralty 232 Viscount Gough Telegraphic Telegraphic To Viscount Gough To Mr. Whitehead . . Viscount Gough Sir C. Scott Acting Consul-General Warran Sir C Scott Consul Carles Viceroy of Nanking to Chinese Minister Vice- Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admi- ralty Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. July J, 1900 1. June 28, 29, July 2, 2, 2, Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic felegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic 2, 3, June 29, 29, July 3, 3, Subject. Reports capture of arsenal north-east of Tien- tsin Settlement Murder of German Minister on 13th June. On 23rd June only three Legations standing Policy of Italian Government. Conversation with Minister for Foreign Affairs Major-General von Hoepfuer appointed to command German reinforcements. Trans- mits Imperial Order for formation of expe- ditionary corps for China . . Peking news bronght by runner. German Minister murdered, and Chinese army ad- vancing on Tien-tsin. Allied force insufficient to advance beyond Tien-tsin . , Message from Sir R. Hart of 24ih June received through German Consul at Tien-tsin. Murder of German Minister confirmed Proposed threat to destroy Imperial Mausolea. Her Majesty's Government cannot sanction. Ask whether German Government would agree to a collective warning to Peking authorities if any act of violence is committed against Legations Ask Japanese Government whether they intend to take any additional measures . . Proposal that Japan should send an expedition of 20,000 to 30,000 men. Reply of German Government German reinforecements for China. Emperor's speech to Proposed Japanese expedition. Replies of Russian and German Governments. Con- versation with German Ambassador Count Lamsdorff thinks only thing to be done is to try and rescue Legations and leave con- flagration to burn itself out Decree sent from Peking praising Boxers. Viceroys and Governors consider Prince Tuan a rebel, and have decided not to obey order* from Peking Proposed Japanese expedition. Russian replv respecting. They have no official news of Legations Message from Sir R. Hart of 24th June. '• Situation desperate. Make haste" Messenger who brought above says two or three Legations remain standing. German Minister murdered • • •» Viceroys at Nanking and Hankow undertake responsibility for foreign life and property so long as Powers do not land troops Situation at Peking on ^thTune. Europeans m Bruish Legation have provisions, but ammunition scarce. All agreed no advance on Peking possible yet . . TABLE OF CONTENTS. V^ Nan.e Sir C. Scott Sir E. Monson Mr. Whitehead Acting Consul-General Warren Date. Subject. To Acting Consul- General Warren To Mr. Whitehead .. Brigadier - General Dorward to the Secretary of State for War Vice- Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admi- ralty Viscount Gough .. To Acting Consul- Geueral Warren » >> » n Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic 'Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic July 4, 1900 4, To Lord Currie Mr. Whitehead 2€1 Acting Consul-General Telegraphic Warren Telegraphic 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, Page Conversation with Count Lamsctorff on situa- tion. His Excellency would welooine' a Japanese force of 20,000 or 3 '1,000 men to co-operate in common aim Proposal of French Government for a collective warning to authorities at Peking Question of Japanese force for China (see No. 235) communicated to Viscount Aoki, who will submit it to the Prime Minister. Views of his Excellency as to an advance on Peking . . . . . . Proposal to assure the Viceroys of Nanking and Hankow of the support of Her Majesty's Government in resisting the Boxers. Pro- posal to send a gun-boat to Chungking Position of Peking Legations. Message from the Governor of Shantung to Sheng Taotai, stating they were holding out on 27th '.June . . ..... Instructions to report as to number and dis- tribution of foreigners on the Yang-dsze Situation at Tientsin. Repeats No. 245 for communication to Japanese Government, with a view to their sending reinforcements Situation at Tien-tsin. Consular Body has handed over control to the military authorities. Description of military situation. 25,000 men will be necessary for advance on Peking Decision to attack Tien-tsin chy and the re- maining arsenal on 3rd July. 40,000 troops required for an advance on Peking. Num- bers of international forces now in Tien- tsin Proposed declaration that all the authorities at Peking will be held responsible for the safety of loreigners there. German Government are prepared to : join Detention of steam-ship " Pioneer " by Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking is approved by Her Majesty's Government . . Responsibility of Government at Peking for safety of foreigners there. To inform proper Chinese authorities of the Memo- randum communicated to the Chinese Minister in London Removal of Europeans from Chungking. Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking to be in- formed he must use his discretion Appreciation by Her Majesty's Government of desire of Italian Government to co-operate in China by sending a regiment . . Exchange of views between the Powers as to joint measures to be taken. Text of Memo- . ...jajodjura communicated by Viscount Aoki. Attitude of Japanese Government as to the question of their sending large force .. Necessity of sending force to assist Viceroys to keep order in Central and South China . . XVI TABLE OF CONTENTS. Np. 262 263 264 265 266' 267 268 269 27C 271 272 J73 ^:274 275 ■270 ^277 Name. Acting Consul-General Warren Viscoui t Gough . , Telegraphic felegraphic Sir H. Rumbold .. Telegraphic To Mr. Whitehead . » i' Mr. Whitehead To Sir E-, Monscn ,, To Sir C. Scott To Acting Consul- General Warren Admiralty to Senior Naval Officer, Woo- sung Sir C. MacDonald . . »' « Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. Subject. July 6, 1900 6, 6, 6, &. 6> 6, Sir C. Lofengluh .. Mr. Whitehead Sir C. Lofengluh . . Telegraphic 6, 6, May 21, July 11, 12, 13 Details as to number of Europeans at the Yang-tsze ports, and their means of com- munication with Shanghae .. .. Responsibility of Peking authorities for safety of Europeans there. German Government mean to send notice through Slieng Taotai .. Austro-Hungarian Government has agreed to French proposal for collective warning to Peking authorities as to their responsibility for the safety of foreigners . . Japanese troops for China. Responsibility of Japan in regard to taking immediate measures tor the relief of the Peking Legations. Offer of financial assistance Japanese troops for China. International negotiations would cause a fatal expenditure of time . . . . . . • . Japanese reinforcements for China will be sent, so as to make up a total of 20,030 . . Japanese troops for China. To inform French Government of suggestion made by Her Majesty's Government to Japan . . . . Japanese troops for China. To inform Russian Government of suggestion made by Her Majesty's Government to Japan . . . . British force on the Yang-tsze. Inquires as to the attitude of the Viceroys of Nanking aud Hankow .. .. .. .. Assistance to Yang-tSze Viceroys by Her Majesty's Government in resisting the Boxers. Authorizes giving the assurances suggested 'Protection of Austro-Hungarian Consulate at Shanghae. Instructions to afford Boxer movement. Further meetings of Diplo- matic Body. Correspondence with Yamen. Representations of Bishop Favier. Sir C. MacDonald's opinion on situation Boxer movement. Forwards reply of Yamen to doyen of Diplomatic Body. Meeting of foreign Representatives. Question of send- ing for guards. ^ Prince Ch'ing offers to undertake protection of foreigners Forwards telegram from Emperor of China to the Queen, dated 3rd July Lieutenant-General Teranchi is being sent to confer with Admiral Seymour and Admiral Alexieff Translation of Imperial Edict of 29th June respecting situation, and orders given for protection of Legations Page 101 101 101 102 102 102 102 102 ! i 103 103 103 103 1!0 113 114 114 Correspondence respecting the Insurrectionary Movement in China. No. 1. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received January 4.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, January 1, 1900. IT is with great regret that I report to your Lordship the murder hy a band of anti-Christian rebels of the English missionary Brooks near the town of Pei Ch'eng, in Shantung Province, where he was travelling. The other members of the mission aro safe. The part of China where the murder took place is very disturbed, and I and my French, American, and German colleagues have beea making strong representations, * No. 2. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received January 5.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, January 5, 1900. ] MUBJDER of Mr. Brooks : My telegram of yesterday. I have to-day received a special message from the Throne, brought by one of the Grand Secretaries, expressing profound regret on the part of the Emperor and Dowager-Empress at the death of Mr. Brooks. The capture and punishment of the offenders has been forcibly insisted upon in instructions issued by telegram. No. 3. Sir Chihchen I^ofengluh to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received January 1 1.) My Lord Marquis, Chinese Legation, January 10, 1900. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that I have received a telegram from the Tsung-li YamSn, instructing me to acquaint you of the death of a British subject in the Province of Shantung under circumstances that have excited the horror and the indig- nation of the Imperial Government. On the 1st of the present month the Tsung-li Yamen received a telegram from Yuen Shih-kai, the Governor of Shantung, acquainting them that an English missionary of the name of Brooks had, whilst travelling in the district of Feiche'n, in that province, been grievously maltreated by brigands, and afterwards had been carried off by them. On learning this, the Yamen immediately telegraphed to the Governor, instructing him to lose no time in following up the brigands and rescuing Mr. Brooks ; but by a subsequent teiegram which they received from Governor Yuen, they learned with dismay that the robhers had put the unfortunate missionary to death. Incensed at Vi'is deplorable event, their Imperial Majesties the Emperor and the Empress-Dowager have commanded that all the officials within whose jurisdiction the .outrage was committed be disgraced by being deprived of their rank and honours until such time as they shall have succeeded in arresting the guilty parties, and a prescribed period has been allowed them within which to effect their capture. In making the above communication, I am to present to your Lordship, on behalf of the Imperial Government, the expression of their profound regret at the lamentable occur- [758] B rence, also the assurance that no efforts will be spared by them to bring the parties concerned in the committal of the outrage to condign punishment. I have, &c. (Signed) LOFSNGLUH. No. 4 Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received January 13.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, January 13, 1900. WITH reference to my telegram of 5th January to your Lordship, I have the honour to report that three of the murderers of Mr. Brooks have been taken and confessed their guilt. They are now awaiting their trial at the capital of the pro- vince, and I have directed Mr. Campbell, Vice-Consul in Slianghae, to proceed thither in order to be present when they are tried. No. 5. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir Ohi/ichen LofSngluh. Sir, Foreign Office, January 17, 1900. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 10th instant, informing me of the murder of Mr. Brooks, an English missionary, in the Province of Shantung, and of the orders which have been issued by the Chinese Government for the arrest and punishment of the guilty persons. I have to thank you for your communication. I have heard with satisfaction of the prompt action taken by your Government in this matter, and I trust that Her Majesty's Government may shortly be informed that the perpetrators of the outrage have been brought to justice. I have, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 6. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received January 20, 1900.) My Lord, Peking, December 7, 1899. AT the request of the Mnnicijal Council of Tien-tsin, supported by the agent of the Hong. Kong and Shanghae Bank, Her Majesty's Consul in that city has addressed a'despatch to me asking whether the usual marine guard for the winter months could be furnished. I accordingly communicated with the Naval Commander-in-chief at Hono- Konw and the Admiral has instructed the Senior Naval Officer at Wei-hai Wei to furnish the guard asked for, ami I have now the honour to report that Captain Strouts, K.M«~ and twenty-five marines arrived in Tien-tsin on the 4th instant. M. Carles has a,ccepte,'d an offer of the loan of a godown from Mr. J. M. Dickinson, Chairman of the Municipal Council, and is making arrangements for the guard to be quartered there. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. No. 7. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Foreign Office, January 27, 1900 I HAVE received your despatch of the 7th ultimo, informing me that vou ha4 requested the Commander-in-chief on ^e China Station to supply the usual O marine guard for the winter months for Tien-tsin, and that lie had complied with your request. I approve your action in the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 8. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury .—(lleceived February 15.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, February 15, 1900. IT is reported that there has been a popular rising against the German Railway in Shantung Province. Two hundred German troops wero yesterday dispatched to Kiao-chau city. No. 9. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received February 19.) My Lord, Peking, January 5, 1900. FOR several months past the northern part of the Province of Shantung has beeri disturbed by bands of rebels connected with various Secret Societies, who have been defying the authorities and pillaging the people. An organization known as the • : Boxers" has attained special notoriety, and their ravages recently spread over a large portion of Southern Chihli, where the native Christians appear to have suffered even more than the rest of the inhabitants from the lawlessness of these marauders. The danger to which, in both provinces, foreign missionary establishments have been thus exposed, has been the subject of repeated representations to the Chinese Government by others of the foreign Representatives— especially the German and United States' Ministers — and myself. Early last month the Governor of Shantung, Yu llsien, was ordered to vacate his post and come to Peking for audience, and the General Yuan Shih-K'ai was appointed Acting Governor in his place. In Southern Chihli the task of dealing with the disturbances was entrusted to the Viceroy at Tien-tsin. Her Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin has had repeatedly to complain to the latter of the inadequacy of the protection afforded to British life and property in the districts, affected by the rebellion ; and in consequence of these representations and of my own communications to the Tsung-li Yamen, guards of soldiers have been stationed for the special protection of the missionary premises which were endangered. On the 29th ultimo I took occasion to warn the Yamen by letter that if the disorder were not vigourously quelled, international complications were likely to ensue. Being well aware, therefore, of the condition of things in Northern Shantung, it was with much anxiety that I received, on the 2nd instant, through Bishop Scott, of the Church of England Mission here, a telegram from the Mission at P'ing-yin, in Northern Shantung, announcing that on the 30th December Mr. Brooks, of the Mission, had been attacked, wounded, and captured by thirty " Boxers " in the Fei Ch'eng district. I at once sent Mr. Ker, the Assistant Chinese Secretary, to communicate the contents of this telegram to the Yamen, and to ask that urgent telegraphic instructions should be dispatched to the Governor of Shantung to take measures to deal with the rebels and especially to secure the release of the missionary. The Yamen Secretaries said that information of this occurrence had reached the Yam6n, and that a telegram had been sent to Shantung to inquire particulars. They promised that my message would be reported to the Ministers and a further telegram dispatched. They said that the new Governor Yuan had already reached the capital and taken over the seals of office. On the following day I visited the Yamen. On inquiring what was being done, I was informed that the Governor had promply taken steps with a view to effecting the release of Mr. Brooks. The Yam6n had, however, to their great regret, received a telegram that morning from the Governor to report that the Deputy sent in haste to the scene of the outrage, had arrived only to find that Mr. Brooks had been put to [758] B 2 death on the 31st December, the day after he was captured. A despatch was being prepared, informing me of this lamentable intelligence, and expressing the deep regret of the Chinese Government. I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship a copy of this despatch. In addition to the particulars related therein, I have since learned that the unfortunate man was beheaded by the rebels and his body flung into a ditch. In acknowledging to the Ministers of the Yamen at my interview the expressions of regret which they offered, I laid stress on the importance of proving the sincerity of this regret" by strenuous action in dealing with this case, and in guarding against the possibility of similar occurrences elsewhere. Yesterday, when the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen and other high officials paid their annual formal New Year's call at the Legation, the Grand Secretary Wang Wen Shao informed me that he was specially authorized by the Emperor and Empress Dowager to express to me the deep concern which was felt by the Throne on hearing of this outrage. An Imperial Decree was, he said, being issued enjoining the immediate capture of the murderers, and the punishment of the officials who had neglected their duty. The Decree to which the Grand Secretary referred was published in the Gazette this morning, and 1 have the honour to inclose a translation of it herewith. I had the honour to telegraph to your Lordship yesterday the news of Mr. Brooks' murder, and the substance of the message which I received from the Throne ou the subject. As regards the future situation in Northern Shantung, the most hopeful feature is, I think, the choice of Yuan Shih K'ai as Governor. This official filled for many years the post of Chinese Eesident in Corea, and has lately been in command of some 8,000 foreign-drilled troops near Tien-tsin. He has already announced the necessity of having the whole of this force sent after him to his province, and the decision of character and readiness to use force when necessary which has marked his action at various critical situations in his career, make it possible to expect that he will succeed in making short work of the rebels in the province which he administers. In a note which I addressed to the Yamen this morning I took occasion to remind the Ministers that there were other British missionaries living in the district where Mr. Brooks was killed, and to impress upon their Excellencies the necessity of securing efficient protection to these. I do not, however, entertain serious apprehensions as to their safety, because guards of soldiers have been for some time past stationed to protect the various missionary residences. The unfortunate man who was murdered was seized when he was travelling by wheel-barrow, without escort, through the country infested by the rebels. I have. &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 9. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonaU. (Translation.) Sir, Peking, January 3, 1900. WE have the honour to inform your Excellency that on the 2nd instant we received a telegram from the Governor of Shantung as follows : — " I have just received a petition from the Magistrate of P'ing-yin stating that on the 30th December the English missionary Brooks was travelling in the Fei Ch'eng district. At a place called Chang Chia Chuang he was attacked and wounded on the head by a band of red turbaned " Boxer " rebels, who were all armed with swords, &c. The rebels carried him off" and are keeping him in hiding in some place in Eei Cheng district. I, the Governor, immediately selected a trustworthy official, and dispatched him to travel night and day with cavalry to rescue the missionary." The Yamen at once submitted this telegram to the Throne, and an Imperial Decree was issued commanding that ;the Governor be ordered by telegraph to immediately devise means for the rescue of the missionary. No mistake or delay, could be permitted. This telegram was sent to the Governor. Wo have now received his reply as follows : — " On receipt of the previous report I immediately deputed the Prefect Tseng Ch'i-hsun to travel night and day and in conjunction with the Magistrates of Fei-cheng and P'ing-yin, acting under his orders, to devise all possible means for the ransom of the missionary Brooks, and to arrange for cavalry to follow so as to prevent the rebels' escape. I calculated that they would arrive on the spot by the evening of the 2nd January. But I have just received a telegram from the Magistrate of Fei-Ch'eng, reporting that on the 31st December the missionary was taken by mounted "Boxers " to Mao Chia P ( u, and there murdered. " I have telegraphed to Tseng Ch'i to act with the two Magistrates, and have given them three days within which to capture the murderers. I have also directed the provincial Judge to depute an official to proceed to Tai-an Fu and invite one of the foreign missionaries to go with him to identify the corpse, and to make proper arrange- ments for burial and expenses. " I have to report to the Yamen the circumstances attending my inability to be in time to rescue the missionary." We have the honour to observe that troops have been repeatedly sent to deal with the " Boxer " rebels, who have been creating disturbances in Shantung. Governor Yuan had only just arrived at his post, and was in the act of arranging the disposition of his troops when this unforeseen occurrence took place. The missionary arrived in Fei Ch'eng district, and was carried off by the rebels. The Governor, on hearing of this, immediately sent a deputy to rescue him, but before the soldiers arrived the missionary had been killed. It is undoubtedly true that there was no time to rescue him. We have to express our deepest sorrow, and in addition to telegraphing to the Governor to immediately capture the murderers, it is our duty to address your Excellency for your information. (Seal of Yamen.) Inclosure 2 in No. 9. Imperial Decree, dated January 5. 1 900. (Translation.) YUAN SHIH-K'AI reports by telegraph that rebels have collected and made disturbances in the' two districts of of P'ing .Yin and Fei-ch'eng, in Shantung. They seized a missionary and conveyed him to Mao Chia P'u. The Governor tried every means to ransom and save him, and sent cavalry to capture the rebels, but suddenly before he could be rescued the missionary was killed by the ruffians. On perusal of this report we were most deeply grieved. The Treaties provide that all nations may propagate their religions in China, and we have repeatedly issued Decrees ordering the Provincial Governments to direct the local officials to afford efficient and constant protection. Notwithstanding our repeated orders and injunctions, this murder of a missionary takes place in Shantung. The neglect of precautionary measures by the civil and military officers of that province is an offence which cannot be condoned ; and if the murderers of this missionary be not immediately arrested, it will show an utterly disgraceful state of affairs. Let Ytian Sbih-k f ai denounce to the Throne and propose punishments for all the officials involved in this neglect of duty, and let him at the same time fix a date for the capture of the murderers, who must be caught and brought to justice so as to restore peace to the district and preserve friendly relations with our neighbours. No. 10. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C MacDov.ald. Sir, Foreign Office, March 1, 190& I HAVE received your despatch of the 5tli January relative to the murder of Mr. Brooks, of the Church of England Mission, in Northern Shantung. I approve your action in connection with this matter, and the steps which you took to insure the protection of the other British missionaries in the district. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 11. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received March 10.) • (Telegraphic.) Peking, March 10, 1900. I HAVE the honour to report that,, with regard to the disturbances in Shan- tung and Ohihli Provinces in connection with the missionaries, I have conferred with my American, French, German, and Italian colleagues, whose missionaries are like- wise concerned. On the 27th January, I addressed, in conjunction with the above colleagues, an identic note to the Tsung-li Yamen, requesting that an Imperial Decree should be published declaring the suppression of two anti-foreign secret societies which are both causing, disturbances in Shantung and Ohihli. On the 2nd March, all live Representatives paid a personal visit to the Yamen, having already on the 27th February addressed a further identic note to the Chinese Ministers, but notwithstanding these steps the Yamen have declined to publish the Decree in accordance with our request. I now learn that the disturbances are spreading, that recruits are being enlisted by one of the societies and that drilling is proceeding in the environs of Peking and Tient-sin. We have consequently sent in a further note stating that " unless our request is, complied with without delay, we will urge on our Governments the advisability of adopting otber measures for the protection of the lives and property of our nationals in China." If the Chinese Government should refuse to publish the Decree we have required, and should the state of affairs not materially improve, I would respectfully recommend that a, few ships of war of each nationality concerned should make a naval demon- stration in North Chinese waters. Identic recommendations are being telegraphed home by my four colleagues above-mentioned. No. 12. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C, MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, March 11, 1900. SUPPRESSION of secret Societies in Shangtung and Pechili: Your telegram of the 10th March. It will be desirable only to resort to naval action when other means of pressure are exhausted. No. 13. 8h>- E> Monson to the Marquess of Salisbury. -—(Received March 12.) (Telegraphic.) \Paris, March 12, 1900. THE French Minister for Foreign Affairs has this morning received a telegram, similar to the one repeated to me in your Lordship's telegram of yesterday's "date, on the subject of missionary troubles in China. His Excellency had not read it before I saw him. He expressed the opinion that, if the five Representatives on the spot looked Upon the situation as one requiring a naval demonstration in the northern waters of China as proposed, their Governments could not properly refuse to authorize it. He said, however, that he could not at once state positively what the French Government would decide. No. 14. Sir E. Monson to the Marquess of Salisbury. —(Received March 14.) (Extract.) Paris> March 13, 1900: I CALLED yesterday morning upon Mi Delcasse, and asked him whether he had received any telegram from China in regard to the refusal of the Yamen to publish the Decree against anti-foreign secret Societies which had been demanded by the Repre- sentatives of the five Powers, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States. His Excellency said that the telegram had only just been decyphered, and that he had not yet read it, and he at once proceeded to do so, and found it to be almost identical with that sent to your Lordship by Sir C. MacDonald. He could not, of course, without reflection and without consulting his colleagues, say what the decision of the French Government would be as to taking part in a naval demonstration, but at first sight it seemed to him that it would be difficult to avoid acting upon a suggestion which the Representatives of five Powers, who ought to be good judges, considered advisable. No. 15. Sir E. Monson to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 14.) (Telegraphic.) Paris, March 14, 1900. THE Minister for Foreign Affairs has telegraphed to the French Representative at Peking for more precise information with regard to the China missionary troubles which formed the subject pf my despatch of yesterday. I ipld M. Delcasse - that I did not think that Her Majesty's Government were in favour of a naval demonstration except under circumstances of urgent necessity, and added that, to the best of mj belief, the United States' Government would pot associate themselves with any such action. No. 16. Sir C. MacDonald to the. Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received March 16.) (Telegraphic.) Peki7ig ) March 15, 1000. ON the 10th instant, T telegraphed to your Lordship with regard to the antirChristian Societies in Shantung. I have now to report that the late Governor of that Province has been appointed Governor of Shansi, There is no doubt that the main cause of the recent outrages in Shantung was this official's sympathy with the anti- Christian Societies, and the Foreign Representatives here vigorously protested against his conduct. When reviewing the case of Mr. Brooks to the Yamen, I had warned them that I should have to insist upon the punishment of the Governor whose responsibility for the disordered state of bis Province is beyond question, in the event that Mr. Brooke' case wis not settled to my satisfaction. The Governor bad, we understood, been recalled by reason of the missionary disorders, and the United States' Minister had formally requested that he be never re-employed. No. 17. Sir E. Monson to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 17.) Mv Lord Paris, March 16, 1900. WITH reference to my despatch of the 13th instant respecting the apprehension of the Representatives of England, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States in China, and their views as to the necessity of a naval demonstration on the part of the five Powers, I have the honour to state that M. Delcasse - informed me the day before yesterday that he had telegraphed to Peking for more precise information. I told him that I was glad to hear that no precipitate action was going to be taken by France, and that I believed that he would find that the United States' Government would be disinclined to associate themselves with any joint naval demonstration. I added that, although I had no instructions to say so, I expected fjhat Per Majesty's Government would also adhere to their usual policy of proceeding with great caution, and would be \n no hurry to take a step which only urgent necessity would render advisable, I have, &c. (Signed) EDMUND MONSON. No. 18. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received March 19.) My Lord, Peking, January 17, 1900. IN continuation of my despatch of the 5th instant on the subject of the murder of Mr. Brooks and the disturbed state of the north-western part of the Province of Shantung, I have the honour to report upon my further representations to the Tsung-li Yamen in the matter. The members of the Church of England Mission in that district were stationed at two towns : Mr. Brooks and Mr. Matthews at Ping Yin, and Messrs. Brown and Jones at T'ai An. Bishop Scott having telegraphed to Mr. Brown to inquire as to the state of affairs, received on the 9th instant a reply as follows : — " Outlook very black ; daily marauding ; constant danger ; Edict suppressing published; troops present, but useless; officials complete inaction T'ai An Prefect blocks ; secret orders from Throne to encourage." This telegram represented the missionaries' idea of the situation on the 7th instant, and allowing for some exaggeration on the part of their informants, probably Chinese adherents of their Church, gave a very unfavourable picture of the conduct of the local officials. On the 1 1th instant I saw the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen, and spoke to them in terms of the gravest warning. While I could not believe it possible, I said, that the rumours of secret orders from the Throne were true, the mere fact of the currency of such rumours showed the impression which the conduct of the Prefect conveyed to the public. So much was I impressed by this, that I had come to-day especially to protesl against the behaviour of' the Shantung officials. The whole of the present difficulty could be traced to the attitude of the late Governor of Shantung, Yii Hsien, who secretly encouraged the seditious Society known as "the Boxers." I had again and' again pointed out to the Ministers that until China dealt with the high authorities in such cases these outrages would not cease. I asked the Ministers to telegraph to the new Governor Yuan that I had called at the Yamen that day to complain of the conduct of the Prefect of T'ai An. The Ministers attempted to excuse the inertia of the local officials on the plea that their difficulties were very great. The primary cause of the trouble was the bad feeling existing between the converts and the ordinary natives. This had developed until bands of marauders had formed, who harassed Christians and other natives alike. The local officials had hitherto not had sufficient force to cope with so widespread a rising, but now that Yiian and his troops had been sent to the province they hoped for the speedy restoration of order. I impressed upon the Ministers in the most emphatic manner my view of the gravity of the stuation. The Imperial Edict expressing sorrow for what had occurred and enjoining strong measures was satisfactory so far as it went; but Her Majesty's Government required something more than mere words, and would now await action on the part of the Chinese Government in conformity with their promises. The negotiations, 1 said, with regard to this case were only beginning, and (turning to the Yamen Secre- taries, who were present taking notes) I requested that my words might be carefully recorded for submission to the Throne, and continued: "Whether these negotiations take a friendly line or the reverse depends entirely upon the behaviour of the loca. authorities and the manner in which they carry out the commands of the Emperor as expressed in the Edict." On the 9th instant I had received a note from the Tsung-li Yamen announcing the receipt of a telegram from Governor Yiian to the effect that three of the murderers had already been captured, that they had confessed their guilt, and had been taken to Chinan-fu, the provincial capital. The Ministers informed me that they had received another telegram from the Governor referring to the rules for international cases drawn up in 1876, which provide that the Consul of the nation concerned shall be present at 9 the trial of Chinese offenders in such cases. The Governor suggested that to save time one of the missionaries on the spot might be authorized to be present instead of a Consul.' I told the Ministers that I would consider the question, and let them have an early notice of my decision. in view of the importance of the case, 1 subsequently decided to send Mr. C. W. Campbell, Her Majesty's Alee-Consul at Shanghae, to Shantung to confer with the Governor, 4, 1900. I HAVE received your despatch of the 17th January, reporting on your further representations to the Tsung-li Yamen relative to the murder of Mr. Brooks and the disturbed state of the north-western part of the Province of Shantung. Your proceedings in the matter are approved by Her Majesty's Government. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 23. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, Foreign Office, March 24, 1900. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you, to be laid before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, copies of telegraphic correspondence with Her Majesty's Minister at Peking,* relative to the disturbed state of the Provinces of Shantung and Pechili, and the demand made by him, in conjunction with the Representatives of America, Prance, Germany, and' Italy, for the suppression of anti-foreign secret societies. Sir C. MacDonald requests that two ships may be sent to Taku for the protection, of British missionary and other interests, and I am to request that their Lordships * Nos. 11, 12, and 20. [758] C 2 12 will, if they see no objection, instruct the Commander-in-chief on the China Station I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. to comply with Sir C. MacUonald's application. I am, &c No. 24 The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) . Foreign Office, March 25, 1900. DISTURBANCES in Shantung and Pechili : your telegram of the 23rd instant. . Orders have been issued by the Admiralty for Her Majesty's ships " Hermione " and " Brisk " to proceed to Taku. No. 25. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury.— {Received March 26.) Mr Lord, Berlin, March 22, 1900. THE "Post" of the 20th March reproduces in its evening issue a protest made by the " Ost Asiatisches Lloyd " against the attitude of certain organs of the English and Chinese press that have circulated the most incredible rumours about events in China of a nature to make people in Europe believe that China is either on the threshold of a revolution or of a general collapse of her system of government. "One could laugh heartily," the East Asian paper says, "over the whole affair, were it not that the question has unfortunately a most serious side to it. The reports which even the most respectable papers have published during the last few weeks have made a deep impression which will not be easily removed upon the Chinese population, and more especially among traders, who naturally know little about the dynastic and political conditions of their country, but who place implicit confidence in the statements of Europeans. " The wild tales that are telegraphed to Europe and America must influence the value of Chinese stock, but more especially the confidence of the home market in Chinese affairs. "Do the English press organs realize the result of, their attitude ?" " Thus," adds the " Post," " English newspapers recently announced to the world the sensational news of the dethronement of Huang-fu, a report which the world endea- voured to better by adding that perhaps the Emperor had committed suicide. Confi- dence in the stability of the present state of things in China is naturally seriously shaken by such rumours, the effect of which is already making itself sufficiently felt in the Far East." I have, &c, (Signed) FRANK C. LASCELLES. ISO. 26. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received March 29.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, March 29, 1900. WITH reference to the murder of Mr. Brooks, I have the honour to inform your Lordship that five prisoners have now been found guilty after four days' trial in the presence of Mr. Consul Campbell and two missionaries. One was shown to have beheaded and killed the victim while the other four were accessories and culpable in various degrees. Two of the prisoners have been sentenced to death, the third to imprisonment for life, another to imprisonment for ten years, and the fifth to banish- ment for two years. A sum of 7,500 taels has been paid for the cost of building a memorial chapel, 1,500 taels for a memorial at the college at Canterbury to which deceased belonged, and a further sum of 500 taels for the erection of a tablet on the scene of the murder. The' District Magistrate of Fei Ch'eng where the murder took place has been dismissed, and he has further been denounced to the throne. 13 As the murder did not take place within the jurisdiction of the two neighbouring Magistrates, the Yamen refused to punish them, although they are equally culpable. I have accordingly informed the Yamen that for this reason I consider that the result of the trial is unsatisfactory, and that I would report to your Lordship in this sense. Yii Hsien, the late Governor of the province, who has recently been appointed Governor of Shansi, is the principal culprit, and we cannot well insist on the punish- ment of minor officials, who practically acted under his orders, unless this man is first punished. No. 27. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 2.) My Lord, Peking, January 31, 1900. IN my despatch of the 5th iustant 1 described the disturbed state of the northern part of the Province of Shantung and the southern part of the Province of Chih-li, and inclosed translation of a satisfactory Imperial Decree, issued on the 5th January, in connection with the murder of the Rev. S. M. Brooks. On the 17th instant, in my despatch of that date, I forwarded translation of a second Decree, dated the 11th January, dealing with anti- Christian disturbances, and stated that it was viewed with some misgivings, as liable to encourage the members of such Societies as the " Boxers." Subsequent reports received by me and my American, French, and German colleagues from foreign missionaries resident in the affected region confirmed these first apprehensions. On the 25th I conferred at this Legation with the Representatives of the three Powers above mentioned, and it was decided to address an identic note to the Tsung-li Yame'n, setting forth the unfortunate impression to which the Decree of the 11th January had given rise, and requesting the issue of a Decree suppressing the offending Societies by name. I inclose copy of this note, dated the 27th instant. It had not been understood that there were also Italian missionaries in the districts in question, and the Italian Minister had not, therefore, been invited to the Conference. He has, however, sent to the Yamen an identic note. The name of the Society given in the note as " The Fist of Righteous Harmony " is the same as the " Boxers." The latter name was given in the first instance, either by } missionaries or newspapers, but does not convey the meaning of the Chinese words. The/ idea underlying the name is that the members of the Society will unite to uphold the cause of righteousness, if necessary by force. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Enclosure in No. 27. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, • Peking, January 27, 1900. WITHIN the last few weeks I have had occasion to address your Highness and your Excellencies both by letter and personally with regard to the deplorable state of affairs which exists in northern Shantung and in the centre and south of Chih-li. This state of affairs, which is a disgrace to any civilized country, has been brought about by the riotous and lawless behaviour of certain ruffians who have banded themselves together into two Societies, termed respectively the " Fist of Righteous Harmony " and the " Big Sword Society," and by the apathy, and in some instances actual connivance and encouragement of these Societies by the local officials. The members of these Societies go about pillaging the homes of Christian converts, breaking down their chapels, robbing and ill-treating iuoffensive women and children, and it is a fact, to which 1 would draw the special attention of your Highness and your Excellencies, that on the banners which. are carried by these riotous and lawless people are inscribed ihe words. " Exterminate the Foreigners." On the llfh January an Imperial Decree was issued drawing a distinction between good and bad Societies. The wording of this Decree has unfortunately given rise to a 14 widespread impression that such Associations as the " Fist of Righteous Harmony " ami the "Big Sword Society" are regarded with favour by the Chinese Government, and their members have openly expressed their gratification and have been encouraged by the Decree to continue to carry on their outrages against the Christian converts. I cannot for a moment suppose that such was the intention of this Decree. These Societies are, as I have shown, of a most pernicious and rebellious character. T earnestly beg to draw the serious attention of the Throne to the circumstances above described : the disorders have not reached such a stage that they cannot be stamped out by prompt and energetic action; but if such action be not immediately taken, the rioters will be encouraged to think that they have the support of the Government and proceed to graver crimes, thereby seriously endangering international relations. As a preliminary measure, and one to which I attach the greatest importance, 1 have to beg that an Imperial Decree be published and promulgated, ordering by name the complete suppression and abolition of the " Fist of Righteous Harmony" and the " Big Sword Societies," and I request that it may be distinctly stated in the Decree that to belong to either of these Societies, or to harbour any of its members, is a criminal offence against the laws of China. I avail, &c. (Unsigned.) No. 28. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received April 2.) My Lord, Peking, January 31, 1900. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that a special audience of all the high metropolitan officials was summoned for the 24th instant iii the Palace. It was con- jectured that this unusual proceeding was in some way connected with the question of the occupancy of the Throne of China ; and these conjectures were confirmed by the Imperial Decree which appeared the same evening, translation of which I have the honour to inclose- herewith. In this Decree the Emperor is made to recall the arrangement made at the time of his succession, that, on an heir being born to him, the child should become the heir by adoption to the Emperor just then deceased. His Majesty regrets the failure of this arrangement, owing to his own ill-health, and the impossibility of his having a son born to him, and announces that the Empress-Dowager has, at his own request, selected an heir to the late Emperor in the person of one of his near relatives. In the same issue of the " Peking Gazette " there were published three other Decrees with reference to the newly-appointed heir apparent. The first of these directed that he should represent the Emperor in the performance of the ceremonies to celebrate the new year (31st January) in three of the Palace halls ; the second appointed Ch'ung-Yi and Hsu T'ung as tutors to superintend his education ; and the third prescribed a congratula- tory ceremonial at the Palace on the 26th instant. ~ The young Prince P'u-Chiin, who has been thus selected to succeed to the throne is a grandson of Prince Tun, known as the Fifth Prince, that is, the fifth son of the Emperor whose reign was styled Tao-Kuang (1821-51). The present Emperor is the son of the seventh Prince, so that the new heir apparent is the first cousin once removed of the reigning Sovereign. He is 14 years' old. For a full account of the genealogy of the reigning family, of the system of adopting heirs, of the peculiarities of the succession of the present Emperor, and of the reasons why the elder branches of the family were passed over in his favour, I have the honour to refer your Lordship to two interesting despatches written by Sir Thomas Wade at the time when the present Emperor came to the throne— of the 19th and 26th January 1 875 Of the two hi£h officials above mentioned as having been appointed tutors' to the heir apparent Ch'ung Yi is a Manchu, who was father-in-law of the late Emperor (Tun* Chih), and has since held high office. He has had no intercourse with foreigners and is said to be o conservative tendencies The other, Hsu T'ung, is a Chinese bannerman also of exalted rank, who is reputed to be a hater of .foreigners and all their ways He lives in the street where most of the foreign Legations are situated, and has borne out this reputation by he consistent opposition which he has offered to the macadamizing of th s street and to all other material reforms. s In the Gazette of the 27th January appeared a Decree appointing His Highness Prince Ch'mg (well known to foreigners as President of the Tsung-li YamSn), and a Mongol 15 Prince named Na, to be " Anta " to the young Prince, " Anta " being a Manchu word signifying the supervisor of children in a Prince's household. Prince Ch'ing is a good type of the ordinary Manchu conservative statesman; and the selection of the future Emperor's advisers would seem to be based on the desire to prevent him from being carried away by those impulses towards sudden reform which the Empress-Dowager has had to repress so vigorously in his predecessor. Rumours of the impending abdication or deposition of the Emperor have been prevalent in the capital and elsewhere for some months past, and the news of the appointment of a successor to the throne has undoubtedly given such rumours a fresh life. Possibly with a view to quieting the general uneasiness in this regard, the Empress- Dowager issued a Decree on the 2^th instant, directing that the Emperor's next birthday, marking the completion of his 30th year, should be celebrated with all the ceremonies proper to the occasion. This Decree was succeeded on the following day, 29th January, by lour Decrees on the subject of the 30th birthday celebrations, purporting to be in the name of the Emperor himself, the effect of which is that the ceremonies of worshipping Heaven, and of ascending the throne to receive congratulations are not to be observed on the occasion, that the high provincial authorities are not to memorialize for permission to come to Peking to offer congratulations, that ceremonial robes are to be worn for seven days, and that special examinations are to be held by Imperial grace in honour of the auspicious year. The only other authentic indication which I am able to record as to the Emperor's real position is that afforded by the Court Circular in yesterdays Gazette, by which it is notified that the Emperor is to receive in person the usual obeisances to-day — the first day of the year. 1 have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure in No. 28. Extract from the "Peking Gazette" of January 24, 1900. Imperial Decree. (By the Emperor's own pen.) ^Translation.) WHEN at a tender age we entered into the succession to the throne, Her Majesty the Empress-Dowager graciously undertook the rule of the country as Regent, taught and guided us with diligence, and managed all things, great and small, with unremitting care, until we ourself assumed the government. Thereafter the times again became critical. We bent all our thoughts and energies to the task of ruling rightly, striving to requite Her Majesty's loving kindness, that so we might fulfil the weighty duties intrusted to us by the late Emperor Mu Tsung Yi (T'ung Chih). But since last year we have suffered from ill-health, affairs of State have increased in magnitude and perplexity, and we have lived in constant dread of going wrong. Reflecting on the supreme importance of the worship of our ancestors and of the spirits of the land, we therefore implored the Empress- Dowager to advise us in the govern- ment. This was more than a year ago, but we have never been restored to health, and we have not the strength to perform in person the great sacrifices at the altar of Heaven and in the temples of the spirits of the land. And now the times are full of difficulties. We see Her Gracious Majesty's anxious toil by day and by night, never laid aside for rest or leisure, and with troubled mind we examine ourself, taking no comfort in sleep or food, but ever dwelling in thought on the labours of our ancestors in founding the dynasty, and ever fearful lest our strength be not ^qual to our task. Moreover, we call to mind how, when we first succeeded to the throne, we reverently received the Em press- Dowager's Decree that as soon as a Prince should be born to us he should become the heir by adoption to the late Emperor Mu Tsung Yi (T'ung Chih). This is known to all the officials and people throughout the Empire. But we suffer from an incurable disease, and it is impossible for us to beget a son, so that the Emperor Mu Tsung Yi has no posterity, and the consequences to the lines of succes- sion are of the utmost gravity. Sorrowfully thinking on this, and feeling that there is no 16 place to hide ourself for shame, how can we look forward to recovery from all our ailments ? We have therefore humbly implored Her Sacred Majesty carefully to select, from among the near branches of our family a good and worthy member, who should found a line of posterity for the Emperor Mu Tsung Yi (Tung Chih), and to whom the Throne should revert hereafter. After repeated entreaties, Her .Majesty has now deigned to grant her consent that P'u Chun, son of Tsai Yi, Prince Tuan, should be adopted as the son of the late Emperor Mu Tsung Yi (T'ung Chih). We have received Her Majesty's Decree with unspeakable joy, and in reverent obedience to her gracious instruction we appoint P'u Chiin, son of Tsai Yi, as Prince Imperial, to carry on the dynastic succession. Let this Decree be made known to all men. No. 29. Sir Chihchen Lofengluh to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 4.) My Lord, Chinese Legation, April 2, 1900. I HAVE the honour to acquaint your Lordship of an Imperial Edict relating to the succession to the Throne of China, which I have been instructed by the Tsnng-li Yamen to communicate to your Lordship, for the information of Her Majesty's Government. The Edict bears the date of the 24th day of the 12th month of the 25th year of Kuang Hsu ('i4th January, 1900), and is as follows : — " On our succession, at a very tender age, to the throne, and afterwards during the whole period of the Eegency, we were placed under deep obligations to the Empress- Dowager for the solicitude with which she watched over us, and for the counsels we received from her in matters great and small. By way of requiting the favours thus vouchsafed to us, and of discharging the onerous duties imposed on us as the successor of the Emperor Tung Chih, our constant endeavour has always been to improve the administration of the country. But during the last year, bad health, and the burden of the multifarious business of the State, have often made us fearful lest we should prove unequal to the task and stumble under the weight of our great responsibilities. " Now, considering the Edict which was promulgated by the Empress-Dowager on our accession to the throne, and in which, as is well known alike to Ministers and people throughout the Empire, it is stated that, on a son being born to us, he should be accounted as the son of the Emperor Tung Chih, posthumously adopted to continue the succession; and also considering that we suffer from a congenital infirmity which renders our ever having a son improbable, and that the settlement of the succession is a matter of great importance, we have on several occasions reverentially besought and entreated the Empress-Dowager to select from amongst the members of the Imperial family, most nearly related to the throne, some good and fitting person who should be considered as the son by adoption of His Majesty the late Emperor Tung Chih, and Her Majesty, having at length been graciously pleased to consent to this, has nominated P'u Tsun son of Tsai Yih, Prince Tuan, as the person who is to be considered as the son of Tung Chili, and the successor to the throne when the necessity shall arise. " This nomination, having been highly gratifying to us, we do hereby, in compliance with it, create P'u Tsun, son of Tsai Yih, an Imperial Prince, to the end that the line of the succession to the throne may be continued." The appointment of the Prince to continue the Imperial succession being a matter of great international importance, 1 am to request that your Lordship will be so food as make note of the Imperial Edict, of which the above is a translation, and of which I also inclose the text in Chinese. I have, &c. (Signed) LOEENGLUH. No. 30. Sir Chihchen Lofengluh to the Marquess of Salisbury. —(Received April 4.) MyL ^\u i/uu t i 4 . u , 4 , , Chinese Legation, April 3, 1900. ON the 10th January last I had the honour to convey to your Lordship the expression of my Government's regret at the murder of the Rev. Mr. Brooks, a British 17 missionary, at Feichen, in the Province of Shantung, and their assurance that no efforts would be spared in order to visit the guilty parties with condign punishment. By direction of the Tsung-li Yamen, 1 have now to acquaint your Lordship of the fulfilment of that promise. Of several arrests that had been made of persons accused of having been the perpetrators of the crime or otherwise concerned in its committal, two have been brought to justice and, at a trial at which a British Consul was present, found guilty and sentenced t-o be decapitated — a sentence which has already been carried into effect. Besides this, the Magistrate of Feichen, and some of the police authorities of the distric, accounted to have been guilty of culpable negligence in the protection of Mr. Brooks, have been cashiered, or had other punishments awarded them of different degrees of severity. I feel assured that in the exemplary punishment inflicted on the murderers and the officials who were found to have come short of their duty Her Majesty's Government will not fail to see a satisfactory settlement of the regrettable occurrence, and a proof of the Chinese Government's determination to give the fullest degree of security and protection to foreigners residing or travelling in the country. I have, &c. (Signed) LOFfiNGLUH. .No. 31. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir Chihchen Lofengluh, Sir, Foreign Office, April 11, 1900. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge tbe receipt of your note of the 3rd instant relative to the murder of Mr. Brooks, a British Missionary, at Feichen, in the Province of Shantung, in which you inform me of the punishment inflicted on the murderers as well as on the officials who were found to have failed in their duty in connection with this occurrence. You state that Her Majesty's Government cannot fail to seo in the action taken in the matter by the Chinese Government a determination on their part to afford the fullest degree of security and protection to foreigners residing or travelling in the country. While thanking you for your communication, I have to point out to you that no punishment has been inflicted on the late Governor of Shantung, who must be held primarily responsible for the lawless -state of affairs existing there, and that this official, according to information which has reached me from Her Majesty's Minister at Peking, has been transferred to the Governorship of another province. In these circumstances, Her Majesty's Government are unable to regard the present settlement of the case as wholly satisfactory. I have, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 32. Sir C. MucDowald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 16.) My Lord, Pchincj, March 5, 1900. IN" my despatch of the 31st January, 1 had the honour to forward to your Lordship copy of an identic note addressed to the Yamen on the 27th January by myself, my American, French, German, and Italian colleagues, in which we asked that a Decree should be issued specifically denouncing the anti-Christian Societies in Shantung and Chihli. Receiving no answer, we wrote again on the 21st February, pressing for a reply, and on the 25th February we each received the note, of which I inclose copy herewith. Your Lordship will observe that in this note the Yamem misquote the note to which it is a reply, make no mention of either of the Societies whose suppression we had demanded, and merely state that a Decree had been issued ordering the Governors of the provinces to put an end to the disturbances. This was considered so unsatisfactory by myself and the Representatives of the other four Powers that we decided to ask for an interview with the Yamen, at which Prince Ch'ing should be present, and we prepared an identic note, copy of which is inclosed, to be delivered at the interview, in which we repeated the demand already [758] D 18 made, with the additional stipulation that the Decree we asked for should be published in the official Gazette, in the same way as the harmful Decree of the 11th January. The interview was arranged for the 2nd instant, and on the evening of the 1st instant we each received from the Yam£n the note and inclosure of which I have the honour to forward translation herewith. The inclosure consists of a Proclamation by the Governor- General of Chihli, embodying an Imperial Decree, in which the " Boxers " are denounced in unambiguous terms. Had this note been sent in the first instance as a reply to the identic note it would, as I subsequently informed the Yam&n, have probably been accepted as satisfactory by the Representatives of the five Powers concerned. In view, however, of the tardiness with which the Chinese Government had dealt with this matter, and of the aggravated suspicion as to the meaning of the Decree concerning Societies caused by the evasive terms of the Yamen's note of the 24th February* it was decided at a Conference held before we started for the Yamen that we should adhere to the demand formulated in the identic note which we had already prepared. Mr. Conger, United States' Minister, Baron von Ketteler, German Minister, Marquis Salvago, Italian Minister, Baron d'Anthoiiard, French Charge d' Affaires, and myself were received at the Yamen by Prince Ch'ing and nearly all the Ministers. On behalf of myself and my colleagues I recapitulated the circumstances, as detailed above, which had led to the demand which we now made. My colleagues all expressed to the Prince and Ministers their entire concurrence with the language I used. Mr. Conger reminded the Yamen of the incredulity with which they had listened to his representa- tions regarding these disturbances over three months ago, and the promises they had been making ever since, from which nothing had resulted. Baron von Kettler laid special stress on the fact that in the Decree just com- municated no mention was made of the "Ta Tao Hui," or " Big Knife Society," the denunciation of which, equally with that of the " I-Ho-Ch'uan " or " Fist of Righteous Harmony," had been demanded. The Prince and Ministers protested emphatically that the Throne was earnest in its determination to put a stop to the outrages committed by these Societies. They main- tained that the method adopted for promulgating the Imperial Decree; that of sending it to the Governors of the provinces concerned, to be embodied in a Proclamation and acted upon, was much speedier and more effective than that of publishing a Decree in the "Peking Gazette," as suggested by us. With regard to the omission of the term " Ta Tao Hui" from the Decree, they declared that this Society was now the same as the " [-Ho-Ch'uan." "While we acknowledged the sincerity displayed by the Imperial Decree and its promulgation by Proclamation, none of the arguments employed by the Yamen con- vinced us that there was any real objection, beyond a dislike to obeying foreign dictation, to the publication of a Decree in the Gazette in the terms we demanded and we therefore handed in the identic notes which we had prepared. The Yamen promised to consider the question and to send a reply. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 32. The Tsung-li YamSn to Sir C. MacDonald. ( Translation.) Sir ' OS the 21st instant we received your Excellency'. not^Sft^Tofha'dslo tune since addressed us with regard to rebellious ruffians who in Shantung and eTseX e formed soc.eties and made d.sturbances, requesting us to memorialize" the ^ one o issue a Decree in terms of strict prohibition ; that you had not yet received a reVv and^askmg us to immediately memorialize the thine as originally reqStod, anJ fc the tW^^h^rbiect ant T ** ** 19th j nstant we ^ ^eady memorialized tion, and to strictly forbid the above pSlgs g t0 ^ ^ ^ Pr0Clama " We haye the honour to reply accordingly for your Lordship's information. (Seal of Yameu) 19 Inolosure 2 in No. 32. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. (Translation.) Sir, Peking, March 1, 1900. WITH regard to the strict prohibition of the disturbances raised by the " Fist Society" in Shantung and Chihli, the Yamen lately memorialized the throne and, in obedience to the Imperial commands, sent instructions to the Governor-General of Chihli and the Governor of Shantung to issue Proclamations in terms of severe prohibi- tion. We wrote to your Excellency to this effect on the 25th January. We have now received a reply from the Governor-General of Chihli stating that he has instructed all local authorities within his jurisdiction to issue a Proclamation couched in words of the most stringent admonition. His Excellency sends us a draft of th° Proclamations to be issued. When we receive the reply of the Governor of Shantung we will again communicate with your Excellency. Meanwhile we send you a copy of the Governor-General of Chihli's draft Proclamation. (Seal of Yamen.) Inclosure 3 in No. 32. Proclamation by the Governor -General of Chihli. (Translation.) IN a matter of the most stringent admonition and strict prohibition. On the 21st February last the following Imperial Decree was reverently received : — " The Tsung-li Yamen memorializes requesting our orders for the strict suppression of the ' Fist Society.' Last year the Governor of Shantung telegraphed that the Society known as ' the Fist of Righteous Harmony ' in many of his districts under the plea of enmity to foreign religions, were raising disturbances in all directions, and had extended their operations into the southern part of Chihli. AVe have repeatedly ordered the Governor-General of Chihli and the Governor of Shantung to send soldiers to keep the peace. But it is to be feared that if stern measures of suppression of such proceedings as secretly establishing societies with names and collecting in numbers to raise disturbances be not taken, the ignorant populace will ba deluded and excited, and ? t s time goes on things will grow worse, and when some serious case ensues we shall be compelled to employ troops to extirpate the evil. The sufferers would be truly many, and the throne cannot bear to slay without warning. " Let the Governor-General of Chihli and the Governor of Shangtung issue the most stringent Proclamations admonishing the people and strictly prohibiting (the societies) so that our people may all know that to secretly establish societies is contrary to prohibi- tion and a breach of the law. "Evil customs must be rooted out and the people encouraged to be good. Should any obstinately adhere to- their delusions and persist in their old ways they must be immediately punished with the greatest severity and without the slightest mercy. "Both converts and the ordinary Chinese are the subjects of the throne and in all cases of lawsuits the local officials must adjudicate with fairness, discriminating only between right and wrong and not between the adherents of foreign religions and others. There must- be no trace of partiality. Thus will be supported our supreme desire to treat all with equal benevolence. " Let the high officials named proclaim our words, that all people may know our will" I (the Governor-General) find it settled by decided cases that those people of no occupation, busybodies who style themselves Professors, and practise boxing, and play with clubs, and teach people their arts ; those also who learn fiom these men, and those who march about and parade the villages and marts flourishing tridents, and playing with sticks, hoodwinking the populace to make a profit for themselves, are strictly fo: bidden to carry on such practices. Should any disobey, on arrest the principals will receive 100 blows with the heavy bamboo, and be banished to a distance of 1,000 miles. The pupils will receive the same beating, and be banished to another province for three years and, on expiration of that period and return to their native place be subjected to strict surveillance. [758] D -' 20 Should any inn, temple or house harbour these people without report to the officials, or should the police and others not search them out and arrest them, the delinquents •will be sentenced to eighty blows with the heavy bamboo for improper conduct in the higher degree. From this it appears that teaching or practising boxing and club play, and deluding the people for private gain are fundamentally contrary to law. But of late some of the ignorant populace have been deluded by ruffians from other parts of the Empire who talk of charms and incantations and spiritual incarnations which protect from guns and cannon. They have dared to secretly establish the Society of the Fist of Righteous Harmony and have practised drill with fists and clubs. The movement has spread in all directions, and under the plea of hatred of foreign religions these people have harried the country. When soldiers and runners came to make arrests, turbulent ruffians had the audacity to defy them relying on their numbers, thereby exhibiting a still greater contempt for the law. Although the officials, civil and military, have put out many Proclamations admonishing the people, there are still great numbers who, while professing obedience, are secretly recalcitrant and cling to their former errors. It must be remembered that both converts and ordinary Chinese are the cherished sons of the Government. Should differencies arise between any of these, it is a matter of duty for the parties to have recourse to an official decision; but to presume to assemble in armed mobs to burn and destroy houses, and rob and pillage, and even to hold men to ransom, and inflict bodily injury, and to defy and resist the official troops, is conduct differing in no respect from that of robbers and rebels. Ton have all of you your lives and property. Why then allow yourselves to be deluded and excited by wicked men, and cling to your mistaken ideas, deliberately entering the meshes of the law ? In addition to instructing all the local officials to adopt strict measures of prohibi- tion and to punish without fail all offenders, I hereby issue this most stringent admonition and notify all people in my jurisdiction, gentry and every class of the population, that you should clearly understand that the establishment and formation of secret societies for the practice of boxing and club exercises are contrary to prohibition and a breach of the law. The assembly of mobs to create disturbances and all violent outrages are acts which the law will still less brook. As regards the establishment of these boxing lodges which excite and delude the people and give rise to disturbances, strict orders have now been issued for the arrest and punishment of the ringleaders. They have no chance whatever of escaping the hand of justice. As to the ignorant and stupid persons who have been persuaded to join the society and practise boxing, it is imperative that they recognize their error, abandon their pernicious practices and exert themselves to be good subjects of the Empire. Should they speedily correct their fault, their past offences will be graciously overlooked, but if they do not mend their ways and continue in their evil course, and lodges are again established for the practice of boxing and club exercise, and the people led into error for the private gain of the promoters, the local officials will immediately in combination with the military forces arrest the offenders who will be punished with the utmost severity without the slightest mercy. The converts and the ordinary people are all the subjects of the throne and arc regarded by the Government with impartial benevolence. No distinction 'is made between them. Should they have lawsuits they must bow to the jud^men^ f t he officials. The ordinary people must not give way to rage, and by violent acts create feuds and trouble. _ The converts on the other hand must not stir up strife and oppress the people or incite the missionaries to screen them and help them to obtain the upper hand The local .official must on their part carefully observe the stipulations of the Treaties. In their decision of cases brought before them they must Jot consider who is a convert or who is an ordinary Chinese They must only differentiate riSt and wrong, and must act with impartiality and without any favow- to either side Finally, it is my fervent wish that all, whether converts or ordinary npnnl* „ili . u i to their own affairs and keep the law that all needless suspicion TOS&^SJ all may cultivate friendly relations the one with the otherT «"«ea, and that Let all tremblingly obey I 21 Inclosure 1 in No. 32. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, February 27, 1900. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your Highness' and your Excellencies' note of the 25th instant, in answer to my notes of the 27th January and the 21st 'February on the subject of the anti-Christian disturbances in Shantung and Chihli. As the Yamen have not acceded to my request to obtain the issue of an Imperial Decree in the terms specified in my note of the 27th January, I beg to repeat a portion of that despatch with the addition of the words " in the ' Peking Gazette '." I request that an Imperial Decree may be issued and published in the " Peking Gazette " ordering by name the complete suppression and abolition of the " Fist of Righteous Harmony" and "Big Sword Societies," and I request that it maybe distinctly stated, in the Decree that to belong to either of these societies or to harbour any of its members is a criminal offence against the law of China. Nothing less than this will, I am convinced, put an end to the outrages against Christians which have lately been so prevalent in Chihli and Shantung. Should the Chinese Government refuse this reasonable request I shall be compelled to report to my Government their failure to take what maybe called only an ordinary precaution against a most pernicious and anti-foreign organization. The consequences of further disorder in the districts concerned cannot fail to be extremely serious to the Chinese Govern- ment. I avail, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. No. 33. Sir C. Mac Donald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 1G.) My Lord, Peking, March 5, 1900. WITH reference to my despatch of to-day's date, I have the honour to transmit to your Lordship copy of the notes taken during the interview on the 2nd instant between myself and the Representatives of the United States, France, Germany and Italy, and the Ministers of the Yamen, on the subject of the Boxer disturbances. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure in No. 33. Memorandum of Interview between Sir C. MacDonald, xoith four other Foreign Representa* lives, and the Tsung~li Yamen, on the subject of Boxer Disturbances in Shantung and Chihli. SIR CLAUDE MACDONALD, with Mr. Fulford and Mr. Ker, Mr. Conger, United States' Minister, with Mr. Cheshire; Baron Ketteler, German Minister, with Baron von der Goltz ; Marquis Salvago, Italian Minister, with Dr. Merklinghaus ; and Baron d'Anthouard, French Charge - d'Affaires, with M. Morisse; called by appoint- ment at the Yamen, and were received by Prince Ch'ing Wang Wen-shao, ChaO Shu-ch'iao, Hsii Jung-i, Bsii Ching-ch'eng, Wu T'ing-fen, Kuei Ch'un, Lien Yuan. Sir Claude MacDonald recapitulated the circumstances which had induced the five Representatives to come to-day to discuss the disturbances now going on in Shantung and Chihli. It was admitted that these disturbances were the work of two Societies known as the I-Ho Ch'iian and the Ta Tao Hui. On the 11th January an Imperial Decree was published in the " Peking Gazette," which although not mentioning these Societies by name, was drawn up in such ambiguous terms that it has given rise to a wide-spread impression that these Societies were actually encouraged by the Throne. The result had been to unsettle people's minds and in many cases to produce further disturbances. 22 The Representatives of the various Powers who had special interests in those two provinces on account of the number of Mission Stations occupied by their nationals in the said provinces, had therefore addressed an identic note to the Yamen requesting that a Decree should be issued denouncing the I-Ho Clvuan and the Ta lao Hm specifically by name. This was on the 27lh January. They waited a month without receiving an answer, and on the 21st February they wrote again pressing for a repiy. On the 25th February they received an answer from the Yamen which was abso- lutely unsatisfactory. It misquoted the Foreign Representatives' note; it made no mention of the Societies ; it merely stated that a Decree had been issued ordering the Governors of the provinces to suppress— without stating what it was they were to suppress. The Representatives of the five Powers uere now here to request that an Imperial Decree should be issued, and published in the "Peking Gazette" in the same way as the former Decree, denouncing the I-Ho Ch'uan and the Ta Tao Hm by name, and declaring it a criminal offence against the laws of China to belong to either of these Societies, or to harbour any of their members. The Yamen Ministers said that there was apparently some misapprehension on the part of the foreign Representatives. The first note addressed to the Yamen arrived just at the time of the New Year, but as soon as the New Year holidays were over the Yamen memorialized the Throne, and it will be seen from the Decree embodied in the Governor- General of Chihli's Proclamation inclosed in the Yamen's note of the previous day (the 1st March) that the Boxers were denounced by name. The Throne regarded this matter as of the greatest importance ; and the Imperial Decree ordering the suppression of the Societies had been promulgated by sending it to the Governors of the two provinces as a much speedier and more effective means than publishing it in the Gazette. The Ministers referred to the stringent measures taken against these Societies in the reign of Ohia Ch'ing (1796-1 82 J), and said this policy was being consistently carried out at the present day. Sir Claude observed that if he and his colleagues had received in the first instance the despatch which they received last night, it was just possible that they would not have been here to-day. As it was, they were now here to request that an Imperial Decree denouncing both Societies should be published in the "Peking Gazette" in the same way as the first misleading Decree. In view of what the Ministers stated as to the policy of the Chinese Government he presumed there would be no difficulty about making the publication in the Gazette which was requested. The Prince and Ministers reiterated at length what they had already said as to the sincerity of the Government, and as to the superiority of the method of promulgation adopted. This was the method always adopted in the case of matters of importance, i.e., a secret Decree was given to the Privy Council, not to be put into the Gazette, but sent to the provinces and acted upon. Besides, the Gazette only dealt with current matters, and this Decree had already been acted upon and was now past history. The previous Decree was a general one, couched in vague terms, and mentioning no particular Society. It referred to the whole Empire ; but this Decree aimed specially at these two Societies, and the most effective means had been taken of conveying it to the Provinces of Shantung and Chihli, to which it specially referred. Sir Claude, speaking for himself, acknowledged the satisfactory terms of the Decree embodied in the Governor-General of Chihli's Proclamation inclosed in the Yamen's note of the previous day, but insisted that it should be published in the Gazette. Neither he nor his colleagues would be satisfied with anything short of this. Mr. Conger addressed the Yamen in the same sense, dwelling on the harm done by the Decree of the 11th January and on -the necessity of correcting it by a Decree published in an equally universal way. He reminded the Yamen that when this matter was first brought before them they declared he was only listening to idle rumours. For over three months the Chinese Government had been making similar assurances as to suppressing these disturbances to those they made now, but nothing had come of these assurances. The Yamen were therefore bound to comply with the suggestion and demand now made by his colleagues and himself. The Yamen pointed out that they had done all that the five foreign Representatives had asked them to do. The publication in the Gazette was a demand formulated for the first time to-day. Baron von Ketteler expressed his agreement with his colleagues, but called special attention to the omission of the Ta Tao Hui from the Decree now communicated. The reason was that the Head of the Ta Tao Ilui was to Peking at (he present moment. When Yu Hsien was sent for by the Throne, instead of being sent to the 23 Board of Punishments, he received a special mark of favour from the Imperial hands. The foreign Representatives demanded that such a man should be denounced before the country, and the only way to do so was to denounce the Society to which he belonged. The suggestion that the former Governor of Shantung was the head of the Ta Tao Hui was received with undisguised merriment by the Prince and Ministers, but the Prince admitted that Yii Hsien was to blame for not having suppressed the dis- turbances. Sir Claude MacDonald and Mr. Conger both expressed their agreement with Baron von Ketteler so far as regarded the responsibility of Yii Hsien for the dis- turbances in Shantung. They attributed the original Edict to his inspiration. In reply to Baron von Ketteler, the Yamen explained that the Ta Tao Hui had amalgamated with the I-ho Ch'iian. The names which were or might be assumed by these brigands were legion. As a matter of fact, the Yamen's Memorial did mention the Ta Tao Hui by name. Marquis Salvago expressed his agreement with his colleagues. Baron d'Anthouard did the same, adding that he had received news that very day which proved that the authorities were not affording due protection to the missionaries in Shantung and Chihli. The Yamen assured him that every precaution was being taken. Baron d'Anthouard said he had received similar assurances over three months ago, and he wanted more than words, he wanted deeds, to reassure him. Sir Claude then read to the Yam£n, in the name of his colleagues, the last para- graph of his note of the 27th February, which was handed in. Identic notes were handed in by all the Representatives present. The Yamen repeated what they said before as to the superiority of the method adopted for promulgating the Decree denouncing the Boxers over the method suggested by the foreign Representatives. Sir Claude said that he accepted the Decree inclosed in Yamen note of the 1st March as satisfactory, and that but for the pernicious Edict of the 11th January, and but for the author of that Edict, they would not be here to-day. That was the reason why they asked for publication in the Gazette. The Yamen (Hsu Yung-i) said that the five foreign Representatives had misunder- stood the meaning of the Edict of the 11th January. The Throne was actuated by the best of motives in issuing it. It was designed to allay the bad feeling existing between the Christians and natives throughout the Empire, and to prevent such Societies as the Boxers, &c, in Shantung from committing atrocities by branding such Societies according to their deeds. The idea that it was inspired by Yii Hsien was entirely erroneous. Sir Claude said he did not wish to enter into a discussion with regard to the Edict of the 11th January. The views of the foreign Representatives had been clearly put before the Prince and Ministers, and further discussion was unnecessary. He begged to draw the serious attention of the Ministers to the fact that all rive Representatives were present acting under instructions from their respective Governments, and begged that an early answer be given so that they might inform their Governments of the same. The Yamen said they would consider the matter, and reply. Peking, March 2, 1900. No. 34. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received April 16.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, April 16, 1900. WITH reference to my two telegrams of the 10th and 23rd ultimo, I have the honour to report that the "Official Gazette" has now published a Memorial from the Viceroy of Chihli, which embodies a satisfactory Imperial Decree denouncing by name the Boxers' Societies. I have also to inform your Lordship that the two ships ordered to Taku have now returned to their ordinary duty. 24 No. 35. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Foreign Office, April 20, 1900. I HAVE received your despatch of the" 8th ultimo, reporting the action which you took, in conjunction with your American, French, German, and Italian colleagues, to ohtain the issue by the Chinese Government of a Decree specifically denouncing the anti-Christian Societies in Shantung and Chihli. I approve your proceedings in regard to this matter. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 36. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 30.) My Lord, Peking, March 1 6, lflOO. IN continuation of my despatches of the 5th instant on the subject of the anti-Christian Societies in Chihli and Shantung, I have the honour to inclose, herewith, translation of the Yamen's reply to the identic note which was handed to the Prince and Ministers by myself and four colleagues at the interview ot tne 2nd March. In this communication the Yamen merely repeat the arguments advanced by them at the interview, and maintain the impossibility of acceding to the demand for publication in the " Peking Gazette " of a Decree denouncing the Societies. At a Conference of the five Eepresentatives concerned, held on the 10th instant to consider this reply, it was accordingly decided that we should repeat the demand already made, with the addition of an intimation that, in the event of the Chinese Government's failure to comply there- with, we would recommend to our respective Governments the advisability of adopting other measures for the protection of the lives and property of their nationals in China. I have the honour to inclose herewith a copy of the identic note which was addressed to the Yamen in accordance with this decision. In thus insisting on compliance with our original demand, my colleagues and I were influenced by the daily increasing gravity of the situation in this and the neighbouring province. Reports were consistently being received of " Boxers " drilling and enlisting recruits even near Tien-tsin and Peking, in spite of the Proclamation issued by the Provincial Governors ; and it was felt that the strongest pressure was necessary to awaken the Imperial Government to a sense of the danger of international complications ensuing if these Societies were not promptly and vigorously dealt with. On the 10th instant I had the honour to report the above circumstances to your Lordship by telegraph, submitting a recommendation that if our demand was not acceded to; and no improvement in the situation took place, the measures to be adopted for the protection of British, American, French, German, and Italian subjects should take the form of a combined naval demonstration in the waters of North China. My colleagues telegraphed to their respective Governments in the same sense. No reply has yet been received from the Tsung-li Yamen to the note of the 10th March, and it was with serious misgivings as to the attitude of the Chinese Govern- ment on this question that I read yesterday the official announcement of the appointment of Yii Hsien, lately Governor of Shantung, to the post of Governor of Shansi. The growth and impunity of the an ti- Christian Societies in Shantung has been universally ascribed to the sympathy and encouragement accorded to them by this high officer^ and his conduct has for some time past formed the subject of strong representations on the part of several of the foreign Representatives. Altogether Yn's appointment to so important a post cannot fail to be regarded as showing an extraordinary lack of con- sideration on the part of the Chinese Government for the opinions and representations of foreign Powers, I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. 25 Inclosure I in No. 36. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. {Translation.^ Sir, Peking, March 7, 1900. THE Yamen have the honour to acknowledge the receipt on the 2nd instant of your Excellency's note on the subject of the anti-Christian disturbances in Shantung and •Chihli, repeating the request formerly made, with the addition of the words " and published in the ' Peking Gazette.' " Your Excellency added that nothing short of this, &c. (last paragraph of despatch of the 27th February quoted in full). On the 1st March the Yam6n received from the Governor-General of Chihli a draft copy of his prohibitory Proclamation embodying an Imperial Edict, copy of which Proclamation was immediately communicated for your Excellency's information. From this it will be seen that, in accordance with your Excellency's request for the strict prohibition of anti-Christian manifestations by members of Societies, the Yamen has already memorialized the Throne and received the Imperial sanction to this proposal. But the Imperial Edict which the Yamen had the honour to have communicated to them on that day was one issued by the Grand Council for transmission to the Governor- General and Governor of the provinces concerned, that is, it was what is called a nt, and every such province is bound to take action in accordance therewith the moment the Message is received, matters dealt with in this way assume much greater weight and importance than those dealt with by the issue of a " Shang-Yii. " (Imperial Decree). The rule is that a special Imperial Message is not delivered to the Grand Secretariat for publication {i.e., in the "Gazette'"). Moreover, seeing that in this case a Memorial has been presented already, and a Message from the Throne issued in accordance therewith, it is not proper that a second request should be submitted to the Throne for the issue of an Imperial Decree. This is an established rule of public business in China which it is impossible to alter. The Governor-General and Governor of the provinces in question have now, in obedience to Imperial commands, issued a Proclamation in terms of stringent prohibition, and in future the rascals who have been molesting Christians cannot fail to dread the majesty of the law and to turn from their courses. Moreover, the intention of your Excellency's desire that the contents of the Edict should be printed in the " Peking Gazette " is that the people may be universally informed thereof. Your Excellency is not aware that the circulation of the " Peking Gazette " is most extensive inside Peking, and that in the provinces it is read only by the officials, the people in general having no opportunity of seeing it. Now that the Governor-General and Governor of the provinces concerned have, in obedience to Imperial Edict, issued a Proclamation making known what is commanded, the common people are all able to see it, and the publication is certainly much more widespread than it would be by the " Peking Gazette." The Yamen must beg your Excellency to give further careful consideration to this matter, and you will then be convinced that the truth of their statements can be relied upon. Your Excellency resides in China, and must be fully acquainted with the constitution and conditions of the Chinese Empire, and the Yamen earnestly trust that you will report to your honourable Government accordingly. In communicating the above observations in reply to your Excellency's note, the YamSn avail, &c. (Seal of Yamen.) Inclosure 2 in No. 36. Sir ft MacDonald to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, March 10, 1900. ACKNOWLEDGING receipt of your Highness' and your Excellencies' note of the 7th March, I regret to say that it is no way either an adequate or satisfactory reply tto my notes or my verbal requests concerning the suppression of the two Societies known as the " Big Sword " and " Fist of Righteous Harmony." |758l E 26 I therefore am obliged to repeat- the requests, and because of the rapid spread of these Societies, proof ot which is accumulating every day, and which the Imperial Decree of the 11th January greatly encouraged, I insist that an absolute prohibitive Decree for all China, mentioning these two Societies by name, be forthwith issued and published in "the " Peking Gazette," as was done with the Decree of the 11th January. Should I not receive a favourable answer without delay, I shall report the matter to my Government, and urge strongly the advisability of the adoption of other measures for the protection of the lives and property of British subjects in China. I avail, &c. (Signed; CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. No. 37. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 17.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 17, 1900. THE French Minister called to-day to inform me that the Boxers have destroyed three villages and killed 61 Roman Catholic Christian converts at a place 90 miles from Peking, near Paoting-fu. The French Bishop informs me that in that district, and around Tien-tsin and Peking generally, much disorder prevails. The marine guard which was under orders to leave Tien-tsin has, at my request, been retained by the Admiral. " No. 38. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 18.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 18, 1900. WITH reference to my telegram of the 17th May : There was a report yesterday, which has been confirmed to-day, that the Boxers have destroyed the London Missiou chapel at Kung-tsun, and killed the Chinese preacher. Kung-tsun is about 40 miles south-west of Peking. No. 39. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 19.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 19, 1900. IN continuation of my telegram of yesterday's date, I have the honour to report that, when at the Yamen yesterday, I reminded the Ministers how I had unceasingly warned them during the last six months how dangerous it was not to take adequate measures in suppression of the Boxer Societies. I said that the result of the apathy of the Chinese Government was that now a Mission chapel, a few miles distant from the capital, had been destroyed. The Ministers admitted that the danger of the Boxer movement had not previously appeared to them so urgent, but that now they fully saw how serious it was. On the previous day an Imperial Decree had been issued, whereby specified metropolitan and provincial authorities were directed to adopt stringent measures to suppress the Boxers. This, they believed, would not fail to have the desired effect. No. 40. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received May 20.) (Telegraphic) Peki M 20 190Q THERE are reports current here that the mob at Yiinnan-fu are threatening serious danger to English and French missionaries. . ? t . •27 I am informed by the Yam6n that the importation of arms by the French Consul has been the cause of trouble, but that there is no danger, as sufficient troops have been sent there by the Viceroy. I have sent telegraphic inquiry to the missionaries, requesting facts. No. 41. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Receiued May 2 1 .) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 21, 1900. BOXER disturbances. With reference to my telegram of the 17th instant, I have the honour to report that all eleven foreign Representatives attended a meeting of the Diplomatic Body held yesterday afternoon, at the instance of the French Minister" The doyen was empowered to write, in the name of all the foreign Representatives, a note to the Yame'n to the effect that the Diplomatic Body, basing their demands on the Decrees already issued by the Palace denunciatory of the Boxers, requested that all persons who should print, publish, or disseminate placards which menaced foreigners, all individuals aiding and abetting, all owners of houses or temples now used as meeting places for Boxers, should be arrested. They also demanded that those guilty of arson, murder, outrages-, &c, together with those affording support or direction to Boxers while committing such outrages, should be executed. Finally, the publication of a Decree in Peking and the Northern Provinces setting forth the above. The doyen of the Diplomatic Body, accordingly, sent in the note this morning. No. 42. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 21.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 21, 1900. WITH reference to my telegram of to-day's date, the foreign Representatives decided at their meeting to take further measures if the disturbances still continued, or if a favourable answer was not received to their note within five days. The meeting did not decide what measures should be taken, but the Representatives were generally averse to bringing guards to Peking, and, what found most favour, was as follows : — With the exception of Holland, which has no ships in Chinese waters, it was proposed that all the Maritime Powers represented should make a naval demonstration either at Shanhaikuan, or at the new port, Chingwangtao, while, in case of necessity, guards were to be held readj on board ship. My colleagues will, I think, send these proposals as they stand to their Governments. As the Chinese Government themselves seem to be sufficiently alarmed, I do not think that the above measure will be necessary, but, should the occasion arise, I trust that Her Majesty's Government will see fit to support it. No. 43. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 21.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 21, 1900. WITH reference to my telegram of to-day's date, 1 had a private interview with my Russian colleague, who came to see me before the matter reached its acute stages. M. de Giers said that there were only two countries with serious interests in China ; England and Russia. He thought that both landing guards and naval demonstrations were to Be discouraged, as they give rise to unknown eventualities. However, since the 18th instant, he admits that matters are grave, and agreed at once to the joint note. [7581 E 2 28 No. 44. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, May 22, 190Q, " BOXER " agitation : Your telegram of the 21st May. Her Majesty's Government note your concurrence in the measures advocated hy the Conference, and will support you. No. 45. Sir C. Scott to the Marauess of Salisbury. — (Received May 23.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, May 23, 1900. CHINA. Minister for Foreign Affairs is apparently satisfied by a telegram he has just received from Peking that further pressure will be rendered unnecessary by the Chinese Govern- ment at last taking sufficiently energetic measures. No. 46. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 24.) (Telegraphic.) Peking. May 24, 1900. HER Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin reported by telegraph yesterday that a Colonel in charge of a party of the Viceroy's cavalry was caught, on the 22nd instant, in an- ambuscade near Lai-shui, which is about 50 miles south-west of Peking. The party were destroyed. No. 47. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 25.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 25, 1900. TSUNG-LI Yam In have replied to the note sent by the doyen of the Corps Diplomatique, reported in my telegram of the 21st May. They state that the main lines of the measures already in force agree with those required by the foreign Representatives, and add that a further Decree, which will direct efficacious action, is being asked for. The above does not even promise efficacious action, and, in my personal opinion,. is unsatisfactory. I have, however, not yet had an opportunity of consulting my colleagues. No. 48. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 27.) (Telegraphic.) t Peking, May 27, 1900. WITH reference to my telegram of the day before yesterday, I have the honour to report that at the meeting of the Corps Diplomatique, which took place yesterday evening, we were informed by the French Minister that all his information led him to believe that a serious outbreak, which would endanger the lives of all European residents in Peking, was on the point of breaking out. The Italian Minister confirmed the information received by M. Pichon. The Russian Minister agreed with his Italian and French colleagues in considering the latest reply of the Yamen to be unsatisfactory, adding that, in his ooinion, the Chinese Government was now about to adopt effective measures. That the danger was imminent he doubted, but said that it was not possible to disregard the evidence adduced by the French Minister. We all agreed with this last remark. 29 M. Pichon then urged that if the Chinese Government did not at once take action guards should at once be brought up by the foreign Representatives. Some discussion then ensued, after which it was determined that a precise statement should be demanded from the Tamen as to the measures they had taken, also that the terms of the Edict mentioned by them should be communicated to the foreign Representatives. Failing a reply from the Yam£n of a satisfactory nature by this afternoon, it wa« resolved that guards should be sent for. Baron von Ketteler, the German Minister, declared that he considered the Chinese Government was crumbling to pieces, and that he did not believe that any action based on the assumption of their stability could be efficacious. The French Minister is, I am certain, genuinely convinced that the danger is rea and owing to his means of information he is well qualified to judge. No. 49. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May '27.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 27, 1900. IN continuation of my telegram of to-day, I have to report that I had art interview with Prince Ch'ing and the Yamen Ministers this afternoon. Energetic measures are now being taken against the Boxers by the Government, whom the progress of the Boxer movement has, at last, thoroughly alarmed. The Corps Diplomatique, who met in the course of the day, have decided to wait another twenty-four hours for further developments. No. 50. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, May 27, 1900- " BOXER" disturbances. . Your telegram of the 27th instant. If you consider it necessary for the protection of the lives of Europeans you ma}r send for marine guard. No. 51. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — {Received May 29.) Sir, Admiralty, May 29, 1900. I AM Commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated the 29th May, from the -Commander-in-chief, China, relative to the dispatch of two ships- of war to Taku. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOIL Inclosure in No. 51. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Liukuntau, May 29, 1900. IN consequence of unsettled state of affairs at Peking, I have sent " Orlando " L and "Algerine" to Taku, ready to land guards if required by Minister. 30 No. 52, Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury, — (Received May 29.) (Telegraphic.) ..Peking, May 29, 1900. SOME stations on the line, among others Yeng-tai, 6 miles from Peking, together with machine sheds and European houses, were burnt yesterday by the Boxers. The line has also been torn up in places. Trains between this and Tien-tsin have stopped running, and traffic has not been resumed yet. The situation here is serious, and so far the Imperial troops have done nothing. No. 53. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 29.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 29, 1900. IT was unanimously decided, at a meeting of foreign Representatives yesterday, to send for guards for the Legations, in view of the apathy of the Chinese Government and the gravity of the situation.. Before the meeting assembled, the French Minister had already sent for his. No. 54. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 31.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 30, 1900. PERMISSION for the guards to come to Peking has been refused by the Yamen. I think, however, that they may not persist in their refusal. The situation in the meantime is' one of extreme gravity. The people are very excited, and the soldiers mutinous. Without doubt it is now a question of European life and property being in danger here. The French and Russians are landing 100 men each. No. 55. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 3 1 .) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 30, 1900. LEGATION guards. y y My telegram of yesterday's date. French, Russian, and United States' Ministers, and myself, were deputed to-day at a meeting of the foreign Representatives to declare to the Tsung-li Yamen that the foreign Representatives must immediately bring up guards for the protection of the lives of Europeans in Peking in view of the serious situation and untrustworthiness of the Chinese troops. That the number would be small if facilities were granted, but 1 it must be augmented should they be refused, and serious consequences might result for the Chinese Government in the latter event. In reply, the Yamen stated that no definite reply could be given until to-morrow afternoon, as the Prince was at the Summer Palace. As the Summer Palace is within an hour's ride we refused to admit the impossibility of prompt communication and decision, and repeated the warning already given of the serious consequences which would result if the Viceroy at lien-tsin did not receive instructions this evening in order that the euards might be enabled to arrive here to-morrow. The danger will be greatest on Friday, which is a Chinese festival. ■" 31 No. 56. Sir C. Mac Donald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 31.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 31, 1900. LEGATION guards. My telegram of to-day. Provided that the number does not exceed that of thirty for each Legation, as on the last occasion, the YameD have given their consent to the guards coming to Peking. A report, which has, however, not been confirmed, has come from Tien-tsin that the French and Russian guard coining up the river to Tien-tsin turned back, owing to threats on the part of the Chinese that they would open fire on them. It was decided this morning, at a meeting of the foreign Representatives, to at once bring up the guards that are ready. These probably include the British, American, Italian, and Japanese. No. 57. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received May 31.) Sir, Admiralty, May 31, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated 31st May, from the Commander-in-chief on the China station. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 57. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Wei-hai Wei, May 31, 1900. AS affairs at Peking are becoming more serious, 1 am leaving at once for Taku with " Centurion " and " Whiting." " Endymion " and " Fame " will follow. No. 58. Sir O. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 31.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, May 31, 1900. CHINA. Reports of discussions and decisions of foreign Representatives at Peking precisely similar to those contained in Sir C. MacDonald's telegrams have been received by the Russian Foreign Office, but from a later report Count Mouravieff gathers that the danger is now less acute, and his Excellency evidently hopes that more vigorous action of the fresh troops which are being sent by the Chinese Government to check the Boxers may avert the necessity of bringing guards to Peking. No. 59. Sir C. Mac Donald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 1.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 1, 1900. LEGATION guards. The report that the French and Russian guards were turned back or went back on the 30th ultimo is confirmed. British, American, Italian, Russian, French, and Japanese guards arrived yesterday. Facilities were given, and there were no disturbances. Our detachment consists of three officers and seventy-five men, and a machine gun. 32 No. 60. Sir E. Monson to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 2.) (Extract.) Paris, May 31, 1900. OBSERVING in Sir C. MacDonald's telegram of the 27th May, which your Lordship was so good as to communicate to me, that the French Minister at Peking seemed to be taking the lead in calling upon his colleagues to take precautions against coming danger from the Boxer Associations, I called on M. Delcass^ on the 29th instant, and asked him what news M. Pichon had sent him. His Excellency had before him a telegram which he had just received, and which had been dispatched, I believe, the previous day from Peking, reporting what had passed at the meeting of the Diplomatic Representatives before any decision had been arrived at as to •sending for foreign troops to guard the Legations. M. Delcasse" told me that M. Pichon was a very cool and sensible man, and not likely *o lose his head ; that he had not asked for authority to send for troops to guard the French Legation. For the rest, said his Excellency, the general instructions of which M. Pichon is in possession give him full authority to send for troops on his own responsibility if ever he should consider the need of them to be urgent. No. 61. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received Jrnne- 2.) -(Telegraphic.) _ , Peking, June 2, 19©0* THE city is comparatively quiet, but murders of Christian converts and the destruction of missionary property in outlying districts occur every day, and the situation still remains- serious. The situation at the Palace is, I learn from a reliable authority, vewy strained. The Empress-Dowager does not dare to put down the Boxers, although wishing to do. sos,. on account of the support given them by Prince Tuan, father of the hereditary Prisee-,, and -other conservative Manchus, and also because of their numbers. No. 62. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received Jnme 2.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, Juns- 2, 1900;. THIRTY Europeans, most of whom were Belgians, fled from Paoting-fu via the river to Tien-tsin. About 20 miles from Tien-tsin they were attacked by Boxers. A party of Europeans having gone to their rescue from Tien-tsin severe fighting ensued, in which a large number of Boxers were killed. Nine of the party are still missing,, including one lady. The rest have been brought into Tien-tsin. No. 63. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 8.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 2, 1900. WITH reference to my telegram of to-day, I am informed by the French Minister that he has learnt on good authority that the Empress-Dowager is preparing to fly to Sian-fu in Shensi, owing to hostile demonstrations of the Boxers against herself. The Russian Minister, who came to see me to-day, said he thought it most imperative that the foreign Representatives should be prepared for all eventualities,- though he had no news confirming the above report. He said he had been authorized by his Government to support any Chinese authority at Peking which was able and willing to maintain order ic case the Government collapsed 33 In reply to a question as to whether I shared his opinion, I said I was quite sure that Her Majesty's Government desired the maintenance of law and order by any properly constituted Chinese authority, and would support any measures having that object in view, but that I was without instructions in the matter. No. 64. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 3, 1900. I APPROVE your reply to the Russian Minister at Peking, as reported in your telegram of yesterday, respecting the attitude of Her Majesty's Government in the event of a collapse of the present Chinese Government. No. 65. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 4.) My Lord, St. Petersburgh, May 30, 1900. WHEN I attended Count Mouravieff's weekly reception to-day, I found that his Excellency had received from M. de Giers precisely similar reports of the discussions of the foreign Representatives at Peking in view of the serious danger of the Boxer outbreak as were communicated in Sir C. MacDonald's telegrams to your Lordship, which I received this morning. Count Mouravieff said that the danger of the situation was undoubtedly more serious than it had been when he last spoke to me, inasmuch as the Representatives had apparently thought it necessary to summon the guards to the capital, a slep which he seemed to view with some alarm. He said that the French and American sailors had apparently already landed, but he had no report of the Russian or English having done so ; he did not think that the Boxers would he able to face European forces, but he still thought that the Chinese Government, which was evidently seriously alarmed, and at last sending a more reliable force to check the movement, would be able to do so without foreign assistance. He said that the Chinese Minister had just been with him ; he had asked him some time ago to send a message from him to his Government, earnestly impressing on them the necessity in their own interest, as well as that of European Governments, to suppress the outbreak with the utmost energy and promptitude, so as to avoid the necessity of foreign Powers taking measures themselves for the protection of the lives and property of their subjects. He asked Yang-Yu to-day what answer he had received from his Government, and he had replied "none." Count Mouravieff remarked that he trusted that it bad been made quite clear that his message bad been exclusively inspired by a real regard for China's own interests. Count Mouravieff then said to me that it was quite clear that the whole of the mischief had been done by the Governor of the province, who had been sent to put down the agitation and keep things quiet, and had evidently secretly encouraged it, and that the first forces sent from Peking had not been seriously concerned to oppose the Boxers, but that his latest news was that the troops, which the Government at Peking, at last seriously alarmed for their own safety, were sending to the seat of disturbance, would be able to master it. Count Mouravieff seems to have taken the same optimistic view in talking to some of my colleagues who had questioned him on the subject. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES S. SCOTT. , |768j P 34 No. 66. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 4.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 4, 1900. I AM informed by a Chinese courier who arrived to-day from Yung-Ching, 40 miles south of Peking, that on the 1st June the Church of England Mission at that place was attacked by the Boxers. He states that one missionary, Mr. Robinson, was murdered, and that he saw his body, and that another, Mr. Norman, was carried off by the Boxers. T am insisting on the Chinese authorities taking immediate measures to effect his rescue. No. 67. Sir E. Monson to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 4.) (Telegraphic.) Paris, June 4, 1900. THE French Minister at Peking has informed the Minister for Foreign Affairs that the situation has, in bis opinion, improved. No. 68. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 5.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 4, 1900. PRESENT situation at Peking is such that we may at any time be besieged here with the railway and telegraph lines cut. In the event of this occuiTing, I beg your Lordship will cause urgent instructions to be sent to Admiral Seymour to consult with the officers commanding the other foreign squadrons now at Taku to take concerted measures for our relief. The above was agreed to at a meeting held to-day by the foreign Representatives, and a similar telegram was sent to their respective Governments by the Ministers of Austria, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, Russia, and the United States, all of whom have ships at Taku and guards here. The telegram was proposed by the French Minister and carried unanimously. It is difficult to say whether the situation is as grave as the latter supposes, but the apathy of the Chinese Government makes it very serious. No. 69. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 5.) Sir, Admiralty, June 5, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated 4th June, from the Commander-in-chief, China. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 69. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Tonq-ku June 4 1900 "D'ENTRECASTEAUX" (French), "Kasagi" (Japanese), "Zenta" (Austrian), arrived. Twenty-four men-of-war here altogether. A guard of 75 sent to Peking and 104 to Tien-tsin, matters being repotted serious. I remain awaiting developments and further news from Minister. 35 No. 70. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June f>.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 5, 1900. MY telegram of yesterday. 1 went this afternoon to the Tamen to inquire of the Ministers personally what steps the Chinese Government proposed to take to effect the punishment of Mr. Eobin- son's murderers and the release of Mr. Norman. I was informed by the Ministers that the Viceroy was the responsible person, that they had telegraphed to him to send troops to the spot, and that that was all they were able to do in the matter. They did not express regret or show the least anxiety to effect the relief of the imprisoned man, and they displayed the greatest indifference during the interview. I informed them that the Chinese Government would be held responsible by Her Majesty's Government for the criminal apathy which had brought about this disgraceful state of affairs. I then demanded an interview with Prince Ching, which is fixed for to-morrow, as I found it useless to discuss the matter with the Tamen. No. 71. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 5.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 5, 1900. MY preceding telegram. I regret to say I have received confirmation of the reported murder of Mr. Robin- son. Her Majesty's 1 Consul at Tien-tsin has been informed by the Yiceroy of the murder on 2nd June of Mr. Norman, who was supposed to be a prisoner. No. 72. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 5.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 5, 1900. URGENT. I have to-day sent the following telegram to the Admiral : — " At a meeting of the Consuls held yesterday to form a home guard, a Resolution was passed asking for strong reinforcements. This step I consider to be absolutely necessary. Our passive position intensifies the danger of the situation hour by hour, and I strongly urge the advisability of the guard being permitted to take active measures of hostility. "I am telegraphing to Her Majesty's Minister, but am doubtful how long communi- tions may remain open with Peking." No. 73. Sir E. Monson to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 6.) (Extract.) Paris, June 5, 1900. I ASKED M. Delcasse last evening what news he had from Peking, observing that the telegrams published in the French papers as to the dangerous situation in that capital were confirmed, as far as I knew, by the information sent to your Lordship by Her Majesty's Minister. M. Delcasse replied that, on the contrary, his latest telegrams from M. Pichon represented that he considered that for the moment all imminent danger was over. M. Delcasse - could not tell me the .date of M. Pichon's telegram, but his Excellency seemed to be convinced that it was subsequent to anything that had appeared in the newspapers, and to believe that all the Europeans at first reported missing had escaped. T758I E2 36 No. 74. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received June 6.) (Telegraphic.) P , eUn 9> Ju ™ 5 > 190 °- x AS the wire to Tien-tsin may be cut at any moment, please send immediate instructions to the Admiral. No. 75. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received June 6.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 5, 1900. THIS afternoon I had an interview with the Prince and Ministers of the Yamen. They expressed much regret at the murder of Messrs. Robinson and Norman, and their tone was fully satisfactory in this respect. I pointed out that there was not the slightest indication that the Chinese Govern- ment intended to deal severely with the Boxer disturbances, and that insecurity of human life within a few miles of the capital and serious danger of an outbreak occurring within the city itself was the result of this attitude. I said that this failure to suppress the Boxers was, as far as 1 could judge, leading straight to foreign intervention, however much friendly Powers might regret such a course. No attempt was made by the Prince to defend the Chinese Government, nor to deny what I had said. He could say nothing to reassure me as to the safety of the city, and admitted that the Government was reluctant to deal harshly with the movement, which, owing to its anti-foreign character, was popular. He stated that they were bringing 6,000 soldiers from near Tien-tsin for the protection of the railway, but it was evident that he doubted whether they would be allowed to fire on the Boxers except in the defence of Government property, or if authorized whether they would obey. He gave me to understand, without saying so directly, that he has entirely failed to induce the Court to accept his own views as to the danger of inaction. It was clear, in fact, that the Yamen wished me to understand that the situation was most serious, and that, owing to the influence of ignorant advisers with the Empress-Dowager, they were powerless to remedy it. No. 76. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. -—(Received June 6.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 6, 1900. SINCE the interview with the Yamen reported in my preceding telegram I have seen several of my colleagues. I find they all agree that, owing to the now evident sympathy of the Empress- Dowager and the more conservative ot her advisers with the anti-foreign movement, the situation is rapidly growing more serious. Should there be no change in the attitude ot the Empress, a rising in the city, ending in anarchy, which may produce rebellion in the provinces, will be the result, "failing an armed occupation of Peking by one or more of the Powers." Our ordinary means of pressure on the Chinese Government fail, as the Yamen is by general consent, and their own admission, powerless to persuade the Court to take serious measures of repression. Direct representations to the Emperor and Dowager-Empress from the Corps Diplomatique at a special audience seems to be the only remaining chance of impressing the Court. At to-day's meeting of the foreign Representatives, it will probably be decided to ask the approval oi their respective Governments for the demand for such an audience, unless it appears that the situation is so critical as to justify them in making it without waiting tor instructions. As no foreign Representative here has Ambassador's privileges it is probable that an auchenn* will be refused, as against precedent, and it is certain to be delayed should the 37 demand be refused, or unless there is an improvement in the situation (as there may be if the demand itself opens the Empress' eyes). 1 am of opinion that strong measures should be taken to enforce compliance. No. 77. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 6.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 6, 1900. MY preceding telegram. A meeting of the foreign Representatives was held this afternoon, and it was decided to postpone till Saturday next the question of demanding an audience. No. 78. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 6.) Sir, Admiralty, June ti, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated this day, from the Commander-in-chief, China. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in. No. 78. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Tong-ku, June 6, 1900. SITUATION having become more grave, I have ordered "Aurora" and "Phoenix" here from Wei-hai Wei ; " Humber " to Shanhaikuan. Several Europeans in isolated positions have been murdered, and there is a strong feeling against all foreign element. Chinese Government appear to be doing nothing to check outrages. Meeting of Senior Naval Officers of the French, German, Italian, Russian, Austrian, United States, and Japanese men-of-war held on board " Centurion " this afternoon to discuss situation and arrange concerted action if necessary. No. 79. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 6.) Sir, Admiralty, June 6, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated this day, to the Commander-in-chief, China. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOE. Inclosure in No. 79. Admiralty to Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour, (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 6, 1900. IN case of danger to the foreign Legations at Peking, or to British subjects either there or at Tien-tsin and in the neighbourhood, take such steps, in concert with the 38 Commanding Officers of the other squadrons, as you may consider advisable and practicable for their protection. Her Majesty's Government desire to leave you a wide discretion as to the measures to be adopted. No. 80. Foreign Office to Admiralty. ,. Sir, Foreign Office, June 6, 1900. HER Majesty's Minister in China, in his telegram of the 4th instant, of which a copy was communicated to you yesterday, stated thai the situation at Peking was such that Her Majesty's Legation might at any time be besieged, with the railway and telegraph lines cut. He requested that in the event of this happening, urgent instructions might be sent to the Commander-in-chief on the China station to consult with the officers in command of the squadrons of other Powers at Taku, with a view to concerted measures for the relief of the foreign Legations at Peking. Sir C. MacDonald added that his telegram was the result of a decision arrived at at a meeting of the foreign Representatives, and that similar telegrams had been sent by the Ministers of Austria-Hungary, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, Russia, and the United States to their respective Governments, all of whom have guards at Peking and ships at Taku. In a further telegram received to-day, of which a copy has also been transmitted to you, Sir C. MacDonald states that the telegraph to Tien-tsin may be interrupted at any moment, and repeats his request that the instructions suggested in his first telegram may be sent to Admiral Seymour. The Marquess of Salisbury would suggest that the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty should telegraph to the Commander-in-chief in China, that, in case of danger to the foreign Legations at Peking or to British subjects either there or at Tien-tsin and in the neighbourhood, he should take such steps in concert with the Com- manding Officers of the other squadrons as he may consider advisable and practicable for their protection ; and that Her Majesty's Government desire to leave him a wide dis- cretion as to the measures which, under the circumstances, it may appear to him expedient to adopt. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 81. Admiralty to Foreign Office. —(Received June 7.) Sir ' T a »* j , «. . . Admiralty, June 1, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram dated ihe 7th June, ftom the Commander-in-chief, China station. ' A copy of this telegram has been sent to the Colonial Office and also to the War L/mce. I am, &o. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 81. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) _ " Terrible "available for conveyance. g 8 V * "** for WtSm and Pekin S- 39 No. 82. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 7.) Sir > Admiralty, June 7, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated the 7th instant, from Admiralty to the Commander-in-chief, China. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 82. Admiralty to Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour. (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 7, 1900. FOLLOWING telegram has been addressed by Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to Her Majesty's Minister, Peking : — "The situation is difficult, and your discretion must be quite unfettered. Youniay take precisely what measures you think expedient." Report any steps you may take in concert with Minister. No. 83. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office. June 7, 1900. WITH reference to your telegram of the 5th instant, I have to inform you that the following instructions were telegraphed yesterday to the Admiral : — [See Inclosure in No. 80.] No. 84. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 7, 1900. YOUR telegram of the 6th June. The situation is difficult, and your discretion mnstbe quite unfettered. You may take precisely what measures you think expedient. No. 85. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 7, 1900. WITH reference to your telegram of the b'th June on the subject of the crisis at Peking, I approve the proposal to demand an audience of the Emperor and Empress- Dowager. No. 86. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 8.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 7, 1900. THERE is a long Decree in the "Gazette" which ascribes the recent trouble to the favour shown to converts in law suits and the admission to their ranks of bad characters. It states that the Boxers, who are the' objects of the Tnrone's sympathy equally with the 40 converts, have made use of the anti-Christian feeling aroused by these causes, and that bad characters among them have destroyed chapels and railways which are the property of the State. Unless the ringleaders among such bad characters are now surrendered by the Boxers they will be dealt with as disloyal subjects, and will be exterminated. Authorization will be given to the Generals to effect arrests, exercising discrimination between leaders and their followers. It is probable that the above Decree represents a compromise between the conflicting opinions which exist at Court. The general tone is most unsatisfactory, though the effect may be good if severe measures are actually taken. The general lenient tone, the absence of reference to the murder of missionaries, and the justification of the proceedings of the Boxers by the misconduct of Christian converts are all dangerous factors in the case. No. 87. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — {Received June 8.) Sir, Admiralty, June 8, 1900. WITH reference to previous correspondence, I am commanded by my Lords Com- missioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram of the 8th June from the Commander-in-chief on the China station relative to affairs at Peking. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR, Inclosure in No. 87. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Tong-ku, June 8, 1900. MY telegram of 6th instant. In case of a sudden march on Peking as regards command, the best course might he for me to undertake it, with Russian Colonel as Chief of the Staff. I think all or most of the foreign officers here would agree to this. Request instructions. Rear-Admiral would be left in the command of the squadron off Pei-ho. No. 88. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 8.) Sir ' T * ™ ■. , , T , „ Admiralty, June 8, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated this day, from the Admiralty to the Command or-in-chief on the China station. A similar communication has been addressed to the War Office. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 88. Admiralty to Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour. (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 8, 1900. WITH reference to your telegram of the 7th instant, you are to place yourself in communication with the General Commanding at Hong Kong, and concert with him as to dispatch of any troops from there to the Pei-ho should it be considered desirable ■ i ' t-" 1 41 No. 89. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 8, 1900. I HAVE been informed by the Spanish Government that, having no guard to send to protect their Legation at Peking, they would be glad if the British force could under- take that duty. If the British force is sufficiently strong, you can comply with any application from your Spanish colleague to this effect. No. 90. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, ^ Foreign Office, June 8, 1900. WITH reference to the inquiry of the Commander-in-chief on the China station as to who should be in command of the force from the foreign ships of war in the event of a march on Peking becoming necessary, I am to state that, in Lord Salisbury's opinion, the Senior Officer should command the force, and Sir Edward Seymour should be so informed. I am, &c. (Signed) PRANCIS BERTIE. No. 91. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, Foreign Office, June 8, 1900. I HAVE laid before the Marquess of Salisbury your letter of to-day, inclosing a copy of a telegram from the Commander-in-chief on the China station, in which he proposes that, in the event of it being necessary for the forces from the foreign ships of war to march to Peking, he should take command of them, with the Russian Colonel as Chief of his Staff. Lord Salisbury suggests that Admiral Seymour's proposal should be approved. I am, &c. (Signed) PRANCIS BERTIE. No. 92. Foreign Office to War Office. Sir, Foreign Office, June *, 1900. THE Lords Commissioners of fhe Admiralty have communicated to the Marquess of Salisbury a copy of a telegram from the Commander-in-chief on the China station of yesterday, in which he suggests that, in view of the gravity of the situation in Northern China, and the inadvisability of leaving Her Majesty's ships without sufficient crews, troops should be sent from Hong Kong for employment at Tien-tsin and Peking. A copy of Admiral Seymour's telegram has been sent to Her Majesty's Secretary of State for War. I am directed by Lord Salisbury to state that he considers it advisable that all the troops, that can be spared, not only from Hong Kong, but also from "Wei-haj Wei and Singapore, should be concentrated at Taku, [758] G 42 His Lordship would be glad to be informed what steps Lord Lansdowne proposes to take in the matter after communicating with the Loids Commissioners of the Admiralty. I am, &c. (Signed) ERANCIS BERTIE. No, 93. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. -^-(Received June 9.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 8, 1900. A VERY bad effect has been produced by the Decree reported in my immediately preceding telegram. There is no prohibition of the Boxers drilling, which they now openly do in the houses of the Manchu nobility and in the temples. This Legation is full of British refugees, mostly women and children, and the London and Church of England Missions have been abandoned. I trust that the instructions requested in my telegrams of the 4th and 5th instant have been sent to the Admiral, No. 94. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury, — (Received June 9.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 8, 1900. I HAVE received the following telegram, dated noon to-day, from Her Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin : — "By now the Boxers must be near Yang-tsun. Last night the bridge, which is outside that station, was seen to be on fire. General Nieh's forces are being withdrawn to Lutai, and 1,500 of them have already passed through by railway. There are now at Yang-tsun an engine and trucks ready to take 2,000 more men." Lutai lies on the other side of Tien-tsin, and at some distance. Should this information be correct, it means that an attempt to protect Peking has been abandoned by the only force on which the Yamen profess to place any reliance. The 6,000 men mentioned in my telegram of the 5th instant were commanded by General Nieh. No. 95. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 9.) (Telegraphic^ ....... t . , , m Peking, June 8, 1900. I HAVE sent the following telegram to-day to T6ki6 :— « I have been instructed by Lord Salisbury to inform you of the present position here by telegraph. k l "The movement against foreigners has been permitted to develop until it has resulted m the burning of railway stations, the interruption for the last five davs of communication by rail, the murder in the country, near Peking of two British mis sionaries and several foreigners, and in the surrounding districts the destruction of chapels and the pillage of numerous converts. In Peking itself British missionaries have been forced to quit their houses and come for .refuge to the Legation which has a guard of marines for its protection. ' "The Chinese Government have been so far moved bv these Pv™t« oe +„ i 4. high officials to hold parley with > the 'Boxers,' but give nJ^Z^tt^l to. suppress them summarily. Probably they still have the power to do so but sym- pathy with the movement strongly influence, the Throne, and the temper ot'the troon. is uncertain. , v wuujj& •'There is a disposition on the part of the Diplomatic Corps to request an audience in order to represent the. seriousness of the situation to the Throne but a* -Si am hot aware whether .this step will meet with the approval of Her MaiesTU Government. fudjesiy s 43 No. 96. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 9.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 8, 1900. WITH reference to my telegrams of the 5th and 6th instant and my two imme- diately preceding telegrams, I have to report that the situation is now critical. To-morrow or next day we shall meet to decide the question of a personal audience with the Empress-Dowager and the Emperor. If the demand for an audience is made it is essential, first, that it should be insisted on, and that we should compel the Chinese Government to grant it; secondly, that a definite statement should be made to the Throne, when the audience takes place, putting in plain terms the existence of so deplorable a state of things in North China owing to the Boxers not being repressed, and concluding with a strong intimation that, unless the Chinese Government imme- diately suppressed the Boxers and re-established law and order, the foreign Powers would be compelled themselves to take measures to that end, as the present state of things is fraught with so much danger to foreign interests. No. 97. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 9.) Sir, Admiralty, June 8, 1900. 1 AM coirmanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, ior the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copy of a telegram, dated the 8th June, from Admiralty to Commander-in-chief, China, with reference to your letter of to-day, concerning Admiral Seymour's proposal as to the command of any forces sent to Peking. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 97. Admiralty to Vice- Admiral Sir E. Seymour. (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 8, 1900. YOURS of the 8th instant. Your proposal is approved if agreement come to. No. 98. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 9.) Sir, Admiralty, June 9, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated to-day, from Admiralty to the Commander-in-chief, China. A copy has also been sent to the War Office. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. [758] G 2 44 Inclosure in No. 98. Admiralty to Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour. (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 9, 1900. WITH reference to Admiralty telegram of yesterday, War Office has authorized Hong Kong and Straits Settlements to give such military force as they can spare on your request, should they he required. No. 99. War Office to Foreign Office.— (Received June 9.) Sir, War Office, June 9, 1900. I AM directed hy the Secretary of State for War to acknowledge the receipt of Foreign Office letter of 8th June relative to the situation in China. In reply, I am to acquaint you, for the information of the Marquess of Salisbury, that the Admiralty has informed the Admiral on the station that the General Officers in command at Hong Kong and Singapore have been instructed to meet any demand for troops that he may make upon them to the extent that they can be spared. The General Officers concerned have been instructed to comply as far as possible with the demands of the Admiral. I am, &c. (Signed) B, H. KNOX. No. 100. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 9, 1900. THE Admiral has pointed out the inadvisability of unduly depleting the ships of war. In consequence of his representation he has been informed that, in the event of his requiring them, troops from Hong Kong and Singapore will be placed at his disposal. No. 101. The Marquess cf Salisbury to Sir C, MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 9, 1900. I CONCUR m the proposal contained in your telegram of yesterday with regard to the intimation to be made to the Emperor and Dowager-Empress at the audience it is proposed to demand. No. 102. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sit ' r a vr i- , i u u ** 1,0,.,. • **>»*<%« Office, June 9, 1900- i AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that the Spanish Govern- ment, having no guard to send to Peking to protect their Legation there, have requested that that duty may be undertaken by the British force. I inclose, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a copy of a telegram which Lord Salisbury has sent to Her Majesty's Minister in China,* instructing * >'o. 83. him to comply with any application to the above effect from his Spanish colleague, if the British force is sufficient. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 103. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — -(Received June 10.) Sir, Admiralty, June 10, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Eoreign Affairs, copy of a telegram, dated the 10th June, from the Commander-in-chief, China station, reporting his landing for advance to Peking. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 103. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Tong-ku, June 10, 1900. FOLLOWING telegram received from Minister at Peking : — "Situation extremely grave. Unless arrangements are made for immediate advance to Peking it will be too late." In consequence of above, I am landing at once with all available men, and have asked foreign officers'- co-operation. No. 104. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 10.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 10, 1900. AT my request a meeting of Consuls and Naval Commandants was held last night to consider the urgent request of Her Majesty's Minister for the immediate arrangement for the dispatch to Peking of guards. The Japanese, Italians, Austrians, and Americans agreed to join with us in dispatching all men available as guards for the protection of the working party which is restoring the rail vvay and for the gradual advance for the relief of the Legations, which was to take place as the line was repaired. The French and Russians refused to dispatch guards unless a force of at least 1,500 men was sent or the line was in working order. It was suggested that this or larger force could, if the situation was really as grave as was painted, be asked for from Port Arthur. It was agreed between us to ask the Viceroy to furnish a train, and the detachments will leave this morning, if possible, without awaiting the Russians and French. No. 105. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 10.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsm> June 10, 1900. THE Commander-in-chief on the China station, with 300 British, 100 Americans, 60 Austrians, and 40 Italians left this morning by train. Other detachments, including the Russian, French, and German, immediately follow. 46 No. 106. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— {Received June 11.) My Lord, Pekin 9> ^"/ 16, 1900. W my despatch of the 16th ultimo I inclosed a copy of the identic note addressed to the Yamen on the 10th March by myself and my colleagues of the United States, Germany, Italy, and France, reiterating our former demand for the publication in the Official Gazette of a Decree prohibiting certain anti-Christian Societies. More than three weeks passed without a reply, and on the return ot M. Picnon the French Minister, from a visit to the south, a meeting of the five foreign Representatives was held on the 4tb instant, at which it was decided that we should send the Chinese Secretaries of our respective Legations to the Tsung-li Yamen next day with a message to the effect thai each of us expecied to receive an answer within two days. This was accordingly done, and on the 7th instant we received the note, ot which 1 have the honour to inclose translation herewith. Although not entirely satisfactory in substance, this note contained an indication that the Chinese Government were prepared to meet our wishes as far as possible. . In acknowledging the receipt of the Yamen's note, which we did in similar terms on the 12th instant, we agreed not to press further for a special Decree in the Gazette, in view of the difficulties described by the Yamen ; but at the same time we declared that we held the Chinese Government responsible for any further results which might follow their failure to comply with the measure we had recommended. I had myself previously suggested informally to the Yamen that a way out of their difficulty might be -found by the publication in the " Gazette " of Memorials from the Governor-General of Chihli and Governor of Shantung, respectively, embodying and reporting their action on the Imperial Decree denouncing the Societies which had already been issued at the instance of the Tsung-li Yamen. For a translation of this satisfactory Decree, as embodied in a Proclamation of the Governor-General of Chihli, I. have the honour to refer your Lordship to the Yamen's note of the 1st March inclosed in my despatch of the 5th March. The Governor of Shantung's Proclamation quoting the same Decree had also been sent to myself and my colleagues by the Yamen in a note of the 15th ultimo, of which I inclose translation herewith. The Yamen have made no reference to my suggestion ; but in the " Peking Gazette " of the 14th instant, there was published the Memorial from the Governor- General of. Chihli, of which I have the honour to forward a translation to your Lordship. A similar Memorial from the Governor of Shantung may be expected to follow in due course. In any case the fact that an Imperial Decree denouncing the " Boxers " or "Fist of Righteous Harmony " by name has appeared in the Gazette may be accepted as a practical concession of the demands made by my colleagues and myself, our only object all along having been to secure for such a Decree a publicity equal to that accorded to the disturbing and ambiguous Edict of the 11th January. It is true that the Ta Tao Hui (" Big Knife Society ") is not mentioned by name, but all my recent information goes to show that I Ho Ch'iian ("Fist of Bighteous Harmony") and Ta Tao Hui are but different titles of the same organization, and I therefore attach no significance to this omission. I had the honour to report to your Lordship by telegraph to-day the publication of this Decree. As an example of the constant reluctance of the Tsung-li Yamen to admit being influenced by the requests made by foreign Legations, I may instance a recent case in which representations made by me were apparently passed over in silence, although the result at which I aimed was in reality effected. At the instance of Her Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin I called the attention of the Yamen, on the 5th March, to the fact that the Magistrate of Tsao-ch'iang, whose dismissal from his post had been promised me by the Viceroy of Chihli as a punishment for his gross neglect of duty in connection with "Boxer" disturbances in his district, had been allowed by the Provincial Treasurer to take leave under plea of illness. I pointed out that, in view of the expressed intention of the Throne of China to adopt effective measures for the complete suppression of the Societies in question, it amounted to an exhibition of extreme leniency to permit a Magistrate, guilty of allowing rebellious characters to escape and of neglecting to make arrests', simply to 47 leave his post on the plea of sickness ; and I requested that the Viceroy should be directed to carry out his original intention in dealing with this officer. The Yamen made no reply to my communication ; but a Memorial from the Viceroy of Chihli, published in one of the editions of the " Gazette " of the 2nd instant, has come to my notice, in which the Magistrate in question is severely denounced for conniving at the escape of the " Boxer " leader, whom he ought to have caught last January. The Imperial rescript to the Memorial orders him to be deprived of his rank. I regret to have to conclude by stating that the continued activity of the " Boxer " Society in drilling and enlisting recruits in the neighbourhood of Peking and Tien-tsin indicates that the danger from this source is not yet passed ; but, at the same time, 1 think I am justified in expressing the opinion that the Central Government is at last beginning to give evidence of a genuine desire to suppress this anti-Christian organization. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure L in No. 106. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. (Translation.) Sir, ^ Peking, April 7, 1900. THE Yamen have the honour to acknowledge the receipt on the 10th of the moon (10th March) of your Excellency's despatch, requesting the insertion in the " Peking Gazette " of an Imperial Decree with regard to the " Fist of Righteous Harmony " and " Big Knife " Societies. [Despatch summarized.] The Yamen have the honour to observe that, in the course of the first moon (February), they presented a Memorial to the Throne praying for the prohibition of the " Fist of Righteous Harmony " and the " Big Knife " Society, and had the honour to receive a Decree directing the Viceroy of Chihli and the Governor of Shantung to publish Proclamations. In these Proclamations, as stated by the Yamen in previous despatches, the Imperial Decree is quoted textually in full, while in that published by the Governor of Shantung the " Big Knife " Society is specified by name. Thus it is evident that the important points covered by your Excellency's request have been already thoroughly dealt with by the Yamen as desired. With regard to the Imperial Decree previously received, as it has already been directly transmitted to the provinces concerned as a message from the Throne (" t'ing chi " : see Yamen's note of the 7th March), it is obviously out of the question that it should be again handed to the Grand Secretariat for publication in the " Peking Gazette. [On this point] the Yamen have already stated the true facts in their previous despatch. The matter is one affected by Standing Regulations, and the Yamen believe that your Excellency will have appreciated their difficulties with regard to it. However, they will not fail, as soon as they have an opportunity, to take into further consideration what can be done to carry out the view expressed in your Excellency's despatch. They avail themselves, &c. (Seal of Yamen.) Inclosure 2 in No. 106. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. (Translation.) Sir, Peking, March 15, 1900. ON the 11th instant we received the following communication from the Acting Governor of Shantung : — " On the 22nd February I had the honour to receive the Imperial Edict severely denouncing the Society of the ' Fist of Righteous Harmony,' &c. " With reference to this, I have to report that in the month of January last, after my arrival at my post, I had already issued a Proclamation vigorously denouncing 48 Boxer Societies, and published it throughout my jurisdiction. In obedience to the Imperial commands now received, I have, as in duty bound, again issued a trenchant Proclamation, and have expressly composed an ode in verses of five characters to be posted from village to village. I have also commanded the local authorities to lead the way in this matter with the gentry. Elders and Headmen of the towns and villages, and on all the market days to expound the ode carefully and truly." With reference to the above communication, we beg to observe that in the ode composed by the Acting Governor the name of the "Big Knife" Society is definitely mentioned, and that the local authorities are to lead the gentry and Elders in expounding the ode on market days. This is a course of action indicating special zeal and sincerity. We have the honour to forward herewith, for your Excellency's information, a copy of the draft of the Proclamation and of the ode referred to, We avail, &c. (Seal of Yamen.) Inclosure 3 in ISo. 106. Proclamation by Yuan, Acting Governor of Shantung, (Translation.) A STBINGENT Proclamation and Admonition issued in obedience to Imperial commands. On the 23rd February, 1900, a message was reverently received from the Grand Council transmitting the following Imperial Decree, received on the 20th February, 1900. [Here follows Imperial Decree, as embodied in the Governor- General of Chihli's Proclamation. See despatch from Yamen of the 1st March, 1900.] On receipt of the above message it was immediately, in obedience to the Imperial commands, reverently written out and circulated. Again, on the 25th February, I had the honour to receive a communication from the Tsung-]i Yamen forwarding a copy of their original Memorial and a copy of the Imperial Decree. With reference (o the above communications I have to observe that in the month of January last I printed a Proclamation strictly prohibiting the Society of the "Fist of Bighteous Harmony," and issued it to be posted everywhere throughout my jurisdiction, that every household and every inhabitant might be made aware of its contents, and that evil practices might be eradicated. Having now had the honour to receive the further commands above set forth, I have instructed all the officers under my jurisdiction to make continual and vigorous investiga- tion and suppress this evil. To this end 1 have also expressly composed an ode in verses of five characters, and ordered it to be posted from village to village throughout my jurisdiction for the information of all. I have likewise commanded the local authorities, directing the gentry, Elders, and Headmen of the towns and villages on all occasions of public gatherings to engage the services of lecturers, and at the country and town markets and places frequented by traders and people to expound the contents of this ode carefully and accurately, and to exhort and admonish as required. In addition to this a copy can be issued to every school and college, large or small, and the students directed to chant the ode from time to time. In this way the ode will be published throughout every village community, and even the women and children will know it. The natural disposition of men for good will thus assert itself and all will be clearly made to understand that they cannot believe in or follow after perverse Societies and that the Imperial Decree cannot be disobeyed. It is my most earnest hope that those who are already members of the Societies will tremble for the consequences, and those who arc not members take warning from the fate of those in front of you; that both may strive to follow ri g hteousnes° J and that i<>y and prosperity may be your reward. J J 49 Inclosure 4. in No. 106. Extract from the "Peking Gazette" of April 14, 1900. (Translation.) Supplementary Memorial by Yv Lxj (Governor-General of Chihli.) — On the 20th day of the first moon of the present year (19th February, 1900), Memorialist had the honour to receive the following Imperial Decree : — [Here follows Decree as embodied in Yii Lu's Proclamation inclosed in Yam£n's note of the 1st March.] Memorialist humbly submits that having learned some time ago that the Society of the " Fist of Eighteous Harmony " (or " Boxers ") had spread from Shantung into Chihli, in the neighbourhood of Ho-chien-fu, Shen-chou, and Chichou-Chihli districts bordering upon Shantung, that these centres had been established for the practice of boxing and that outrages were being committed on native converts, he immediately gave orders to Mei Tung-li, now Provincial Commander-in-chief of Kuei-chou, then commanding the right wing of the Huai army, and to Chang Lien Pen, expectant Taotai, to lead then- forces to the scene, and in conjunction with the local officials acting under their directions, to suppress effectually and disperse (the rioters), and to station troops for the protection of places where there were Christian churches (or missionary establishments). On repeated occasions the above-mentioned General and his colleague destroyed " Boxer " head-quarters by fire and arrested ringleaders of the disturbances, and handed them over to the local officials, by whom they were punished. As for the ignorant folk, who had been enticed by evil-doers, to enter these societies and learn the "Boxers' " arts, they were ordered to find proper securities that they should in future refrain from such' practices. Orders were also given to the local authorities that cases arising between converts and ordinary people should be promptly and impartially settled. On receipt of the Decree above referred to, Memorialist has at once had the Imperial commands reverently transcribed, and has embodied them in a clearly worded prohibitory Proclamation, which has been issued to every Department and district and posted up everywhere. Orders have also been given to the bodies of troops stationed at various points throughout Memorialist's jurisdiction to act with energy in effecting arrests. If any secret Societies are organized or centres established for the practice of boxing, they are to be immediately and in every case suppressed, and not the slightest remissness is to be exhibited. The above supplementary Memorial reporting the action taken in obedience to the Imperial Decree, and the issue of a Proclamation strictly prohibiting the "Boxer" Societies is hereby humbly submitted for the inspection of the Throne and the Imperial commands are solicited thereon. Imperial Rescript. Noted. — It is hereby commanded that the utmost vigilance be shown in the work of suppression in every case, and that not the slightest remissness be permitted. No. 107. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 11.) My Lord, Peking, April 18, 1900. IN continuation of my despatch of the 16th instant, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship a translation of an Imperial Decree which has since appeared in the " Peking Gazette " deprecating anti-Christian disturbances. No Societies are mentioned by name ; but the reference to those village associations for self defence, which were spoken of with approval in the Decree of the 1.1th January, seems to indicate that, this Decree is intended to correct the mischievous interpretation which had been put upon the former one. 1 have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. [758] H 50 Inclosure in No. 107. Extract from the "Peking Gazette'-' of April 17, 1900. (Translation.) Imperial Decree. THE organization of trained bands in village communities throughout the provinces for self-preservation and protection of the inhabitants and their families has its foundation in the fitting principle enjoined by the ancients of "keeping mutual watch and giving mutual help," and, provided that the villagers are peaceful and abide by the law, there is no reason why they should not be allowed to act in this regard at their discretion. But there is reason to fear that, the good and the evil being indiscriminately associated together in this way, there may be found some who make a pretext (of such organizations) to oppress converts, ignoring the fact that the Throne sets no bounds to its principle of regarding all men with equal benevolence. It is the duty of our subjects humbly to carry this principle into effect, and not to find vent for their private resentments, and so to create disturbances, and involve themselves in crime and punishment. The High Provincial authorities are hereby commanded to give strict orders to the local officials under them to take every opportunity of making it clearly known to all that every man must attend to his own business, and live continually at peace with his fellow men, that so the reiterated and solemn injunction of the Throne may not be disregarded. No. 108. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 11.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 10, 1900. THIS morning the second detachment, consisting of British, Germans, Japanese, Trench, and Russians, numbering about 600 in all, left for Peking. The total force sent was about 1,400 to 1,500 men. There is an interruption in the telegraphic communica- tion with Peking. No. 109. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 11.) {Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 11,' 1900. YESTERDAY evening Admiral Seymour had advanced 30 miles with 1,078 men. He had met with no opposition, and he hopes, unless opposed, to reach Pekino- this evening. Probably total force is not less than 1,700 men. Last night thc^train reached Lofa Station. No. 110. A Imirally to Foreign Office.— (Received June 1 1 .) "$' ir > Admiralty, June 11 1900 A\ 1TH reference to your letter of the 9th instant, I am commanded by my Lords 'Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copy of a telegram, dated the 11th June which has this day been sent to the Commander-in-chief on the China station relative to the protection of the Spanish Legation at Peking. v I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. 51 Inclosure in No. 110. Admiralty to Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour. (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 11, 1900, 1 p.m. AFFORD protection to Spanish Legation at Peking on application from British Minister. No. 111. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 11.) Sir, Admiralty, June 11, 1900. WITH reference to Admiralty letter of to-day, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated the 11th June, from Her Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin, relative to the state of affairs in China. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 111. Consul Carles to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 11, 1900. FOLLOWING received from Admiral for transmission: — " Force now increased by 450 Germans, 90 British." No. 112. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 12.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 11, 1900. IT is reported that Admiral's party is at Langfang, half-way from Tien-tsin. All communication by telegraph with the latter place is interrupted. On the 8th June the Boxers attacked student interpreters close to the city walls, who only escaped by using fire-arms. Some soldiers yesterday assaulted the Secretary of the Belgian Legation at the end of Legation Street. The summer Legation at the hills which I had officially handed over to the Chinese Government was last night totally destroyed by fire. I am sending this telegram by the Kiachta route. No. ii3. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 12.) gj r Admiralty, June 12, 1900. [ AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated the 12th June, from the Commander-in-chief, China, relative to the Boxer rising. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. L75SJ H 2 52 Inclosure in No. 113. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) - Tien-tsin, June 12, 1900. NOW nearly half-way to Peking; progress much delayed by damage stili being done to railway as we advance. ""Boxers foffird in considerable force yesterday afternoon near railway at Langfang," and were engaged. They fled, leaving about thirty-five killed. "No casualties on our side. Our force, increased by 200 Russians aad fifty-eight French, who arrived yesterday, is now 2,000 strong. No. 114. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — [Received June 12.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, June 12, 1900. THE latest report received from the Eussian Minister at Peking, dated the 10th June, confirms the alarming account of the situation there given in Sir O. MacDonald's telegrams of the 8th instant. An audience has not apparently been granted to the foreign Ministers, the Boxers have entered the capital, and the situation is one of danger for the Legations. In Count Mouravieff s opinion, the real state of things has been concealed from the Empress-Dowager, and, since all the Chinese Councillors having any experience of Europe have been removed, there is none in authority on whose influence it is possible to place any reliance. Authority has been given to M. de Giers to order up immediately any amount or military force he may consider necessary ; but his Excellency understands that, while a very large additional force has been sent by us from Tien-tsin, Eussia has only sent up thirty more men. I replied that, according to the latest telegrams which I had seen from Tien-tsin, all the Commanders were dispatching sufficient forces to restore railway communication with thecapital and keep it open, and to secure the safety of the foreign Legations, the primary importance of which his Excellency admitted. No. 115. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 12.) (Telegraphic^ Tien-tsin, June 12, 1900. IJiblJkKDAY a further detachment of 300 men passed up. The total force which had left Tien-tsin up to last night is estimated to number 2,300. No. 116. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. —(Received June 13.) (Telegraphic.) Peking- June 12 1900 PRESSING Inform relief party the mutinous Kan.su soldiery, who are io-day'in possession oi the Peking terminus, may offer them some resistance there The Government of China seems powerless. It is useless to wait till troops arrive from Singapore; if necessary, I hope Admirals will not have the least hesitation in depleting their ships. r clul o 53 No. 117. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 1 3.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 12, 1900. THE Admiral, who had been fighting with the Boxers yesterday, killing about fifty of them, was at Langfang this morning. Our side suffered no'loss. The above-mentioned place is half-way on the road to Peking. No. 118. Admiralty to loreign Office.— (Received June 13.) Sir, Admiralty, June 13, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated the 13th June, from the Commander-in-chief on the China station relative to the Boxer rising. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGEEGOE. Enclosure in No. 118. Vice- Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 13, 1900. PROGRESS very slow ; railway much broken up, only 3 miles during last twenty- four hours. No further encounter with Boxers, who are said to be 2 miles in advance in force. The Russians are landing an additional force of 1,700 troops, and I have requested General to send 650 troops now ready at Hong Kong to Taku in "Terrible." Trustworthy courier arrived from Peking reports great excitement there at our approach. General Tung expected to oppose entry within city. No. 119. Mr. Herbert to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 13.) (Telegraphic.) Paris, June 13, 1900. ALTHOUGH last telegram received from French Minister at Peking was dated yesterday, M. Delcasse" has received no news of presence of Boxers in the capital, reported in Sir C. Scott's telegram of 12th June. No. 120. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 13.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, June 13, 1900. COUNT MOUEAV1EFF, at his reception to-day, appeared to consider that, owing to the agitation of the Reform party, the situation was really more threatening in Southern and Central than in Northern China. His Excellency counts on the large European force which is now forcing its way to Peking as sufficient to save the situation in the capital. In his opinion, the Empress-Dowager is at the present moment powerless in the hands of fanatic and ignorant councillors, but she will be both willing to assist and amenable to sounder views when once she has been relieved from their control. 54 The foreign Representatives on the spot were possessed of the views of their respec- tive Governments as to the necessity of not further endangering 1 or complicating a position of affairs already very .serious, and events were moving so rapidly that the only thing to be done was to trust to their judgment and prudence. No. 121. Mr. Whitehead to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 13.) (Telegraphic.) Tokio, June 13, 1900. INFORMATION has reached here that 1,700 Russian soldiers were landed yesterday at Taku, including 270 cavalry and 20 guns. Two more ships had arrived with a further contingent of 1,000 men. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has inquired as to the intention of Her Majesty's Government, and wished to know" whether British troops can be sent. He said that if foreign naval detachments which have been actually landed should be surrounded or otherwise in danger, the Japanese Government would be ready to send at once a con- siderable force to their relief, if Her Majesty's Government concurred in such a course, but that otherwise his Government do not intend to send soldiers. No. 122. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 13.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 13, 1900. A MEMBER of Japanese Legation at Peking, when on his way to station, was killed by General Tung's cavalry, and I believe that Her Majesty's summer Legation has been destroyed by fire. In private letters, dated: Peking, the 11th instant, the situation is described as being extremely grave. Prince Tuan and three other Manchu Ministers have been made members of the Tsung-li Yamen. Lack of water, and continued injury to railway, delays to a great extent the advance of Naval Brigade, whose entry into Peking the Chinese expect will be resisted. I fear that the delay in their progress makes this more probable than before. No. 123. General Officer Commanding, Hong Kong, to the Secretary of State for War. (Communicated by War Office, June 1 3.) (Telegraphic.) Hong Kong, June 13, 1900. I AM sending 950 British and Indian troops, with Maxim and gun, to the Admiral, who has asked for every man available. Some will leave on the Hth inslant on a fast transport vessel j the rest on the 17th instant on Her Majesty's ship "Terrible." The absence of these troops does not compel me to ask for reinforcements at once. No. 124. Admiralty to Foreign Office.— (Received June 14.)] Sir " t ATiT aai r i n • • n Admiralty, June IS, ]900. T AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to request vou will inform the Secretary of State that the following is a summary of the international forces now under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Seymour on their way to 00 Peking, compiled from telegrams which have been received from him from time to time : — British , . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . 736 German . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 American .. ,. .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 Russian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 French .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ,, 158 Austrian . . . . . . . . . . . . , , , , 25 Italian . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . , 40 Japanese . . . . . . . . . . . . , . # # 52 Total . • . . • • . . . . . . 1,876 It will, however, be observed that this does not agree with the total of 2,000 mentioned by the Vice- Admiral in his telegram of the 12th instant, copy of which has already been sent to you. I am, &c. (Signed) C. J. THOMAS, Pro Sec. No. 125. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — [Received June 14.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 14, 1900. I AM informed by Eussian Minister that 2,0C0 men embarked at Port Arthur for Taku on 11th June. More probably the date should be 9th June. The Japanese Secretary of Legation uas killed yesterday by Tartar cavalry close to the city gate. It may be assumed that the Japanese will also send troops to Taku. No. 120. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 14.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 14, 1900. I HAVE received a letter from Sir C. MacDonald, written on the 12th instant, in which he informs me that Ministers of Yamen had called to say that, if the force did not exceed 1,200 men, Chinese G-overnment would not oppose their coming to Peking. .No. 127. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 14.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 14, 1900. A REPORT, which I do not think it right to disregard, has reached me from Chinese sources that on the 16th June the Empress-Dowager has resolved to destroy the Legations. Boxers here very menacing, nnd I understand that two bridges beyond Yangtsun have been rendered impassable. Communications with Admiral are interrupted. No. 128. Acting Consul- General Warren to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 14„) (Telegraphic.) Shanghae, June 14, 1900. 1 HAVE received no exact information as to the situation in the north, but news seems to be worse. •wei» I am convinced that, if there is any likelihood of it resulting in a breach with the Pekrng Government, we ought at once to come to an understanding with the Hankow 56 and Nanking Viceroys. I have every confidence that they will do all they can to keep peace in their districts if they can rely on Her Majesty's Government for effective support. There is no doubt that great loss would be caused and probably considerable loss of life would be entailed by any outbreak in the Yang-tsze Valley. It is necessary that prompt action should be taken ; the situation is serious. No. 129. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Whitehead. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 14, 1900. CHINA crisis : Your telegram of the 13th June. You should inform Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs of the application for troops made by our Admiral, and of the numbers which are being sent from Hong Kong. No. 130. Admiralty to Rear-Admiral Bruce. — (Communicated by Admiralty, June 15.) (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 15, 1900. ADEQUATE means for protecting life and property on Yang-tsze should be provided, using ships from Philippines and Southern Division for this purpose. Take action and inform Commander-in-chief when vou can. No. 131. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 15.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 15, 1900. THE native city is practically in the hands of the Boxers and the mob, who have burnt down the chapels and compelled Chinese officials to get out of their chairs in the streets. The action of the Viceroy has been very correct. Communication Avith the Admiral is cut off. The situation here is more serious than he is aware of. A portion of the Eussian troops still remains in this place. No. 132. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 15.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 15, 1900. THE Chinese Government are taking measures to concentrate troops along the approaches to Tien-tsin and on Taku. I am informed that, in consequence of this, the Admirals may be compelled to seize the Taku forts without delay. No. 133. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 15.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 15, 1900. ON the evening of 13th June the Boxers entered Peking and destroyed the old Custom-house quarters and the establishments of several Missions. It appears that many Chinese were massacred, but that there were no casualties among the Europeans ...... 57 No. 131, The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Whitehead. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 15, 1900, MURDER by Chinese troops of the Chancelier of the Japanese Legation at Peking. Inquire what steps, if any, the Japanese Government contemplate taking. No. 135. The Maiquess of Salisbury to Acting Consul-General Warren. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 15, 1900. PROTECTION of British interests on the Yang-tsze. Your telegram of the 14th June. We are in communication with the Admiralty as to the dispatch of a man-of-war to Nanking, and the message to the Viceroys there and at Hankow which you suggest, assuring them of British protection in maintaining order. You are authorized, in the meantime, to inform the Viceroy at Nanking that he will be supported by Her Majesty's ships if measures are taken by him for the maintenance of order. You should inform Her Majesty's Consul-General at Hankow that he may give to the Viceroy there a similar assurance. No. 136. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, Foreign Office, June 15, 1900. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you, to be laid before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a copy af a telegram from Her Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin* relative to the state of affairs at that place. Mr. Carles reports that the Viceroy has acted very correctly. In these circumstances his Lordship proposes, should their Lordships see no objection, to instruct Mr. Carles to inform the Viceroy that), in the event of his believing himself to be in personal danger, it will be open to him to take refuge on board one of Her Majesty's ships. I am, &c. (Signed) ERANCIS BERTIE. No. 137. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, Foreign Office, June 15, 1900. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you a copy of a telegram from Shanghae, which has been communicated by the China Association to this Depart- ment, relative to the importance of having a sufficient force on the Yang-tsze for the protection of the interests of this country during the present «risis. Mr. Pelharn Warren, Acting Consul-General at Shanghae, in his telegram of the 14th instant, t of which a copy has been sent to you, also urges the necessity of British interests on the Yang-tsze being efficiently protected, and states that it would, in his opinion, be advisable to send a large man-of-war to Nanking, and to assure the Viceroy that he will receive the support of Her Majesty's Government in maintaining order. Lord Salisbury concurs in Mr. Warren's view as to the desirability of arriving at some understanding on the subject with the Viceroys both at Nanking and Hankow, and he would be glad if arrangements could be made for the dispatch of one of Her * JS r o. 181. t No 128 » [758] I 58 Majesty's ships to Nanking with instructions to communicate with the Viceroy in the sense suggested, and for a similar intimation being conveyed to the Viceroy] at Hankow. I am. &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. Inclosure in No. 137. Telegram from Shanghae Committee to General Committee. "WITH a view to preventing possible disturbance Yang-tsze River, it is very important that there should be" adequate force prepared to protect our interests. There are at present above Hankow the " Esk," "Woodlark, "Woodcock/' and " Snipe." Nothing below. Key to the situation — Kiang.yin. No. 13S. Foreign Office to India Office.* Sir, Foreign Office, June 15, 1900. IN view of the considerable force of British and Indian troops which is being sent from Hong Kong to Taku on the requisition of the Naval Commander-in-chief on the China station, the Marquess of Salisbury desires to submit, for the consideration of the Secretary of State for India, the question of replacing them by the dispatch to Hong Kong of one or two battalions of native troops from India. It is possible that more may be required. The men who have been lauded from the British squadron at Taku cannot be spared for long from the ships ; and having regard to the present state of affairs in China, and the impossibility of foreseeing the course which events in the Far East may take, it appears to his Lordship very desirable that the British garrisons should be maintained at their full strength. A similar letter has been addressed to the War Office. I am, &c. (Signed) ST. JOHN BRODRICK. No. 139. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 16.) Sir, Admiralty, June 16, 1900. WITH reference to your letter of the 15th instant, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to request you to state to the Marquess of Salisbury that they concur in his proposal that in the event of the Viceroy of Tien-tsin being in personal danger on account of his correct attitude, he should be allowed to take refuge on board one of Her Majesty's ships. Copy of a telegram on the subject which has been this day sent to the Rear- Admiral at Taku is inclosed for information. I am, &c. (Signed) H. J. VAN SITTART NEALE. * Also to 'War Offict-. 59 >"*• « Inclosure in No. 139, Admiralty to Rear- Admiral Bruce. (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 10, 1900. IN event of Viceroy, Tien-tsin, being in personal danger owing to his loyalty to British, he is to he afforded an asylum on boardohe of Her Majesty's ships. Foreign Office is informing Consul accordingly. No. 140. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 10.) Sir, , Admiralty, June 10, 1900. IN reply to your letter of the 15th instant, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the infdrmatipn of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copy of a telegram, dated this day, which has been sent to the Senior Naval Officer, Shanghae. I am, &c. ------ (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 140. Admiralty to Senior^Naval Officer, Shanghae. . ,--,,-- ^, ~- - (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 16, 1900. " HERMIONE " proceed Nanking and communicate with Viceroy, assuring him of support of Her Majesty's Government in preserving order and protecting British interests; in the event of disturbance, consult with Consul, Shanghae, before leaving. "Linnet "to proceed to Hankow for .similar purp0se-.aftd~t9-give-&knila,F-a&&tH , a»i>©e to Viceroy there, and to communicate with Consul there. " Undaunted " leaves Hong Kong to-day for Woosung. No. 141. Mr. Whitehead to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 16.) (Telegraphic.) T6kio, June 10, 1900. JAPANESE troops are to leave Ujina on the 21st June, and should arrive about the 24th June at Taku. They will consist of one battalion with two or three guns, making about 1,200 men in all. , The cruizer " Yoshino " left for Taku this morning with Admiral. Dewa. No. 142. Consul- General Warren to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 16.) (Telegraphic.) Shanghae, June 10, 1900. THE last intelligence we possess is that on the night of the 13lh June there were serious disturbances in Peking, when hundreds of converts and servants of foreigners were murdered. It is stated that no Europeans were killed. Many buildings belonging to foreigners were destroyed. It is not probable that communication with Tien-tsin, which is now interrupted, will be restored at any early date. [.758] I 2 60 :No. 143. •m The Marquess of Salisbury to Consul Carles. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 16, 1900. IF possible, communicate with Admiral by runner. You should inform liin* that 950 troops have been ordered to Taku from Hong Kong. You should also ascertain his position, whether he needs reinforcements or supplies, and what Lis prospects are. No. 144. The Marquess of Salisbury to Consul Carles. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 16, 1900. WITH reference to your telegram of the 15th June, you should inform Viceroy that it is open to him to take refuge on one of Her Majesty's ships in the event of his considering himself in personal danger. No. 145. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Foreign Office, June 16, 1900. I HAVE received your despatch of the 16th April, reporting further negotiations with the Chinese Government on the subject of anti-Christian Societies in the Provinces of Shantung and Chihli. I approve your proceedings in the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 146. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Whitehead. Sir, - Foreign Office, June 16, 1900. THE Japanese Charge d 'Affaires called at this Office on the 11th instant and communicated the substance of a telegram which he had received from Viscount Aoki, instructing him to ascertain the attitude of Her Majesty's Government in the present crisis in China, and to inquire confidentially what action Her Majesty's Government would take should the Chinese Government prove themselves incapable of restoring peace and order and of protecting foreigners in China. By my direction, Mr. Villiers informed Mr. Matsui that a force from the various squadrons at Taku was advancing on Peking, and that it was impossible to predict what the position of affairs would be on its arrival ; that Her Majesty's Minister and the British Admiral had been left a wide discretion as to the best course to pursue, and that it was the desire of Her Majesty's Government to act with Japan and the other Powers interested in the restoration of order. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 147. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury.— {Received June 1 7.) (Telegraphic.) St. Fetersburgh, June 37, 1900 ACCORDING to information I have received, either to-morrow or Tuesday the "Official Gazette " will announce the issue of orders for the immediate dispatch of- a force from Port Arthur to relieve the situation in Peking; this force will vary from 61 2,000 to 5,000 strong, according to necessity. A statement of the exact number of troops to be sent will be made on receipt of a telegram which is expected. An explanation will accompany the announcement to the effect that to co-operate in the general interest for the protection of European lives and property is the sole aim of this expedition, and that it in no way indicates any desire to depart from the Emperor's settled peaceful and unaggressive policy. No. 148. Commander Gaunt to Admiralty. — (Communicated by Admiralty, June 17.) (Telegraphic.) Luu-hun-tao, June 17, 1900. WRITING on the evening of the 15th instant, the Rear-Admiral tells me that the Commander-in-chief is cut off 40 miles from Peking by Chinese troops and Boxers. If 2,000 Chinese troop?, which were staled to be trying to cut Tien-tsin off from Taku, advanced, the Council of Admirals have decided to shell the Taku forts. Her Majesty's ship " Plicenix " is at Chifu, and Her Majesty's ship " Peacock " is here. The telegraphic communication with the north is interrupted. I send the above because I am in doubt as to whether you have been informed of the present situation. No. 149. Count Mouravieff to M. de Staal. — (Communicated by M. de Staal, June 18.) (Traduction.) (TeTegraphique.) Saint-Pe'tersbourg, le 3 (16^ Juin, 1900. DES le moment ou les evenements alarmants ont surgi en Chine, tous les efforts du Gouvernement ont tendu a attirer 1'attention des Ministres Chinois sur les suites dangereuses que la surexcitation de la nation pourrait provoquer el a convaincre le Tsung-li Yamln d'appliquer les mesures les plus energiques pour le retablissement de 1'ordre et de la security dans le pays. Malheureusement les conseils amicaux donnes par le Representant de la Russie ainsi que ceux des autres Puissances a Pekin ont echoue" ; la revolte des Boxers devient de plus en plus menaeante ; la vie et la pro- priety des sujets etrangers se trouvent en danger; enfin, les chemins de fer etant de*truits et les lignes telegraphiques coupees, les Gouvernements sont dan^ l'impossi- bilite de rester en rapports directs avec leurs Legations a Pekin. Par consequent il est indispensable de prendre des mesures les plus efficaces afin d'assurer la securite de- la Legation Impe>iale et des sujets Russes residant dans le pays. Dans ce but Sa "Majeste l'Empereur a daigne ordonner d'envoyer un contingent de 4,000 soldats a la disposition du Ministre de Russie a Pekin. Le danger de l'etat actuel des choses est reconnu par tout le monde; ainsi, le Representant de la Grande-Bretagne s'est adresse a notre Legation pour se renseigner dans quelle mesure le Gouvernement Imperial etait pret a contribuer aux efforts tendant a mettre fin aux complications existantes. Quelques autres collegues de M. dc Giers ont sollicite, de leur c6t6, l'aide et la protection de la Legation Russe pour leurs nationaux. II est entendu que l'envot temporaire du detachement de troupes Russes a en vue en premier lieu la securite de la Legation Impe>iale et celie des sujets Russes residant dans le nord de la Chine et ne comporte aucune intention hostile a l'egard de ce pays avec lequel nous entretenons des rapports d'amitie et de bon voisinage. Au conlraire, il est present au detachement d'agir d'accord avec les troupes de descente des autres Puissances et de prater aide, en nig me temps, au Gouvernement Chinois dans lVeuvre du re'tablissement de la tranquillite si necessaire aux inteiets primordiaux de la Chine elle-m6me. (Translation.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, June 3 (16), 1900. FROM the moment of the occurrence of events of an alarming nature in China Ihe Government has exerted every effort to draw the attention of the Chinese Ministers to the dangerous consequences which might result from the excess J ve 62 national excitement, and to induce the Tsung-lt Yamen to adopt more vigorous measures for the re-establishment of order and security in the country. Unhappily, the friendly counsels of the Russian Representative, as well as those of the other Powers at Peking-, have failed. The revolt of the Boxers constantly assumes a more menacing- aspect. The life and property of foreign subjects are in danger. Finally, the destruction of the railways and the cutting of the telegraph lines has rendered it impossible for the Governments to remain in direct communica- tion with their Legations at Peking. Consequently, it becomes imperative to take more effective measures to assure the safety of the Imperial Legation and of Russian subjects residing in the country. With this object, His Majesty the Emperor has deigned to order the dispatch of a contingent of 4,000 soldiers, to be placed at the disposal of the Russian Minister at Peking. The danger of the existing situation is universally recognized. The British Representative applied to our Legation to ascertain how far the Imperial Government was prepared to co-operate with the efforts now being made to put an end to the existing complications. Certain other colleagues of M. de Giers have on their part solicited the aid and protection of the Russian Legation for their countrymen. It is agreed that the temporary dispatch of the detachment of Russian troaps has for its primary object the security of the Imperial Legation and that of Russian subjects resident in the north of China, and is actuated by no hostile designs with regard to that country, with which we maintain friendly and neighbourly relations. On the contrary, instructions have been given to the detachment to co-operate with the troops landed by the other Powers, and to assist the Chinese Government at the same time in the work of re-establishing order so necessary in the primary interests of China herself. No. 150. Acting ConsuUGeneral Warren to the Marquess of Salisbury. -^-(Received, June] 8s), ■■:■ ^Telegraphic.) Shanghae, June 18, 1900. I HAVE received the following from Her Majesty's Consul at Hankow : — " I have given Lord Salisbury's message verbally to the Viceroy. Should there be -disturbances he will apply for assistance. He professed to be confident of the ability of the Nanking Viceroy, with whom he is in communication, and himself to preserve order -and to be taking the necessary steps for that purpose." No. 151. Lord Pauncefote to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 18.) (Telegraphic.) ........ Washington, June 18, 1900. I LEARN from the United States' Secretary of State that orders have been sent to an American Regular Regiment now at Manila to proceed to Tien-tsin, and act in conceit with the other Powers for the protection of foreign life and property and the ^suppression of disorder. They will be accompanied by suitable artillery. No. 152. India Office to Foreign Office.— (Received June 19.) Sir > ,. , , India Office, June 18, 1900. I AM directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the loth June, and to state, for the information of tha Marquess of Salisbury, that Lord George Hamilton has 63 on a requisition received from the War Office, requested the Government of India to replace the regiments at Hong Kong and Singapore by uative regiments from India. I have, &c. (Signed) C. STEDMAN, Ma jo, --General, Military Secretary. No. 153. Memorandum communicated by Chinese Minister, June 19, 1900. THE Chinese Minister has been requested by the Viceroy of Huquang to com- municate to the Marquess of Salisbury the purport of a telegram which he has just received from his Excellency with reference to a communication which Her Majesty's Consul at Hankow had been instructed to make to the Viceroy on the part of his Lordship. The communication consisted of an offer of assistance which the Consul said Her Majesty's Government would be prepared to give to the Viceroy in preserving order and tranquillity in the provinces under his jurisdiction, in the event of the " Boxer " movement now agitating the Provinces of Chihli and Shantung extending to those on the Yang-tsze. The Viceroy tenders his grateful acknowledgments to Lord Salisbury for his friendly offer, and will gladly avail himself of it in case of need. He, however, is per- suaded that he and his colleague, the Viceroy of Nanking, with whom he has been in communication on the subject, will be more than able to cope with the " Boxers" or any other elements of disorder who, contrary to his expectations, may attempt to disturb the peace and tranquillity of the Yang-tsze provinces. Both he and the Viceroy of Nanking have at their disposal very sufficient, well- equipped, and well-disciplined forces, on which they can implicitly depend ; and these they will so dispose and employ as to give the fullest measure of protection to all residing within their respective jurisdictions, whether natives or foreigners, and of whatever religion. Under these circumstances, the Viceroy would deprecate any obtrusive demonstra- tion of British navalforce on the Yang-tsze as being calculated rather to make difficulties for the Chinese authorities than to aid them in maintaining tranquillity and good order in the riverine provinces. Chinese Legation, June 19, 1900. No. 154. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — {Received June 19.) Sir, Admiralty, June 19, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State lor Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated the 18th instant, from the Commanding Officer, Her Majesty's ship "Endymion," at Liu-kun-tau, respecting Chinese affairs. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGBEGOK. Inclosure in No. 154. Commanding Officer of " Endymion " to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Liu-kun-tau, June 18, 1900. TAKU forts opened fire at 1 o'clock in the morning of the 17th June on the ships of the allied squadron. After six hours' engagement iorts were silenced and occupied by the allied forces. Additional men for storming forts were sent inshore from the ships previous afternoon. British ships up the river engaged were •' Algerine," " Fame," 64 and "Whiting." Two latter captured four Chinese torpedo-boat destroyers. Casualties : " Algerine," slight ; storming party and others unknown. Chinese second- class cruiser flying Admiral's flag detained outside Taku by the allied Admirals. No information of Commander-in-chief. China's, return Tien-tsin Bay had been received by the Rear-Admiral by 2 p.m., 17th June. Bear-Admiral not desiring to detach Chinese regiment, " Peacock " remains Wei-hai Wei. All British ships at Taku much depleted by men landed. Am leaving at once for Taku. No. 155. Mr. Whitehead to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 19.) (Telegraphic.) T6ki6, June 19, 1900. BESIDES the troops mentioned in my telegram of 16th June, it is stated by the Japanese Naval Department that, in four or five days, 1,300 additional troops will be sent to Taku. No. 156. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 20.) Sir, Admiralty, June 20, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated the 19th instant, from the Commanding Officer, Her Majesty's ship " Hermione," relative to affairs in China. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 156. Commanding Officer of " Hermione " to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Shia-ku-an, June 19, 1900. I HAVE had interview with Viceroy, and saw telegram received from Viceroy, Hankow, in which latter suggested to him that it is undesirable for any ship to be in Yang-tsze Kiang at present time. Viceroy, Nanking, considered two ships should be sufficient. Viceroy claims they are quite able to preserve order should any disturbance take place, which, they assert, is extremely unlikely. In my opinion, present strength in Yang-tsze Kiang should not be reduced, and I have made arrangements to send ships to each Treaty port. Purpose leaving 20th June for Wuhu to await arrival of " Snipe " there, then returning to Nanking. Consul concurs. No. 157. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 20.) Sir, Admiralty, June 20, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, extract of a telegram, dated l7th-18th June, from Rear-Admiral Bruce. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. 65 Inclosure in No. 157. Rear-Admiral Bruce to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Taku (vid Chefoo), June 20, 1900. June 17. — Taku fort captured by allied forces this morning. Bombardment commenced 12-50 a.m., ended about 630 a.m. Details later on. Chinese Admiral present with allied fleet ; flag flying in cruiser. At Council meeting this morning he agreed to anchor with fleet, putting out fires. June 18. —Situation getting worse. All north China under arms. No news from Commander-in-chief and advanced guard. Tien-tsin now cut off. Heavy fire heard there last night. ****** My communications with allied authorities most harmonious. No. 158. Admiralty to Rear-Admiral Bruce. — (Communicated by Admiralty, June 20.) (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 20, 1900. EIGHT hundred seamen and marines leave by freight as soon as possible for Hong Kong to wait orders, and ships on station will be reinforced. No. 159. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 20.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, June 20, 1900. COUNT MOURAVJEFF explained to me to-day that the 4,000 troops mentioned in the telegram to the Russian Embassy consist of 2,000 who are understood to be already at Taku or the mouth of the river, and of the 2,000 at Tien-tsin who, last week, while the other foreign troops defended the foreign Settlements, attacked and dispersed with loss the Boxers threatening that town. For the last four days no direct news from Taku or Tien-tsin, and for seven days no knowledge of the situation at Peking or confirmation of the reported return of Admiral Seymour's expedition, have been received by the Russian Foreign Office, but Count Mouravieff takes a sanguine view of the situation, and appears to expect that not only will communication for news from Tien-tsin and probably Peking be opened up at once by the capture of the Taku forts, but that it will also exercise a salutary impres- sion on the Empress-Dowager, who has been hesitating between her fear of the Boxers and her fear of the intervention of the foreign Powers. His Excellency still regards the- state of things in Central and Southern China as more threatening, and believes that in a fortnight the crisis will be over. No. 160. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 20.) (Telegraphic.) Chefoo, June 20, 1900. MUCH damage was done last night to the line north of Tien-tsin by Boxers, and a great number of Chinese houses, together with the Roman Catholic Cathedral and Mission chapel, were burnt. There was no visible effort made to restrain them by the Chinese troops. The Boxers attacked the Settlement, and about 100 were killed by the foreign guard. 1.758] e 66 No. 161. Acting Consul- General Fraser to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 20.) (Telegraphic.) Hankow, June 20, 1900. 1 AM assured by the Viceroy that erery possible measure to maintain order is being taken by him and the Viceroy of Nanking, and they have no doubt of their power. In view of the probability of popular alarm and suspicion being caused thereby he deprecates any naval demonstration, though, of course, understanding that this protest does not include the ordinary movements of Her Majesty's ships. No. 162. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, Foreign Office, June 20, 1900. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you, to be laid before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a copy of a Memorandum* given to his Lordship by the Chinese Minister relative to the offer of assistance made by Her Majesty's Government to the Viceroys of Hankow and Nanking in preserving order. Their Excellencies, while grateful for the offer, consider the forces at their disposal sufficient to cope with any disturbances which may arise, and deprecate any obtrusive demonstration on the part of the British naval force. I am to suggest that instructions be issued to the Officer Commanding Her Majesty's ships on the Yang-tsze River to avoid any demonstrations, but to inform the Viceroys that Her Majesty's ships will be ready to co-operate with them whenever co-operation becomes necessary for the protection of the lives and property of Europeans, or to support the measures taken by the Viceroys for the maintenance of order. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 163. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 2 1 .) Sir, Admiralty, June 21, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a decypher of a telegram, dated the 21st instant, from the Rear- Admiral on the China Station relative to affairs in China. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 163. Rear- Admit al, Taku, to Admiralty. (Telegraphic ) „ v . . , Che J™> J »™ 21, 1900. LAlLbT information from Tien-tsm by runner, 20th June Reinforcements most urgently required. Casualties have been heavy. Supplies of ammunition insufficient. Machine-guns or field-guns required. Bewareambuscades near Tien-tsm. Russians at railway station hard pressed. Chinese maintain incessant fire with large guns on European Concession, nearly all which burnt There are not reinforcements to send. * No. 153. 67 No. 164. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 21.) Sir, Admiralty, June 21, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated this day, from the Kear-Admiral on the China Station, relative to affairs in China. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR, Inclosure in No. 164. Rear-Admiral Bruce to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Taku, vid Chefoo, June 21, 1900. NO communication from Commander-in-chief for seven days or with Tien-tsin for five days. Allies hold Taku forts and Tongku securely, and they will advance for relief of Tien-tsin when in sufficient strength. Troops expected from Hong Kong to-morrow, and 300 from Wei-hai Wei day after to-morrow. Believe that fighting is constantly going on around Tien-tsin. Our garrison there should be about 3,000. Following Proclamation was agreed to this morning, to be at once [issued] : — " The Admirals and Senior Naval Officers of the allied Powers in China desire, to make known to all Viceroys and authorities of the coasts and rivers, cities, and provinces of China that they intend to use armed force only against Boxers and peoples who oppose them on their march to Peking for the rescue of their fellow- countrymen." No. 165. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir Chihchen Lofingluh. Sir, Foreign Office, June 21, 1900. I HAVE received a letter from the Upper Yang-tsze Syndicate (Limited), stating that they are anxious with regard to the safety of their staff now employed in the Province of Szechuen. Their staff consists of Mr. Archibald Little, Mr. Herbert Way, and Mr. James W- Nicolson, and the last news received was a telegram from Mr. Way, dated Chengtu, the 17th instant. I have received a similar communication from Mr. W. Pritchard-Morgan relative to Dr. Jack and his assistants, Messrs. Robert Jack, J. E. Morris, and T. H. Bush, who are employed by him in the same province. The latest news received from Dr. Jack was dated Chengtu, the 16th instant. I hnve the honour to request that, if you are able to communicate with the Viceroy at Hankow, you will be so good as to inform him by telegraph that the above- mentioned gentlemen are within the limits of his authority, and to request his Excellency to take measures for their protection. I have, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 166. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Si r? Foreign Office, June 21, 1900. WITH reference to the telegram from the Officer Commanding Her Majesty's ship " Hermione," of which a copy was inclosed in your letter of the 20th instant, reporting the result of an interview with the Viceroy of Nanking relative to the preservation of order on the. Yang-tsze, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to request you to [758] K 2 68 inform the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that his Lordship concurs in the opinion expressed by Captain Cumming, that the present strength of the British naval force on the Yang-tsze should not be reduced. Lord Salisbury would further suggest that the arrangements made by Captain Cumming for sending a ship to each Treaty port should be approved. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 167. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 22.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin vid Chefoo, June 21, 1900. June 18. — No news yet received from the front. We have been attacked at various points, but have repelled the enemy. The Chinese commenced shelling the Settlement yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock, and a few buildings were slightly damaged. A force composed of Austrians, British, Germans, and Italians, and numbering 175, attacked the Military College, destroyed the guns, killed nearly all the occupants, and finally burnt the College, in which there was a considerable and valuable store of ammunition. The behaviour of the Russians, who were throughout the day engaged in various quarters, was splendid, and their large force and heavy field-guns, of which they had four, saved the situation. During the day all were engaged on their respective sections. The following is list of casualties : Russians, 7 killed, 5 wounded; British, 1 killed, 5 wounded ; Italians, 2 wounded; Germans, 1 killed. Last night an attempt was made by the Chinese to seize a bridge of boats, but they were repulsed with loss, which included, it is said, one of their Generals. Our communications have been cut. No. 168. Admiralty to Senior Naval Officer, Woosung. — (Communicated by Admiralty, June 22.) (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, June 22, 1900. WITH reference to Admiralty telegram of the 16th June to Senior Naval Officer, Shanghae,* and with reference to telegram from " Hermione " of the 19th June to Admiralty,! instruct Commanding Officers of Her Majesty's ships at Nanking and Hankow to avoid any obtrusive demonstration of naval force on the river, but to inform the Viceroys that Her Majesty's ships will be ready to co-operate with them whenever co-operation becomes necessary for the protection of European life and property, or in support of the measures taken by them for the maintenance of order. No. 169. Mr. Whitehead to the Marquess of Salisbury, — (Received June 22.) (Telegraphic.) T Ski6, June 22, 1900. 1 LEARN that eleven large steamers averaging 3,000 tons gross, and four small steamers of 400 tons gross, have been chartered by the Japanese Government ; of these, six of the large ones are to be used as colliers and store-ships for the navy,'the remainder to serve as transports of the troops. The " Akitsusima " has been dispatched to Chefoo to protect the telegraph According to the Foreign Minister, there is no present intention on the part of Japan of sending any more troops than the 3,000 now en route to Taku Inclosure in No. U0. + i nc i osure -^ No- l56i 69 No. 170. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Whitehead. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 22, 1900. YOU should inform Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs of the critical condition of the foreign Legations at Peking, and also, I fear, of the international force sent to relieve them under Admiral Seymour. State that Her Majesty's Government have sent orders to the Government of India for the dispatch of a considerable number of troops to China, and ascertain whether it is not the intention of the Japanese Government to send a further force to their succour. The urgency of immediate action and the favourable geographical situation of Japan makes her intentions a matter of very grave importance in this difficulty. No. 171. The Marquess of Salisbury to Lord Pauncefote. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 22, 1900. CHINA. Strong appeals are being made to Her Majesty's Government for reinforcements, and the crisis at Tien-tsin and Peking appears to be urgent. Orders have been sent to India for the dispatch of a considerable body of troops, but some time must elapse before they can arrive. You should suggest to Mr. Hay that any troops which it would be possible to send from Manila would be of very great value, as it is probable that the United States' Legation is in great danger as well as those of other Powers. No. 172. The Marquess of Salisbury to Acting Consul- General Warren. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 22, 1900. YOU should inform Viceroy, with reference to your telegram of to-day's date, that he may count on the fullest support of Her Majesty's ships in any efforts he may make to restore order. No. 173. The Marquess of Salisbury to Consul Scott. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 22, 1900. LI HUNG-CHANG'S departure from Canton. The Chinese Minister, at an interview to-day, communicated to me a message which he had received from Li Hung-chang to the effect that he had received a summons to proceed to Peking in order to bring about a solution of the crisis in North China. He wished to know whether, notwithstanding the fact that the Taku forts had fired on the international forces without orders from the Government at Peking, the Powers consider themselves at war with the Chinese Government. His visit to Peking would be without utility if it were considered that a state of war existed. In the contrary event, he felt sure of being able to restore order and to suppress the Boxers. In reply, I informed the Chinese Minister that there is no reason that it should be considered that a state of war exists if the Taku forts had fired without orders from the Government at Peking, and if the attacks on the international troops are without authority ; and I strongly advised that if he could be of use in suppressing disorder, and if he could do so with safety to himself, Li Hung-chang should go to Peking, but that he must be judge as to the risk to be run in doing so. 70 No. 174. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Foreign Office, June 22, 1900. THE Chinese Minister called on me this morning, and stated that the Viceroy of Nanking entirely adopted the Memorandum which he handed to me on the 19th instant. He was greatly obliged for our offer of assistance which he would make use of if required, but he was anxious on account of his people to avoid anything like a demonstration. The Minister went on to say that Li Hung-chang had been ordered to go to Peking, and rather wanted our advice. I strongly advised that he should go there if he could be of any use in suppressing disorder so long as he could do so with safety, but that we should be sorry if his life should be in danger. I said that he must be the best judge of the risk, as he knew his own countrymen better than I did. Sir Ohihchen replied that Li knew his own countrymen, and was quite convinced of his power of repressing disorder amongst them, and had not the least fear that the Boxers would not submit to him. But before he acted in that sense, he wanted to know, and the Empress also wanted to know, what were the intentions of the Powers and especially of Her Majesty's Government who could influence the Powers with reference to the political conditions after the suppression of the outbreak. "What were the changes or revolutions, if any, which the Powers intended to introduce ? I replied by disclaiming energetically any responsibility for the acts of other - Powers, but said that Her Majesty's Government had no intention whatever at present of taking any steps to affect the existing political position at Peking. Their one object was to restore order and secure life and property. I was obliged to say that their action could not but be affected by the action of the Chinese Government and in some degree of the other Powers, so that he must take my assurances as not necessarily applying beyond the present time. The sooner the Empress had quelled the disorder which had broken out at Peking, the safer she would be from any such changes as those she apprehended. The Minister told me that the attack by the Taku forts had been made without any order from above. I replied that if that were so, and that the attacks on the international troops were without authority, there was no reason for considering that a state of war existed, but I warned him that the destruction of property which had taken place would have to be met by an indemnity on the part of the Chinese Government. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 175. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Herbert. Sir > Foreign Office, June 22, 1900. THE French Ambassador came to this Department in the forenoon to-day to inform me of a message received by M. Delcasse from the Viceroy Li, and to inquire what my opinion on it might be. H M. Cambon stated to Mr. Bertie that M. Delcasse had spoken to the Chinese Minister at Paris on the grave state of affairs in Yunnan, and the perilous position of French officials and private individuals in that province. This had probably caused the Chinese Minister to communicate by telegraph with Li Hung-chano- the result being that the Viceroy had sent a message to M. Delcasse" to the following- effect : — 5 The Government at Peking had summoned the Viceroy to Peking with the view of bringing about a solution of the crisis in the north of China. He would be readv to go to Peking and take measures for the suppression of the Boxers, and felt confident of his ability to do so, provided that the Powers would not consider themselves in a state of war with the Chinese Government. Li Hung-chang stated that the Taku forts had fired on the international forces without orders from the Government at Peking but that if notwithstanding this act having been unauthorized the Powers considered 71 themselves at war with China his mission to Peking would be without utility, and he should not go. Soon after M. Cambon had left the Foreign Office, and just before the meeting of the Cabinet, the Chinese Minister brought to me a message from Li Hung-cliang, generally to the same effect as the one sent by his Excellency to M. Delcasse, and I have informed the French Ambassador that the answer which I made was that if the forts at Taku fired without orders from the Government at Peking, and the attacks on the international troops are without authority, there is no reason that it should be considered that a state of war exists ; and that if Li Hung-chang thinks that his life will be safe at Peking, and that he can suppress the Boxers and restore order, his mission will be viewed favourably by Her Majesty's Government. The details of my conversation with Lofengluh are given in my despatch of to- day to Sir C. MacDonald, of which I have sent to you a copy. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 176. Foreign Office to M. Cambon. Dear Ambassador, Foreign Office, June 22, 1900. SINCE I saw your Excellency this morning Lord Salisbury has received from Li Hung-chang a message generally to the same effect as the one sent to M. Delcasse\ Lord Salisbury has replied that if the forts at Taku fired without orders from the Government at Peking, and the attacks on the international troops are without authority, there is no reason that it should be considered that a state of war exists, and that if Li Hung-chang thinks that his life is safe at Peking and that he can suppress the Boxers and restore order his mission will be viewed favourably by Her Majesty's Government. I have, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 177. Sir Chihchen LofSngluh to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 23.) My Lord, Chinese Legation, June 22, 1900. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's letter of yester- day's date, expressing the anxiety felt by the Upper Yang-tsze Syndicate (Limited) and Mr. Pritchard -Morgan with regard to the safety of their employes in the Province of Szechuen, and, in reply, I beg leave to inform you that, conformably to your Lordship's request, I have telegraphed to the Viceroy of that province requesting that proper measures may be taken for their protection. I have, &c. (Signed) LOFENGLUH. No. 178. Lord Pauncefote to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 23.) (Telegraphic.) Washington, June 23, 1900. THE Secretary of State, to whom I communicated the substance of your telegram of the 22nd instant, informs me that in addition to a full regiment, 300 marines have been ordered from Manila to Tien-tsin, and that telegraphic inquiries are being made as to what further force can be spared. His Excellency states that the Chinese Minister here reports assurances from the Viceroys of their ability to maintain order in their provinces. The Circular of the French Government to the Powers respecting Li Hung-chang's 72 message has been delivered by the French Ambassador to Mr. Hay, who has replied that the United States' Government are favourable to the offer being accepted, and that, all the facts not being known, they do not think that a state of war necessarily exists. No. 179. Lord Pauncefote to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 23.) (Telegraphic.) Washington, June 28, 1900. I AM informed by the Chinese Minister that, in reply to his inquiry as to the safety of the United States' Minister, he has received a telegram from the Viceroyjof Nanking, dated 22nd June, in the following words : — " All the Ministers are well," but how the news reached the Viceroy he could not say. No.' 180. Mr. Whitehead to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 23.) (Telegraphic.) Toki6, June 23, 1900. AT 9 this morning I attended a meeting, convened by the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, of the Representatives of Powers who have naval forces at Taku. Two telegrams from the Japanese Admiral at Taku describing the extreme gravity of the situation, and urgently demanding the immediate dispatch of troops, were read to us by his Excellency. The Minister, while refusing to make any suggestion himself, said that in view of the imminent danger of the situation and the critical position of international forces, his Government, desirous of conforming their resolves to those of the Powers interested, were anxious to know what measures our Government proposed to take immediately to meet the actual necessities of the case. No. 181. Mr. Whitehead to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 23.) (Telegraphic.) T6u6t June 23) 1900 I AT once personally communicated to the Minister for Foreign Affairs the substance of your telegram of the 22nd instant, which I received after the meeting reported in my immediately preceding telegram. Though doubtful as to what decision would be taken, his Excellency promised to submit it to the Cabinet without delay The second time I visited the Poreign Office the Minister said that, of course Japan has troops at her disposal, but that it was impossible to foresee the consequences of sending them. H No. 182. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 24.) Sir ' taa/t j j v tj^ ■• Admiralty, June 24, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a decypher of a telegram, dated the 23rd instant, from the Rear-Admiral, China, at Taku, received via Chefoo relative to affairs m China. eiuu> - I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. 73 Inclosure in No. 182. Rear-Admiral Bruce to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Chefoo, June 23, 1900. ".RECEIVED your telegrams. The allied Admirals are working in perfect accord with Russian Vice-Admiral as Senior Officer, and as the Council of Admirals has supreme control over all the operation^, in order to avoid opportunities of friction, the Officer Commanding land forces should belong to same nation, as Senior Admiral, President of Council, as is case now. A Russian Major-General, with the Russians, and German second in command, and Captain Warrender, are in charge of the operations from Taku forts for relief of Tien-tsin under general control of Russian Major-General. All Admirals in command are together off Taku bar. Have just received news that Americans and Russians attempted yesterday to relieve Tien-tsin, and were repulsed by Chinese with some loss. Expect Hong Kong regiments to-morrow, and know of no more reinforcements coming. Russians have landed altogether about 4,000. Russian Admiral told me yesterday he expected no more troops. Germany has landed about 1,'300, and expects no more. Other forces landed besides ours small numerically. No. 183. Consul Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 2 i.) (Telegraphic.) Canton, June 24, 1900. WITH reference to your telegram of the 22nd instant : I had yesterday an interview with Li Hung-chang. That morning he had sent a message to Peking asking for definite instructions as to going or remaining, and saying that, unless the Central Government were prepared beforehand to follow his advice, his Mission to the north would be absolutely futile. According to what his Excellency told me he will remain if the matter is left to his own decision; but that, if he is unconditionally ordered to go, he must do so at any risk. Mis Excellency does not expect a reply within a week, as telegraphic communi- cation with Peking and Tien-tsin is closed. I was requested by him to convey to your Lordship his thanks for your thoughtful consideration of his position and for your advice. No. 184 Consul Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 24.) (Telegraphic.) Canton, June 24, 1900. ON being informed by the French Consul that he had received official intelligence of the bombardment of the Concessions at Tien-tsin by Government troop*, I con- sidered it advisable, in view of the probable effect of the news here, to apply for a gun-boat as a precautionary measure, and to allay excitement and anxiety among the foreign community. Otherwise the state of things here is fairly quiet. No. 185. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 24.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, June 24, 1900. UNDER instructions from his Government yesterday, the Erench Minister was to inform the Russian Government that his Government had learnt from Canton that Li Hung-ohang had been summoned to Peking by the Dowager-Empress, but, before [75SJ " L proceeding there, he had desired to be informed whether the action at Taku_ was regarded 'by the foreign Powers as constituting a state of war with the Chinese Government. The French Government desired to ascertain the view of the Russian Government on the subject. The opinion of Count Lamsdorff was that, as it was not to be assumed that the- Chinese troops were acting on instructions from the Chinese Government, but by compulsion of the Boxers', the Powers were not in a state of war with China. I met M. de Witte yesterday, and he took the same view as that expressed on Wednesday by Count Mouravieff with regard to the situation in the north of China. The summons to Li Hung-chang he regarded as a favourable sign of the Empress" desire to arrange matters with the Powers. He said that he expected that before any reinforcements from Europe could arrive the whole trouble would be over. No. 186. Rear-Admiral Bruce, at Taku, to Admiralty. — (Communicated by Admiralty, June 25.) (Telegraphic.) Despatched from Port Arthur, June 17, 1U0O. (Delayed on Chinese lines.) COUNCIL of Admirals this morning decided to attack Taku forts 2 oVock in the morning 17th June? if not previously surrendered, for purpose of trying to relieve Com- mander-in-chief and allied forces marching on Peking, and situation of affairs at Tien-tsin. Presented ultimatum to Chinese Governor at Tien-tsin. and Commandant of forts this afternoon. Chinese telegraph lines interrupted. Situation of affairs over all China very critical. Towns on the Yang-tsze-Kiang anxious for protection. Commander-in-chief is still cut off from all communication. Report arrived to-day that the Legations at Peking have been attacked. Tuan, new Head of Foreign Affairs in China, in my belief is head of the Boxers. [Am] saving such missionaries as I hear reach coast. No. 187. Rear-Admiral Bruce to Admiralty. — (Communicated by Admiralty, June 25.) (Telegraphic.) Chefoo, June 24, 1900. TOTAL force which left Tien-tsin with Commander-in-chief for Peking about 2,000, composed of detachments of the allied ships. German and American Flag Captains were with Commander-in-chief. Captain Bayly, " Aurora," has been the commander, heart and soul, of the defence of Tien-tsin, assisted by Captain Burke, " Orlando." No action could be possibly taken to relieve the Commander-in-chief, because it was only known he was cut off by Tien-tsin being invested. Tien-tsin has been fighting for its life ever since. It was on receipt of information that Chinese army had ordered trains for attacking Tien-tsin, ravaged Tongku, and were reinforcing Taku, as well as mining the mouth of the Peiho, that it was promptly determined to seize Taku just in time, since when every effort has been made to relieve Tien-tsin. Have commandeered small coasting steamer for taking troops sick and wounded across the bar and to "Wei-bai Wei, where I intend making temporary base hospital and asylum for refuge until South China has settled down. 75 No. 188. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. Scott. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 25, 1900. ' I REQUEST that you will inquire of the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs whether his Government will give their approval to dispatch of a Japanese force of from 20,000 to 30,000 men, if Japanese Government are willing to undertake it, for the restoration of order at Tien-tsin and Peking. No. 189. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. Scott. (Telegraphic.) „■ „. vi Foreign Office, June 25, 1900, IN your conversation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the subject mentioned in my telegram of -to-day, you may draw- his Excellency's attention to the following considerations : Her Majesty's Government assume that the Russian Government will further reinforce their troops speedily, and are themselves sending some 10,000 troops from India ; but it is clear thafc.jthe^se reinforcements will not arrive in time to rescue the two forces at present surrounded or the Legations at Peking. No. 190. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Whitehead. Sir, Foreign Office, June 25, 1900. THE Japanese Charge d' Affaires requested to see me to-day. He asked me what arrangements the Powers were making with respect to the China crisis. I informed him of the troops that were being sent by the various Powers, and that the officers on the spot were left to arrange with each other the measures that were most suitable for relieving the nationals of the various Powers who were in -danger. I pointed out to him that considerable time must elapse before the relief from India or Europe could arrive, and that Japan was situated in a. manner more favourable for -immediate action. I asked him how long it would take to send a considerable- foroe from Japan. He said that would depend upon the locality in Japan from which, the force was sent, but he thought that if all preparations were complete, four days would be required for the passage. He did not, however, intimate that there was any chance of an immediate completion of the preparations. He said that he had received no instruc- tions from his Government, but that, in his own opinion, it was not likely they would send a very large force. He thought some assurance would be required" that there was no objection on the part of other Governments which have interests in the East. I have telegraphed to St. Petersburg - to ascertain whether the Russians would approve of an expedition of 25*000 or 30,000 tr tops, and have urged- upon the German Government that they should support us in this appeal. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 191. The Marquess of Salisbury to Viscount Gough. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 26, 1900. THE crisis in China. Please inform Minister for Foreign Affairs that I have telegraphed to Her Majesty's Ambassador at St. Petersburgh to inquire whether the Russian Government would approve of a force of from 20,000 to 30,000 men being sent by Japan to Taku. [758] L 2 76 I gather from the Japanese Charge* d' Affaires, with whom I had an interview late last night, that his Government, unless they receive some assurance that it will not lead to complications with other Powers interested, will not give effective assistance. T hope the German Emperor will concur in our wish to procure such an assurance from Russia, and that His Majesty will be willing to lend us his assistance in obtaining it. No. 192. Acting Consul- General Warren to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 26.) (Telegraphic.) Shanghae, June 26, 1900. A TELEGRAM has been received from the Governor of Shantung, Yuan-shih- Kai, to the effect that he has frequently sent out scouts to get news, but that, as a rule, the Boxers have killed them all. According to his latest information the foreign Ministers in Peking were unharmed up to the 20th instant. No. 193. Mr. Whitehead to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Heceived June 26.) (Telegraphic.) Tokid, June 26, 1900. JAPANESE reinforcements. Your telegram of the 22nd instant. I received official information this morning from the Minister for Foreign Affairs that it has been decided by the Japanese Government to mobilize and hold ready one division, which, including the force already sent, will make a total of about 13,000 men. If emergency arises, he states that transports will be available at any moment. No. 194. Sir Chihchen Lofengluh to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 26.) My Lord Marquis, Chinese Legation, June 26, 1 900. REFERRING- to my letter of the 22nd instant, I have the honour to inform jour Lordship that, in reply to the telegram I sent requesting that special precautions should be taken in the Province of Szechuen for the protection of the foreigners there employed by Mr. Pritchard- Morgan and the Upper Yang-tsze Syndicate, I have received the following telegram from his Excellency the Viceroy of Huquang : — " Your telegram has been received, and the Viceroy of Szechuen has been requested to give the desired protection. " In the Upper and Lower Yang-tsze, the Viceroy of Nanking and myself will, under any circumstances, afford adequate protection to foreign merchants, missionaries^ and native Christians residing in our respective Governments. Please assure Lord Salisbury that no apprehension need be entertained as to this." I have, &c. (Signed) LOEENGLUH. No. 195. Sir Chihchen LofSngluh to the Marquess of Salisbury. —{Received June 26 ) THE Chinese Minister presents his compliments to the Marquess of Salisbury, and at the request of the Viceroy of Huquang, has the honour to communicate to his Lordship the following translation of a telegram he has received from his Excellencv dated 6 a.m., the 23rd June :— " ' The rebels in the northern provinces, called by the name of "Boxers," have, in defiance of the Imperial Decree, overrun and devastated a large tract of country in the 77 vicinity of Peking, taking the lives of many persons, natives as well as foreigners of various nationalities, including a member of the Japanese Legation at Peking. The present lamentable state of affairs, which the Imperial Government deplore as a national calamity, is doubtless attributable to the culpable negligence of the provincial authorities, who surely could never have foreseen the large proportions which the Boxer movement was fated to take ; otherwise they would have suppressed it in the commencement. I am very apprehensive lest the continued occupation of the Taku forts should lead to a breach of harmonious relations between China and the Treaty Power3. The Empress-Dowager and the Emperor have summoned Li Hung-chang to Peking by telegraph, in order to concert measures with the Government to the end that an under- standing may be come to with the Treaty Powers ; but a fortnight must necessarily elapse before he can arrive, and meanwhile the Treaty Powers are dispatching additional troops to China, which may have the effect of aggravating the gravity of the situation, and of, perhaps, precipitating matters beyond recall; thus creating new opportunities for other disaffected factions to join the Boxers, or even to act independently of them in their fell work of murder, rapine, and plunder. The intentions of the Imperial Government are entirely pacific and in favour of friendly relations with the Treaty Powers. This is shown by the absence of any instruc- tions to the provincial authorities to take measures with a view to defence. You should endeavour to induce the Governments to whom you are accredited to instruct their respective naval Commanders in the neighbourhood of Tien-tsin to remain on the defensive until such time as Li Hung-chang shall have arrived in Peking and memorialized the Throne, with respect to the satisfaction to be given to the Powers. In this way, freed from the dread of drifting into war with them, we shall be at liberty to devote all our energies to the suppression of the rebellion. The Viceroys of the provinces bordering on the Yang-tsze having taken precautions against the possibility of any troubles occurring within their respective jurisdictions, no- apprehension need be entertained as to their ability and readiness to afford the fullest measure of protection to foreigners residing at the riverine ports. It might, however,. be otherwise, should hostilities be continued at Tien-tsin. The situation, then, being so critical, I would impress on you the necessity of your exerting yourself to the utmost in order to induce Great Britain to be forbearing, and not to press matters unduly in the north. The provincial authorities of the central provinces all agree with me as to the extreme desirability of these recommendations being attended to, and join me in requesting you to bring to the notice of the Foreign Secretary all the considerations I have given expression to in this telegram. Chinese Legation, June 26, 1900. No. 196. Sir Chihchen Lqfengluh to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June. 2b'.) My Lord Marquis, Chinese Legation, June 26, 1900. WITH reference to the telegram from the Viceroy of Huquang, dated Woochang,. the 23rd June, which, I have had the honour of communicating to, your Lordship, I beg leave to state that I have received another telegram from his Excellencv, instructing me to inform you that the under-mentioned Viceroys and Governors of provinces, being in complete accord with him as to the views expressed by him in the .'.aid telegram, have expressed a desire to be considered as co-Signatories with him of that communication : — Li Hung-chang, Viceroy of the Two Kwangs. Lieu Kwun Yin, Viceroy of the Two Kiangs. Wang Chi Chun, Governor of Anhwei. Yuen Shi Kai, Governor of Shantung. Yii Lin San, Governor of Hunan. In requesting your Lordship to take note of this, 1 venture to express the hope (hat the adherence of these important functionaries to the telegram of the Viceroy of Huquang may be viewed by your Lordship as lending additional weight to the considerations advanced by him in favour of a policy of abstention, on the part of the 78 Treaty Powers, from extreme measures in the present unhappy condition of a part of Northern China. I have. &o. (Signed) ■ LOFENGLUH. . r . , ... No. 197. Rear-Admiral Bruce to Admiralty. — {Communicated by Admiralty, June 26.) (Telegraphic.) -• - Chefoo, June 26,4900. COMMANDER CRADOCK, commanding British contingent, Tien-tsin relief, reports Tien-tsin communicated with and reinforced 23rd June. Commander-in-chief reported 10 miles from Tien-tsin, hampered hy sick and wounded, and engaged with enemy. Force landed : — German, 1,340; American, 335; Russian Naval Brigade, 235, troops, 3,500; Japanese Naval Brigade, 602, troops, 1,0,">0, expected 2Gth June, 2,100 ; Austrians, 26; Italian, 138 ;. French, 421, 3 i\m. 25th June French expect one battery artillery, one battalion infantry. No. 198. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Foreign Office, June 26, ]900. THE Chinese Minister called to-day, and- communicated to me the following telegram, which he had received froni the Viceroy of Huqitang, dated the 23rd June: — "The rebels in the northern provinces, called by the name of 'Boxers,' have, in "denanc.j.rof the Imperial Decree, overrun and devastated a large; tract of country in the vicinity of Peking, taking the lives of many persons, natives as well as foreigners of various nationalities, including a member of the Japanese Legation at Pelting. " The present lamentable state of affairs, which the Imperial Government deplore as a national calamity, is doubtless attributable • to the culpable negligence ef the provincial authorities, who surely could never have foreseen the large proportions which the Boxer movement was fated to take. Otherwise, they would have suppressed it in the commencement. " I am very apprehensive lest the- continued occupation of the Taku forts should lead to a breach of harmonious relations between China and the Treaty Powers. The Empress-Dowager and the Emperor have summoned Li Hung-chang to Peking by telegraph, in order to concert measures with the Government, to the end that an understanding may be come to with the Treaty Powers, but a fortnight must necessarily elapse before he can arrive, and meanwhile the Treaty Powers are dispatching additional troops to China, which may have the effect of aggravating the gravity of the situation,- and of perhaps precipitating matters beyond recall, thus creating new opportunities for other disaffected factions 'to join the Boxers, or ever, to : act independently of them in their fell work of murder, rapine, and plunder. " The intentions of the Imperial Government are entirely pacific, and in favour of friendly relations with the Treaty Powers. This is shown by the absence of any instructions to the provincial authorities to take measures with a view to defence. "You should endeavour to induce the Governments to whom you are accredited to instruct their respective Naval Commanders in the neighbourhood of Tien-tsin to remain on the defensive until such time- as Li Hung-chang shall have arrived in Peking and memorialized the Throne with respect to the satisfaction to be given to* the Powers. In this way, freed from the dread of drifting into war with them, we shall be at liberty to devote all our energies to the suppression of the rebellion. "The Viceroys of the provinces bordering on the Yang-tsze having taken precautions against the possibility of any trouble occurring within their respective jurisdictions,, no apprehension need be entertained as to their ability and readiness tp 79 afford the fullest measure of protection to foreigners residing at the riverine ports. It might, however, he otherwise should hostilities be continued at Ticn-tsin. " The situation, then, being so critical, I would impress on you the necessity of your exerting yourself to the utmost in order to induce Great Britain to be forbearing, and not to press matters unduly in the north. The provincial authorities of the central provinces all agree with me as to the extreme desirability of these recommendations being attended to, and join me in requesting you to bring to the notice of the Foreign Secretary all the considerations I have given expression to in this telegram." The Chinese Minister also informed me that the Viceroy of Huquang had, in a subsequent telegram, requested him to inform me that the under-mentioned Viceroys and Governors of provinces being in complete accord with him as to the views expressed in the telegram already quoted, have expressed a desired to be considered as co- Signatories with him of that communication : — Li Hung-chang, Viceroy of the Two Kwangs. Lieu Kwun Tib, Viceroy of the Two Kiangs. Wang Chi Chun, Governor of Anhwei. Yuen Shi Kai, Governor of Shantung. Yu Lin San, Governor of Hunan. Lofengluh said that he hoped that the adherence of these important functionaries to the telegram of the Viceroy of Huquang may be viewed as lending additional weight to the considerations advanced by him in favour of a policy of abstention on the part of the Treaty Powers from extreme measures in the present unhappy condition of a part of Northern China. I replied that we were actuated in the steps we had taken by anxiety for Her Majesty's Minister and Sir E. Seymour, and the other British subjects whose lives were in danger. Tf he would procure from them a written assurance that they were in safety, and a request that all military operations should be arrested, that result would, so far as we were concerned, immediately take place. T {I'll Stc (Signed) ' SALISBURY. No. 199. Acting Consul-General Warren to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received June 27.) (Telegraphic ) Shanghae, June 27, 1900. ACTING under instructions from the Viceroy, the Taotai of Shanghae asked the foreign Consuls to meet him yesterday in order to discuss the situation. He asked the Consuls at the meeting to telegraph to their respective Governments, suggesting that they should declare neutral all the districts other than those north of where fighting is actually in progress, and that if that were clone they would then be able to guarantee the maintenance of order. The allied Admirals' Proclamation, dated the 20th June, was the Consuls' reply. - They declared that the foreign Powers were only fighting against the Boxers and those persons who opposed the forces sent to Peking to rescue their countrymen there. That the duty of keeping the peace rested with the Chinese officials, and that they need have no apprehension of any attack on our part if no breach of peace or act of war was committed by China. No. 200. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 27.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, via Chefoo, June 27, 1900. BRITISH column, under Major P. Morris, R.W.F., and Naval Brigade, under Commander Cradock, arrived at noon, 550 men strong; 1,500 Russians are reported to he at Tien-tsin Railway Station ; 150 Americans and 50 Italians have also arrived 23rd June. 80 No. 201. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury.— {Received June 27.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 27, 1900. HEAYY firing has been heard for thirty-six hours north of Tien-tsin, where the Commander-in-chief is believed to be at a piace named Pei-tsang, about 9 miles from here. A note was received vesterday morning by the Commissioner of Imperial Customs from the Inspector-General, dated 19th June, 4 p.m., stating that the Legations had been ordered to leave Peking within twenty-four hours. No. 202. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 27.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, June 27, 1900. COUNT LAMSDOREE has been at Peterhof with the Emperor all day, and early to-morrow morning he has to return there, but I have been able to communicate in writing to him the sense of your Lordship's telegrams of 25th June, and he promises that as soon as he is enabled to do so he will give me an immediate reply. There is an utter absence of news at the Eussian Foreign Office with regard to the present situation in and near Tien-tsin. No. 203. Sir E. Monson to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 27.) (Telegraphic.) Paris, June 27, 1900. M. DELCASSE informs me that, beyond the two declarations he has already made in the Chamber, he has no statement to offer for the information of the Government of Japan in connection with the meeting of the foreign Representatives which the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs convoked at T6ki6. On the question of the co-operation of Japan on a large scale, his Excellency did not give me any intimation of his opinion. On the whole, M. Delcasse's language was less optimistic than that which seems to have been held at St. Petersburgh to Her Majesty's Ambassador. No. 204. The Marquess of Salisbury to Acting Consul- Genera I Warren. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 27, 1900. YOUR telegram of to-day. Your answer to the Taotai is approved. No. 205. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir Chihchen Lofingluh. ®™> „ , , , Foreign Office, June 27, 1900. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your note of yesterday's date, containing a telegram received by you from his Excellency the Viceroy of Huquan-' relative to the protection of foreigners and native Christians residing in the Yan 5. The dispatch of and arrangements for transport devolve upon the North Sea Naval Station. Kiel, onboard my yacht " Hohenzollern." Kiel, on board my yacht "Hohenzollern," June 25, 1900. (Signed) WILLIAM. No. 231. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received July 2.) Sir, Admiralty, July 2, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated the 1st July, from Rear-Admiral Bruce, relative to the crisis in China. I am, &c= (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 231. Rear-Admiral Bruce to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Chefoo, July 1, 1900. GERMAN Admiral reports Chinese runner, three days from Peking, arrived Tien- tsin yesterday ; brought despatches to say all Europeans in great distress ; situation desperate ; hoping for relief every hour. German Minister has been murdered by Chinese regular troops, and large Chinese army advancing on Tien-tsin. Have had long conver- sation with Russian Governor-General. He agrees with me that, with all reinforcements expected, Russian and Japanese, it will only bring total to about 20,000 men, which would enable us to hold the base from Tuku, Tien-tsin, and probably Pei-ta-ho, but impossible to advance beyond Tien-tsin. 4 p.m., 30th June. No. 232. Viscount Gough to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 2.) (Telegraphic.) Berlin, July 2, 1900. COUNT VON BULOW left here for Wilhelmshafen in order to consult with the Emperor, upon receiving the official confirmation of the murder of the German Minister at Peking. I was sent for this morning by Baron von Richthofen, who informed me as follows : — The German Consul at Tien-tsin has sent a telegram, dated the 29th June, in which it is stated that a Chinese messenger had arrived from Peking that day, bringing the following message, addressed to the Commander of the international forces, which had been dispatched by the Second Secretary in the German Legation, Herr von Bergen : — " Foreign community besieged in the Legations. Situation desperate. Hasten your coming. Sunday, 4 p.m. (Signed) "Robert Haut." The 24th June is assumed to be the date of the above message. A further telegram has been received from the German Consul at Tien-tsin, stating that a second messenger, sent by a missionary, arrived on the 29th ultimo, having left Peking on the 25th. He reported that the military escorts of the Legations are suffering from want of ammunition, and he confirmed the murder of the German Minister and the burning of the majority of the Legations. [758] " N 90 In view of the above information, and of that contained in Reuter's telegrams, the situation of all foreigners in Peking would appear to be most critical, if, indeed, they are still living. It is believed in the German Foreign Office that the foreign women and children, among them being the wife of the late German Minister, still remain in Peking. Taking these facts into consideration, Baron von Eichthofen then, asked me, though he had not received any positive instructions from his Government to do so, whether Her Majesty's Government were prepared to propose any better measure, the effect of which would be immediate, than the one which the Consuls at Tien-tsin had proposed, namely, that a threat to destroy the Imperial tombs should be made, and whether to refuse a proposal which the best-informed persons on the spot had unanimously made, would not be to assume a great responsibility. No. 233, The Marquess of Salisbury to Viscount Gough. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 2, 1900. WITH reference to your telegram of the 2nd July respecting proposal of Consuls at Tien-tsin to threaten destruction of the Imperial Mausolea, you should inform Baron Eichthofen that the proposal reaches us without any information as to the manner in which it is viewed by the Naval or Military Commanders on the spot. We believe the Mausolea to be situated near Moukden and Hingking, in Manchuria, and it is probable that their destruction could only be effected by the dispatch of an expedition of considerable strength from Talienwan or Newchwang. The distance which would have to be covered would vary, according to the route and place of departure, from 100 to 200 miles. We therefore feel unable to sanction a measure which would be so offensive to European opinion. The threat appears, at first sight, very unlikely to have any effect upon mutinous soldiery or a riotous mob, and these are the factors which place the Legations in so perilous a situation. No. 234, The Marquess of Salisbury to Viscount Gough. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 2, 1900. CHINA : My telegram of to-day's date. Ask Baron Ricbthoien whether the German Government would be disposed to agree that a collective declaration should be made by all the Powers that if any act of violence is committed against the Legations, all authorities at Peking, of whatever rank, will be held responsible in person and property. No. 235. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Whitehead. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 2, 1900. THE crisis in China. . 3 With reference to Rear-Admiral Brace's telegram of 1st July repeated to you to-day, inquire of Japanese Government whether, in the circumstances, they propose to take any additional measures. J r r 91 No. 236. Viscount Gough to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 3.) My Lord, Berlin, July 1, 1900. » I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship copy and translation of a Memorandum, delivered to me last night by Count von Biilow, on the subject of a proposed Japanese expedition to Taku. A copy of the Memorandum to which the above forms a reply is likewise inclosed. I have, &c. (Signed) GOUGH. Inclosure 1 in No. 236. Memorandum. HER Majesty's Charge 1 d' Affaires has been instructed to inform his Excellency Count von Biilow that the Marquess of Salisbury has telegraphed to Her Majesty's Ambassador at St. Petersburgh to ascertain whether a Japanese expedition to Taku would be approved by the Imperial Russian Government. The expedition would number from 20,000 to 30,000 men. Her Majesty's 'Government hope that the Imperial German Government will agree in wishing to procure some assurance from the Russian Government that the proposed expedition would not lead to a collision between Russia and Japan, and also hope that the Imperial German Government will be willing to assist in obtaining such an assurance from Russia. The Marquess of Salisbury has gathered from the Japanese Representative in London that Japan will not give effective help without some such assurance. British Embassy, Berlin, June 27, 1900. Inclosure 2 in No. 236. Memorandum. (Translation.) THE Charg6 d'Affaires of Her Britannic Majesty has mentioned here that the Japanese Government would be disposed to send an expeditionary force of from 20,000 to 30,000 men to Taku, provided that the consent of the Imperial Russian Government could be obtained. In connection with the above, the Charge 1 d'Affaires asked, in accordance with his instructions, whether Germany would be ready to use her interest in this sense with the Russian Government. The Government of His Majesty the Emperor, which, in principle, welcomes with sympathy any steps which appear calculated to contribute to the restoration of order in the Chinese Empire, is at present not informed (" orientirt ") upon the particulars (" modalitaten ") of the intended Japanese intervention. Only after a clearing up of this point could an opinion be formed whether the intended Japanese ^action leaves the interests of third Powers untouched, and whether, therefore, Germany can undertake the responsibility, which, in the present general situation of affairs, is inseparably connected with a support of the Japanese project of intervention. The Government of His Majesty the Emperor thinks that it is only by preserving the accord which has hitherto been maintained among the Powers, if even then, that it will be possible to succeed in restoring order in the • Chinese Empire, and in securing its continued existence as well as that of the peace of the world. The Imperial Government would, therefore, only take part in such steps where they from the outset possess the certainty that those steps could not imperil that so necessary accord. Berlin, June 28, 1900. [758] N 2 92' No. 237. Viscount Gough to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 3.) (Telegraphic.) Berlin, July 3, 1900 k GERMAN Government have decided to dispatch 1st Division of 1st Squadron to China, namely, 1st protected cruisers. An extraordinary brigade made up of soldiers volunteering Avill likewise be formed, about 7,000 strong. Emperor's departure for Norway postponed. In His Imperial Majesty's speech yesterday to other force already sent, he said :— "I will not rest until the German flags united with those of the other Powers float victoriously over those of China, and, planted on the walls of Peking, dictate the terms of peace." No. 238. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 3.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, July 3, 1900. CHINA. I am informed by German Minister that the answer of his Government to your Lordship's inquiry regarding the Japanese expedition was communicated by him to Count Lamsdorff yesterday. His Excellency said that the view held by the Russian Government was identical ; in face of so grave a crisis there were objections to a mandate being given to any one Power ; but they would welcome all available forces which could be sent promptly by any Power to act in accord and co-operation with the other Powers, as Japan professed to desire and intend to do. At the present moment any step which, by occasioning rivalry or jealousy, might endanger this accord, would be fatal. German Minister said that Count Lamsdorff was far from taking the sanguine view of the situation professed by Count Mouravieff. His Excellency anticipated that an immediate march oh Peking would be necessary in order to rescue the Legations and set up some orderly form of Government, and was embarrassed at not having been supplied with sufficient information by the foreign Commanders to enable him to form an opinion as to what additional force it would be necessary to send. No. 239. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 3.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, July 3, 1900. CHINA. The foreign Representatives will be received to-morrow by Count Lamsdorff, who has been all day at Peterhoff with the Emperor. In a conversation with the German Minister, who saw him again late last night after the desperate news from Peking had been received, his Excellency expressed the opinion that there could not any longer be a hope of finding some Chinese authority at Peking to support or treat with, as Northern China was in a state of hopeless anarchy. In his opinion the only thing to be done now was that a desperate effort should be made to rescue the Legations and Europeans and bring them to the coast in safety, and the conflagration in the interior could be left to burn itself out while we occupied our present position in strength. r ^ This evening I comnuinicated to his Excellency, who had not heard of it, the opinion expressed by the British and Russian Admirals, that with present forces ind expected reinforcements it would be impossible to advance bevond Tien-tsiu 93 No. 240. Acting ConsuU General Warren to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received July 3.) (Telegraphic.) Shanghae, July 3, 1900. THE following Decree from Peking has been sent to all the Viceroys and Governors in Southern and Central China. It was sent for transmission to the Superintendent of Telegraphs and all telegraph-offices on the 28th June from the Pao-ting-fu telegraph-office : — " Whereas open war has broken out between China and the foreign Powers and the Boxer Society round Tien-tsin, and throughout Chihli, co-operating with the Imperial troops have been victorious, — we have already issued Decrees praising their bravery. These loyal people are to be found throughout the Empire, and all Governors and Viceroys, if they can raise forces from their number, can rely on them to oppose insolence of the foreigners with greatest success. The high provincial authorities shall, therefore, memorialize immediately regarding their plans of campaign. The Viceroys of the Tang-tsze and coast provinces are hereby commanded to use their most strenuous endeavours to put these instructions into effect." We are informed by the Viceroys and Governors that they consider Prince Tuan "as a rebel, and have decided not to obey Decrees from Peking. Decrees will probably soon be issued degrading the Viceroys, and tioops will be sent to support the Viceroys appointed by Prince Tuan. Civil war would in consequence break out throughout the country, and a strong force should be in readiness here to support the loyal Viceroys. The feeling of unrest among the Chinese is decidedly increasing, and I think that it will be necessary before long to withdraw the foreign communities from some of the small ports. I hear that the Hang- chow Governor intends to obey the orders con- tained in the above Decree. Thousands of Chinese have left here in consequence of the Decree, which they consider certain to stir up mischief. No. 241. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 4.) (Extract.) St. Petersburgh, June 29, 1900. ON receipt of your Lordship's telegraphic instructions on the 26th instant, desiring me to ascertain from the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs whether his Government would give their approval to the dispatch of an expedition of a Japanese force of from 20,000 to 30,000 to restore order at Peking and Tien-tsin in case the Japanese Govern- ment are willing to undertake that task, I called at once at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and, in the absence of Count Lamsdorff, who had been summoned to Peterhof by the Emperor, I saw M. Hartwig, the acting Head of the Asiatic Department. I begged M. Hartwig to have your Lordship's inquiry communicated to Count Lamsdorff immediately on his return, and to beg his Excellency to favour me with a reply as soon as he could do so. I represented the gravity of the situation, and said that, although we were sending a force of 10,000 men from India, and we presumed that on her side Russia was making every effort to dispatch reinforcements to the scene of disturbances as speedily as possible, it was clear that these reinforcements could not arrive in time to rescue the Legations at Peking and relieve the two European forces which appeared at present to be surrounded. This must, I thought, be our first object, and if Japan was willing and able to furnish at once a sufficient force to insure its success, her offer of co-operation ought to command favourable consideration. M. Hartwig said that Count Lamsdorff was attending a sitting of the Siberian Railway Committee under the presidency of the Emperor at Peterhof, and he expected his return in the course of an hour or so, and he would then at once communicate my message to his Excellency, who would have to return to Peterhof again early next morning, and could then take His Majesty's pleasure. 1 said that I would not trouble Count Lamsdorff by pressing to see him, and wrote to his Excellency a private letter, inclosing a French paraphrase of your Lordship's telegrams, to which he at once replied that he would write to me the moment he could give an answer to your Lordship's question. Last night I received the reply of which I have the honour to inclose a copy, sending me a copy of the instructions which had just been telegraphed to the Russian Minister at 94, T6ki6, and which his Excellency evidently regards as answering the question I had been instructed to put to him. I had the honour to telegraph the text of Count Lamsdorff's communication to your Lordship last night, and as soon as his Excellency is able to receive me I shall endeavour to ascertain whether any further communication has been received from T6ki6. The Russian Foreign Office is still without any official news of the safety or present whereabouts of the Legations in China, but seems to attach credit to the Chinese reports that they are still in safety in Peking. Communication with Port Arthur, I understand, can only now be had by telegraph to Chefoo and thence by water, and I helieve that the Imperial Government is seriously alarmed by some news received to-day of serious disturbances in the vicinity of the Manchurian line, and it is rumoured that the Boxers are attacking and destroying the line north of Mukden and have cut off telegraphic communications with Vladivostock. The Chinese Legation is much alarmed by this report, as they had been seriously warned that the slightest movement against, the safety of the Russian line would be followed by instant and forcible action by Russia, and Admiral Alexieff has been given the full powers of a Commander-in-chief in time of war in the territory of Kwan-tung. lnclosure 1 in No. 241. Count Lamsdorff to Sir C. Scott. M. l'Ambassadeur, Saint-Peter show g, le 15 (28) Juin, 1900. JE demande millefois excuse a votre Excellence de n'avoir pu repondre plus t&t a son billet d'avant-hier. En vous faisant parvenir la petite notice ci-jointe, je vous prie, M. l'Ambassadeur, de vouloir bien agr£er, &c. (Translation.) Your Excellency, St. Peter sburgh, June 15 (28), 1900. I MUST apologize for not having been able to reply sooner to your note of two days ago. In transmitting to you the accompanying letter, I have, &c. lnclosure 2 in No. 241. Memorandum. LE Minist're de Russie a, T6ki6, ayant de son c6te informe le Gouvernement Imperial que le Japon serait pr&t a contribuer au retablissement. de l'ordre en Chine, le Ministere des Affaires Etrangetes s'empresse de faire part a son Excellence Sir Charles Scott en reponse a sa lettre du 13 (26) courant, que M. Isvolsky a &<§ charge de faire' au Gouvernement Japonais la communication suivante : — " Nous ne pouvons qu'appre'cier hautement les sentiments t^moignes par le Japon dans les circonstances presentes, ainsi que sa maniere de voir sur les affaires de Chine ■ aussi nous ne voudrions pas enlraver sa liberte" d'action, surtout du moment ou il exprirue la ferme intention de conformer sa facon d'agir a celles des autres Puissances « Pource qui concerne la l Russie, ses intentions ont &e definies par le' communique officiel pubhe en date du 11 (24) Juin courant-. * ■ " L'Amiral Alex&eff a, d'ailleurs, recu l'ordre de regler les dispositions qu'il se verrait dans lecas de prendre ulteneurement sur la marche des ^venements qui se deroulent en Oniric ■ Saint-Pe'tersbourg, le 15 (28) Juin, 1900. (Translation.) Russian Minister at ToldA lmvi no- Government THE' Russian Minister at T6M6 having, on his part, informed the Imperial- 3 rnment that Japan would be ready to assist in re-establishing order in China the Minister for Foreign Affairs hastens to inform his Excelled Sir P w+ i 7 his lette of the la*™,) instant, that U. itohkyhasoeen Lffi "£*££ the tollowing communication to the Jananese Goyernment :— ' BM ' ractea t0 ™ ke 95 " "We appreciate highly the sentiments expressed in the present circumstances by Japan, as also her views on the affairs of China ; we should not wish therefore to hinder her freedom of action, especially when she evinces the firm resolve of con- forming her action to that of the other .Powers. " As far as Russia is concerned, her course of action has been defined by the official notification published on the 11th (24th) June. " Moreover, Admiral Alexieff has been instructed to so regulate his plans as events in China may demand." St. Petersburgh, June 15 (28), 1900. No. 242. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 4.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, vid Chefoo, June 29, 1900. THIS morning the following written message was received, addressed to " Officer Commanding any European troops," signed " R. Hart," and dated Sunday, 4 p.m. : — " Foreign community besieged in British Legation. " Situation desperate. " Make haste." No. 243. Consul Carles to the Marquess of Salisbury .^-(Received July 4.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, vid Chefoo [undated]. MY telegram of 29th instant. The runner who brought Sir EL. Hart's message states that several of the Legations have been destroyed and only two or three remain standing. The German Minister was murdered outside the Tsung-li Yamen by Kansu troops. The Consular Body held a meeting to-day, and decided that, under the circum- stances, the military authorities must now take control and take such measures as they thought necessary. Admiral Seymour and General Dorward were both present at the meeting. No. 244. Viceroy of Nanking to Chinese Minister. — (Communicated by Sir Chihchen Lofengluh, July 4.) (Telegraphic.) Nanking, July 3, 1900. WE, the Viceroys of the Liang Kiang and Liang Hu Provinces, undertake to hold ourselves responsible for the security of foreign life and property within our respective jurisdictions, as well as in the Province of Chekiang, so long as the Treaty Powers do not land troops in either the Yang-tsze Valley or the Province of Chekiang. (Signed) Lieu Ktjn Yih. Chang Chitting. No. 245. Vice-Admiral Sir E.~ Seymour 'to Admiralty. — (Communicated by Admiralty, July 4.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, June 30, vid Chefoo, July 3, 1900. CHINESE couriers arrived from Peking with *hort message dated 24th June, stating that condition there desperate, aud asking for help at once. Couriers interro- gated state all Legations except British, French, German, and part of Russian destroyed. Europeans gathered in British Legation, have provisions, but ammunition scarce. One gate of city near Legation held by Europeans with guns captured from Chinese. Five of Marine Guard killed and one officer wounded ; not much sickness at 96 present. I propose to remain at Tien-tsin at present unless naval operations in Yang-tsze or elsewhere, Vice-Admiral Alexieff is expected. Chinese inundated country near here yesterday from Grand Canal ; object probably for defence of city to the south. No injury to us. General health good. All agreed that no advance on Peking possible for many clays at least, owing to want of force and transport. No. 246. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 4.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, July 4, 1900. COUNT LAMSDORFF, whom I have just seen, held language almost identical with that reported in my telegrams of the 3rd instant on the authority of the German Charge d' Affaires. Russian Admiral evidently finds difficulty in communicating home, and his Excellency is awaiting with anxiety some more definite information from him as to what is being done, and what can possibly be done, as the Admiral has been given the fullest power, and it is not possible to suggest a course from here. The gloomy opinion arrived at in agreement with British Admiral had not been reported by the Russian Admiral. If it were confirmed the fate of the foreign Legations in Peking seemed sealed, and, in his Excellency's opinion, it was inconceivable that the Russian and other Ministers should have allowed their Governments to underrate the gravity of the situation, and should not have withdrawn in time to the coast. The 12th ultimo, when M. de Giers telegraphed that diplomacy was exhausted and the Admirals must act, would have been the moment for doing so. In his Excellency's estimation, the Russian force at present landed amounted to 10,000 men, and he would welcome a Japanese or any other force of 20,000 to 30,000 men to co-operate in the common aim which all the Powers must exclusively set before them, sinking every other consideration. Another week must apparently elapse before the full Japanese reinforcements can arrive. Count Lamsdorft" said that we were at present dealing with a country which was in a complete state of anarchy, and which had no Government or constituted authority which it could be useful to menace, or even address, but we were in a state of war with Anarchists, and not with China. His Excellency promised to inform me at once of any later information received by the Foreign Office here, and appeared anxious for any news or suggestions which your Lordship could communicate. No. 247. Sir B, Monson to the Marquess of Salisbury.— '(Received July 4.) (Telegraphic.) § Paris* July 4; 1906. 1 AM informed by M. Delcasse that instructions have been sent to-day to the French Representatives to make the following proposal to the Governments of the various Powers interested : that they should publish a collective or identic warning addressed to the de facto Government or authorities at Peking, by which they declare that they will hold these responsible personally for the safety and lives of the whole European community in the city. His Excellency expressed the opinion that such a warning would, it misrht be conjectured, reach Peking in some way or another, while it would serve on the other hand, to demonstrate the solidarity of the accord existing between the Powers in the eyes of Europe and of the world at large. It is essential, his Excellency added, that unity of action and unity of direction on the spot should not be hindered by any afterthought or jealousy, as the delivrance ot the Europeans who are in Peking was for the moment the object which must be most urgently aimed at, and that there should be no want of concentration which would have the effect of weakening still further the efficiency of the collective European forces too inconsiderable already. c ^ B| U,JU 97 He said he felt it was unnecessary to assure me that he had personally at this moment no other thought — and the same, he was sure, was the case with his colleagues — than the rescue, if that were still possible, of those who are in danger. He hoped the Japanese Government would at once dispatch the mobilized division which it was said was available. No. 248. Mr. Whitehead to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 4.) (Telegraphic.) TSkio, July 4, 1900. I COMMUNICATED yesterday to Viscount Aoki the substance of your tele- grams of the 2nd instant. He promised that he would immediately submit these to the Prime Minister. He said, however, that, in his opinion, it was not possible to relieve the Legations, as the approach of a foreign army would be the signal for a massacre. He had attempted to communicate with the Chinese Government, if such a thing exists, by means of the southern Viceroys, but they are also out of touch with the capital. His Excellency considers that 70,000 men at least would be necessary for a military expedition to Peking, as at this season the difficulties are very great. No. 249. Acting Consul- General Warren to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 4.) (Telegraphic.) Shanghae, July 4, 1900. I AM in receipt of a telegram from Her Majesty's Consul-General at Hankow slating that according to information given him by the Viceroy, Peking is reported by Jung-Tu to be in a state of anarchy. I think it would be a good thing if I could give assurances to both the Viceroys, that they may count on every assistance being given them by Her Majesty's Govern- ment in any endeavours to resist attacks on the part of either the Boxers or the usurping Prince Tuan in these districts, and also that for this purpose a strong naval force will be concentrated at Woosnng. Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking telegraphs that danger is imminent there and asks that the " Woodcock" may be sent at once. No. 250. Acting Consul-General Warren to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 4.) (Telegraphic) Shanghae, July 4, 1900. SHENG TAOTAI has received following from Yuan Shih Kai :— " A messenger has reached here who started on the 27th June from Peking. He stated that the two Legations were being attacked by rioters and soldiers, over 100,000 in number, who had surrounded them, but had not yet succeeded in breaking through their defence. The Boxer Society has been joined by those connected with the Palace inside, as well as outside of it, even to the Princes. " The city gates are half-opened daily during half the day, and every one is worshipping the god of Boxers." No. 251. The Marquess of Salisbury to Acting Consul- General Warren. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 4, 1900. REPORT approximately the number of Europeans in Yang-tsze ports, and their distribution. If their lives should be in great peril, where and how would you recommend that they should be concentrated ? Communicate with the Consuls on the Yang-tsze if you think proper. [758] O 98 No. 252. -. ;, - _•;: The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Whitehead. '■/,t t It*' ^Telegraphic.) B Forei 9 n °^ ce ' July \ 1900 ' FOLLOWING just received from Admiral Seymour:— [Repeats Admiral Seymour, 30th June, communicated by Admiralty 4th July.*] This indicates a position of extreme gravity. You should communicate telegram at once to Japanese Ministers. Japan is the only Power which can send rapid rein- forcements to Tien-tsin. Ho objection hasrbeen raised -byany European Power to this course. ■ - ■• No. 253. Brigadier-General Dorivard to the Secretary of State for War .—(Communicated by War Office, July 5.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, vid Chef oo, July 4, 1900. OWING to further news from Peking, it has been decided, 29th June, at a>. meeting of Consular Body Tien-tsin to hand over situation to military authorities. Military situation as follows : — . Russians, 4,000 strong, occupy left bank river here. Settlements on right bank occupied by about 2,500 troops of. other nations, inclusive oi naval contingents. .About 3,500 troops,, other than. Russian, British, and chiedy consisting of Japanese, daily expected. . Owing want of transport, no possibility of advance all, the troops on Peking for the present. There is possibility, but not great probability, of attack upon Settle- ments by Chinese troops in force within the next .fortnight. In. that case positions held by French, British, Japanese, American, Italian forces would be unfavourable, owing to proximity of enemy's batteries and densely populated city. Russian position is a good one till rainy season ; German Settlement has only a few buildings, and is not an unfavourable defensible position. At a meeting of officers commanding foreign troops 29th June, we considered what steps should be taken to resist the attack upon Settlements by strong force of Chinese. I pointed out if enemy were allowed to enter city French Settlement would be hardly tenable, and British, American, Italian, Japanese, troops would be very unfavourably placed. I advised that steps should be. taken by occupation of defensible positions well outside city to deny it to enemy. All officers present agreed to recommendation except German, Russian, who prefer to resist the attack in their present positions on ground that, in their opinion, combined forces were not strong enough to hold positions outside, Russian General Officer Commanding was not present, but was represented by Chief of the Staff. Impossible to deny city to strong enemy without help from Russians. Meeting was presided over by Admiral Seymour, and was adjourned pending arrival of Admiral Alexieff, Governor- General, Eastern* Siberia, and Japanese General Fuksima. Both expected shortly. Steps will he taken to at once improve defensive position [of] French and British Settlements. Water supply can only be diminished — not destroyed — by Chinese. Advance to Peking can be made best up the river owing to want of rain. It is -said that crops have been planted only on the bank of river, leaving open country on both sides [of] planted strips. How r ever high crops grow, these strips will not be dis- advantageous to advance by river, which can be carried on to within 15 miles from Peking. Boats suitable for river traffic are being collected. Steps are being taken to repair line of railway and telegraph line here to Taku. Line of railway to Peking appears to be completely destroyed. Taking into consideration latest information of strength of enemy between this and Peking, and disjointed nature of*, mixed forces, 25,000 men will be necessary for advance to Peking. ..." - > See No. 245. 99 No. 254. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to^Admiralty. — (Communicated by Admiralty, July 5.) (Telegraphic.) Tien-tsin, July 2, vid Chefoo, July 4, 1900, AT the Council to-day it was decided to. attack remaining arsenal and the city 3rd July. Courier from Peking reports having passed on 1st July from 8,000 to 10,000 Chinese troops marching towards Tien-tsin about 28 miles distant. Have been forced to conclusion that quite 40,000 troops will be required for advance on Peking and to keep communications. Forces now in Tien-tsin: — American, 218; British, 1,940; French, 840; German, 650; Japanese, 1,095; Russian, 4,480. Total, 9,223. No. 255. Viscount Gough to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 5.) (Telegraphic.) Berlin, July 5, 1900. I HAVE received your Lordship's telegrams of the 2nd instant with reference to the proposal of Her Majesty's Government for a declaration by which all the autho- rities at Peking should be made responsible for the safety of the foreigners there. Inthe Opinion of the German Government, no means, with any chance of success, should be left untried for saving the foreigners in Peking, and, although they do not count on any distinct result, they are quite prepared to join in the collective declara- tion proposed, and to send instructions accordingly to the German Consul at Tien-tsin. The above step, they appear to think, could have been taken in addition to the step which was proposed by the Consuls at Tien-tsin, if the Powers had approved that proposal. It was urged by the Consuls that the effect on the rioters would have been salutary, especially as the Prince, who is their principal leader, belongs to the very dynasty, whose tombs were to be threatened. The German Consul also describes the tombs as being situated near to Peking— probably not in Manchuria, but the so-called " Eastern " tombs at Malamyu, on this side of the Great Wall. No. 256. The Marquess of Salisbury to Acting Consul- General Warren. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 5, 1900. I HAVE received your telegram of the 28th ultimo. I request that you will inform Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking that Her Majesty's Gevernment approve his action in detaining steamer. The return of gun- boat there before October is not possible. No. 257. The Marquess of Salisbury to Acting Consul-General Warren. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 5, 1900. INFORM all the- Viceroys, and any other Chinese authorities who, in your opinion, ought to know, that I have made the following communication to the Chinese Minister : — " The Chinese Minister is requested by Her Majesty's Government to transmit, by telegraph, in such manner as will insure the message reaching the Government at Peking, notice that they will be held to be personally guilty if the members of the European Legations, and other foreigners in Peking, suffer injury." T758[ O 2 100 No. 258. The Marquess of Salisbury to Acting Consul- General Warren. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 5, 1900. WITH reference to my telegram of to-day respecting safety of Europeans on the Yang-tsze, you should inform Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking that he must use his discretion as to hringing Europeans down the river should the position there he dangerous. No. 259. The Marquess of Salisbury to Lord Currie. My Lord, Foreign Office, July 5, 1900. I HAVE received your Excellency's despatch of the 28th ultimo, reporting a conversation you had had with the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs in regard to events in China, and the steps which the Italian Government are taking to strengthen their naval force in the China Seas. With reference to M. Visconti-Venosta's statement that the Italian Government would be prepared to send a regiment to take part in the occupation of Peking in the event of circumstances making such action desirable, and the desire expressed by him to know whether the course they proposed to follow meets with the concurrence of Her Majesty's Government, I have to request you to convey to his Excellency my best thanks for his courteous communication, and to state that Her Majesty's Government highly appreciate the desire of the Italian Government to co-operate with the other Powers in the restoration of order in China, and in the future arrangements to be made in regard to that country. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBUEY, No. 260. Mr. Whitehead to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received July G.) (Telegraphic .)- T6kio, July 5, 1900. WITH reference to my telegram of yesterday, a Memorandum, which is briefly as follows, was left by the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs with me last night : — "Japanese Government consider troubles in north of China much more deep- rooted and of far wider bearings than might appear. While prepared to take full share in concerted action, they realize that expedition to Peking is extremely difficult and will require a very large force. In view of this they think it highly advisable that Powers concerned should now exchange views as to joint measures to be taken to meet eventualities." The Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs is, I believe, sending this to all the Governments concerned. No suggestion was made by his Excellency as to what these joint measures should be, but I understand that he means that his Government will send a large military expedition if, by previous agreement among the Powers, they are assured that Japan will be protected from complications, and will be reasonably indemnified for outlay of money and men. The Japanese Government are dispatching about 2,500 men at once, in addition to those already sent, in order to assist in holding Taku and Tien-tsin. 101 No. 261. Acting Consul-General Warren to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 6.) (Telegraphic.) Shanghae, July 5, 1900. ALL Consuls here are sending following to-day to their Governments : — " Situation very grave. Boxer movement growing, and should the allied forces at Tieu-tsin fail to check it it will extend down to the centre and south of China and become a national movement, resulting in expulsion or murder of all foreigners in interior and total ruin to foreign trade. " In view of this it is necessary that a force should be sent to check the advance and support Viceroys in keeping order." No. 262. Acting Consul- General Warren to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 6.) (Telegraphic.) Shanghae, July 6, 1900. FOLLOWING is number of Europeans at Yang-tsze ports : — Shanghae, 7,000 ; Suchow, 37 ; Hangchow, 37 ; Chinkiang, 130 ; Nanking, 59 ; Kiukiang, 740 ; Wu-hu, 50 ; Hankow, 400 ; Ichang, 60 ; Chungking, 75. There is a man-of-war at all the Yang-tsze ports but Chungking. In case of serious danger, it would be best for Europeans to withdraw to Shanghae. Except in the case of Ichang and Chungking, river steamers arrive and depart at each port daily. No. 263. Viscount Gough to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 6.) (Telegraphic.) Berlin, July 6, 1900. WHEN I communicated to the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the notice sent through Chinese Minister to Peking Government by Her Majesty's Government, he gave me to understand that a similar notice would be sent by the German Government to the Taotai Sheng, who, it is believed, has the means to forward it. No. 264. Sir H. Rumbold to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 6.) (Telegraphic.) Pienna, July 6, 1900. I HAVE communicated to Austro-Hungarian Government warning sentjtG; Peking by your Lordship.* The Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs conveys his thanks for this message, and states that a proposal for a similar collective warning was received on the 5th July from Paris and agreed to although" Austro-Hungarian Government feared it would ceme too late. I was told by Count Sz^csen that the Consul- General for Austria-Hungary, at Shanghae, reported the position of affairs there to be threatening. Austro-Hungarian Ambassador in London has therefore been instructed to ask that a refuge on board Her Majesty's ships may be given to the Austro-Hungarian subjects and Consular authorities in case of danger. * See No. 257. 102 No. 265. ; . > The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Whitehead. /m , , . N Foreign Office, July 6, 1900. (Telegraphic.) ^ &ny hope ^ , succes8 for the urgent purpose otl^e Legations* and,,if they delay, heavy re ^ ons1 ^^ them We are prepared to furnish any financial assistance which is necessary in addition to our forces already on the spot. Wwppn immediate Her Majesty's Government wish to draw a sharp distinction ^^^ ™Jgi£' operations which may be still in time to save the Legations "f^^JX.J^S which may be undertaken. We may leave to future consideration all questions as to the latter. No. 266. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Whitehead. (Telegraphic) . Foreign Office, July 6, WO. , .JAPANESE troops for China : My telegram of to-day. In the circumstances we are prepared, to undertake this financial responsibn^ty Bince a fatal expenditure of time would result from international negotiations on the point. No. 267. Mr. Whitehead to the Marquess of Salisbury.— {Received July 6.) /m i Mo \ T6ki6, July 6, 1900. e WH reference to your telegram of the 4th July, I have just received a visit from the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, who informs me that reinforcements to make up the Japanese force to 20,000 men will be sent as rapidly as possible. No. 268. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir E. Monson. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 6, 1900. YOUR' telegram of 4th July. We have suggested to Japanese Government that they should dispatch reinforce- ments to China as soon as possible. Inform Erench Government. No. 269. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. Scott. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 6, 1900. THE crisis in China. With reference to your telegram of 4th July, you should inform Russian Government that Her Majesty's Government have suggested to the Japanese Govern- ment that they should, with as little delay as possible, dispatch reinforcements to China. 103 No. 270. The Marquess of Salisbury to Acting Consul-General Warren. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 6, 3900. DO you suggest in your telegrams of the 4th and 5th instant that the "Viceroys, or any one of them, are now prepared to welcome the presence of a British force atjtfte Treaty ports of the Yang-tsze ? No. 271. The Marquess of Salisbury to Acting Consul- General Warren. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 6, 1900. YOU may give the assurances to the Viceroys you suggest in your telegram of the 4th instant. There are thirteen ships on the Yang-tsze already, and, as ships' hecome available, the force will he added to. No. 272. Admiralty to Senior Naval Officer, Woosung. — (Communicated by Admiralty, July 6.) (Telegraphic.) Admiralty, July 6, 1900. ATJSTRO-HUNGABIAN Government ask that Her Majesty's ships may afford protection to Consulate Shanghae, and, if necessary, receive staff on board. You are to afford such protection as may be possible. No. 273. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 9 ) My Lord, Peking, May 21, 1900. IN my despatch of the 16th April 1 had to report to your Lordship that in spite of the commencement of a firmer attitude on the part of the Chinese Government towards the anti-Christian movement in North China, there still existed indications of danger in this neighbourhood from the " Boxer" Society. The long-continued impunity accorded to this organization, and the supineness and procrastination which the Government had displayed in face of the constantly repeated representations of the foreign Ministers ever since the month of January, undoubtedly rendered the task of the Chinese authorities, when at last forced to awaken to the danger of the situation, much more difficult than it would have been if taken in hand at an earlier date. The result was that the activity of the "Boxers " showed no signs of diminution; reports of depredations in country districts indicated that armed bands of them were approaching daily nearer to Peking ; while hi the city itself the frequent spectacle of numbers of young lads practising in a kind of hypnotic frenzy, the peculiar gymnastic evolutions inculcated by the craft, and the appearance of numerous virulent anti-foreign placards posted in conspicuous places, combined to create considerable alarm amongst the native Christians of all denominations, a feeling which they were not slow in trying to communicate to their foreign spiritual directors. I take this opportunity of inclosing a translation of one of these placards as a specimen of the silly superstitions which the leaders of this movement work on to further their designs. Several similar documents have been forwarded to this Legation, most of them less literary in composition* and containing more scurrilous abuse of foreigners, but all having for their theme the necessity of putting all foreigners to death. 1 have called the attention of the Yamen more than once to the posting of such placards, and have been . assured that steps were being taken to put a stop to this dangerous practice. The inclosed copy of a despatch from Her Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin dated the & 2nd Mayi shows the elements of danger that exist in the north of the province generally. 101 On the 18th instant I received news through the London Mission of the destruction by " Boxers " of one of their chapels about 40 miles south-east of Peking, and the murder of a native preacher. I at once wrote to the Yamen— copy of letter inclosed— informing them of this outrage, and urging the necessity of strenuous measures to avoid further disturbances. I also called the same day at the YamSn to ask what steps were being taken, and to lay special stress upon the necessity of protecting outlying country districts. The Ministers present admitted that the Chinese Government had now come to regard the situation as serious. A Decree had been issued the day before calling on the Governor of Peking, the police censors, and the Peking Gendarmerie to concert measures for the immediate suppression of the movement, and to report within a fevy days what steps had been taken. As regards the country districts, the Viceroy of Chihli had been given special instructions to put down the "Boxers" rigorously. They discussed frankly the practical difficulties which had to be surmounted, but they assured me most solemnly for the information of Her Majesty's Government, that these difficulties would be sur- mounted, and that this Society could not fail to be suppressed within a short time. The tone and temper of the Ministers, even more than their words, gave me the impression of a distinct change for the better in their attitude, and I was encouraged to find that in this respect, at least, my efforts and those of my colleagues during the past six months had not been fruitless. The next day, 19th May, the Spanish Minister, as doyen of the Diplomatic Body, circulated the letter from the French Minister, and its inclosure, of which I have the honour to forward copies herewith, and called a meeting of the foreign Representatives for the following day to discuss their contents. Your Lordship will observe that, in Mgr. Favier's letter to M. Pichon, the situation at Peking is painted in very dark colours. The Bishop declares that the conditions now are precisely similar to those preceding the Tien-tsin massacre of 1870, and asks that a guard of marines should be sent to protect the lives of French missionaries. At the meeting of the Diplomatic Body which took plate, accordingly, jesterday, the French Minister showed that he was profoundly impressed by the "apprehensions of Mgr. Favier, and by reports which he had received from other sources. He expressed -complete disbelief in the genuineness of the measures of which the Yamen had spoken to ■me, and declared that it was impossible to exaggerate the danger of the outlook. Mgr. Favier has lived in Peking for over thirty years, and is in constant touch with Chinese of all classes, so that it was generally felt that, after making all due allowances for the colour which might have been lent to his words by the fears of his converts, his deliberately expressed opinion on the situation could not be treated with indifference. At the same time, we did not consider that the circumstances, so far as we were as yet in a position to judge, were such as to justify the bringing up of Legation Guards, and M. Pichon did not insist upon the immediate necessity for such a step. He produced the draft of a joint note which he proposed the doyen should be authorized to address to the Tsung-li Yamen, in which certain specific measures for the suppression of the " Boxers " were demanded, and, after some discussion, the terms of this note were accepted by the meeting. It was sent in to the Yamen to-day, and I have the honour to inclose a copy .herewith. The German Minister laid stress at the meeting on the importance of deciding on -some common action if the Yamen did not return a satisfactory reply to the note, or if the Chinese Government failed to carry out the measures demanded by the foreign Representatives. He considered that in such an event the calling up of guards was not sufficient to bring the Chinese Government to a sense of their obligations. He thought that the most effective means of bringing pressure on the Government would be by a concentration of ships of war near Shanhaikuan, from which parties could be landed, if necessary, to march for the protection of foreigners in Peking. This proposal was supported by the majority of the Representatives, and it was -decided that we should recommend it to our respective Governments as a contingent .measure. In concurring in this decision, I was largely guided by the fact that the joint note -demands little more than the Chinese Government have already professed to be their principle in dealing with the disturbances, and that I, therefore, see no reason to anticipate an unfavourable answer. I had the honour to report to your Lordship by telegraph to-day the substance of what passed at yesterday's meeting. As regards my own opinion as to the danger to which Europeans in Peking are 105 exposed, I confess that little has come to my own knowledge to confirm the gloomy anticipations of the French Fathers. The demeanour of the inhabitants of the city continues to be quiet and civil towards foreigners, as far as my experience and that of my staff is concerned, although, from the undoubted panic which exists amongst the native Christians, it may be assumed that the latter are being subjected to threats of violence. I am convinced that a few days' heavy rainfall, to terminate the long-continued drought which has helped largely to excite unrest in the country districts, would do more to restore tranquillity than any measures which either the Chinese Government or foreign Governments could take. As this cannot be counted upon, my judgment as to the probability of continued security must be suspended until the Chinese Government shows by its action within the next few days, whether or not it has the will and the power to do its duty. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 273. Placard posted in West City, Peking. (Translation.) IN a certain street in Peking some worshippers of the I-ho Ch'uan (" Boxers") at midnight suddenly saw a spirit descend in their midst. The spirit was silent for a long- time, and all the congregation fell upon their knees and prayed. Then a terrible voice was heard saying : — "I am none other than the Great Yii Ti (God of the unseen world) come down in person. Well knowing that ye are all oi devout mind, I have just now descended to make known to you that these are times of trouble in the world, and that it is impossible to set aside the decrees of fate. Disturbances are to be dreaded from the foreign devils; every- where they are starting Missions, erecting telegraphs, and building railways ; they do not believe in the sacred doctrine, and they speak evil of the Gods. Their sins are numberless as the hairs of the head. Therefore am I wrath, and my thunders have pealed forth. By night and by day have I thought of these things. Should I command my Generals to come down to earth, even they would not have strength to change the course of fate. For this reason I have given forth my decree that I shall descend to earth at the head of all the saints and spirits, and that wherever the I-ho Ch'uan are gathered together, there shall the Gods be in the midst of them. I have also to made known to all the righteous in the three worlds that they must be of one mind, and all practice the cult of the I-ho Ch'uan, that so the wrath of heaven may be appeased. " So soon as the practice of the 1-ho Ch'uan has been brought to perfection — wait for three times three or nine times nine, nine times nine or three times three* — then shall the devils meet their doom. The will of heaven is that the telegraph wires be first cut, then the railways torn up, and then shall the foreign devils be decapitated. In that day shall the hour of their calamities come. The time for rain to fall is yet afar off, and all on account of the devils. "I hereby make known these commands to all you righteous folk, that ye may strive with one accord to exterminate all foreign devils, and so turn aside the wrath of heaven. This shall be accounted unto you for well doing; and on the day when it is don", the wind and rain shall be according to your desire. "Therefore I expressly command you make this known in every place." This I saw with my own eyes, and therefore I make bold to take my pen and write what happened. They who believe it shall have merit ; they who do not believe it shall have guilt. The wrath of the spirit was because of the destruction of the Temple of Yii Ti. He sees that the men of the I-ho Ch'uan are devout worshippers and pray to him. If my tidings are false, may I be destroyed by the five thunderbolts. Uh moon, 1st day {April 29, 1900). * Meaning obscure. [758] 106 Enclosure 2 in No. 273, Consul Carles to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Tien-tsin, May 2, 1900. I HAVE the honour to report that the measures taken by the authorities in this neighbourhood to repress the activity of the " Boxers " have produced some result, though placards of an offensive character are still widely distributed. At Yung Ching the author of some placards attacking the English Mission there had to apologise to the Rev. Mr. Norman, and the hostility of the people since then has apparently died away. The Magistrate at Tung-an-hsien, who has done his utmost to -repress the " Boxers," had issued a reward for the arrest of the leaders and information as to their lodges, when instructions received by him, as it was reported, from the Empress Dowager, but which pro- bably were those contained in the recent Edict, led to the sudden withdrawal of the rewards posted, and to an immediate display of hostility by the people in the town towards native Christians of so marked a character that Mr. Grant, a missionary residing there, withdrew his familv at once. The Viceroy, on my representing the matter to him, sent soldiers there, and within a few days an improvement was manifested. The worst placards I have seen emanate fromTa-ching-hsien. I communicated them to the Viceroy, and his Excellency at once issued orders for their suppression, and the punishment of their authors, if possible. M. du Chaylard informed me on the 22nd April last that he had received a teleoram from Pao-ting, stating that the Christians of the environs of Lung-lu had been killed in great numbers in the village of Chiang-chia-chuang on the previous day. Two days later he told me that the affray had, it was true, been of a serious character, but that only one Christian had lost his life, and that seventy '•' Boxers " had been killed. He also informed me that, acting on his advice, the Roman Catholic priests had placed fire-arms in the hands of their converts. The only further details regarding this affair which have reached me came from Pao-ting-fu, and were to the effect that 1,100 "Boxers" had been threatening the place, and that a collision occurred between them and the Roman Catholics, with the result mentioned bv the French Consul- General. I am sorry to have to qualify my report as to the improvement by adding that in the north and north-east of the province considerable uneasiness seems to exist Brigandage in the country between Chao-yang and Chin-chou has broken out a°-ain and" in the neighbourhood of Jehol, 1'ing-ch'uan, and Ta-tzu-k'ou : the "Chin Tan "' and "Tsai Li" Societies are said to be preparing to revenge themselves for the punishment inflicted on the latter Society in 1891. I have, &c. (Signed) W. R. CARLES. Inclosure 3 in No. 273. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Mmistres, Peking, May 18, 1900. I HAVE just heard that at a place called ruing Ts'un, south of Ku-an and Cho- chou, a chapel belonging to the London Mission has been destroyed by " Boxers " and that a native preacher, named Chao Ting-chiin, has been killed after barbarous treatment. I also hear that at Wu-ch'ing, Far.gshan, and other districts to the south of Peking the people are in a state of dangerous unrest owing to the activity of this lawless organization, and that threats are openly made to attack Mission stations and put converts to death. r 1 have the honour to remind your Highness and your Excellencies that for the last six months I have unceasingly, both by -.vritten communications and personal inter- views, striven to awake the Chinese Government to the extreme danger involved by their continued failure to take adequate measures for the complete suppression of the '*< I-ho cbiian " and the " Ta-tao-hui."* My representations have been invariably met by assurances * " Fist of righteous harmony," and " Big knife " Societies, 107 that the dangers I apprehended were exaggerated, and that the Chinese Government were doing all that was necessary in the interests of peace. Now that riotous attacks on foreign Missions are taking place within a few miles ot the capital, I trust that your Highness and your Excellencies will at last cease to treat my representations with the apathy which has hitherto characterized the attitude of the Yamen, and it is in this hope that I hasten to bring to your notice this latest lamentable outrage, of which I have as yet received no detailed particulars. I avail, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Tnclosure 4 in No. 273. M. Pichon to M. de Cologan. M. le Doyen et cher Collegue, Legation de France a Pe'kin, le 19 Mai, 1900. J'AI l'honneur de vous prier de vouloir bien communiquer a nos collegues la lettre ci-incluse qui vient de me parvenir. En presence des informations qu'elle soutient, et qui confirment celles qui me viennent de toutes parts ; en presence aussi de l'impossibilite d'obtenir du Gouvernement Chinois par une action isolee les mesures necessaires pour assurer la securite" des etrangers dans le Tche-ly et a Pekin, j'ai l'honneur de vous prier de vouloir bien convoquer d'urgence une reunion du Corps Diplomatique dans le but de deliberer sur la situation. Veuillez, &c. (Signe) S. PICHON. (Translation.) Sir and dear Colleague, French Legation, Peking, May 19, 1900. I HAVE the honour to beg that you will kindly communicate the contents of the inclosed letter, which has just reached me, to our colleagues. In view of the opinions that it upholds, which confirm those reaching me from all sides, and, further, owing to the impossibility of obtaining from the Chinese Government the necessary measures for insuring the safety of foreigners in Chih-li and in Peking by isolated action, I have the honour to request that you will kindly summon a meeting at once of the Diplomatic Corps for the purpose of discussing the situation. I have, &c. (Signed) S. PICHON. Inclosure 5 in No. 273. Pere Favier to M. Pichon. Vicariat dpostolique de Pe'kin et Tche-ly Nord, M. le Ministre, Pe'kin, le 19 Mai, 1900. DE jour en jour la situation devient plus grave et plus menacante. Dans la Pre- fecture de Paoting-fu, plus de soixante-dix Chretiens ont ete massacres ; trois autres neophytes ont ete coupes en morceaux. Plusieurs villages ont ete pilles et hvres aux flammes ; un plus grand nombre d'autres ont ete completement abandonnes. Plus de 2 000 Chre'liens sont en fuite, sans pain, sans vetements et sans abri ; a Pekin seulement, environ 400 remgies, hommes, femmes et enfants, sont deja loges ,chez nous et chez les sceurs ; avant huit jours nous en aurons probablement plusieurs milhers ; nous allons etre obliges de licencier les <5coles, les colleges et tous les h6pitaux pour faire place a ces malheureux. . v . Du c6te l'est le pillage et l'incendie sont imminents ; nous recevons a cnaque neure les nouvelles les plus alarmantes. Peking est ceruS" de tous cot6s ; les Boxeurs se raDDrochent chaque jour de la capitale, retardes seulement par l'aneantissement qu'ils font des Chretientes. Croyez-moi, je vous prie, M. le Ministre, je suis bien informe et je [758] P 2 108 navance rien a legale. La persecution religieuse n'est qu'un rideau ; le but principal est ^extermination des Europeens, but qui est clairement indique et ecrit sur les etendards des Boxeurs. Leurs affilies les attendent a Pekin; on doit cornmencer par l'attaque des eglises et finir par celle des Legations. Pour nous, ici au Pei-t'ang, le jour est meme fixe; tout la ville le connait, tout le monde en parle, et l'effervescence populaire est manifer.te. Hier soir encore, quarante-trois pauvres femmes avec leurs enfants, fuyant le massacre, sont ariivees chez les sceurs ; plus de 500 personnes les accompagnaient, en leur disant que, si elles ont echappes une fois, celles y passeront bientdt ici avec les autres. . Je ne vous parle pas, M. le Ministre, des placards sans nombre qui sont affichis dans la ville conlre les Europeens en general ; chaque jour il en parait de nouveaux, plus clairs les uns que les autres. Les personnes qui ont assiste, il y a trente ans, aux massacres de Tien-tsin, sont frappees de la ressemblance de la situation d'alors avec celle d'aujourd'hui ; rnemes placards, inenies menaces, niemes avertissements, et meme aveuglement. Alors aussi, comme aujourd'hui, les missionnaires ont ecrit, supplie, prevoyant l'horrible reveil. Dans ces circonstances, M. le Ministre, je crois de mon devoir de yous prier de vouloir bien nous cnvoyer, au moins au Pei-t'ang, quarante ou cinquante marins pour proteger nos personnes et nos biens. Cela s'est fait deja dans des circonstances beaucoup moins critiques; et j'espere que vous prendrez en consideration mon humble supplique. Veuillez, &c. (Signe) ALPH. EAVIEE, Ev. Vic. Ap. de Pekin. , Ev. Coadjuteur. C. M. GUILLAUME, Vic. Gen. (Translation.) Apostolic Mission of Peking and North Chih-li, M. le Ministre, Peking, May 19, 1900. THE situation becomes daily more and more serious and threatening - . In the Prefecture of Paoting-fu more than seventy Christians have been massacred, three other neophytes have been cut to pieces. Several villages have been looted and burnt, a great number of others have been completely "deserted. Over 2,000 Christians are fugitives, being without food, clothes, or shelter ; in Peking alone about 400 refugees— men, women, and children — have already been given shelter by us and the Sisters of Charity; in another week's time we shall probably have several thousands to look after; we shall be obliged to disband the schools, colleges, and all the hospitals, to make room for these unfortunate people. On the east pillage and incendiarism are imminent ; we receive more and more alarming news every hour. Peking is surrounded on all sides; the Boxers are daily approaching the capital, being only delayed by their measures for exterminating all Christians. I beg you will be assured, M. le Ministre, that I am well informed and am making no statements at random. The religious persecution is only a blind, the main object is to exterminate the Europeans, and this object is clearly indicated and written on the Boxers' standards. • Their accomplices in Peking are awaiting them ; they are to begin by an attack on the churches, and are finally to assault the Legations. For us, indeed, here at Pei-t'ang, the day of attack has actually been fixed ; the whole town knows it, everybody is talking about it, and the popular excitement is clearlv manifest. Last night, again, forty-three poor women, with their children, flying from massacre, arrived at the Sisters' Home ; over 500 people accompanied them, telling them that, although they had succeeded in escaping once, they would soon all perish here with the rest. I will not speak of the numberless placards, M. le Ministre, which are posted in the town against Europeans in general ; new notices appear dailv. each more clearly expressed than the last. People who were present al the massacres in Tien-tsin thirty years a°-o are struck by the similarity of the situation then with that of to-day; there are the same placards, the same threats, the same notices, and the same want of foresight. Then also, as to-day, the missionaries wrote and begged, foreseeing the horrible awakening. & In these circumstances, M. le Ministre, I think it is my duty to request you to send us, at least to Pei-t'ang, forty or fifty sailors, to protect us and our belongings. 109 This has been done on much less critical occasions, and I trust you will favourably Consider mj humble supplication. I have, &c. (Signed) ALPH. PAVIER, Ev. Vic. Ap. de Pekin. , Ev. Coadjuteur, C. M. GTTILLAUME, Vic-Gen. Inclosure 6 in No. 273. M. de Cologan to the Tsung-li YamSn. Pekin, le 21 Mai, 1900. J'AI l'honneur de communiquer a votre Altesse et a vos Excellences le texte d'une resolution prise hier par les Representants des Puissances e"trangeres accredits a Pekin:— " Le Corps Diplomatique, s'appuyant sur les Decrets Imperiaux deja rendus qui ont edicte la dissolution des Boxeurs, reclame : — "1. L'arrestation de tout individu se livrant aux exercices de cette association, provoquant des troubles sur la voie publique, affichant, imprimant ou distribuant des placards qui contiendraient des menaces contre les etrangers ; " 2. L'arrestation des proprietaires et gardiens de temples ou autres endroits ou les Boxeurs se reuniraient, et l'assimilation aux Boxeurs eux-m£mes de ces complices de provocations criminelles. " 3. Le chatiment des agents de la force publique qui se rendraient coupables de negligence dans la repression dont ils seront charge's ou qui seraient de connivance avec les erneutiers ; "4. L'execution des auteurs d'attenlats (meurtre, incendie, &c.) contre les personnes ou les proprietes ; " 5. L'execution des iudividus qui subventionnent et dirigent les Boxeurs dans les troubles actuels. " 6. La publication dans Pekin, dans le Tche-ly, et les autres provinces du nord, portant ces mesures a la connaissance de la population." Je suis en outre charge par le Corps Diplomatique d'informer votre Altesse et vos Excellences qu'il attend dans le plus bref delai une response satisfaisante a cette demande. Je profite, &c. (Signe) B. J. DE COLOGAN. (Translation.) Peking, May 21, 1900. 1 HAVE the honour to communicate to your Highness and to your Excellencies the text of a Resolution which was adopted yesterday by the Representatives of the foreign Powers who are accredited to Peking : — " The Corps Diplomatique, relying on the Imperial Decrees which have already been issued for the suppression of the Boxers, demands:— "1. The arrest of every individual who takes part in the drill of this Associa. tion, or creates disturbances in the streets, or who further posts, prints, or distributes placards containing threats against foreigners. "2. The arrest of the proprietors and guardians of the temples or localities where the Boxers assemble, and the assimilation to the Boxers themselves of their accomplices in criminal actions. "3. The punishment of agents of the public force who are guilty of negligence in the measures of suppression with which they have been charged, or are in connivance with the rioters. "4. The execution of the authors of attempts (at murder or incendiarism) against persons or property. "5. The execution of individuals who have assisted and directed the Boxers in the present troubles. "6. The publication in Peking, and in Chih-li and the other northern provinces, of these measures, so as to bring them to the notice of the public." 110 I am further charged by the Corps Diplomatique to inform your Highness and your Excellencies that a satisfactory answer to this demand is awaited with as short a delay as possible. * I avail, &c. (Signed) B. J. DE COLOGAN. No. 274. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 9.) My Lord, Peking, May 28, 1900. IN continuation of my despatch of the 2lst instant, I have the honour to forward to your Lordship herewith a translation of the Yamen's reply to the doyen's note of that date, on the subject of the Boxer disturbances. The Yamen's note as it stands cannot, as your Lordship will perceive, be considered a satisfactory reply to the demands made by the foreign Representatives for specific measures of suppression. It alludes to the Edict, of which the Ministers had already informed me at my interview of the 18th instant, without mentioning what the terms of the Edict were, and it states vaguely that the measures contemplated for the suppression of the Boxers are on the lines of those suggested by the Diplomatic Body, without, indicating what is actually being done. I had, accordingly, the honour to telegraph to your Lordship on the 25th instant to the effect that the Yamdn's reply seemed to me most unlikely to be accepted as satisfactory, but that I was awaiting the opinion of my colleagues thereon. The note in question having been circulated to the foreign Representatives a meeting was summoned by the doyen on the evening of the 26th instant to consider the situation. The French Minister began by expressing in forcible terms his opinion of the unsatisfactory nature of the Yamen's reply, and proceeded to describe the results of his investigation into the causes of the alarm that existed in the Roman Catholic Missions. . He said that all his information proved that this alarm was amply justified. At Mission stations, both outside and inside the city, where soldiers had been sent ostensibly to protect the Missions, the soldiers were fraternizing with the Boxers, and helping to terrorize the Christians, alleging that the real object of their arrival was to prevent the latter from escaping before the time fixed for their massacre. In the city the Proclama tions, which had been posted by the authorities, were being torn down by the populace amidst angry maledictions against the Government for daring to denounce so patriotic a body as the' c Eist" Society; and priests and converts alike were everywhere received with menaces and abuse. So audacious had the Boxers become that they actually lighted fires in the streets as signals for assembly. M. Pichou stated his conviction that there was grave danger of a very serious outbreak, and that protection was urgently required for all Europeans in Peking. If the Chinese Government failed to adopt immediate and effective measures, the foreign Representatives ought to bring up Legation guards in sufficient numbers to prevent the possibility of a rising. The Italian Minister confirmed from his own experiences many of the facts adduced by M. Pichon, and also expressed the opinion that the Yamen's reply was most unsatis- factory. M. de Giers, the Russian Minister agreed with his colleagues as to the unsatisfactory nature of the Yamen note, but said he had reason to believe that it did not adequately represent the intentions of the Chinese Government, who were genuinely determined to take effective measures. He could not believe that the danger was so imminent as the French Minister described it. He admitted, however, that the latter had sources of information which put him in a better position than his colleagues for judging of the situation, and he felt, as we all did, that it was, therefore, impossible to disregard the views expressed by M. Pichon. During the discussion that followed the German Minister, Baron von Ketteler declared that it was utterly useless either to expect the Chinese Government to do anything effective, or to take any action ourselves, such as bringing up guards, based on the belief that that Government could remain stable, or on the desire to assist in proppin" up its crumbling structure. ° It was eventually decided that the doyen should address a note to the Tsung-l'i Yamen, and send it in the same evening, demanding that the terms of the Edict which Ill they had mentioned should be communicated to the foreign Representatives, and that a categorical statement should be furnished of the measures taken for the suppression of the anti-foreign movement. Both the Russian Minister and myself had appointments to meet Prince Ch'ing at the Yamln next day on business connected with the Boxers, and our colleagues requested and authorized each of us to lay the views of the whole Diplomatic Body before the Prince, and to press for a favourable reply. We were to meet our colleagues again in the evening after our interviews, and it was resolved that if by that time the Yamen had not answered satisfactorily, Legation guards should be sent for without further delay. I bad the honour to telegraph to your Lordship yesterday the substance of what passed at the meeting. At my interview yesterday with Prince Ch'ing and the Ministers of the Yam&n, whieh took place immediately before that of M. de Giers, I accordingly delivered the message with which I was charged. I found it unnecessary to lay stress on the dangers of the situation, as it was evident that the Ministers had already heard the worst that could be said on the subject, and the Prince at once interrupted me to express the lively concern with which the Throne regarded the recent manifestations of the Boxers' activity. It was apparent that .unrest and dissatisfaction was being excited not only against foreigners and native Christians, but against the Chinese Government also. The strictest instructions had been given to the Viceroy of Chihli to arrest and punish the ringleaders and disperse their dupes. Inside the city, also, all possible measures were being taken, and his Highness, as Commander of the Peking field force, said he was willing personally to undertake the protection of all foreigners. Another Yamen Minister, Ch'ung Li, who is at the head of the Peking gendarmerie, described the investigations he had himself made in his capacity as a "local authority," and the measures he had tal> ii elegraphic Telegraphic telegraphic l'elegraphic Jan. 6, 1899 6, 17, 21, Dec. 0, 1898 10, 11, Jan. 27, 1899 30, Dec. 5, 1S98 Feh. 2, 1899 3, 3, 2, 7, 8, 13, Dec. 19, 1898 20, Subject. Page " Kow-shing " claim. Asks for information as to negotiations with the Chinese Govern- ment Surveys for Burmah-Yiinnan Railway. Letters from survey parties . . . . . . Yang-tsze navigation. Are considering ques- tion of sending a gun-boat to Chungking . . " Kow-<=hing." Replies to No. 1. Her Ma- jesty's Government have renewed offer to refer the matter to arbitration Murder of Mr. Fleming. Steps taken Mr. Pritchard- Morgan's Contract for mining in Szechuan. Negotiations Agreements of Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank for Newcliwang-Snanliaikiian Railway and Naup'iao Coal .Mines. Reports ratifi- cation Shashih. Prospects of trade discouraging Shishih foreign Settlement. Instructions sent to Sir C. MacDonald .. Murder of Mr. Fleming. Approves his action Shashih. Translation of Agreement for forma- tion of Japanese Settlement Marine guard at Peking. Asks for his opinion as to withdrawal in spring Navigation of Yang-tsze gorges. Sir J. Lister- Kaje's scheme referred to Viceroys of Hukuang and Szechuen " Kow-shing " claim. Objections to arbitra- tion. Hope settlement will be pressed for .. German Protectorate at Kiao-chau. Debate in Reichstag on grant for expenses Imperial audience at new year will not take P lace Navigation of Upper Yang-tsze. Concurs as to advisability ol sending gun-boat to Chung- king "Kow-shing" claim. Replies to No. 14. Maintains view that case is one for arbi- tration • • • ■ • • Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway. Should arrange with his German colleague tor supporting Syndicates .. Attack on Mr. Campbell at Lukon Ch'iao. Punishment of Commander of troops con- cerned • ■ *• » * •• Chinese army. Steps for reorganization of (he forces in the north . . ["1049J TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1U Name. Sir C. MacDonald 11 ii •• i» • - >i >i ii ii Telegraphic Telegraphic felegraphic Date. To Sir C. MacDonald Sir C. MacDonald . , ii ii 31 II Sir F. Lascelles To Sir C. MacDonald Admiralty . . » , Sir F. Lascelles J! » • • To Sir C. MacDonald To Admiralty Yunnan Company . . Telf graphic Dec. 20, 1898 20, 22, Feb. 21, 1899 22, 23, 24, Dec. 29, 1898 Jan. 7, 1899 7, 7, 9, 10, Feb. 25, 28, Mar. 2, 1, 1, 8, 14, 15, Subject, Reception of wives of foreign Representatives by Dowager Empress . . Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway. Negotiations. Chinese Commissioners instructed to nego- tiate with English and (jet man Banks French Settlement at Shanghae. Objections to extension. Negotiations with Yam&n .. Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway. Is supporting applicants in conreri with German Repre- sentative. Difficulty as to pare of line Tien-t'in-Chinkiang Railway. German Go- vernment maintain that part which passes through Shantung must be a German line . . Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway. Claim of Ger- man Government in regard to Chinan-Ichou section Attack on Mr. Campbell at Lukon Ch'iao. Incident may be considered closed Anglo- Eastern Syndicate. Steps to obtain concessions from the Chinese Government . . Railway concessions in China. Correspon- dence with Chinese Government regarding their derision not to undertake the construc- tion of any more railways for the present . . Mining and Railway Regulations issued by Cninese Government, has protesttd against them .. Foreign loans for Chinese mines and railway*. Previous consent of General Hoard neces- sary to secure sanction by Chinese Govern- ment . . •• •• Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Negotiations with Chinese Government Additions to Board of Tsung-li Yamfoi Railway construction in Shantung . . Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway. Should sup- poit German claims unless he sees good cause to withhold assistance Navigation of Upper Yang-tsze. Proposal to send gun-boats to Chungking, Despatch to Commander-in-chief on Cnina Station . . Page German interests in China. Reichstag Questions in Shantung. Statement of Herr von Billow on commercial development Mining and Railway Regulations for China. A| proves his protest Gun-boits on the Yang-t'ze. Two should be permanently stationed in the lower river Burmah-Ytinnan railway surveys and trade. Repotts from Mr. L. Tucker and Captain Davies . . . . 36 36 VI TABLE OP CONTENTS. Wo. 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 Name. China Association To Sir C. MacDonald To Sir E. Mouson . . Sir C. MacDonald .. » j> • ■ » « • • China Association Sir C. MacDonald . . To Sir Chih Chen Lo FSng Luh To Sir C. MacDonald Sir C. MacDonald . . To Admiralty Mr. Bax-Ironside To Admiralty Sir C.Scott it n To Mr. Bax-Ironside Mr. Bax-Ironside To Mr. Pritchard- Morgan, M.P. Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. Mar. 14, 1899 17, Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic 17, Jan 1 1, 16, 19, 28, Mar. 17, 18, 18, 19, 21, 22, 22, 23, 23, 22, 23, 29, 30, SO, Apr. 1, Subject. Pag? Navigation of Upper Yang-tsze. Observations on proposal to send gun-boats to Chung- king Extension of French and International Settle- ments at Shanghae. Communication made by French Ambassador. To report facts , , Extension of French and International Settle- ments at Shanghae. Communication made by French Ambassador Messrs. Macdona and Sheridan's application for concession of railway from Hangchow to Canton ' . . Mr. Fritchard-Morgan's proposals in connection with Chinese Mining Board Japanese Settlement at Shashih. Note to Yam In making reservations on part of Her Majesty's Government . Murder of Mr. Fleming: Further steps taken. Proceedings of Mr. Litton at Kueiyang Calls attention to want of a Code of Chinese Mercantile Law and Mixed Courts Extension of International Settlement at Shanghae. Action of French Minister " Kow-shing " claim. Any reply from Chinese Government in regard to proposal for arbi- tration ? Yang-tsze navigation. Question where gun- boats should be stationed Yang-tsze navigation. Views as to movements of gun-boats Extension of International Settlement at Shanghae. French and Russian Represen- tatives are not opposing Navigation of Upper Yang-tsze. Copy of letter from China Association, for observa- tions Sir 0. MacDonald has left Peking Navigation of Yang-tsze. Suggestions as to movements of gun- boats Statutes of the Chinese Eastern Railway Com- pany. Translation of certain sections Peking-Hankow Railway Concession. Obser- vations of Belgian Minister Mr. Pritchard-Morgan's Concession for mining in Szechuen. What is present position of matter ? • • • • .. Mr. Pritchard- Morgan's Concession for mining in Szechuen. Will press for ratification . . Mr. Pritchard-Morgan's Szechuen Mining Con- tract. Informs of above Mr. Pritchard-Morgan's Szechuen Mining Con- tract. Memorial will shortly be presented to the Throne TABLE OP CONTENTS. No. Name. Date. Subject. Page 65 Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic Apr. 2, 1899 Northern Railway Loan Agreement. Has brought breaches of Agreement to notice of Chinese Government 62 66 To Mr. Pritchard- Morgan, M.P. •• 3, Mr. Pritchard-Morgan's Szechuen Mining Con- tract. Substance of No. 64 62 67 To China Association •• 4, Code of Chinese Mercantile Law and Mixed Courts. Their suggestions will be carefully considered 63 68 To Sir F. Lascelles . . •• 5, Lease of Kiao-chau to Germany. Have any further negotiations taken place in regard to Customs matters 1 63 69 Yunnan Company •• 6, Burmah- Yunnan Railway surreys. Telegram from Captain Davies 63 70 Communicated April 7, 1899 •• Mar. 1, Report on trade on the West River. . 63 71 Sir F Lascelles •• Apr. 6, Kiao-chau.! Translation of new Harbour Re- gulations for Tsintau 66 72 China Association •• 8, Navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze. Memorial from British and American residents in the Valley of the Yang-tsze 67 73 Mr. Bax-lronside Telegraphic 11, Northern Railway Loan. Arrears of interest. More satisfactory state of things 68 74 Colonial Office •■ ", Piracy in the West River. Despatch from Governor of Hong Kong reporting in- crease 68 75 Sir C. MacDonald ... .. Feb. 9, Li-kin area. Dispute at Canton 69 76 » >» • • mm 13, Samshui. Report from Consul showing in- crease of trade 70 77 »» », • • • • K Samshui. No fresh cases of illegal exaction of li-kin 70 78 » >9 • « • • 14, Opening of inland navigation. Disturbances at Chinkiang. Claims settled 71 79 n » •• •• », Inland Navigation Regulations. Correspon- dence in regard to right of towing 73 80 >, ■» " • • 15, Woosung. Correspondence in regard to new Regulations for registration of land rented by foreigners . . 75 81 rt » • • »* 15, Opening of Nanning. Note from the Yanien . . 78 82 »> n •• • ' 16, Sir J. Lister-Kaye's applications for concessions from the Chinese Government 78 83 ,1 >3 • • • ' 18, Increase of piracy on the West River. Re- presentations to the Chinese Government . . 79 U-S4 „ » • • Mar. 6, Opening of inland waters to navigation. Dis- turbances at Chinkiang. Claims paid 81 85 Admiralty • • Apr. 14, Navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze. Observa- tions on letter from China Association 81 86 Sbanghae General Chamber of Com- merce • • Mar. 9, Navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze. Urges survey by naval experts 82 87 Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic Apr. 15, Nanking to be effectively opened 82 VI TABLE OF CONTENTS. No. Name. 88 To Mr. Bax-Ironside •• 89 To China Association •• 90 Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic 91 »i •* -■* Telegraphic 92 To Mr. Bax-Ironside •• 93 »» »t •■ 94 >» »» •• 95 Admiralty •• 96 To Colonial Office . . •• 97 Acting- Consul-General Brenan • ■ 98 Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic 99 To Admiralty •• 100 Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic 101 s» »> •* Telegraphic 102 To Mr. Bax-Ironside • • 103 To British and Chinese Corporation •• 104 To Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic 10 r » Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic 100 Sir C. MacDonald ., ■ • 107 9 ♦ • • • • 10S >» 1» ■ • • • Date. Apr. 18, 1899 19, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 19, 21, Mar. 20, Apr. 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 27, 28, 30, Mar. 9, 15, 15, Subject. Mr. Pritchard-Morjran's proposals in regard to Chinese Mining Board. Approves Sir C. MacDonald's action.. Navigation of the Upper Yang-tsie. Views of Admiralty Mr. Pritchard-Morgan's Szechuen Mining Con- tract ratified. French Representative has protested . . . • . . . . Northern Railway Loan. Assurances of Yamen Towing on the Yang-tsze. Approves Sir C. MacDonald's action Opening of inland waters to navigation. Dis- turbances at Chinkiang. Approves Sir C. MacDonald's action Wonsung. Leasing of land by British subjects. Approves Sir C. MacDonald's replv to des- patch from Consul-General at Shargnae Yang-tsze. Movements of Her Majesty's ships . . . . Piracy on the West River. Copies of corre- spondence .. Extension of International Settlement at Ulianghae. Reports steps taken .. Sir J. Lister-Kaye's scheme for improvement of the Yang-tsze navigation Piracy on the West River. Copies of corre- spondence for communication to Commander- in-chief on China Station Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway. Negotiations resumed Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claim to land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Action of Russian Minister Piracy on the West River. Approves Sir C. MacDonald's representations to Yamen Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway. Clause giving German B.ink option of constructing line< from Shantung up Yellow River has been withdrawn Peking-Hankow Railway Agreement. Belgian Syndicate claim preferential right toHankow- Cantun line Peking-Hankow Railway Agreement. YamSn deny that it ronta'ns stipulation g viny Bel- gian Syndicate preferential right to liai.kow- Cunton line N'mspo. Levy of local rates on British sub- jects. Transmits correspondence Li.Jcin CoTecti 'rates pledged for service of 1898 Loan. Letter from Mr R. Hart Murder of Mr. Fleming. Despatches from Mr. Litton. Agreement arrived at TABLE OF CONTENTS. Vll No. Name. Date. Subject. Page 109 Sir C. MacDonald .. *.* Mar. 16, 1899 Attack on Mr. Parsons near Chungking. He- ports circumstances 99 110 i) i) •• ■• 20, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claim to land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Coirespoudence with Russian Minister 100 111 Sir F. Lascelles ■• Apr. 25, Kiao-rhau. Chinese Maritime Customs office to be established at Tsintau . . 106 112 Sir P. Plunkett •• 30, Peking-Hankow Railway Loan. Particulars . . 107 113 Admiralty • * 29, Piracy on the West River. Copies of corre- spondence sent to Commander-in-chief in China 108 114 Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic May 3, Peking-Hankow Railway Agreement. Ques- tion of preferential right to Hankow— Canton line. Comparison of texts has not revealed an v differences of importance 108 115 To Mr. Bax-Ironside. . Telegraphic 3, Northern Railway Loan. Her Majesty's Go- vernment cannot allow undertakings of Chme.-e Government to reman unfulfilled indefinitely 108 116 Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic 4, Murder of Mr. Fleming. Suggests demand for dismissal of Governor if Headman i» not arrested by a certain date 108 117 To Mr. Bax-lronside . Telegraphic ■*, Hankow-Canton line. Should obtain from Yan en written drnial of alleged preferential right of Belgian Syndicate 108 118 )i ,» • • Telegraphic 5, Murder of Mr. Fleming. Concurs in course proposed in No. 116 109 119 >. » • • Telegraphic 5, Extension of foreign Settlement at Shanghae. How does matter stand ? 10P 120 Colonial Office •• 5, Piracy on the West River. Satisfaction at Sir C. MacDonald's protest 109 121 Mr. Bax-lronside Telegraphic 6, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Ru-sian Concession at Hankow. Russian action will only be postponed till 15tli instant. 109 122 To Mr. Bax-Ironside . Telegraphic 6, Northern Railway Loan. Her Majesty's Go- vernment must take action unless Chinese Government fulfil their obligations 109 123 Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic 7, Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway Agreement to be signed 10th May no 124 »» >» • • Telegraphic ?, Extension of foreign Settlement at Shanghae. Progress of negotiations 110 135 Sir F. Plunkett ■• 6, Peking-Hankow Railway. Belgian authorities declare that interests in Concession are mainly Belgian 110 12C To Sir C. Scott •• s, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Tu make representation to hussian Government no 127 Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic Q Extension of foreign Settlement at Shanghae granted 111 128 To Mr. Bax-lronside Telegraphic 9, Ex'ension of foreign Settlement at Sbanghiie. What, is importance of demand for inclusion of Paoshan ? . . 111 129 Mr. Bax-Iroti3ide Telegraphic 10, Hankow-Canton Railway. Written declara- tion received from Ynmln 111 nil TABLE OP CONTENTS. No. Name. 130 Mr. Bax-Ironside 131 132 133 134 135 136 187 138 139 140 HI 142 143 144 145 146 To Mr. Bax-Ironside To Mr. Bax-Ironside Mr. Bax- Ironside To Mr. Bax-Ironside Sir C. MacDonald . Mr. Bax-Ironside ># M • » » Sir F. Lascelles To Mr. Bax-Ironside. . Memorandum by Mr. Cockburn Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. May 10, 1899 11, 12, 13, 13, Mar. 23, 29, 31, Apr. 1, 147 148 140 150 151 Sir G. Scott •» >• Mr. Bax-Ironside To Mr. Bax-Ironside Sir C. Scott Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic 3. May 12, 17, 18, 18, 18. 19, 20, 14, 17, 22, 23, 24. Subject. Proposed Russian railway to Peking. Language held by Russian Minister to Yamen Extension of foreign Settlement at Shanghae. Explains position of matter Extension of foreign Settlement at Shanghae. May agree to proposed arrangement Proposed Russian railway to Peking. Appli- cation of Russo-Chinese Bank supported by Russian Minister Local rates at Ningpo. Approves issue of Regulations Marine guard of Peking Legation has left Sir John Lister-Kaye's scheme for improve- ment of Yang-isze navigation. Details and observations Application of Peking Syndicate for line from Honan to Nanking. Correspondence Wei-hai Wei. Yamen will renew instructions as to British administration of 10-mile radius Application of Peking Syndicate for line from Honan to Nanking. Chinese Government decline to entertain it . . , . Tien-tsin - Ghinkiang Railway. Article in " Cologne Gazette " , . . Russian railway to Peking. To telegraph facts Code of Mercantile Law for China. Observa- tions Russian railway to Peking. No further infor- mation obtainable Northern Railway Loan. Interest for April and May not paid Tien-tsin -Chinkiang Railway. Preliminary Agreement signed Northern Railway Loan. To make represen- tations to Chinese Government Messrs. Jardine, M.itheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Note to Count Mouravieff Agreement with Russia in regard to railways in China. Conversation with Count Moura- vieff Russian demand for railway to Peking was based on alleged breach of faith by China Sir J. Lister-Kaye's project for improvement of navigation of Yang-tsxe. Approves his language Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Count Mouravieff awaits report from Russian Minister at Peking Page 112 112 112 112 113 113 118 114 115 115 116 116 116 117 117 118 118 118 120 120 121 121 TABLE OF CONTENTS. IX No. 152 153 154 155 156 157 15S 159 160 161 162 163 Name. Mr. Bax-lronside To Sir C. Scott Mr. Bax-lronside >> >! »» • « Peking Syndicate Mr. Bax-lronside 1 64 Consul-General Brenan 165 166 167 168 169 170 To Mr. Bax-lronside. , To Peking Syndicate. . To Mr. Bax-lronside, Mr. Bax-lronside . . » » Telegraphic Date. Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic 171 To Mr. Bax-lronside.. 172 173 Mr. Bax-lronside Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic >» 5) [1049] May 25, 1899 25. April 11, 12, 13, 13, 15, 17, June 2, 2, 3, 3, May 1, June 5, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9, Apr. 19, 24, Subject. Tien-tsin-Cliinkiang Railway. Preliminary Agreement ratified Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Ap- proves his proceedings Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Despatch from Consul Warren and note to Russian Minister General foreign Settlement at Shanghae. New Land Regulations Piracy on the West River.' Correspondence between Acting Consul at Samshui and the Viceroy of Canton Murder of Mr. Fleming, Steps taken to obtain arrest of Headman Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Corre- spondence with Russian Minister . . . . Political situation in China. Increase of Man- chu influence Russian railway to Peking. Reported with- drawal of demand on certain conditions Peking Syndicate's Shansi mines. Request support to obtain railway to Pukou, oppo- site Nanking .. Prohibition of exportation of rice. Represen- tations made to Yamen.. Farm of petroleum tax at Canton re-estab- lished Extension of French and general Settlements at Shanghae. Present position of matter . . Application of Peking Syndicate for line to Pukou. To assist agent if he sees no objec- tiun.. Substance of above Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in fiussian Concession at Hankow. A| proves note to Russian Minister Russian demand for railway to Peking. Obser- vations of Yamen .. Mr. Pritchard - Morgan's Szechuen Mining Conlract. Reported grant of mining rights to French. Observations of Yamen Murder of Mr. Fleming. Has demanded dis- missal of Governor of Kueichou . . May communicate to Yamen substance of Sup- plemeniary Agreement between Great Britain and Russia regardiug railways in China , . Opening of inland navigation. Report from Amoy on progress of local traffic, . Mr. Pritchard - Morgan's Szechuen Mining. Agreement. Sends copy Page 121 121 121 123 125 127 128 129 129 130 130 130 131 132 132 132 132 133 133 133 133 134 i TABLE OF CONTENTS. No. 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 Name. Mr. Bax-lronside u >» » J; ,, ,, Sir. F. Lascelies '> » Mr. Bax-lronside . . Telegraphic >, » Mr. C. HarHinsre Viscount Gough To Mr. Bax-lronside Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. Telegraphic Telegraphic 1S9 190 1$1 192 193 Admiralty ... Mr. Bax-lronside 51 ,» Tel*grlpbic Apr. 24, 1899 25, 27, 29, June 6, 10, 15, 17, 17, 17, 7, 17, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 21, 24. May 11, Subject. Railway from Hangchow to Kuangsin applied for by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. Reply of Yamen Peking-Hankow Railway. Question in regard to land claimed by foreigners near line Official intercourse between Roman Catholic missionaries and Chinese local authorities. Rules issued by the Government Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Further correspondence with Russian Minister . . 'age 139 141 Railways and mines in Shantung, to Shantung Syndicate . . Concessions Yang-tsze navigation. German steamers to be placed on the river Murder of Mr. Fleming. Yamen refuse to memorialize Throne for dismissal of Gover- Anti-missionary riot at Kienning, Foochow Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. French Minister asks whether Her Majesty's Government have any objection Chinese Government have made Reutei's Tele- graphic Agency their official mouthpiece Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Observa- tions of Count Mouravieff Shantung Railway Company formed Proposed extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Asks for particulars as to French demand and account of British- owned lots Northern Railway Loan. To press for pay- ment of interest due Rules for intercourse between Roman Catholic missionaries and Chinese local authorities. To make communication to Chinese Govern- ment in regard to Bishops and priests of British nationality Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Cos land in Russian Concession at liankow. Approves notes to Russian Minister Peking-Hankow Railway. Concurs in views of Consul at Hankow in regard to acquisition by foreigners of land near line . . Navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze. Com- mander Watson has gone up river from Ichang Proposed extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Replies to No. 186 Murder of Mr. Fleming. Note to Yamen informing them that if Headman is not arrested in a month dismissal of Governor will be demanded TABLE OP CONTENTS. XI Name. Mr. Bax-Ironside 198 Consul Bourne 199 Sir Chih Chen Lo | Feng Luh 200 To Mr. Bax-Ironside. . Date. Church Missionary So- ciety Mr. Bax-Ironside To Mr. Bax-Ironside Mr. Bax-Ironside To Mr. Bax-Ironside British and Chinese Corporation Mr. Bax-Ironside To Church Missionary Society Indo - China Steam Navigation Com- pany Pro-memorid commu- nicated bv M. Lessar 213 Mr. Bax-Ironside [1049] Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic May 13, 1899 15, 15, 15, 19, June 24, ■11, 27, 27, 28, 28, 28, 29, 29, 29, 30, 30, 30, July 1, 2, 2, Subject. Anti- Christian outrages in Central Ssu-ch'uan. Summary of events Manchurian Railway. Report on progress Peking-Hankow Railway Agreement. Corre- spondence with Yamen in regard to alleged preferential right of Belgian Syndicate to Hankow-Canton line Extension of general Settlement at Shanghae. Account of negotiations Extension of general Settlement at Shanghae. Copies of reports addressed to Her MajeRty's Charge d'Affaires at Peking Murder of Mr. Fleming. Chinese Ciovern- ment decline to dismiss Governor Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Communication made by French Minister at Peking to French Government. Requests him to report . Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Her Majesty's Government still require information as to extent of demand and British lots included Kienning riot. Pressed for prompt action by Her Majesty's Government French Consulate burnt at Mungtze, in Yunnan Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Reports jpresent position of matter Kienning riot. What action has he taken ? . . Kienning riot. Steps taken Murder of Mr. Fleming. Governor may have a little more time to arrest Head- Northern Railway. Mr. Kinder not to be dis- missed at present Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Particulars as to extent of demand and as to British lots Kienning rjot. Steps taken " Kow-shing " claim, matter Call s attention to Page 151 153 155 156 158 161 162 162 162 163 163 163 163 163 164 164 164 164 Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Is in- structed to discuss the question with Her Majesty's Government. Incloses explana- tory Memorandum Kienning riot. Steps taken by the Chinese Government . . . . . . Kienning riot. Rumours of atrocities com- mitted by missionaries circulated among the people. Has urged Yamen to issue Procla- mation ... b 2 165 17J 171 xn TABLE OF CONTEXTS. No. 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 Name. To Mr. Bax-Ironstde. To Sir Chili Chen Lo Feng Luh Mr. Bax-Ironside To Sir Chih Chen Lo Feng Luh To Indn-China Stpam Navigation Com- pany Mr. Bax-Ironside telegraphic Telegraphic II !) » )» )? 5, ), 1» To M. Lessar Mr. Bax-Ironside To M. Cambon To Mr. Bax-Ironside. . Mr. Bax-Ironside !■ » Date. Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic telegraphic July 3, 1899 3, 3, 7, 7, 7, May 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 25, 25, 26. 29, July 12, 12, 17, 17, 21, 23, June 1, Subject. Murder of Mr. Fleming. Has indemnity been paid F Murder of Mr. Fleming. Approves note to Yamen . . • • Szechuen. Demands of French Minister. Approves his action Murder of Mr. Fleming. Her Majesty's Government will allow a little more time for capture of Headman Murder of Mr. Fleming. Indemnity paid " Kow-shing" claim. Requests reply to pro- posal for arbitration " Kow-shing " claim. Chinese Minister is being pressed for reply . . Kuangsi. Prospect of renewed outbreak of rebellion Nanning and the West River. Report from Acting Consul at Wuchow Navigability of West River. Report from Acting Consul at Wuchow Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway. Copy of Pre- liminary Agreement Russian demand for railway to Peking. Re- ports on . , Regulations for inland steam navigation on the West River. Complaints of shipping firms. Views of Sir R. Hart . . Navigation of inland waters. Conies of Regu- lations and Supplementary Rules as issued by the Chinese Customs Tieu-tsin-Chinkiang Railway. Preliminary Agreement ratified .. Northern Railway. Representations to YamSn in regard to arrears of interest Russian demand for railway to Peking. Yamen have heard nothing more Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Views of Her Majesty's Government Extension of general Settlement at Shanghae. Steps taken to apply land Regulations Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Conditions on which Her Majesty's Govern- ment aie prepared to support French appli- cation • .. •• •• Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Substance of above .. Cruise of "Woodlark" in Tung-ting Lake completed Murder of Mr. Flero.ing. Despatch from Mr. Litton .. Page 172 172 172 172 173 173 153 173 174 175 175 180 181 187 190 190 191 191 193 193 195 196 196 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Xlll Niune. Mr. Bax-Ironside >> »» No. 238 230 240 241 24,2 243 244 245 246 247 2-18 249 250 251 252 253 To Sir C. Scott 254 To Indo-Cliina Steam Navigation Company 255 i Mr. Eaikes . , Memorandum by Mr. G. Jamieson To Mr. Bax- Ironside. Mr. Bax-Ironside To Mr. Bax-Ironside . Date. June 2, 1899 Telegraphic felegraphic 256 257 258 7, 9, "\ 10, 10, 11, 12, July 28, 28, 28, 31, 31, Ausr. 2, Mr. Bax-Iionside .. Telegraphic >i » (Telegraphic 259 ! „ 6, June II, 20, Subject. Nankin? effectively opened to trade. Note from Yamen Szechuen. Reported demand of French Minis- ter for mining Concessions. Interview with Yaroen Yang-tsze Valley. Report by Lieutenant- Colonel Browne Murder of Mr. Fleming. Note to Yamen demanding dismissal of Governor Shanghae Conservancy Board. Scheme drawn up by Chamber of Commerce Wharfage due imposed at San-tu-ao, in Samsah Bay. Action of foreign Representatives . Russian demand for railway to Peking. Note to Yamen communicating Supplementary Agreement between Great Britain and Russia New British Concession at Newchwang. Despatches from Consul Hosie . . Application of Peking Syndicate for railways in Shansi. Correspondence with Yamen . Shanshae River Conservancy scheme. Obuer- vations Wharfage dues at San-tu-ao. Approves his action Murder of Mr. Fleming. Approves note to Yamen Mr. Pritchard-Morgan's Contract for mining in Szechuen ratified Yang-tsze Valley. To thank Lieutenant- Colonel Browne for his Report .„ "Kow-ehing" claim. To press Yamen for reply to proposal for arbitration Messrs. Jardine, Matheson. and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Has pro- posed reference to arbitration " Kow-shing '' claim. Chinese Mini'ster hopes to receive reply from his Government at an early date Belgian Concession for railway to connect Shansi with Peking- Hankow line. Extract from " Petit Bleu " Murder of Mr. Fleming. Warning to Yamen in regard to capture or Headman. . " Kow-shing " claim. Yamen promise answer in a few days Piracy on the West River. Attack on British steam-launch " Wo-on " Manchurian Railway aid commercial port at Talienwan. Report from Consul Hosie en progress made Page 198 139 199 208 208 211 214 215 218 220 221 221 222 222 222 222 223 223 22 4 224 2 24 •225 XIV TABLE OF CONTENTS. No. Name. Date. Subject. Page 260 Mr. Bax- Ironside June 23, 1899 Navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze. Report on cruise of Her Majesty's ship " Wood- cock " up the gorges 226 261 » >5 24, Northern Railway Loan. Note to Yamen, asking for payment of interest due 228 262 ., )) •• 26, Peking Syndicate's application for railways in Shan si. Further correspondence . 228 26S 5, 5' •• 26, Towing on the Yang-tsze. Reports from Consul at Chinkiang 230 264 V „ •• 26, Wu-T'ing-feng appointed a member of the Yamen 231 265 To Mr. Bax-Ironslde. . Telegraphic Aug. 7, Murder of Mr. Fleming. To keep Her Ma- jesty's Government fully informed ■232 266 Consul General Brenan •• June 30, Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Information as to extent of land demanded, and as to British lots 232 267 Sir F. Lascelles Aug. 5, Declaration of Government in regard to im- ports into Germany from Kiao-chau 233 268 Memorandum by Mr. G. Jamieson ■■ 8, Inland navigation Regulations on the West River. Observations 233 269 Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic 10, Murder of Mr. Fleming. Headman being screened by Governor 234 270 To Mr. Bax-Ironside. . Telegraphic 10, Peking Syndicate's applications for railways. Instructions as to supporting 234 271 To Sir C. Scott * ■ 10, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. M. Lessar considers it impossible for the Russian Government to accept arbitration . 234 272 To Mr. Bax-IroDside •• 12, Northern Railway Loan. Approves note to Yamen 535 273 Indo - China Steam Navigation Com- pany •• 14, '•' Kow-shing " claim. Protest against delay. Observations on claim 235 274 To Admiralty * * 15, Piracy on the West River. Attack on "Wo-on." Proposes that Commander-in- chief in China should be asked for his suggestions 236 275 To Colonial Office . . ■• 15, Piracy on the West River. Copies of corre- spondence 236 276 London Chamber of Commerce •• 16, Piracy on the West River. Hopes steps will be taken for protection of British interests.. 287 277 To Indo-China Steam Navigation Com- pany •■ 17, "Kow-shing" claim. Chinese Government promise to reply shortly 237 278 Board of Trade •■ 17, Inland steam navigation Regulations. Ob- servations on their working 237 279 Mr. Bar-ironside Telegraphic 18, " Kow-shing " claim. Chinese Minister in London instructed to suggest to YamSn a means of settlement 238 280 To Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic 19, s " Kow-shing " claim. Chinese Government cannot shift responsibility on to Chinese Minister in London 238 TABLE OF CONTENTS. XV No. 281 282 283 284 285 2S6 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 800 801 Name. To Mr. Bax-Ironside Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic »> v » » » jj »» « Sir C. Scott . . Sir F. Lascelles ?» >» Sir C. Scott Mr. Bax-Ironside Admiralty . , Date. Aug. 19, 1899 June 27, 30, July 3, 4, 4, Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic 5, 6, 6, 7, 10, 10, Aug. 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 22, 22, 22, Subject. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. To warn Chinese Government not to interfere with British-owned lots Inland steam navigation. Settlement of case of attack on British launch at Kuachou Concession granted to M. von Grot to work mines in the Urga district Kiaochow. Chinese Customs Regulations and German Harbour Regulations Application of Anglo- Eastern Syndicate for mining rights in Yunnan Sir J. Lister-Kaye's scheme for the improve- ment of the navigation of the Upper Yang- tsze. Unfavourable report from the Viceroy of the Hukuang Provinces Piracy on the West River. Attack on " Wo- on." Further report from Consul, at Canton ,. . . .. - . Wharf dues at Santu. Consul at Foochow instructed to protest against imposition Inland steam navigation Rules. Despatches from Consuls at Wuchow and Canton. Consuls instructed to protest against any differential treatment . Inland steam navigation. Chefoo Northern Railway Loan. Yamen, and correspondence Despatch from Interview with Mission of Grand Secretary Kang - Yi to Nanking . . . . Riots ot Kienning. Reports from Consul, and steps taken . . . . . . . . Talienwan. Imperial Order for the establish- ment of a free port Custom-house at Tsintau. German press com- ments .. .. .. . . Kiao-chaol Report of Governor on agricultural prospects . . . . . . . . Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Count Mouravieff will lay proposal for arbitration before the Emperor ... Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. Russian Consul declines to allow them to put up fence . . . . . • . . "Kow-shing" claim. Yamen ask for more Limy ■ • •* • a a • Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land. Has warned Chinese Government as in- structed in No. 281 Piracy on the West River. Steps taken by Admiral . . . . Page 238 238 240 241 245 245 247 250 251 253 254 256 257 262 263 264 264 264 265 265 265 XVI TABLE OF CONTENTS. No 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 3)2 313 814 315 316 317 318 319 320 821 322 323 324 Na Colonial Office Mr. Bax-Ironside To Mr. Bax-Ironside To London Chamber of Commerce Sir C. Scott To Mr. Bax-Ironside. To Sir C. Scott Mr. Bax-Ironside Yunnan Company To Mr. Bax-Ironside Mr. Bax-Ironside To Mr. Bax-Ironside. Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. Telegraphic Ang. 23, 1899 23, 23, 23, 23, 24, 25, 25, 21, 26, 26, 26, 26, 27, 31, July 13, H, 14, 15, 19, 19, 20, 23, SuBJFCT. Piracy on the West River. .Satisfaction at proposal to take strong measures Piracy on the West River. Steps taken by Admiial .. .. .. Piracy on the West River. Informs of steps taken by Admiral Piracy on the West R'ver. Matter occupying attention of Her Majesty's Government Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land. The Emperor accepts proposal for arbitra- tion. . .. .. .. ., Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land. Russian Government accept arbitration Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land. To express satisfaction of Her Majesty's Government at acceptance of arbitration Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and 'Co.'s land. Messrs. Jardine's agent has refused to re- move fence . . . . . . . . Surveys in Yunnan. Report from Mr. H. Lvon Scott on trade, &c. Wharf dues at Santu. Views of Her Majesty's Government .. .. Inland steam navigation. Approves protest against differential treatment Riots at Kienning. Approves his action Application of Anglo-Eastern Syndicate for mining rights in Yunnan. Approves his action Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land. Pence being constructed under protection . . Inland steam navigation Regulations. Views of Her Majesty's Government. Time should be given lor testing the Regulations Yochow. Report from Consul at Hankow on prospects of trade Kienning riots. Report from Consul at Foo- chow. Consul instructed to be present at trial of prisoners Imperial Decree on revenue of China Piracy on the West Riv er . Despatch from Governor of Hong Kong, with Petition from merchants . . . , Northern Railway Loan. Payment of arrears of interest ., Mining enterprises by foreigners in China. Circular to Consuls Piracy on the West River. Measures con- templated by Viceroy Cruise of Her Majesty's ship " Woodlaik " on Tung-ting Lake. Correspondence with the ■age 266 266 266 266 266 267 267 267 267 276 276 277 2/7 277 277 278 27fi 280 283 285 286 287 287 TABLE OF CONTENTS. XV11 Name. Mr. Bax-Ironside Sir Chili Ohes Lo Feng Luh 328 To Mr. Bax-Irons*le, Sir C. Scott Admiralty .. To Mr. Bax-Ironside., Mr. Bax-Ironside To Mr. Bax-Ironside.. To Admiralty Mr. Bax-Ironside ;) >? Date. » j> Telegraphic Telegraphic To Mr. Bax- Ironside. . Telegraphic Mr. Choate July S4, 1899 Aug. 30, Sept. 0, 9, 9, % 6, 12, 15, 16, 16, 16, Aug. 1, 2, 2, 3, Subject. Sept. 18, 22, Piracy on the West River. Attack on " Wo- on." Viceroy refuses to discuss demand for compensation. Is addressing the Ya- men Murder of Mr. Fleming. Imperial Govern- ment ask that incident may be considered closed, as compensation has been paid Proposed Conservancy Board at Shanghae. Observations of Board of Trade. To endeavour to get scheme accepted Mining Regulations in China. Approves Circular to Consuls Kienning riots. Approves instruction to Consul to be present at trial of prisoners . . Cruise of Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark " in Tung-ting Lake. Approves note to Yamen Russian territory in Kuang-Tung. Provisional Regulations for administration Navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze. Report of preliminary examination of the Rapids . . Murder of Mr. Fleming. Chinese Minister has urged Her Majesty's Government not to insist on dismissal of Governor. Reply given .. .. .. Burmah-Yang-tsze Railway. Agent of Yun- nan Company asks Legation to support his application Navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze. Would Chinese Maritime Customs be prepared to establish leading marks ? Navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze. Concurs in proposal to postpone ascent of river to Chungking till April next Murder of Mr. Fleming. Despatch from Corsui at Chungking reporting pajment of indemnity Japanese Concession at Ichang. Warning to Chinese authorities not to include British- owned land Inland steam navigation. Despatch from Chefoo, showing progress made Piracy on the West River. Attack on " Wo-on." Correspondence with the Ya- men Kienning riots. Further reports from Consul at Foochow. YamSn promise to instruct Viceroy to take steps suggested by Consul . . Piracy near Pakhoi. Report from Consul Burmah-Yang-tsze Railway. May make appli- cation on behalf of Yunnan Company Freedom of trade in China. United States' Government propose that Powers should make a declaration Page [1049J Xtlil TABLE OP CONTENTS. %/ No. 346 34? :34S 349 350 351 352 "553 354 355 356 Name. 368 .359 360 361 362 363 364- 365 366 Sir C. Scott To Mr. Bax-Ironside. To Mr. Choate Mr. Bax-Ironside " u To Mr. Bax-Irosside Admiralty To Sir E. Monson To Mr. Bax-Ironside. To Admiralty Mr. C. Hardinge Date. Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic Sept. 19, 1 899 •25, 25, 2.9, Aug. 14, 15, 3 5, 16, 16, 18. Oct. 2 5, 5,; 3, 5, 7, 7, 7, 5, Subject. Administration of the Russian • territory in Kuang - Tung. Translation of Imperial Order Kienning riots. Approves his action Piracy on the West River. Attack on the " Wo-on." Approves his notes to the Yam6n .. .. .. ... Freedom of trade in. China. Proposal that Powers should make declaration. The Cabinet will be consulted Piracy on the West River. Despatch from Canton, calling attention to disastrous effect on silk trade Notes by Mr. Litton on his journey from Kueiyang to Canton Canton. Complaint of partiality shown to junk traffic. Correspondence with Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce Roman Catholic Bishops and priests in China. Note to Yamen respecting those of British nationality Mining and railway Regulations. Additions and modifications .„ .. ., Kienning riots. Despatch from Consul at Foochow. Evidence cannot be produced against local gentry. Proposals of Vice- roy.. Murder of Mr. Fleming. Has been informed by Yamen of capture of Headman Railway from Lungchow to Chinese frontier sanctioned Plag lie at Newchwanc;. Consuls have urged officials to adopt sanitary measures Railway from Lungchow to Chinese frontier. To press Chinese Government for assurance that bu preferential rates will be allowed . . Cruise of "Woodcock" in Tung-ting Lake. Report by Commander Barton . . Piracy on the West River. Report from Commander-in-chief in China Piracy on the West River. Movements of Her Majesty's ships . . „ . . Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Interview with the French Ambassador Kienning; riots. Approves terms on which Consul at Foochow proposes case should be settled Piracy on the West River. Copy of despatch, from Peking. Suggests that Comman Jer-in-i chief on the China Station should be asked to report Kwang-tyng. New Regulations relating to administration of justice Page 304 311 311 312 312 314 321 32J 324 326 328 328 328 329 329 332 333 334 334 334 TABLE 0! CONTENTS. XIX Ko... 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 Name. Mr. Bax-Ironside To Mr. Bax-Ironside. Yunnan Company- Mr. Bax-Ironside »> " Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. To Yunnan Company- Admiralty .. Mr. Bax-Ironside . . To Mr. Bax-Ironside. Mr. Bax-Ironside 55 1> Telegraphie Oct. 11, 1899 12, 13, IS, Aug. 24, 25, 26, 29, Oct. 18, 20, 20, 21, Subject. Telegraphie 21, 24, 25, Sept. 8, 10, 11, H, 15, Mr. C. Hardinge Telegraphic Nov. 2, [1049] Burmah-Yang-tsze Railway. YamSn refuse application .. Canton. Partiality shown to junk Irade. Ob- servations .. .. Burmah - Yans-tsze Railway. To inform Chinese Government that Her Majesty's Government cannot admit that they are free to reject application Burmah-Yang-tsze Railway. Hope British Representative at Peking will be instructed to support application Inland steam navigation Regulation?. Corre- spondence with shipping firms at Hong Kong . . . • Piracy on the West River. Action by Her Majesty's ship " Sandpiper" Mining operations at Nanp'iao. Prevalence of brigandage. Correspondence Piracy on the West River. Correspondence with China Association and Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce Burmah-Yang-tsze Railway. Her Majesty's Representative at Peking instructed to support their application Trade in South-West China. Lord Salisbury is in communication with Legation at Peking in regard to their suggestions Piracy on ihe West River. Reports from Commander-in-chief on China fetation Burmah-Yiinnan Railway. Yamen maintain their position Burmah-Yunnan Railway. To inform Yam6n that Her Majesty's Government adhere to their view Brigandage in Nanp'iao district. Approves proposal to send a member of his staff to report Inland steam navigation Regulations on the West River. Asks for opinion on Mr. Jamieson's suggestion Piracy on the West River. Report fiom Acting Consul at Samshui Mission of Kang-Yi to Kiangnan. Report by Mr. Mayers .. Kienning riots. Further reports from Consul at Foochow Japanese Concession at Amoy. Reports from Acting CoiimiI at Amoy. No British pro- perty affected.. Nanking. Question of delimitation of foreign Settlement .. .. •• Messrs. JarJine, Matheson, and Co.'s bnd in Russian Concession at Hankow. Russian Government propose Mixed Commission of Inquiry . • •■ •• c 2 Page 1- 336 3S6 336 336 387 339 340 343 34 5 34$ 346 348 348 348 348 3J9 350 354- 35? 358 36© XX TABLE OF CONTENTS. No. 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 -399 -400 401 402 -403 404 -405 40G 407 -40S •409 Name. To Sir C. MacDonald Admiralty Mr. C. Hardinge To Mr. Bax-Ironside Telegraphic Date. Nov. £, 1899 2, 6, Mr. Bax-Ironside Mr. C. Hardinge To Sir C. MacDonald" I Sept. 18, Telegraphic. Nov. 13, Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic 13, To Mr. C. Hardinge.. Mr. Bax-Ironside Admiralty .. Mr. Bax-Ironside . . iTelegraphic j Mr. C. Hardinge Viscount Gousrh Sir C. MacDonald . , Colonial Office ,. Sir E. Monson . , Admiralty .. Mr. Bax-Ironside .. Telegraphic 16, 16, 19, H, 15, 21, 21, Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic Oct. 6, 6, Nov. 25. Subject. Page Extension of French Concession at Shanghae. Requests him to examine claim .. Piracy on the West River. Despatch from Commander-in-chief on China Station Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Note from Count Lamsdorff pro- posing Mixed Commission of Inquiry Nanking. Question of delimitation of foreign Settlement. Approves communication made by Mr. Warren to Viceroy Mission of Kaag-Yi to Kiangnin. To thank Mr. Mayers for his report Murder of Mr. Fleming. Reports on his representations and attitude of Yamen .. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Count Lamsdorff anxious for reply to his proposal .. .. .. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Asks for his views on Russian proposal .. .. .. .. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Is consulting Sir C. MacDonald as to Russian proposal . . . . Two French officers murdered near Kwang Chou-wan .. .„ .. Nanning and trade on the West. River. Report from officer in command of " Sandpiper " . . French officers murdered near Kwang Chou- wan. Report confirmed Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Correspondence with Count J'.ams- dorff on Russian proposal . . Disturbed state of Shantung threatened Mi issionanes Extension of French Concession at Shanghae. Result of examination of locality . . Piracy on^ the West River. Telegram from Hong Kong. Hopes steps will bs taken to check piracy Kwang Chou-wan. M. Delcasse announces that delimitation has been settled Piracy on the West Eiver. Commander-in- chief on China Station directed to forward scheme for establishment of water police force ■ • • • •,♦ • • Proposed establishment of Chinese Imperial Mint. Assistance of foreign banks declined Murder of Mr. Fleming. Yamen announce arrest of Headman T'an Brigandage in Nanp'iao district. Report by Mr. Barton . . • • • • • • Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Sees no objection to Eussian proposal 360 261 362 364 364 364 368 366 36C 36G DS6 367 367 358 369 369 370 370 370 373 373 379 TABLE OP CONTENTS. 3C» No. 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 Name. To Mr. C. Hardinge.. To Colonial Office .. To Sir C. MacDonald To M. Cambon Telegraphic Telegraphic Date. Subject. Pace Nov. 25, 1899 25, 29, 29, To Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic 30, To Mr. Choate Colonial Office Admiralty To Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic Mr. C. Hardinge Sir C. MacDonald . . Telegraphic >! » . . | Telegraphic 424 425 Mr. Choate Sir C. MacDonald . . | Telegraphic To Sir C. MacDonald [Telegraphic 426 Mr. Bax-Ironside 427 I „ 428 429 » »> »> » 30, 30, 30, Dec. 2, Nov. 26, Dec. 4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 7, Oct. 20, 21, 26, 30, Messrs. Jardinp, Matheson, and Co.'s land at . Hankow. Her Majesty's Government accept ! Russian proposal .. .. .., 379 Piracy on the West River. Approves proposal > of Governor of Hong Kong to invite Vice- roy to assist in freeing river of pirates . . 380 Peking Syndicate apply for line from Ching- hwa to Taokou. To press Chinese Govern- ment to admit their interpretation of Agree- ment . . . . Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Conditions on which Her Majesty's Govern- ment are prepared to support French appli- cation ?80 380 Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. Substance of above .. .. . .1 3^1 Freedom of trade in China. Her Majesty's Government prepared to make a declaration if other Powers do so .. Piracy on the West River. Concurs in pro- posed telegram to Peking Visit of Commander-in-chief on China Station to Tsing-tau Piracy on the West River. To urge Chinese Government to instruct Viceroy of Canton to co-operate with Governor of Hong Kong Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land, at Hankow. Note to Count Mouravipff, in- forming him that Her Majesty's Government accept proposal of Russian Government French officers murdered at Kwang Cliou-wan. Demands of French Minister Revision of Tariff. Yamen request that date may be fixed for commencing negotiations. Appointment of Chinese Commissioners Freedom of trade in China. United States' Government gratified by acceptance of their proposals Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and ( Co.'s land at Hankow. Proposals received by Russian Minister are not as detailed as those com- municated by Her Majesty's Representative at St. Petersburgh " Kow-shing " claim. To press for replv to British proposal for arbitration . . Proposed establishment of Imperial Mint. Ap- proves Mr. Bax-Ironsido's action Ktenning riots. Further correspondence. Un- dertaking signed by Notables of Kienning ., Manchurian Railway. Repori from Consul at Newchwang on progress made Trade between Upper Burmah and Yunnan. Observations on letter from Yunnan Com- pany of the 24th August (see No. 310) Manchurian Railway. Talienwan-Newchwang section completed 381 381 382 3S2 3S2 3S3 3 S3 3S3 3S4 384 88 1 384 387 388 391 XX11 TABLE OF CONTENTS. No. 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 43S 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 m Mr. Bax-Ironside Sir Chih Chen LoFeng Luh Manchester Chamber of Commerce Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic Telegraphic Telegraphic To Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic Admiralty Sir C. MacDonald . . To Sir C. MacDonald 39 JJ To Manchester Cham- ber of Commerce Admiralty To Ytinnan Company Mr. C. Hardinge Sir C. MacDonald ... Telegraphic To Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic Date. To Sir Chih Chen Lo FSng Luh To Indo-China Steam Navigation Com- pany Sir C. MacDonald . . Telegraphic Oct. 30, 1899 Dec. 10, 11, 13, 13, H. 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 14, 16, IS, 19, 19, 19, 20, Subject. Visit of Consul at Kiukiang to Nanchang in Kiangsi "Kow-shing'' claim. Chinese Government agree to arbitration ..." .. Projected establishment pf Conservancy Board at Shanghae. Hopes Her Majesty's Go- vernment will support the project.. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Russian Minister has now received specific instructions. Suggests ap- pointment of Mr. Wade-Gardner as senior British Commissioner Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Approves of choice of Mr. Wade- Gardner Cruise of Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark " in ■ Poyang Lake. Report from Commander Barton . . . . " Kow-shing " claim. Chinese Minister in- structed to arrange mode of procedure with the Foreign Office '' Kow-shing " claim. To press Chinese Go- vernment; to instruct Chinese Minister as to nature of Tribunal of Arbitration to be selected Visit of Consul at Kiukiang to Nanchang. Approve Consul's proceedings Pa« ge 391 396 396 Kienning riots, action Approves Consul Playfair's Proposed Conservancy Board at Shanghae. -Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Peking already instructed to support scheme Visit of Vice- Admiral Seymour to Rapids above Ichang, and patio) of West River. Report from Vice-Admiral Trade between Bm-mah and Yunnan, stance of No. 428 Sub- Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Note to Count Mouravieff asking that instructions may be sent to Pekiii"- to prevent misunderstanding French Concessions at Shanghae and Hankow. Proposals of French .Minuter Messrs. Jardinp, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Hoi.ff Kong and Sh.injjhae Bank agree to Mr. Wade-Gardner acting as senior British member of Commission "Kow-shing "claims. Satisfaction at accept- ance of proposal for arbit.r ,ttiun . . " Kow-shing " claims. Chinese Government agree to arbitration Li Hung-chang appointed Acting Viceroy of Canton . . 397 397 397 399 299 399 39J 400 400 401 402 403 403 ■303 401 404 TABLE OP CONTENTS. XXU1 No. 449 Name. Date. Subject. Page 450 Rote-verbale commu- nicated to M. Cam- bon To Sir C. MacDonald Telegraphic 451 452 453 | ., 455 ! „ -i55 457 To Sir C. Scott Mr. Bax-Ironside 458 459 460 461 462 Sir C. MacDonald . . 'Telegraphic Telegraphic To Sir C. M;icDonald M. Cambon Dec. 22, 1899 22, 23, Nov. 3, 7, 12, 13, 13, 13, Dec. 27, 27, 30, 30, Jan. 15, 1900 French Concession at Hankow. Conditions which Her Majesty's Government under- stand will, in any future extension, be observed in regard to British property in- cluded . • . . • • French Concessions at Shanghae and Hankow. Substance of above. He may support French Minister's application for extension at Shanghae when he has received desired assurance from him Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land at Hankow. Approves Mr. Hardinge's note to Count Mouravieif .. Railway from Tonquin into China. Has pressed Yamen tor an assurance that preferential rates will not be allowed Wharf dues at San-tu-ao. Note from doyen of Diplomatic Body to Yamen Manchurian Railway. Report fr >m Consul at Newchwang .. .. .. .< Wei-hai Wei. Correspondence regarding de- limitation of leased territory Yochow. Reports announcement of effective opening Navigation of the Upper Yansr-tsze. Letter from Sir K. Hart in regard to leading marks Extension of French Settlement at Shanghae. French Minister has given desired assurance, and protest has been withdrawn British claims in French Concession at Hankow. French Minister has sent instructions that no steps are to be taken until Mr. Greaves arrives to state his case.. Wei-hai Wei. Delimitation of leased terri- tory. Approves Mr. Bax-Iron side's action Projected railway from Tonquin into China. Approves Mr. Bax-lronside's note to Yamen. French Concession at Hankow. French Go- vernment agree to stipulations n No. 449, and understand that Her Majesty's Govern- ment will give reciprocity . . 404 404 405 405 406 407 407 409 409 409 410 410 410 410 Further Correspondence respecting the Affairs of China. [In continuation of "China Nos. 1 and 2 (1899)."] No. 1. Indo'China Steam Navigation Company to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received January 6.) My Lord, 29, Cornhill, London, January 6, 1899. THE Board of this Company have refrained for some months from troubling your Lordship with further correspondence about the " Kow-shing " case, recognizing that the time might not be opportune owing to other questions then pending with the Chinese Government. The last communication from the Foreign Office with which they have been favoured was dated the 18th August, and mentioned a letter already written to the Chinese Minister, pressing him for an answer to the inquiry as to what were his instructions from his Government respecting a settlement of our claim. Nothing further having been heard on this subject, the Board can only conjecture that, as in previous instances, the Chinese Minister has not thought proper to take any notice of the communication from Her Majesty's Government. It is clear, at all events, that nothing effectual has been done to obtain the required compensation from the Chinese Government, and unless Her Majesty's Government are prepared to insist that the Company's claim shall no longer be postponed and evaded, the Board cannot but see that further indefinite delay is probable to the great prejudice of the Company's interests. They can hope for nothing from the voluntary action of the Chinese Government unless supported by your Lordship, and the evasion of our just claim has already been so persistent that the Board have become anxious to know the exact position of the negotia- tions, and whether any further steps are now contemplated. I have, &c. (Signed) J. MAC ANDREW, Chairman. No. 2. The Yunnan Company to Foreign Office. — (Received January 7.) Sir, 57^, Old Broad Street, London, January 6, 1899. I AM requested by the Directors of this Company to hand you copies of the following letters from our survey parties now in China and Yunnan for kind perusal. I am, &c. (For the Yunnan Company, Limited), (Signed) JOHN O. HEWITT, Secretary. [10491 B Inclosure 1 in No. 2. Captain Davies to the Yunnan Company. Dear Sir Momien, November 17, 1898. WE arrived here yesterday. We have had a quiet journey till we arrived here, when there was some shouting and stone-throwing. However, the official here has Beard, of it, and has given orders that nothing of the sort is to occur again. We are now quite quiet, with no crowd. _ r . , _ 2. From here Captain Ryder aud Lieutenant Watts-Jones go on through Yung- ch'ane to Shunning and Yincho, where the railway work will begin. 3 I am goin°- round north of here for two or three days to two places called Si-lien and Pe-Iien, which I believe are of some commercial importance. From there I go down to Long-ling, up to Yung-ch'ang, and down to Kun-long, near which place we all five expect to meet. 4. I am not sending any diary with this, as it goes by a Chinese merchants post, and may miSCarry - Yours faithfully, (Signed) H. R. DAVIES. Inclosure 2 in No. 2. Mr. L. Tucker to the Yunnan Company. (Extract.) Shanghae, November 19, 1898. : I HAVE nothing from you to reply to. In my letter last week to Mr. John Halliday, I mentioned that the Americans had signed the Preliminary Agreement for the Hankow-Canton line; I hear this was signed as long ago as April. I inclose a cutting from the " China Gazette " of the 16th instant giving the terms of this Agreement ; also an article, " The Battle of the Railways," which, I am told, is really what has occurred over this Concession ; this being the case, it will be necessary for the Company to watch their interests at home closely, and see that the same treatment is not given them over the Burmah-Yunnan Concession, as I presume they have no Agreement signed yet. We have arranged to leave Shanghae on Sunday morning, the 20th. There are still some survey instruments to arrive from India, but as we may be a day or so at Hankow and Ichang, arrauging for boats, &c, and we expect they will follow as by next steamer ; we do not expect to be detained. Wishing you the compliments of the season. No. 3. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received January 18.) Sir, Admiralty, January 17, 1899. WITH reference to the proposed employment of shallow draught gun-boats on the Yang-tsze River, and the importance of obtaining further facilities for British trade in the Province of Szechuen, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to request that you will inform the Secretary of State that four vessels of that class, viz., "Woodcock," " Sandpiper," " W T oodlark," and "Snipe," are already on the China Station, the first mentioned being at Shanghae, and the others at Hong Kong. These vessels were sent out last September, with special regard to the navigation of Chinese rivers, and of the Yang-tsze in particular. 2. The Yang-tsze*kiang is navigable to Hankow, 600 miles from the sea, for cruisers and gun-boats, and to Ichang, 1,000 miles from the sea, for third-class gun- boats such as the " Esk," which is now stationed there, but although the knowledge gained through the successful passage of the Yang-tsze gorges last year by Mr. Little in a steam-launch has considerably modified former views as to the possibility of steam navigation in that part of the river ; yet, having had the opportunity of hearing that gentleman's experience and opinion, their Lordships do not think that a survey of the 400 miles between Ichang and Chunking, which is the Treaty port of Szechuen, would in any way be of assistance to trading vessels. 3. This length of river is obstructed by numerous rapids, and in many reaches the stream becomes very strong, and, though a critical examination of the most difficult places, with a view to ascertaining whether improvement by blasting, &c, is feasible, may possibly be desirable, yet, from the number of obstructions, and the general character of such places as form unnavigable rapids at low river, it is probable that to effect such improvement as would enable steamers to pass at that period without tracking, would necessitate very considerable works, occupying much time, and entailing a large expenditure. 4. Arrangements exist for assisting the passage of junks at the various rapids at low river, and the accounts of those who have passed the gorges frequently in these small native vessels, and the experience gained by Mr. Little, whose launch before referred to is the only steam- vessel that has succeeded in passing up, all tend to show that, while there would always be a certain amount of risk in making the passage, yet that special swift vessels could certainly accomplish the navigation without the particular danger attendant on being hauled up the rapids at low river, if the attempts were made at specified periods of the river level (which varies as much as 150 feet), such as when the water is high enough to cover the rocks and obliterate all falls, though not so high as to cause excessive velocities of stream and dangerous whirl- pools. 5. These periods may be roughly stated as occurring in April and May, and again in October and November, but it is quite possible that, with experience, navigation could be extended to those months when the river is higher. 6. It appears to my Lords that, in order to stimulate the inauguration of regular steam commercial traffic, the example of a suitable vessel passing from Ichang to Chunking and back is needed ; and they consider that this would be a readier way of assisting commerce, than a prolonged survey and report on the navigation of the Yang-tsze at low river, which could only be undertaken from December to March in each year, and they are now considering the possibility of one of Her Majesty's light draught vessels being able to make the attempt. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. No. 4. Foreign Office to the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company. Sir, Foreign Office, January 21, 1899. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant, inquiring as to the present state of the " Kow-shing " case. I am to acquaint you that since the communication which was made to you on the subject by this Department in the month of August 1898, Lord Salisbury has received a note from the Chinese Minister stating that the Tsung-li YamSn, after having given full and careful consideration to the case, are unable to see how the Chinese Government can fairly be called upon to compensate the owners of the " Kow-shing "■ for the result of a series of acts on the part of the Japanese war-ship " Naniwa," all of which, as they were advised, were in violation of the law of nations. The arguments which Lo Feng Luh advances in support of this position are briefly to the effect that a state of war, imposing neutral duties on the subjects of third Powers, could not be held to exist until formal notification of the fact of war had been made by one or both of the belligerents to the Governments of such Powers, while in the present instance, this notification was only made on the 1st August, 1898, seven days subsequent to the sinking of the '* Kow-shing." The Chinese Minister was informed in reply on the 21st November, 1898, that his contention, which was supported by extracts from various authorities on international law, did not appear to his Lordship to bear upon the case under discussion. It was pointed out that it was impossible for Her Majesty's Government to abandon the claim which they had advanced on your Company's behalf, but that they were willing to renew the offer already made, that the question should be referred to arbitration. [1049] B 2 Lord Salisbury impressed on Lo Feng Luh the desirability of arriving at a speedy and equitable settlement of this long-standing question. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 5. Sir C. MacDonatd to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received January 23, 1899.) My Lord, Peking, December 9, 1898. ON the 20th November* I had the honour to telegraph to your Lordship that Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking had telegraphed that a British subject named Fleming had been murdered in the southern part of the Province of Kweichow, but that no details were to hand. On the 23rd November I received a further telegram from Mr. Litton to the effect that Mr. Fleming (who was a missionary in the China Inland Mission stationed at Kwei-Yang, the provincial capital) had been deliberately murdered on the 4th November by militia at Ching-ping (a town some 60 miles east of Kwei-Yang, on the borders of districts in the occupation of Miaotzii, or aboriginal and savage tribes) at the instiga- tion of the local authorities. Mr. Litton added that he had reason to think that the murder had taken place with the connivance of the Governor of the province, and suggested that he himself should be sent to Kwei-Yang to investigate the matter. I at once sent Mr. Campbell, the Assistant Chinese Secretary, to see the Secretaries of the Tsung-li Yamen and inquire if they had any news of the outrage. The Secretaries stated that a telegram had been received from the Governor of Kweichow some ten days previously. The message said that there had been a revolt among the aborigines, and on troops being sent to quell the disturbance they found some corpses, one of which was that of an European. It was buried and the nearest Mission informed. The day after the receipt of this telegram a Decree had been telegraphed to the Governor instructing him to consult with Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking and arrange a settlement of the affair. The Secretaries further stated that the Governor had been instructed to take every precaution and afford full protection to the missionaries. Mr. Campbell recommended that the Yamen should at once call for a fuller report by telegraph, as I should see the Ministers in a few days. Meanwhile, considering that Mr. Litton, being at a considerable distance from the scene of the murder, could hardly be in possession of full information, I telegraphed to the Mission at Kwei-Yang on the 24th November asking for details and recom- mending that if they were not in possession of them they should at once send one of their number to make inquiries. In consequence of telegraph line delays their reply of the 25th November was not received till the 2nd December. It was to this effect: "Murder planned by Chinese 4th November, Panghai Mission house plundered by soldiers 6th November, no riot. Chungking Consul has details, will wire Peking. Foreigner in district investigating. No missionaries living near place of murder." On the 30th November I saw the Prince and Ministers and impressed upon them the necessity of dealing with the matter expeditiously and effectually. They repeated the statements given above by the Secretaries, and added that the Governor had been instructed by telegraph to send an officer to Chungking to confer with the Consul, and arrange a settlement. I informed them that I was awaiting fuller details before deciding as to sending an officer to investigate the matter on the spot, and requested them to let me know as -soon as they received any further information in answer to their telegraphic inquiry. I dwelt upon the gravity of the case and stated that, while I did not wish to make political capital out of it, I must insist upon satisfactory measures being taken to punish the guilty parties, and to prevent a recurrence of such outrages. The Prince and Ministers promised to communicate with me as soon as they received any intelli- gence. Events in Szechuan in connection with the capture by brigands of a French priest, and the unsettled state of affairs in that province make it very undesirable to leave our * See " China No. 1 (1899)," No. 393 Consulate at Chungking unmanned at the present time by sending Mr. Litton to investigate the case. The place where the murder took place is so far in the interior that Mr. Litton would have to be absent for at least a month from his post. _ The only telegram I have received from the missionaries does not, moreover, indicate any danger to themselves. I am therefore awaiting further information before deciding upon this step. Hearing no more from the Yamen, and receiving a telegram from Mr. Litton on the 7th December to say that the Kwei-Yang missionaries reported that no murderer had been arrested, I again sent Mr. Campbell to see the Secretaries on the 8th instant. I sent also a note to the Ministers to remind them that I was awaiting their promised news to decide as to whether to send the Consul to the place, and to point out that the failure to arrest any of the murderers led me to believe that the Provincial Governor was making light of the affair. The Secretaries informed Mr. Campbell that the Yamen had received a reply to their telegram, but that it contained no details, and they had, therefore, again telegraphed and were awaiting a further reply which they would at once com- municate. On Ihe 8th instant I telegraphed again to the Kwei-Yang Mission that I would send the Consul to Kwei-Yang if they thought it necessary, and asked them to telegraph me what steps were being taken to arrest the murderers, and any further information they might deem useful. To this I have not as yet received a reply. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. P.S. — Since writing the above I have received a note from the Yamen dated the 9th instant embodying the following telegram from the Governor of Kwei- chow : — " The murdered foreigner is, according to the Report of the Prefect of Hwang Chow, the man stated by the Consul at Chungking to have been killed by the militia of Ching-ping. The Magistrate of Ching-ping has been ordered to make thorough investigation. The missionary "Wen (query "Windsor) at the beginning of this moon (14th November) sent a man to Chung An Chiang to make investigation, and I have sent a deputy to go with him. When they return to Kwei-Yang I will again consult on the steps to be taken." The Ministers, in sending me this telegram, promise to at once communicate any further intelligence they receive. C. M. MacD. No. 6. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received January 23, 1899.) My Lord, Peking, December 9, 1898. ON the 26th November Mr. Pritchard-Morgan informed me that he had signed a preliminary Contract, with the authorized provincial Administrators, for the working of mines in the Province of Szechuan, and at the same time asked me whether there was any other formality with which he should comply previous to his departure from Peking. Not having seen the text of his Contract, I told him that the officials with whom he was dealing would no doubt perform all the necessary Chinese formalities, which were the only ones needful. Two days afterwards, the 28th November, Mr. Pritchard-Morgan called upon me, bringing with him a copy of this Contract, and begging me to inform the Tsung-li Yamen and also the Mining Board that he had signed such a Contract ; he requested that I might carry out this formality at once as he was leaving that afternoon for Europe. In accordance with Mr. Morgan's request, I informed the Yamen Ministers and the Mining Board the same day of the existence of such a Contract, and also applied for passports for engineers whom Mr. Morgan was dispatching at once to Szechuan to survey and prospect. During my conversation with Mr. Morgan I reminded him that instances had occurred where the Chinese parties to such Contracts had not been duly authorized by the Chinese Government to enter into them. Mr. Morgan assured me that the individuals he was negotiating with had full powers. I said that if the Contract was in order I would do my best to put it through. Mr. Morgan left the next day, placing a Mr. Hay in charge of his affairs. When I came to examine the Contract for myself, I found that at least one of the terms was open to objection, and I lost no time in pointing this out to Mr. Morgan. Since then I have been informed, in response to a reminder about the passports, which have not yet been issued, that the objection noted privately by me is also held by the Mining Commissioners. ; There are said to be other discrepancies between the scheme originally sanctioned by the Chinese Government and the Contract with Mr. Morgan, and the provincial Administrators are now being called upon for explanations. I sent for Mr. Hay to inform him of the objections that were being raised against this Contract, but he had left for Tien-tsin. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. No. 7. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received January 23, 1899.) (Extract.) Peking, December 10, 1898. "WITH reference to my despatches of the 11th and 12th October,* forwarding copies of the Agreements signed by the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank for the Newchwang Shanhaikuan Railway and the Nanp'iao Coal Mines, I have now the honour to report the ratification of both these Agreements by the Throne. The Mining Agreement was ratified on the 6th December, and the Imperial Rescript communicated to me by the Tsung-li Yamen by a despatch dated the 9th December, translation of which I have the honour to inclose. On the 8th instant an Imperial Decree was issued appointing Chang Yen-mow Assistant to Hu Yu-fen in the control of all his railways. Inclosure 1 in No. 7. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. (Translation.) Peking, November 27, 1898. THE Yamen reported to the throne on the 27th November on the Memorial of his Excellency Hu Yu-fen, Administrator-General of the Railways within and beyond Shanhaikuan, communicating the conclusion of an Agreement with the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank for a foreign loan for the construction of the railway beyond Shanhaikuan, and on the same day received the following Imperial Decree : " Let it be as proposed." It is the Yamen's duty to reverently transcribe this Decree and communicate it to Sir MacDonald, for his information, and to request him to instruct the bank to pay over the instalments of the loan at the stated dates, in accordance with the Agreement. (Seal of Yamen.) Inclosure 2 in No. 7. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. (Translation.) Sir ' Peking, December 9, 1898. WE have the honour to inform you that on the 8th December we received a letter from his Excellency Hu, Director-General of the Railways on both sides of Shanhaikuan, stating that on the 6th December he had addressed a supplementarv Memorial to the throne with respect to working mines at Nan-p'iao, in the Chao-yang district, and the * See " China No. 2 (1899)," Nos. 58 and 59, pp. 37 and 39. same day received the Imperial Rescript : " Let it be as proposed." His Excellency sent to us a copy of his Memorial and of the Agreement. We find that the 15th Article of the said Agreement reads ;t— " Immediately after the signature of this Agreement the Administrator-General will, ( thrqugh the medium of the Tsung-li Yamen, officially communicate the ImperiaJ. r Edict to the British, Minister at Peking, that he may take the usual steps With regard to coihmercial undertakings." , We have therefore the honour to reverently transcribe the Imperial Edict, and to cori^uhicate it by this officiar despatch to yotir Excellency, that you may take the necessary steps. . '" ' ' .'" ''." '' '(Seal of Yamen!) ' No. 8. ' Sir,C. MacDoaald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received January 23, 1899.) MV Lord, Peeking, liecefnber 11, 1898. f ' BEEORE the receipt of Sir E. Satow's telegram of ttie 3rd, December,* referring to the Japanese Concession at Shashih, L had already called for a Report from Her Majesty's Consul, and had asked Sir E. Satow to send me a copy of the Japanese Agreement. On the 6th Decembert I telegraphed to your Lordship the gist of a telegram I had received from Mr. Clennell and added that the general opinion in China was adverse to Shashih as a centre of foreign activity. Erom your Lordship's telegram of the 8th Decemberf I gather that this opinion is apparently challenged by the China Association, who state that Shashih is a great centre of native trade, and that the present British Concession is too far from the business qiiarter to be of use for trade purposes. As regards the matters referred to in the second paragraph of this telegram, I was awaiting information, but thought it advisable to telegraph again to Mr. Clennell to insure that his reports should be complete. The substance of his message, in reply, was forwarded to your Lordship in my telegram of this morning. § Before reporting on the Japanese Agreement, I shall, of course, wait for Mr. Clennell's despatches, but as I am already in possession of information on the general question of trade prospects at Shashih, I may as well state at once my grounds for the opinion expressed in my telegram of the 6th December, t They are summed up in the following extracts, which I quote from Mr. Clennell's last Intelligence Report, dated the 8th October :— " The present prospects of Shashih are discouraging There is no British merchant, I think, on the Yang-tsze who regards its opening as anything but a mistake from the first, or who retains the slightest faith in its becoming a valuable centre of British or other activity, and I must confess that I am becoming more and more inclined to concur in this unfavourable opinion as time goes by. There is not only no sign of expansion, but even enterprises which were at first undertaken are being one by one withdrawn. " Messrs. Butterfield and Swire withdrew their agency last autumn. The house rented by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s agent, together with the China Merchants Co.'s premises, were burnt in the riot, and although the agents of both Companies have returned, it is more than doubtful whether either of them will reopen business. " Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. have bought land and put up boundary stones, but it is still occupied by Chinese squattersj Messrs. Butterfield and Swire hold title-deeds to another plot, but have made no use of it. No other British subjects either own land, or, as far as I know, intend purchasing any in Shashih." I have, &c, (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. * See "China No. 1 (1899)," No. 40P, p. 311. t Ibid., No. 4J1. p. 312. % Ibid., No. 415, p. 316. § Ibid., No. 417, p^Sr. 8 No. 9. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir E. Satow. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, January 27, 1899. WITH reference to your telegram of the 3rd December* respecting foreign settle- ment at Shashih, no action on your part is required. I have instructed Sir C. MacDonald to make it clear to Chinese Government that we reserve our future rights, and that these cannot be made subject to any agreement between China and Japan to which we are not parties. No. 10. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Foreign Office, January 30, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 9th ultimo, f reporting the steps taken by you in connection with the murder in November last of Mr. Fleming, a British missionary, at Ching-ping, in the southern part of the Province of Kweichow. I approve your action in the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 11. Sir E. Satow to the. Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received February 2, 1 899.) My Lord, Tokio, December 5, 1898. I HAVE the honour to inclose translation of the Agreement between Japan and China for the formation of a Japanese Settlement at Shashi, the original Japanese of which appeared in the " Official Gazette " of the 2nd instant. In my telegram of the 3rd instant* I briefly reported that by the 1st Article it is. agreed that if in future another foreign Settlement is established, it shall be marked out on a situation below the Japanese Settlement, and presumably this would be an inferior position. I have, &c. (Signed) ERNEST SATOW. Inclosure in No. 11. Extract from the " Official Gazette " of December 2, 1898. Foreign Office Notification No. 19. (Translation.) THE Articles which follow respecting the Japanese Settlement at Shashi, agreed* to between the Delegates of Japan and China on the 18th August, 1898, are hereby approved of and take effect at once. ' (Signed) Viscount Aoki Shuzo, December 2, 1898. Minister for Foreign Affairs. Article 1 Starting from the western boundary of the Government land, Kungchow, foreign wharf, Shashi port, and following the south-east course of the Changkia™, the mA^^^^^L^Sr 0f , 3 ' 8 °? Sh l kU (3 ' 777 "^ fe0t >' with - breadlh of S 3 6 k feetf a3 for Mill • ^ ™l er \ b ™» of ] > 200 shaku ^^rt^i.) P OT " Settl6ment cxcl ^vely under Japanese control. * See "China No. 1 (1899)," No 408, p. 311. f No- * 5# !) If in future another foreign Settlement is established, it shall be marked out on a situation below the Japanese Settlement. Art. 2. AH roads, bridges, drains, wharves, and embankments, and the power of police within the Settlement shall be under the official control of the Japanese Consulate. The Japanese Consulate may construct or repair such roads, bridges, and drains, at any time, and the Chinese authorities shall not be able to interfere in the matter. Art. 3. Eor the safety of the Settlement, and as a precaution against the entrance of water, strong embankments shall be constructed. The expenses of construction, and the purchase price necessary for sites for the building of embankments shall be calculated by the Delegates of the two countries (China and Japan), after consultation, aud China shall be responsible for half the amount. Art. 4. Sites within the Settlement shall be divided into three classes, and the price of land per se (3nf - square poles) in each class is fixed as follows. (See separate Table.) Sites leased during the period beginning with the day on which these Articles go into operation, and ending with the close of the next Chinese year (Kwocho, 26th year), shall be per se (3r - square poles), for first class lots 100 dollars, for second class lots 80 dollars, for third class lots 50 dollars. On lots leased during the four years after Kwocho 27th year (the Chinese year after next) there shall be an increase per annum of 5 dollars. As regards sites leased after the expiration of the above period the basis of value shall be fixed at 120 dollars for first class, 100 dollars for second class, and 70 dollars for third class sites, that is to say, the price in the fourth year mentioned in the preceding clause, and they may at any time be disposed of at auction. Eor the lease of the above sites it shall not be necessary to pay to China any other tax than 1,000 Chinese cash per se (3-nfo square poles) annually as ground rent. The classification of sites shall be discussed and settled between the Japanese Consulate and the Chinese local authorities. Art. 5. The price of sites, provided for roads and drains within the Settlement shall be fixed per se (3i^ - square poles) at 20 dollars for first class, 16 dollars for second class, and 10 dollars for third class sites, and the Japanese Consulate shall hand the amount to the Chinese local authorities at the time of the commencement of the work. It shall not be necessary to pay to the Chinese Government any ground rent or other taxes in respect of the above sites. Art. 6. A person wishing to lease in perpetuity a site within the Settlement shall send in an application to the Japanese Consulate, mentioning clearly in writing the site he requires. The Japanese Consulate shall, after making an examination of the site, collect the fixed price according to the nature of the site, and hand it to the Chinese local authorities. The Chinese local authorities shall prepare a title-deed in triplicate, and transmit it to the Japanese Consulate, and the Japanese Consulate shall affix their seal to it, give one copy to the lessee, return one to the Chinese local authorities, and keep one in the Japanese Consulate. Should the lessee lose the title- deed by water, fire, robbery, or other cause, he may apply for the issue of a fresh title- deed. As regards the form of the title-deed the Chinese local authorities and the Japanese Consulate shall consult and decide. Art. 7. After Kwocho 31st year (six years hence), if any person wishes to lease a site in perpetuity, the Japanese Consulate shall notify its disposal by auction on a date from fifteen to twenty days from the date of application, and it shall be so disposed of in the presence of the local authorities. The Law regarding disposal of a site by auction shall, however, be that it shall always be leased to the highest bidder. If it happens that two or more persons bid the same price, it shall be put up again for auction. When the lessee has been determined, he shall be required to pay at once one-fifth of the price of the site, as a deposit, and the remainder entirely within one month- The procedure in remitting the price, and the method of issuing the title- deed, shall be similar to that provided for in the previous Article. Art. 8. The ground rent payable by the lessee shall be collected each year by the Japanese Consulate, and handed over to the Chinese local authorities on the 15th day of the 4th moon (Chinese calendar). The Chinese local authorities shall send a receipt to the Japanese Consulate. Under extraordinary circumstances, the Consul shall, after the matter has been settled, collect additional ground rent and hand it over. Art. 9. Chinese and foreigners are permitted to reside and carry on business in [1049] C 10 the Settlement. But they have none of the rights of ■ lease specified in these Articles. Art. 10. When the lessee desires to sell or transfer his right to the land leased, both parties shall make application in a joint letter to the Japanese Consulate. When the Japanese Consulate considers that there is no objection, the Chinese authorities shall he communicated with, and they shall make out a new title- deed. Art. 11. The fees for removing buildings connected with graves in the Settlement shall, at any time, be discussed and settled between the Japanese Consulate and the Chinese local authorities. The Chinese authorities shall strictly prohibit the additional construction of buildings connected with graves in future. Art. 12. The Japanese Consulate may at any time make Regulations and levy dues from vessels stopping at the wharves, and apply the proceeds to the expenses of the Settlement, Art. 13. When it is desired to repair' the wharves within the Settlement, or erect hulks, a spot shall be chosen which does not interfere with the passing to and fro of merchant vessels, after consultation between the Japanese Consulate and the Commis- sioner of Customs. Art. 14. It shall not be permitted to construct within the Settlement buildings thatched with straw or rushes, or inferior shingles, or to store, carry, or transport gunpowder, explosives, or other goods dangerous to life and property. But when it is desired to make use of explosives under unavoidable circumstances, an application shall be made to the Japanese Consulate stating the nature of the use to which they are to be put, and permission obtained. Art, 15. The Chinese local authorities shall, in consultation with the Japanese Consulate, establish a Mixed Court in the Settlement. The Rules (of the Court) shall follow the Shanghae precedent. Art. 16. Should it be desired in future to choose a suitable lot and establish specially a cemetery for Japanese, the Japanese Consulate and the Chinese local authorities shall at any tjme agree on the matter. Art. 17. If any points superior to what are specified in these Articles are at present permitted, or shall in future he permitted to other foreigners,, Japanese residents also shall equally enjoy them all. These Articles shall t be prepared in duplicate in Japanese and Chinese, and after being signed and sealed, either party shall keep one copy in witness thereof, It is agreed that they shall take effect after the sanction of the Governments. (L.S.) (Signed) Nagataki Hisakichi, 2nd Class Imperial Japanese Consul stationed at Shashi, (L.S.) (Signed) Yu Tsang Ying. The separate Table and separate Plan are kept at the Foreign Office. August 18, 1898. No. 12. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. Mac Donald. Sir ' M ... ., , , , Foreign Office, February 2, 1899. THE Chinese Minister called here this evening, and referred to my reply to a question he had put to me some time ago as to the withdrawal of the marine euard which had been summoned to Peking to protect Her Majesty's Legation I had on that occasion informed him that the matter was one which must be left to your decision. "*«o U Sir Chichen Lo Peng Lull is now anxious to know whether you think that the guard could be withdrawn when the rver navigation is open again in the spring I should be glad to learn your opinion on the subject in due course. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. il No. 13. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received February 3.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, February 3, 1899. SCHEME for the improvement of the navigation of the gorges of the Yang-tsze Biver. On hehalf of Sir John Lister- Kay e's Syndicate, I, on the 23rd December last, applied to the Chinese Government for permission to survey with a view to working the above scheme. The Yamen informed me four days later that they had referred the question to the Viceroys of Hukuang and Szechuen. Sir John Lister-Kaye tells me that he has already, in connection with this matter, signed two contracts, and that he has good prospects of carrying through the scheme if the concession is granted to his Syndicate. No. 14. Indo-China Steam Navigation Company to the Marquess of Salisbury.— -(Received February 4.) My Lord, 29, Cornhill, London, February 3, 1899. I HAVE to acknowledge receipt of Mr. Bertie's letter of 21st ultimo,* in reply to mine of the 6th idem.t It would appear that your Lordship informed the Cbinese Minister on the 21st November that the Company's claim would be maintained by Her Majesty's Government, and that you pressed for an early settlement of it. I gather that no answer had been returned to this communication. Has not the time therefore come for some course of action more effectual than unanswered despatches ? The Board of Directors observe, with much regret, that your Lordship has again offered the Chinese Government the alternative of an arbitration. Some of their objections to this course were explained in my letter to your Lordship dated the 30th July, 1897, and I sincerely trust that, as then pointed out, the refunding of the cost of the " Kow-shingy' as defined in the Charter Party — 190,000 dollars, at the then current exchange of 2*. 2d. per dollar, equal to 20,583Z. 6s. 8d., and 15,000 dollars for charter- money, stores, and coals, as in our statement of the 6th September, 1895 — 1,625/., with 7 per cent, interest since that date, will be excluded from the questions submitted to arbitrators as being already fixed and settled by the agreement signed by Lo Feng Lull, the present Chinese Minister, himself. With reference to the acts of hostilities complained of by the Tsung-li Yamen as fixing liability on the Japanese Government, I have to observe, first, that there would have been no loss of the vessel or of the lives on board if the captain had been permitted by the Chinese military officers to proceed to a Japanese port, as he desired to do ; and, secondly, that it appears that the first act of hostilities was committed by a Chinese war-ship. You have already in your possession the original deposition made by Mr. Tamplin, the chief officer who was saved, and I now beg to inclose copy of a further declaration signed by him (the original of which is held by Lord Charles Beresford), showing that he saw in the ward-room of the " Naniwa Kan," Japanese gun-boat, an unexploded shell fired by the Chinese cruiser " Tsi Yuen," and which had passed through the side of that vessel before any shot was fired by the Japanese. This statement seems effectually to dispose of the contention advanced by the Tsung-li Yamen. I ll£LVG &C (Signed) J. MAOA^'DEBW, Chairman. Inclosure in No. 11. Declaration by Mr. Tamplin. 1, LEWES HENRY TAMPLIN, make oath and say that, on the 25th July, 1894, 1 was chief officer on board the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company's steamer' * Ho. 4. t No. 1. [NM9] C 2 12 "Kow-shing," and that on that date the " Kow-shing " was fired into and sunk by the Japanese cruiser " Naniwa Kan," and that I was picked up subsequently by the boats of the "Naniwa" and taken on board that vessel, and that, on the morning ot the 26th, I was taken into the ward-room of the " Naniwa," and a large unexploded shell was pointed out to me by the officers lying in the ward-room, and that it was explained to me by the same officers that this shell had been fired by the Chinese war-ship " Tsi Tuen " previous to any shots being fired at her by the " Naniwa," and that the shell entered on the port quarter of the "Naniwa," and passed through some of the officers' cabins, and landed in or near the ward -room. # On leaving the "Naniwa" by the port gangway the hole referred to was distinctly visible. I left the "Naniwa" on the 26th July, 1894, at 10-30 p.m. (Signed) LEWES HENRY TAMPLIN, Master, Indo-China Steam Navigation Company's Steam-ship "El Dorado." Sworn as before me this 5th day of December, 1898. (Signed) W. P. Ker, Her Britannic Majesty's Acting Vice-Consul. No. 15. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received February 6.) My Lord, Berlin, February 2, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that in the course of the debate on the Imperial Budget in the Reichstag on the 31st ultimo, the grant of 8,500,000 marks, included in the Estimates for 1899 for the German Protectorate of Kiao-chau, gave rise to considerable discussion. This sum exceeds the provision made in the Budget of 1898 for the requirements of Kiao-chau by 3,500,000 marks. The leader of the Clerical party having moved that the grant be agreed to without amendment, the Imperial Secretary of State for the Navy, Admiral Tirpitz, made the following statement on the subject of the condition and development of the Protectorate: — Referring to the comparison frequently drawn between Kiao-chau and Hong Kong, generally to the disadvantage of Kiao-chau, the Minister reminded the House that it had taken half-a-century for Hong Kong to attain its present posi- tion of prosperity. It was the fact of Hong Kong having passed into the hands of the British Government which attracted the traders of Macao and Canton, and converted it into a commercial centre of first-class importance. A glance at the " Times " or the " Army and Navy Gazette" of those days will show how unfavourable public opinion was in England to her latest territorial acquisition. Thirteen years after the British occupation, the "Times" described Hong Kong as a "most filthy and most disgusting Colony," and its seizure by England as one of the grossest blunders ever made. The Administration of Kiao-chau had been careful to avoid the imposition of heavy taxes, and the land-tax was practically the only tax which affected Europeans. It was to be hoped that the German settlers in the Protectorate would recognize the necessity of this tax, after the example of the British merchants in Hon"- Kong who in those days urged on the Government, through their spokesman, Mr Matheson, the desirability of abolishing all miscellaneous sources of income, and instituting a tax on immovable property, by which, indeed, the merchants themselves were nrinci- pally affected. v * The policy of the Government with regard to the land question in Kiao-chau was not based on the English system of leasehold property, but the plots were actually sold to the settlers, the State reserving a proportionate share in the rising value of the land sold. ° In reply to an interpellation by the Socialist Bebel, the Secretary of State for the ^declared that iio oomplainto had been heard of the British Administration of Wei-hai Y\ ei, for the simple reason, that the English Commander had refused to allow a single reporter to enter that place, so that it was impossible for persons interested to rr.ke their wishes publicly known. The action of the British Commander was 13 perfectly defensible, since Wei-hai Wei, unlike Kiao-ehau, was not a commercial port, but a naval station. With regard to the opium traffic it would have been impossible to prohibit its importation, as smuggling would have taken place, both by sea and across the land frontier, on a scale which the Administration would bave been unable to control. The grant was finally assented to without a division, the minority, composed of the Socialists only, being ignored. I have, &c. (Signed) FRANK 0. LASOELLES. No. 16. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received February 7.) (Telegraphic.) Pelting, February 7, 1899< THE customary Imperial audience at the China New Year will not take place at present, owing, so the doyen of the Diplomatic Body is officially informed by the Yamen, to the Emperor's bad state of health. No. 17. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, Foreign Office, February 8, 1899. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th ultimo relative to a proposed survey of the Upper Yang-tsze in connection with the question of establishing regular steam navigation between Ichang and Chungking, and J am to express his Lordship's thanks for the interesting informa- tion on the subject. Lord Salisbury is disposed to concur in the view that the best means of promoting British commercial interests in the matter would be by demonstrating that the passage of this section of the river is possible by a suitable vessel, and hisJLordship will be glad to learn the result of the attempt which it is proposed should be made by one of Her Majesty's ships to ascend to Chungking. I am, &c. (Signed) T. H. SANDERSON. No. 18. Foreign Office to Indo-China Steam Navigation Company, Sir, Foreign Office, February 13, 1899. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to acknowledge the receipt of youf letter of the 3rd instant, on the subject of your Company's claim against the Chinese Government on account of the loss of the " Kow-shing," in which you refer to the objections entertained by the Board of Directors to submitting the matter to arbitration^ and express the hope that the refunding of the cost of the vessel, as defined in the charter party, as Avell as the charter money, stores, and coal will be excluded from the questions to be submitted to the Arbitrator. I am to inform you that the question whether the Chinese authorities are liable to pay compensation in respect to the loss of the " Kow-shing" in the circumstances is the point on which the two Governments are at issue, and could not therefore be withdrawn from the consideration of the Arbitrator in the event of an agreement being arrived at to deal with the case by arbitration. In view of the fact that the question to be decided is largely one of the proper interpretation of the law of nations, and one therefore on which different opinions may well be held by different authorities, Lord Salisbury maintains the view that the case is a specially suitable one for settlement in this manner. Sufficient time has not yet elapsed to allow of instructions being received by the u Chinese Minister by mail" to the note of the 21st November, and his Lordship must therefore defer addressing a further communication to him on the subject. I am to add that the fact of an unexploded Chinese shell having been seen on board the " Naniwa " had already been brought to the notice of Her Majesty's Government. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 10. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, February IS, 1899. THE Concession of the Tien-tsin-Chiukiang Railway line, with a branch from Tsinaci to Chenting, being the subject of negotiations which are being carried on with the Chinese authorities by the British and Chinese Corporation, in concert with the German Syndicate, you should arrange with your German colleague for giving all proper support to the, representatives of the Syndicates jointly with him. -'■*• — - - ■ i - ■ i No. 20. Sir Ci MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received February 20, 1899.) My Lord, Peking, December 19, 1898. IN continuation" of my despatch of the 12th November,* I have the honour to inform your Lordship that I have received an official note from the Tsung-li Yamen stating that the Commander of the Kansu troops concerned in the attack on Mr. Camp- hell and others at Lukon Ch'iao has been degraded three steps in rank, and transferred for employment elsewhere. The punishment is severe, and means that the officer has practically to begin his career over again. The Memorial of Hu Ta-je'n on the whole case, which was satisfactory, and the Emperor's Rescript ordering Colonel Chu to be punished having been published in the " Peking Gazette," I have informed the Yamen that I consider the incident closed. I li r i'\rp Sic* (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. j., e ^ Foreign Office, February 24, 1899. ... 1 + H f V + E received your despatch of the 19th December, 1898, and I learn with satisfaction of the punishment inflicted on the commander of the Kansu trnn™ concerned in the attack on Mr. Campbell and others at Lukon Ch'iao closed aPF ° Ve ° f 7 ° m ^^^ inf ° rmed the Yam6n that y° u c °nsider the incident I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. 19 No. 29. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — - (Received February 27, 1899.) My Lord, ^ Peking, December 29, 1898. I HAVE the honour to report upon the steps taken by the Anglo-Eastern Syndicate — represented by Messrs. Chance and Isaac — to secure railway and other contracts firom the Chinese Government. Mr. B. A. Isaac visited China in the spring of 1898, and called upon me here on the 7th April, to ask my opinion as to the prospect of obtaining contracts for public works. I gave him to understand that genuine capitalists had every reason to look upon China as a promising field for investments. Those represented in China had already made advantageous agreements, and if he himself returned with a reliable Company at his back, I saw no reason why he should not secure contracts for public works. Mr. Isaac had no letter of introduction, and I knew him only as a member of the public, at that time, I understand, travelling for his amusement ; he went home and returned to China, and called upon me on the 12th September. I have already described in my despatch of the 20th December the circum- stances in connection with the Contract signed by Mr. Isaac's agent, Mr. Stokes, of Shanghae, with Yung Wing for a railway from Tien-tsin to Chinkiang. Mr. Isaac, on the 12th September, was apparently gathering information as to the various railway projects of China. He left Peking to meet his colleague, Mr. P. T. Chanee, then on his way out from England. They came to Peking together, and on the 11th and 12th October applied to me to press the Chinese Government to set aside the Agreement made between the Chinese Minister at "Washington and the American Carey-Washbourne Syndicate for the Hankow-Canton line. I found myself unable to accede to their request. The applica- tion would have been an unfriendly act to the United States, and I saw no sufficient ground for attacking the Contract. On the 19th October Messrs. Chance and Isaac addressed me, asking me to support them in obtaining a reversionary Agreement for the Hankow-Canton line. I replied on the 22nd October that the American Agreement had been shown to me by the American Minister, that it appeared to be in order, and that there was no prospect of its abandon- ment, but that I would support their application if they still desired it. After further correspondence, I requested the Chinese Government to negotiate first with the Anglo-Eastern Syndicate in the event of the abandonment for any cause of the American Agreement. The Tamen replied, on the 26th November, that the American Company concerned had deposited bargain money, and had dispatched surveying engineers to China. The preliminary Agreement had undergone no alteration. If in the future it should chance to be abandoned, the Tamen would, when the time came, consider and deal with the matter. On the 27th October Messrs. Chance and Isaac requested me to obtain for them the promise of the Chinese Government to negotiate with them to construct certain railways and waterworks. On the 29th October I replied, giving my reasons for declining to support their application to the Tsung-li Tamen. Messrs. Chance and Isaac shortly afterwards proceeded to Shanghae, and I under- stood that they were in Treaty with the Provincial authorities for the construction of waterworks at Nanking. They wrote to me, under date the 21st November, from Shanghae, to say they were proceeding to Hankow at the invitation of the Hankow Chinese authorities, to arrange for the construction [sic - ] there. They requested me to instruct Her Majesty's Consul to give them proper assistance. They also hoped that 1 had obtained the assurance of the Chinese authorities with regard to the Hankow-Canton line, as circumstances had occurred which might render the assurance operative. I replied, on the 29th November, that I had instructed Her Majesty's Consul to give them assistance, and I sent them a copy of the Tamen's note with regard to the Hankow- Canton line. From their reply of the 10th December I gather that they are negotiating for the construction of water-works at Hankow. They were unfortunate in the time of their arrival in China. The coup d'Stat of the 21st September was just about to check the arrangement of further contracts for railways, mines, and other public works. Preliminaries had already been settled for the construe- f!049] D 3 20 tion of a large number of railways of great length, and China was beginning to think that she had enough to do for some time with the lines already promised. Nevertheless, they do not despair of obtaining some valuable contracts for public works, such as the Nanking water-works already mentioned. These affairs are matters of business bargaining, and require negotiations of considerable length. The Tsung-li Yamen informed me on the 15th December that China did not intend to construct any more railways for the present ; and, by your Lordships instructions, I notified them on the 24th December that we claimed priority of consideration for all British applications for railways already sent in in the event of China revoking this decision at any future time. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. r No. 30. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received February 27.) My Lord, Peking, January 7, 1899. ON the 18th December last I telegraphed to your Lordship that the Chinese Government had informed me that they did not intend to undertake the construction of any more railways for the present.* I have the honour to inclose translation of the despatch of the Tsung-li Yamen, dated the 15th December, upon which I based my telegram, and also of a further despatch, dated the 20th December, communicating to me the Memorial and Imperial Decree on the subject. Upon receipt of your Lordship's telegram of the 20th December,! instructing me to inform the Chinese Government that Her Majesty's Government claimed priority of consideration by the Chinese Government of all British applications already made for railways in the event of their revoking this, decision, I addressed to the Yamen, on the 24th December, a note to that effect. On the 31st December I received a reply stating that such applications would be recorded as material for future negotia- tions, but that they could not be held to have prior claims over all others to definite .Agreements. I inclose copy and translation of these two notes. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 30. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. Slf ' /w a -n i. , , Peking, December 15, 1898. UJN the yth December we had the honour to receive your despatch embodying a proposal from Sir John Lister-Kaye, on behalf of the Anglo-Chinese Railway Syndicate to undertake the building of a railway from Canton to Chenfftu, with branches from Chungking to Hankow and Hsu Chou-fu (despatch quoted in full) In reply, we have the honour to observe that of the Chinese railways the most important trunk lines are those from Peking to Hankow, and from Hankow to Canton The next m importance is the Tien-tsin-Chinkiang line. The rest are all branch lines. « • J5 G t! ?S l i neS * Wil i be - comm . enc ?, d in order > but when in the future the lines are finished and the traffic begins, it is still impossible to say if the profits will provide for maintenance of the line, and the payment of interest and redemption of the loans This is still more the case with the branch lines. The Tsung-li Yamen has, in conjunction with the General Board of Mines and Eailways, memorialized the throne to the effect that, with the exception of the trunk and branch lines already sanctioned, which will be proceeded with in order, no other line shall be undertaken for the present. China has, therefore, at the present time no desire to build the line from * See "China No. I (1899)," p. 32?. > t lbML> p> 32g> 21 Canton to Ssuchuan, which Sir J. Lister-Kaye's Syndicate requests may he intrusted to them to construct. "We are sending separately to your Excellency a copy of this Memorial and of he Imperial Decree. We have, in addition, to send you this reply for communication to the said Syndicate. A necessary communication. (Seal of Yam6n.) Inclosure 2 in No. 30. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. Kuang Hsu, 2ith year, 11th moon, 8th day (Translation.) (December 20, 1898). OlS the 13th December the Yamen, in conjunction with the Board of Mines and Railways, submitted a Memorial to the throne reporting on a general scheme of railway construction, in which the order and urgency (of the various undertakings) was discriminated. On the same day the Imperial holograph Rescript — " Let it be as proposed" — was received. The Yamen have the honour to transmit a copy of this Decree and the Memorial to Sir Claude MacDonald, for his information. The Prince and Ministers avail, &c. A Memorial reporting on a general scheme of railway construction, in which the order and urgency of the various undertakings is distinguished. Railways are expeditions profitable to the State and advantageous to the people. The expectation is that trunk and branch lines shall mutually support each other, and shall interconnect like veins and capillaries, which will be productive of very great benefit. Yet, under existing circumstances, we cannot but discriminate the urgency of the various lines and the order in which they should be constructed, and we beg to submit to your Majesty the conclusions we have come to. The most important trunk lines of China are the Luhan and the Hankow- Canton Railways. The Tien-tsin-Chinkiang line comes next, and the lines behind Shanhaikuan to Moukden, Newchwang, and elsewhere, pass through territory which is important strategically, and the possession of which must be disputed. All the remaining lines are branch lines. The construction of trunk lines is costly, and the return of profits slow ; branch lines are constructed at less expense, and they bring profits more quickly. The Government desiring celerity and freedom of communica- tion for revenue and warlike purposes fix their attention on trunk lines. The view of the trading classes, on the other hand, is narrow ; they want rapid transport of their merchandize, and their attention is turned on branch lines. The main lines are the body, the branch lines are the limbs. If discrimination is not used, and the order of con- struction not properly dealt with, those who favour branch lines are certain to press forward in crowds, and conspire and misrepresent ; and the shares issued by the Companies undertaking the main lines will not find purchasers. There will be many impediments, and the finishing of its works will be excessively difficult. To discard the body and seek the limbs is not a proper form of action. If a rush is made to undertake trunk and branch lines without discrimination, the connections will not be complete ; it will be difficult to make the lines profitable, and the number of Chinese investors in the branch railways will also bo very small. Further, it is feared that there will be no material funds for the repayment of the foreign debt, principal and interest, or to meet the cost of maintenance. After attentive and exhaustive consideration, we think that, instead of trying to do everything at once and thereby creating differences of opinion, which easily cause trouble, it will be better to lay down broadly what, after mature consideration, is urgent, and what can be delayed. "We have to observe that the important trunk lines from Lu Kou-ch'iao to Hankow and from Hankow to Canton, together with the considerable branch lines near them— the Mngpo-Shanghae, Soochow-Chekiang, Pu-k'on-Hsiu-yang, and the Canton- Kowloon Railways — have been undertaken by the Director- General, Sheng Hsuan-huai, that by Imperial Decree the responsibility for the Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway and for the lines behind Shan-haikuan rests with Hu-yu Fen, that the Shansi Trade Bureau 22 has already undertaken the line from T'ai-yiian Fu to Liu-lin, and that the Lungchow Railway in Kuangsi has been undertaken by General Lu Yuan-eh'un. It is requested that a Decree be issued instructing the aforesaid high officers to complete the construction of all these important railroads with zeal and dispatch. If there is an ample surplus of profit after the principal and interest of loans, and the maintenance of the roads is provided for, the further construction of branch lines should them be con- sidered in proper order, and circumspection manifested. From the time of this Memorial forward, setting aside the lines which have been already decided on with foreign countries, no application to construct a branch line should be granted for the present. If these proposals are favoured with the Imperial acquiescence we shall at once issue Circular instructions accordingly. The instructions of their Imperial Majesties the Empress Dowager and Emperor are requested on the points stated in the above Memorial. This Memorial is, drafted by the Tsung-li Yamen in collaboration with the Board of Mines and Railways. Kuang HsU, 24th year, llth moon, \st day {December 13, 1898). Imperial Rescript : " Let it be as proposed." Inclosure 3 in No. 30. $»• O. MacHonald to. the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, December 24, 1898. ON" the 15th instant your Excellencies informed me that, with the exception of those trunk and branch railway lines already arranged for and sanctioned, the construc- tion of which would be proceeded with in order, China did not intend to undertake the building of railways oi any kind for the present. I transmitted this statement to Her Majesty's Government by telegraph, and have now received a reply instructing me to notify the Chinese Government that Her Majesty's Government claim priority of consideration by the Chinese Government of all British applications already made for railways in the event of their revoking their present resolution not to entertain any more proposals. I have the honour to communicate this telegram to your Highnesses and your Excellencies, and to request you to take note of this declaration of Her Majesty's Government. I avail, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALB. Inclosure 4 in No. 30. The Tsung-li Yamin to Sir C. MacDonald. (Translation.) Sir ' r»w +t, ow-n u 1 1 , , Peking, December 31, 1898. a nd, z^^:i2 h ::z^^2 om to receive your Exceiie ^ ««• We have the honour to observe that the development of railways in China is the natural right and advantage of the Chinese Government. If, hereafter, in addition to the lines already sanctioned, which will be proceeded with in order, China proposes to construct other railways, ahe will negotiate with the nation which she finds suitable. When the time arrives China must use her own discretion as to her cours| of The applications of British merchants can, of course, be kept on record as material for negotiation at that day, but it is not expedient to treat them as having a prior cS m over all others to a settled agreement. ««*»«!& <* jjhui udriiu In sending your Excellency this reply, we avail, &c. (Seal of Yamen.) 28 No. 31. Sir 0, MacBonttld to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received February 27.) My Lord, Peking, Januvty 7, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose translation of a despatch from the Tsung-li Yamen dated the 3rd December last, forwarding to me copy of mining and railway Regulations for China lately approved by the Throne. These Regulations are of such an impossible nature from the view of foreign investors in the shares of these Chinese enterprises, that I felt it my duty to protest against them, and I inclose copy of my note to the Yamen of the 29th December, asking that they might be reconsidered. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 31. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. (Translation.) Sir, Puking, December 3, 1898. OK" the 19th November the Tam^n, in conjunction with the General Board for Mines and Railways memorialized the Throne, submitting definitive Regulations drawn up by them for mines and railways. The same day the Imperial Rescript was issued, "Let it be as proposed." We reverently transmit this Rescript and a copy of the Regulations for your information. (Seal of Yamen.) (Inclosed, a book of Regulations.) Inelosure 2 in Ho. 3l. Regulations for Mines and Railways submitted by the General Mining and Railway Board, and approved.by the Throne. (In 22 Articles.) (Translation.) — 1. Modes of Management. Mines and railways can be managed in three ways — by officials, by merchants, by officials and merchants in combination. The second way is the best and, with the exception of those enterprises, commenced before the establishment of the Board, it will in future be held essential to have as maDy as possible of these undertakings in the hands of merchants. The officials must do all they can to encourage and protect, but must not encroach upon the rights of such Companies. 2. Establishment of Beard: its effect on previous mid future enterprises. The General Board has received the approval of the Throne to its suggestion that every scheme, official and mercantile, proposed but not settled previously to the establishment of the Board, must be submitted for approval to the Board. No such scheme may be regarded as a settled affair. From the date of the establishment of this Board all railways and mines in any of the provinces, whether official or mercantile, Chinese or foreign undertakings must be subject to the Regulations submitted by the Board and approved by the Throne. Requests for sanctions for enterprises based on the precedents of the Regulations of mines and railways antedating the establishment of the Board will not be granted. 24 3. Certain parts of China under Special Treatment. The mines and railways of Manchuria, Shantung, and Lungchou concern international relations and cannot be cited as precedents for any undertaking, whether the shares he held by Chinese or foreigners. 4. Mines and Railways not to be combined in one Company. Mines and railways are separate affairs. They can be conducted Separately but not in combination. Railway Agreements giving mining rights along the route cannot in future be cited as precedents. As to permission given to mining Companies to build branch railways to connect the water communication and convey mining produce, such lines can only be made to the nearest water communication. Such railways cannot carry passengers or freight and so poach upon the profits of the railways. . Plans of such lines must also be previously submitted to the General Board for approval. 5. Schools of Instruction. Each Mine and Railway Company must provide a school of instruction for the development of native talent. It has already been decreed by the Throne that this should be done everywhere, and steps must be taken in conformity. 6. Character of Chinese Promoters must be good. In case of application made by gentry or merchants to the local authorities, for permission to undertake mines or railways, the local authorities must inquire into the character and means of the applicants. If they are reliable, and financially sound, and their proposals not contrary to the Regulations, they may be submitted to the Board. The local authorities must not take upon themselves to grant the applications. In case of similar applications to the Board direct, the Board must make similar inquiries, through the local authorities of the applicant's district, and will only sanction the proposals in cases in which the result of their inquiries is favourable to the applicants. In this way, bogus schemes and swindles will be prevented. 7. Land necessary. As to land necessary for the uses of M ining and Railway Companies, the local authorities must notify the people beforehand, so that everyone may be fully informed that wanton opposition will not be tolerated. As to land bought by Companies, houses and graves must be avoided, so as to respect the feelings of the people, and 'obviate disputes. JN'o oppression must be shown. 8. Limit of Time for commencing Work. All enterprises sanctioned by the General Board, must be commenced within six months from the date of sanction, under penalty of cancellation of the permission so granted. Exception will be made in cases of unavoidable delay, but previous notice must be given. ~ 9. Chinese Capital must be used as much as possible. Every effort must be made to have the Chinese proportion of the capital of such enterprises the greater In every case, the Chinese promoter must have in the first instance, got together himself, or by Chinese-owned shares, a proportion of not less than three-tenths of the total capital of the Company. He may then be allowed to invite foreigners to buy shares or to borrow foreign money. If he has no capital himself and no Chinese shareholders, he will not be permitted to dq this. f or. 1 0. Foreign Loans : previous Sanction of Board necessary. , The sanction of the Board must first be asked for every foreign loan. If sanctioned, this loan must be regarded as made by merchants, and to be repaid by merchants. The Chinese Government will give no guarantee. If without such sanction, secret negotiations for a loan are entered into with foreign merchants, the Board will not recognizethe transaction, even although it be stated that an Agreement has been signed 11. Agreements for Foreign Loans. In all cases of foreign loans the preliminary Agreements must be submitted to the Board for approval. If they are contrary to these Regulations, they will not be approved, but sent back for amendment. If the parties cannot come to an under- standing, negotiations may be entered into with the merchants of another Power. If foreign merchants enter into private arrangements for loans and suffer loss, the Tsung-li Yamen and the General Board will not help them to recover their money. 12. Procedure in Case of Foreign Loans. In the case of the establishment of Chinese Companies authorized to borrow foreign money, the Tsung-li Yamen must be asked, in accordance with precedent, through the General Board, to address a despatch to the Minister of the nation, concerned. The Minister having replied, the permission may then be considered to be; given., As to foreign merchants wishing to lend money to such Companies they must request their Minister to communicate with the Tsung-li Yamen, who will ask the General Board if the Company is authorized to borrow foreign capital, and the Yamen's reply to the Minister will be proof of the matter. Money lent in any other way will be treated as a private loan. 13. Chinese Merchants must control all Mining and Railway Companies. The control of all Eailway and Mining Companies, whether they have foreign shareholders or have borrowed foreign money, must rest with Chinese merchants, so as to preserve sovereign rights. But the accounts of the Companies must be open to the inspection of the foreign shareholders as a matter of fair treatment. 14. Proof of alleged Capital. Promoters professing to have got together their own capital or shares to a certain amount, must show proof of this assertion. 15. Local Officials must protect Enterprises. In all the provinces, wherever mines or railways are opened, recourse will some- times have to be made to the help of the local officials. In cases where the landowners interfere with the workmen and assemble crowds, &c, the local officials, on the applica- tion of a Company, must immediately issue suitable proclamations and keep order They must not shirk this duty. They must be still more careful to strictly forbid any extortion, &c, on the part of their clerks and underlings. If they do not afford efficient protection, a Company may complain to the General Board, who will, if the complaint be well-founded, denounce them to the Throne. 1 6. Disputes and Arbitration. In cases of disputes between Companies or any injury to their rights, the local officials must decide the question fairly. If their decision is not fair appeal may be made to the General Board. [1049] E 26 If Chinese and foreign merchants are the disputants, the two parties must each select a fair-minded person to discuss and decide the matter. If the decision cannot be submitted to, they may choose a third impartial person to compose their differences in a just manner. The Governments of the two nations concerned need not interfere. 17. Protection to Foreign Surveyors. The foreign surveyors sent by mining and railway [Companies ?] to inspect the various plans must be efficiently protected by the local officials. If any thing untoward happens to them the local officials will be held responsible. 18. Rewards to Chinese Promoters. Chinese undertaking mines and railways and providing their own capital to the amount of over 500,000 taels, will, if it be found that the money has really been used on the work, with good results, be recommended for generous rewards, in accordance with the precedents of cases in which persons have assisted in the collection of funds for charity or Government purposes. This applies also to persons who have exerted them- selves in getting up a Company in which the Chinese-owned shares form half the capital. 19. Periods of Monopoly. All mining and railway enterprises will be permitted a monopoly of their under- takings for a fixed term of years, to be decided in each case in acccr<2ance with the amount of capital involved, and the profits to be gained. 20. Duties and Royalties. As to the customs stations to be established on all railways for the levy of duties, and the duties on mining produce at the pit's mouth, and on export of the same, special Regulations will be drawn up by the General Board in consultation with the Board of Eevenue, for submission to the Throne. As to the proportion of net profits to be paid to tbe Government for railways, it will be 40 per cent., and for mines 25 per cent., to be handed to the Board of Revenue. 21. Examination of Affairs and Accounts hij Board. The General Board will examine into the affairs and accounts of each Company from time to time, either by having the books sent to the Board or by deputing an officer to make investigations on the spot. 22. Books, fyc, to be kept by Companies. A minute account ot the present state of all railways and mines must be sent to the General Board for their consideration. The Board will also prepare forms for "iving such details and send them to all the provinces. They must be filled up at the end of each year by all such Companies with the details of their enterprises and sent to the Board for their inspection. Sanctioned by the Throne. Inclosure 3 in No. 31. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres Peking, December 29, 1898. UJS the did instant 1 had the honour to receive your despatch inclosing Regulations for mines and railways m China submitted by the Tsung-li Yamen and the General Board for Mines and Railways and sanctioned by the Throne. 27 At an interview with Wang Ta-j3n on the 10th December, I pointed out to his Excellency the impossible character of these Regulations. I will now proceed to discuss the most objectionable clauses. Clause 3 says that the mines and railways of Manchuria, Shantung, and Lungchou concern international relations and must not be cited as precedents. This appears to be in contravention of Article LIV of the British Treaty, the most- favoured-nation clause. All railway and mining Agreements between Chinese and foreigners concern international relations, and specially favourable conditions for the three places mentioned would be protested against as' contrary to Treaty. Clause 4 forbids mines and railways to be worked under one management. The successful working of mines and railways is bound up together in the closest possible manner, and manifest advantages accrue to both if they can be brought under the same Administration. In other new countries everything possible is done in the shape of free mining rights, free tariffs, preferential freights and even subsidies, in order to encourage and assist mines in the neighbourhood of railways. Mineral traffic is the most valuable that a railway can develop, and its development should, when possible, be placed in the hands of the railway administration which has to carry it, which will thus have a double interest in the working of the mines. Besides this railway profits are still an unknown quantity in China, and unless an additional attraction, such as that of possible mining profits is added, it is likely that the amount of foreign capital coming out will be very limited. Clause 10 excludes Government guarantee. No. 13 imposes Chinese control ; and No. 20 demands payment of a proportion of net profits for railways of 40 per cent., and for mines of 35 per cent, to a Government that refuses to share any of the risk of the undertaking. It will be quite impossible for China to borrow foreign money under these conditions. Last June the promise of the Chinese Government backed by the security of a revenue estimated at 60,000,000 taels a-year under Chinese control, failed "to induce the public oi England to subscribe anything towards raising a loan for the Japanese indemnity. How then can it be expected that they will be willing to subscribe money for a rail- way with no Government guarantee, the only security being hypothetical profits, the line to be under Chinese management, and 40 per cent, of the profits to be paid to the Government ? Clause 16 says that any dispute between Chinese and foreign merchants must be settled by arbitration. This is contrary to Treaty provisions, and the provisions laid down by Treaty must be observed in such cases. In conclusion I would observe that these Regulations appear to have been drawn up under the mistaken idea that foreigners are keenly desirous of lending money to China on any terms. They take away from the investor nearly all security and deprive him of a great part of his estimated profits. The risk and uncertainty of railway and mining enterprise in a new country are entirely disregarded. Under such Regulations China will obtain no foreign money. The result would be a complete bar to the development of mines and railways, for China is unable to supply the requisite funds herself. I trust, therefore, that the Chinese Government will see the propriety of imme- diately reconsidering the Regulations in question. I avail, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. No. 32. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received February 27.) My Lord, Peking, January 7, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose translation of a despatch addressed to me by the Tsung-li Tamen dated the 6th October, 1898, informing me with regard to foreign loans made for Chinese mines and railways, that the previous consent of the General Board for Mines and Railways is necessary to secure their sanction by the Chinese Government. [1049] E 2 28 The principle is similar to that communicated by the Chinese Government on the 4th December, 1891, with regard to foreign loans contracted by the provincial authori- ties. A note was addressed to your Lordship by the Chinese Minister in London on the subject on the 23rd February, 1892 {vide China Treaties, Hertslet, vol. 2, p. 638). . „ , _, . I have notified Her Majesty's Consuls in China of this declaration ot the Chinese Government. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure in .No. 32. The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. (Translation.) Sir, Peking, October 6, 1898. ON the 26th November, 1891, the Board of Revenue, in conjunction with the Tsung-li Yamen, memoralized the Throne as follows : — " In future in all cases in which Chinese officials, of any rank, borrow money from foreign merchants, the foreign merchant concerned must be ordered to request in the first place the Minister of his nation at Peking to enquire of the Tsung-li Yamen whether the loan has been really reported to the Throne ; should that be the case the loan could then be made. Tf the Imperial sanction has not been given and the loan be made in a private way and trouble arise the Chinese Government will not recognize the loan and will not recover the money on behalf of the lender, whether the official's seal were used or not." On the 4th December in the same year the Yamen communicated the above to all the Foreign Representatives. Again on the 11th August, this year, the Mining and Railway Board memorialized the Throne as follows : — "The General Board has been established in Peking in accordance with the Imperial orders. No uncompleted arrangement, whether made by officials or merchants previous to the issue of the Decree, should be regarded as a settled affair." The Imperial assent was signified to this proposal. On the 13th September last the Privy Council sent to the Yamen a copy of a Memorial of the Governor of Peking, Hu Yu F£n, as follows : — " With regard to foreign loans contracted by the provinces for mining or railway purposes the Tsung-li Yamen shall be instructed to notify the Foreign Representatives for the information of their merchants that all Agreements and Contracts entered into by them, for which the sanction of the Chinese Government has not been obtained, are to be regarded as worthless." The Imperial Rescript directed the Tsung-li Yamen to consider the matter, report, and take the necessary steps. The Yamen has to observe that the mineral resources of the various provinces of China have not yet been fully developed and the railways, both trunk and branch lines, await connection with each other. In the initial stages permission was given to borrow money from the merchants of all foreign nations in order that natives and foreigners might equally enjoy the profits to be gained, but the affair needs one general control and the funds borrowed must be capable of verification. It is to be greatly feared that ignorant Chinese merchants will take occasion for crafty schemes, and with wild talk of certain railways and certain mines, enter into private agreements with foreign merchants in the hope of gain. The foreign merchants deluded by them will waste their money and find the whole affair lead to no result. Such proceedings are altogether contrary to the desire of the Chinese Government in developing her mines and railways to enable both Chinese and foreigners to gain advantage. The Yamen now proposes this despatch with the special object of stating clearly that with regard to the opening of mines and the building of railways in China for which foreign loans are made, only those loans will be sanctioned for which the General Board of Mines and Railways has given its authority. Agreements made privately with foreign merchants without the previous sanction of the Government Board, whether for mines or for railways, whatever be the amount of capital, involved will all be treated as waste paper. In this manner imposition will be stopped and good faith exalted. 2!) The Yamen has the honour to convey this information to the British Minister and to request that he will instruct British merchants to act in accordance with these principles. (Seal of Yamen.) No. 33. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received February 27.) My Lord, Peking, January 9, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 22nd December, 1898, with regard to the proposed extension of the French Settlement at Shanghae, I have the honour to report that, upon receipt of your Lordship's telegram of the 20th December,* I addressed the Yamen on the 22nd December a note, copy of which is inclosed, communicating your Lordship's instructions. On the 23rd December three of the Ministers called upon me. They explained that the French were relying on a promise made by the Nanking Viceroy, some months ago, to the French Consul-General, that some equivalent should be given them in place -of the Ningpo Joss-house. This promise, although given in ignorance of the untenable nature of the French claim to the Joss-house property, could not be broken. I may mention here a fact which I think has not been reported to your Lordship : After the riots of 1874, in connection with the Joss-house, a solemn Agreement was made in 1878 between the Shanghae Taotai and the then French Consul, in pursuance of negotiations between the Tsung-li Yamen and the French Minister, that the Ningpo Joss-house should remain the property of the Guild for ever. This Agreement had been forgotten by both sides apparently, and ought to make the French position impossible. Nevertheless, having exacted the promise from the Nanking Viceroy, they hold to it as a kind of penalty for the rioting which occurred last July. The Chinese, on the other hand, look upon the expropriation of the Guild, in the face of this document, as out of the question, and seek to give other land to the French. The French, naturally, insist on land adjoining their Settlement, and as the river frontage is denied them, for reasons given in my last despatch, there only remains the land to the west of the Settlement, in which is a great deal of land owned by British and other foreigners. The Ministers expatiated with great frankness upon the awkward and helpless position in which they found themselves. I again warned them that we would not submit to be injured for the advantage of any other foreign Power. If they must give the French compensation, let them do so, but not at our expense. If the land in question were to be given as an extension to the General Foreign Settlement, it would benefit the French equally with the others. The Ministers were convinced that this would not satisfy the French, and put forward the following alternatives : — That they should give the French the modified extension now demanded, which is a moderate area to the west of their present Settlement, and nothing on the river frontage, -or at Pootung, excluding British property therein ; or, Giving them the same area including British property, but, with this proviso, that the French Municipal Regulations for this extension should be identical with those of the General Foreign Settlement. They were very anxious to know the meaning of the word " support " in your Lordship's telegram of the 21st December. I told them I could not add to what your Lordship had telegraphed. It was plain language and should be taken to mean what it said. I promised to telegraph to your Lordship to inquire if either of the above proposals would be agreeable to Her Majesty's Government, and, if so, whether Her Majesty's Government would support China materially in refusing any other terms to the French. I telegraphed accordingly on the 23rd December,! and received your Lordship's reply of the 24th December,! to the effect that Her Majesty's Government could not consent to any British property being given over to be administered by the French, und^r any Regulations, and that they would support the Chinese materially in refusing this demand. Meanwhile, I had consulted Her Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae, by • See "China No. 1 (1899)," p. 328. f Ibid., p. 331. 30 telegraph, as to the number and position of the British-owned plots of land in the area in question. Mr. Brenan replied on the 24th December, that there were about forty- scattered about, and that to exclude them would render administration by the French impossible. I repeated this telegram to your Lordship on the 26th December.* On the 26th December I called at the Yamen, and saw five of the Ministers. I communicated to them your Lordship's telegram of the 24th December. They tcld me that M. Pichon had been to the Yamen on the 24th December, and had accused China of breaking the promise made by the Nanking Viceroy. They explained that when the Nanking Viceroy made the promise he was unaware of the Agreement of 1878, and also of the fact that there was much British property in the area asked for by the French. They suggested that the French should come to some arrangement with the foreign landowners. M. Pichon pressed them to grant the extension, and leave the question of foreign landowners to be arranged afterwards. This they had refused to do. The Ministers, referring to your Lordship's telegram of the 24th December, said that if we informed the French of our views it would bring about a speedy settlement of the affair. I replied that my instructions were to warn the Chinese Government to refrain from any infringement of our rights. They then read me a proposal they thought of submitting to the French Minister, that the extension should be granted exclusive of British-owned land. I said I did not think this a satisfactory plan. It involved many difficulties as to right of access, &c, as I had before pointed out to them at the interview of the 23rd December, and I did not think that the French would accept it in view of the large extent of British-owned land, and the consequent hindrance to their administration. The Ministers finally said they would offer to include the land asked for by the French in an extension of the General Foreign Settlement. They hoped that the British and French Consuls- General would be able to come to some understanding to this effect. On the 31st December the Yam£n sent me a note (translation inclosed), stating that the Viceroy at Nanking had telegraphed that he had come to an understanding with the French Consul that the extension should be given to the French, exclusive of" all other foreigners' land, and asking my opinion, that they might reply to the Viceroy to settle the matter on that basis. I telegraphed to your Lordship on the 2nd January,t and received your Lordship's reply of the 3rd January,! stating that such a proposal could not be consented to by Her Majesty's Government, and instructing me to warn the Chinese Government that if they issued any such order they would be violating the rights of Great Britain. Meanwhile, Mr. Brenan telegraphed to your Lordship on the 3rd January! that it would be impossible to exclude British property from the French extension, as the French could render the position of such land-owners untenable. But he saw no objection to a small French extension, provided that we insisted on the immediate grant of a proper extension to the General Foreign Settlement. I called again at the Yamen on the morning of the 4th January, and was received by five of the Ministers. I had not then received your Lordship's telegram of the 3rd January, but, in reply to the Ministers' anxious questions, T said I did not think for one moment that Her Majesty's Government would agree to their last proposal. I repeated the objections previously detailed. The Ministers said that in any case the French had cried off the bargain, on the plea that the Chinese Government had temporized too long. The French Minister had now said he must refer the matter to his Government, and the whole question must be considered de novo. They were thus left face to face with France in consequence of their deference to our opinion, and they asked my advice as to how they were to satisfy the French demands. They wished to know if Her Majesty's Government's promise of support applied also in the case of France's attacking China because China would not give up to French control the land surrounding British-owned land. I advised them to await events, but warned them again that they should not injure us in order to appease France. One of the Ministers, Hsu Yung-I, had spoken of our promises of support as " empty words." This, I said, was most improper language. They were no " empty words." They meant a great deal, and constituted a friendly act towards China which, I ventured to say, no other nation had equalled. If, however, China was unmindful of our friend- ship, there was another side to the picture, and if our interests were injured she would find that we could, and would, hit hard. * .See "China No. 1 (1899)," p. 336. f Ibid., p. 340. + Ibid., p. 341. 31 The Ministers hastily and unanimously deprecated any idea of undervaluing the promised support. Hsu Ta-jen had. thought that the French would evade the issue by •alleging another ground of complaint unconnected with British-owned land. I left them with the understanding that they would await further developments. Upon my return to the Legation I found your Lordship's telegram of the 3rd January, and at once sent Mr. Fulford, the Acting Chinese Secretary, to convey the message to the Ministers. In the afternoon I addressed to the Yamen a note, copy of which I inclose. To-day I was calling at the Yamen, and inquired if anything further had occurred in connection with the affair. The Ministers informed me that the French Minister had been at the Yamgri on the 7th, but had barely alluded to the matter, saying that he was now awaiting the instructions of his Government. With regard to the attitude of other Powers interested, alluded to in your Lord- ship's telegram of the 24th December,* I informed your Lordship in my telegram of the 5th January! that the American Minister had, by instructions from his Govern- ment, made a protest similar to our own. The Japanese and German have as yet taken no steps. The Japanese are hardly interested, and the others do not sympathize with our action officially. They consider the question to be more particularly British, in view of our great preponderance of numbers and influence at Shanghae, and they also fear that in blocking the French extension we may prevent our own. £ nave &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 33. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li YamSn. MM. les Ministres, Peking, December 22, 189S. ON the 11th instant I addressed your Highnesses and your Excellencies on the subject of the proposed extension of the French Settlement at Shanghae, and I have repeatedly discussed the matter with you at the Yamen. I have this day received a further telegram from my Government to the effect that the proposal to hand over the land in question to the French, leaving it to us to negotiate with the French as regards British-owned property, is not one which Her Majesty's Government can accept. I am further instructed to inform your Highnesses and your Excellencies that Her Majesty's Government protests against any cession to France of British-owned land at Shanghae without a previous agreement with Her Majesty's Government ; and until the consent of Her Majesty's Government has been given, Her Majesty's Government will support the Chinese Government in maintaining this attitude, and will resent any departure from it. I have the honour to communicate this telegram to your Highnesses and your Excellencies, and to again request you to to deal with the matter in accordance with the advice contained in my despatch of the 11th instant. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 2 in No, 83. [The Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. (Translation.) Peking, December 31, 1898. WITH regard to the proposed extension of the French Settlement at Shanghae and the British-owned land therein, we have received a telegram from the Viceroy of Nan- king, which reads as follows : — " I have repeatedly consulted with the French Consul at Shanghae, and we have agreed that the houses and land previously acquired by other foreigners within the extension shall still remain under the control of the owners, and shall not be included in the Settlement. I beg you to consult with the British Minister at Peking." We beg to observe that the proposal of the Nanking Viceroy that the property of foreigners within the area of extension shall not come under French control, completely * See "China No. 1 (1899)," p. 331. t Ibid., d. 341. 32 protects the rights of both parties, and involves no prejudice to the property of your nationals. There is- no other feasible mode of procedure, and we therefore request your Excellency to consider the matter and come to a decision, and to send us an immediate answer that we may telegraph to the Nanking Viceroy to settle the question on this basis. , : (Cards of Yamen Ministers.) Inclosure 3 in No. 33. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li Yamen. Peking, January 4, 1893. ON the 31st December I received the Yamen's note with regard to the proposed extension of the French Settlement at Shanghae, informing me of the understanding come to between the Viceroy of Nanking and the French Consul. I at once telegraphed to my Government, and have received their reply stating that, there are grave objections to the course proposed which, though nominally giving control of their land to British land-owners, would practically place their property under the French, leaving them to defend themselves as best they could. It would also, by granting the French a new exclusive jurisdiction, give them a favour not extended to other nations. This is an infringement of Treaty rights. Her Majesty's Government therefore absolutely declines to consent to the proposal, and instructs me to warn the Chinese Government that if they issue any such order they will be violating the rights of Great Britain. It is my duty to communicate this telegram from Her Majesty's Government to your Highnesses and your Excellencies, for your information and consideration. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. No. 34. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received February 27.) My Lord, Peking, January 10, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report the following additions to the Board of the Tsung-li Yamen : — On the 22nd December the Yamfen informed me that Chao Shu-chiao, Kuei Ch'un, and Lien Yuan had been appointed Ministers, and on the 6th January the appoint- ment of Yii Keng. Chao was lately Governor of Kiangsu. He is now a President of the Board of Punishments, and co-Director with Wang Wen Shao of the General Board of Mines and Railways. Kuei Ch'un is a young Manchu who holds no other substantial office. Lien Yuan is also a Manchu, with no substantial office. He was lately Taotai at Swatow, and was promoted to be Judge of Anhui, but did not proceed. Yii Keng is a Manchu. He was lately Minister to Japan, and now holds one of the honorary appointments of the capital — a Directorship of the Court of the Imperial stud. He speaks English, and has a foreign wife. The Yamen has now ten Ministers, and Prince Ching on the Board. By a recent Decree the high provincial authorities are given rank as Ministers of the Yamen, to enable them to deal with international business more freely, and to prevent them putting off all responsibility on the Tsung-li Yamen. I do not regard these moves as favourable to the dispatch of business. Concen- tration of the work in the hands of fewer and stronger men would be better. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. 33 No. 35. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received February 27.) My Lord, Berlin, February 25, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 2nd instant, I have the honour to inform your Lordship that the " North German Gazette " publishes the latest advices from Kiao-chau, dated the last day of 1898, on the subject of the railways in the Province of Shantung. This information states that the preparatory works for the construction of the line from Tsin-tau to Tsinanf u have been determined, and that an agreement has been arrived at between the various competing Syndicates. The granting of the Concession may, therefore, be expected shortly. Meanwhile, the preliminary works are to be taken in hand at once, in order that the actual construc- tion may be commenced immediately after the granting of the Concession. According to present arrangements, the work will be commenced with the construction of the portion Tsin-tau-Kiao-chau-Weihsien. The lines Tsin-tau-Kiao-chau-Weihsien and Kiao-chau-Weihsien will be begun simultaneously at the points Tsin-tau and Kiao-chau. The portion from Kiao-chau to Weihsien is practically free from serious obstacles to construction. The line will, no doubt, have to cross several rivers, of which the Weiho contains, during eight months in the year, a larger volume of water than the Rhine, but the favourable nature of the soil to be traversed gives reason to believe that the work will not be difficult, so that the distance from Kiao-chau to Weihsien, which is of 100 kilom. (62^ miles), will probably be covered in the space of two and a-balf to three yeais. The building material will be conveyed in lighters across the Bay of Kiao-chau, and up the river in the direction of the town, which will be reached by a light railway 5 miles in length. The portion of the line from Tsin-tau to Kiao-chau will offer greater difficulties, owing to the scarcity of labouring hands in that region. The preparatory works on this line will take eight months to complete, and the actual construction of the line, which is 25 miles in length, cannot be commenced before September or October next. As, however, it will be begun simultaneously at both ends, Tsin-tau and Kiao-chau r this portion will probably be completed about the same date as the section Kiao-chau- Weihsien. Unless unforeseen difficulties arise, the opening of the line from Tsin-tau to the Shantung coal-fields may be expected towards the close of the year 1 902. (Signed) FRANK C. LASCELLES. No. 36. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, February 28, 18S9. TIEN-TSIN-CHINKIANG Railway : Tour telegram of the 23rd Eebruary. Representations have been made to us by German Government that German rights with respect to Tsinan-Ichau line are based on a distinctly limited concession secured by the Treaty between Germany and China of the 6th March, 1898, for a German-Chinese private Company, and not on any rights of priority in Shantung. Our support is claimed by them under the A greement between the German and British Syndicates.* While making any necessary reservation to avoid recognition by Her Majesty's Government of priority claims of Germany under Kiao-chau Treaty, you should support German claim unless you see good cause to withhold your assistance. No. 37. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received March 4.) gjp Admiralty, March 2, 1899. WITH reference to previous correspondence respecting the proposed employment of shallow draught gun-boats on the Yang-tsze River, I am commanded by my Lords * See " China No. 1 (1899)," p. 214. [1049] F 34 Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit herewith, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copy of a letter addressed to the Commander-in- chief on the China Station, dated the 28rd February. I am, &c. (Signed) H. J. VAN SITTART NEALE. Inclosure in No. 37. Admiralty to Commander-in-chief on China Station. Sir, Admiralty, February 23, 1899. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to forward to you correspondence with the Foreign Office relative to the navigation of the Tang-tsze above Ichang, and to inform you that their Lordships have it in contemplation to attempt the passage of the Yang-tsze Gorges to Chung King by the "Woodcock" and " Woodlark " in the autumn. Their Lordships have been in communication with Mr. Archibald Little, who, as you are aware, successfully took a steam-launch to Chung King at low river; and they find that his decided opinion is that handy vessels of good speed can navigate the rapids at a time when the river is at such a height as to smooth all the falls and cover the principal rocks, but not so high as to cause the excessive velocities and swirls due to the greater height of the flood. These periods appear to be approximately in April and May, and in October and November. Their Lordships desire that Lieutenant and Commander Watson be instructed to go to Ichang and make such inquiries as are possible, taking his ship to the first difficult place and personally examining it, as well as such others higher up, within a moderate distance, which he may be able to reach by land or junk, making a report of his opinion on the feasibility or otherwise of the ascent in these vessels, having due regard to the special fitting of their screws, and lack of power to go astern ; the question of the supply of fuel, and any others relating to the success of the expedition. Should the ascent be eventually attempted, it is proposed that the gun-boats should merely demonstrate the possibility of the passage, and that they should return to Ichang after a brief stay at Chung King before the river falls, as it is not desired that they should be cut off from the lower river. Lieutenant Watson's Report should be forwarded to the Admiralty as soon as possible, with your remarks. It is probable that Mr. Little may be able to be on board the " Woodcock " if the attempt is made in the autumn, and it is considered that the presence of a gentleman who has so much experience of that part of the river, and of the Chinese, would be a great advantage. In order to insure Lieutenant Watson seeing the river in what is believed to be the best condition for passage, a telegram has been already sent to you directing the " Woodcock " to be at Ichang in April. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR No. 38. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. —(Received March 6.) My Lord, Berlin March 1 1899 I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that, at yesterday's meeting of the Budget Commission of the Reichstag, several questions were put to the imperial Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on the subject of German interests in China With regard to the insulting of Germans at Tien-tsin, Herr von Biilow stated that a telegram was received from Tien-tsin on the previous evening, reporting that several Germans had been attacked and insulted in that town on the 24th ultimo and had 35 , been compelled to take refuge in the side streets and narrow alleys. The Imperial trovernment had been already aware for some weeks past that a considerable feeling of irritation had manifested itself against foreigners in China, especially in the southern portion of the Province of Shantung. The Chinese Government were thereupon warned of the necessity of maintaining order and securing public safety, and, upon the receipt of the telegram above referred to, the German Minister at Peking was instructed to impress upon the Chinese Government that, if such incidents were permitted to recur, or the perpetrators allowed to escape unpunished, the consequences for China would be very serious. "We have," Herr von Billow declared, "neither the occasion nor the desire to interfere in the internal affairs of China. But it is our duty to watch lest the life and property of our fellow subjects, whether missionaries or traders, should be made to suffer through the internal complications in China. We will bear this duty in mind, and effectively safeguard the weighty interests which we possess in the Chinese Empire." I have, &c. (Signed) EBANK C. LASCELLES. No. 39. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 6.) My Lord, Berlin, March 1, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 25th ultimo, I have the honour to inform your Lordship that Herr von Billow made a statement yesterday in the Budget Commission of the Reichstag on the subject of the commercial development of Shan- tung, of which the following is a summary : — The most prominent financial houses of Germany had co-operated with important Eastern trading firms for the formation of a Syndicate. Negotiations were proceeding between the Imperial Government and this Syndicate, and, although there still remained some slight differences to be reconciled, there was every prospect that a satisfactory conclusion would be reached at an early date. It was to be hoped that the Government would be in a position to lay the text of the Treaty concluded with the Syndicate before the Keichstag when the Foreign Office Budget was submitted to that body. The Syndicate will be constituted as a Joint Stock Company, according to German law. The seat of the Company will be Tsin-tau, and it will consequently be subject to German jurisdiction. The capital to be subscribed will probably exceed 50,000,000 marks (2,500,000/.), and, under the Treaty with China, Chinese subjects will be permitted to be shareholders in the Company. The railway, which is to run through the Province of Shantung, and which will connect Kiao-chau with the Hoang-ho, will join the great line, to be constructed with German and English capital, which will connect Tien-tsin with the lower course of the Yang-tsze-Kiang. This line will strike the Yang-tsze at a point opposite the tGwn of Chin-kiang, where the old Imperial Canal joins the Blue Biver. With regard to the coal-fields in Shantung, Herr von Biilow stated that the question of the concession of mining rights had not yet been definitely settled. The question was, however, not an urgent one, as the railway on which the exploitation of the mines depended was not yet in existence. The quality of the coal appeared to be superior to that of the Shansi district, which was anthracite, and chiefly suited for household use, whereas coal found in Shantung promised to be of a quality capable of being U3ed for navigation. I have, &c. (Signed) EBANK C. LASCELLES. [L049] P 2 36 No. 40. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir Cv MacDonald. Sir, Foreign Office, March 8, 1899. I APPROVE the terms of your note to the Tsung-li Yamen, a copy of which accompanied your despatch of the 7th January last, protesting against the Mining and Kailway Regulations for China lately approved hy the Throne. T am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 41. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, Foreign Office, March 14, 1899. WITH reference to your letter of the 2nd instant respecting the employment of shallow-draught gun-hoats on the Yang-tsze River, I am directed hy the Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that his Lordship considers it to he of importance for con- siderations of policy that two of those gun-boats shall he permanently stationed in the lower river for the present. I am to request that instructions to that effect may, if the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty see no objection to such a course, be telegraphed to the Commander- in-chief on the China Station. I am, &c. (Signed) PRANCIS BERTIE. No. 42. Yunnan Company to Foreign Office. — (Received March 16.) Bear Sir, 57£, Old Broad Street, London, March 15, 1899. I AM directed to hand you a copy of letter from Mr. L. Tucker, dated the 16th January, 1899, from Chungking, and also copy of Captain H. R. Bavies' diary from the 25th to the 29th January, received this week from Tawnio. I have, &c. (Por the Yunnan Company, Limited), (Signed) JOHN 0. HEWITT, Secretary. Inclosure 1 in No. 42. Mr. L. Tucker to Yunnan Company. Bear Sirs, Chungking, China, January 16, 1899. I AM in receipt of your favour of the 18th November, inclosing press copy of Mr. John Halliday's letter to Mr. Gillespie, for which I thank you. Mr. Hunter and I left Ichang on the 10th Becember, in a four-room kwatze (boat) and arrived at Chungking (400 miles) on the 7th January, the journey occupying twenty-seven days, which is considered a fairly fast passage. Our only accident was springing rather a bad leak through the carelessness of our lacpam (captain) anchoring on a rock— we damaged a good many of our stores. We negotiated the rapids m safety, and we both agreed that the accounts given in books are°grossly exaggerated, and they cannot be looked upon as very dangerous at this time of year provided sufficient men are employed to tow the boat over. Of course it detains boats, a great deal, as only one can be towed over at a time while the rest wait their turn. There are two rapids, which are considerably worse than the others— the " Tsin Tan " and the " New Rapid." Captain Pottinger has made sketches of these and a few more, and written an interesting report of how he considers they ought to be treated to clear the channel. Mr. Hunter has also written a short report on the feasibility of running a railway along the Valley of the Yang-tsze Kiang ; he was unable to form any accurate opinion, as we travelled up as fast as possible, and did not do any survey work. Captain 37 Pottinger, on the other hand, delayed a good deal en route and employed his two native surveyors in making a 4 miles to the inch survey of as much country as possible on each side of the Yang-tsze Valley ; while he made a rough survey of the river, he was also enabled by halting at the principal towns to collect information regarding the trade. He also visited several coal mines, and procured specimens, which he is sending home. Doubtless his report will give you full and interesting details. The Chinese at several places showed a hostile feeling towards us, and the native surveyors were twice stoned. Mr. Hunter and I were also hooted at, stoned at two towns, and on several other occasions we were called "foreign devils," &c. Captain Pottinger reported the matter to the Chinese officials here, and demanded 100 taels compensation for injuries to natives ; they have paid this. This province is in a very disturbed state now owing to a notorious rebel Chief called Yumentze inciting the people to rise and join his army and kill all the foreigners ; he has an immense following, but very few are armed. He has a French priest as prisoner, whom he refuses to release except on his terms being granted. The Chinese Government seem unable to do anything, and matters are at a deadlock, and likely to get worse. Owing to the state of affairs, we thought it would be quite impossible to carry on the survey work without a strong escort, and have demanded fifty armed men. They have at last agreed to give us this number, after a lot of trouble and wiring for the Viceroy's sanction. We referred the matter to Peking in order to try and hurry on matters ; all the help they give us is to wire as follows : " Your idea of large armed escort for survey seems injudicious." We are, however, of opinion, after our late experience of an unarmed escort, that it is absolutely necessary, and are glad we have gained the point with the Chinese officials. This matter has detained us here longer than we expected; now that it is all practically settled, we hope to get away by the 20th instant. Captain Pottinger has consulted Mr. Murray, of the National Bible Society, and other good authorities, on the best route to take, and it is found that the route from Na Ki via Su Yang, Pi Tsie, Wei Ling, Suan Wei, Ku Tsung, Ma Lung, Yang-lin, Yunnan, is easier and less mountainous than the Suchow route. It is therefore decided that the survey party all start together from Na Ki and make a survey of 2 miles to 1 inch. Mr. Murray says there is quite as much trade on the Na Ki (telegraph route) route as by Suchow. Hosie in his book talks of the great mineral wealth en route — silver, copper, iron, lead, coal, and clay are all to be found. The Yunnan hand-book will give you some particulars of the route. We do not expect to be in Ytinnan-fu till the end . of March, as 7 miles a-day is what we estimate can be surveyed in a hilly country. lchang. — Regarding the trade of this town, it appears from the Custom-house Returns and Consular Report that it is almost entirely a transit trade ; the chief foreign goods imported are grey and white shirtings, Indian and Japanese yarns, American clarified gingseng, silk and cotton ribbons, white sugar, the value of which and various other imports is roughly 7l,500Z. The native imports comprise Chinese cotton yarn, medicines, silk piece-goods, &c, which are valued at 33,500Z. The exports are only about 30,000 and are chiefly hides, horns, medicines, yellow silk, skins, tallow varnish, &c. Wan Hsien is said to be a prosperous town, also a large distributing centre for the north and south. We only stopped there a short time, and were unable to find out anything about the trade. There are no towns of any great commercial impor- tance between lchang and Chungking. Chungking is the great commercial centre of the Szechuan Province, and has aD estimated population of 300,000 people. It is a Treaty, port, with a British Consul. European firms are allowed to trade here, but at present Mr. A. J. Little's is the only business house. Mr. Nicolson is in charge of the business while Mr. Little is in England trying to float a Company to run steamers oh the Yang-tsze between the rapids. Mr. Little has a fine house and three pucka godowns on the opposite side of the river to the town. The chief foreign imports are grey and white shirtings, Indian and Japanese yarn, and various other piece-goods, &c, which are valued at 1,125,900/. The native produce imported is valued at 370,000/., and chiefly consists of raw cotton silk goods, medicines. The great portion of these goods pass on to various places in the province. The exports are chiefly opium, yellow and other silk, white wax, sheep's wool, pig's bristles, musk, medicines, &c„ of a value of 900,000/. My figures are taken from the Custom-house. Returns for 1897, and only represent the goods passed though them. A great deal passes through the native Customs, of which no figures are procurable, so that it is impossible to find out the total amount of trade. I am 38 endeavouring to get a list of the present prices ruling for all kinds of produce, but reliable information is very hard to get from the Chinese. freights are very high, and from the figures I have collected I make the rates as follows : — Shanghae to Ichang . . . . Ichang to Chungking — High- water season . . . . • • Low-water season . . . . 1 large bale yarn, weighing 400 lbs., 3 parcels, Ichang to Chungking . . . . 1 large bale yarn from Shanghae to Chungking, includ- ing all charges . . . . . . Chungking to Ichang— Salt > . . •• •■ •• • • Wool . . . . . . • . Sundries 35*. per ton, 40 cubic feet. 76*. per ton dead-weight. 65*. „ ,> 13*. per bale. 26*. Sd. per bale. 10s. 8d. per toD. 10*. 8d. 14s. per ton. It is quite impossible to find out the quantity of cargo in tons that is carried up and down between Ichang and Chungking, and I can merely quote from Mr. Parr's figures for 1897. He says : — " The estimated total tonnage of all junks, chartered and li-kin, plying up and down between Ichang and up river was some 424,386 tons, an increase 60,222 over 1896. The salt trade must account for an enormous quantity, judging by the number of salt-laden junks we passed en route. Taking the distance from Ichang to Chungking as 400 miles, the rate of freight works out as follows :— High-water season Low -water season Downwards • • s. 2 -28 per ton per mile up. 1 '95 ,, ,, 0'42 per ton per mile. The voyage from Ichang to Chungking generally takes one and a-half to two and a-quarter months in high water, and at low water one month to one and a-half months. Downwards boats take eight to fifteen days. The time varies a great deal, and depends on the current and favourable winds. A very useful book on the China trade is " Returns of Trade and Trade Reports, 1897," sold by P. S. King and Son, 12, King Street, S.W. Inclosed is a list of market prices ruling in Chungking at the present time. I am, &c. (Signed) L. TUCKER. List of Chungking Prices. White egrets' feathers Ducks' feathers Fowls' „ Cow hides .. Sheep skins Pigs' bristles, 6 inches long . ,, „ assorted Cow horns Wool .. Alkali . . Refuse silk Yellow silk . . White wax . . Rhubarb (medicine) Nutgalls Gold bars . . Pith Saltpetre . . Sulphur . . . . , Cotton (raw) . . Bombay yarn . . Chinese yarn (Shanghae) , „ (Hupeh) Japanese yarn Indigo . . . . Varnish . . . . Taels. 3 to 5 per oz. 7 to 12 per picul. 3 to 4 3) 14 55 19 120 )? 20 to 80 H 7 )1 11 to IS ») 10 1) 18 5> 18 per oz. 50 to 80 per picul. 16 >> 19 to 25 i> 30 per oz. 98 per picul. 15 si 7 »» 22 to 24 »» 97 per 3 piculg 90 to 94 ti 91 to 100 it 88 to 97 ;» 10 per picul*. 42 19 39 Taels. Deer horns (medicine) • • ■ • • • • 16 per oz. Siechuati opium . . • • • ■ ■ • • 14 to 17 per picul. Yilanan opium . . • • • • • . . 21 Hemp, green • • • • • • 7-80 „ white • • • . « 7-60 White rice, A • 9-70 per 4 piculs. • ■ • • . • 9 i, ,» w • • . • • • ♦ • • • 8-70 ;; Paddy .. • • • • • • . 4-80 Copper Tin • • • • • • * 30 per picul. 28 Lead • • • ■ • 5-20 Iron • • • ■ • • • 3-70 Salt • • • • a 3-20 to 4-20 „ Pepper (black) , . • • * • • ■ 26 January 21, 1899. L. T. Inclosure 2 in No. 42. Diary of Captain H. R. Davies from 25th to 29th. January, 1899. 25th January, Tawnio. — Mr. Scott arrived in the evening. 26th and 27th January, Halted at Tawnio. — Waiting for Mr. Turner, as it is important we should meet. 28th January, Tawnio — Mr. Turner arrived. 29th January, Tawnio. — The following are our arrangements for the future : Mr. Turner will be chiefly engaged in examining mining districts. Mr. Scott will visit as many big towns as possible, to get information about trade. Mr. Ker will work with Lieutenant Watts- Jones in the railway survey. In view of the activity of the French in railway projects from Tonquin, it will be very important to get all possible information about a line from Burmah this year, so that the Yunnan Company can judge what chance they have of competing with the Erench line. Mr. Turner will leave here on the 1st Eebruary , will examine some mines near Mong-Kyen in the Nam Ting Valley, and thence go up through Yin-cho to Ta-ii. Prom there north to mines near Ho-Ohing (Ho-King) latitude 26° 30', longitude 100° 15'. Thence east to Yung-pe, latitude 26° 45', longitude 101° where there are also mines. Thence east to a large mining district at Hui-Li-Chou, latitude 26° 40', longi- tude 102° 15'. Thence down to Yunnan-f u, where I hope to meet him about the 10th May. His dates will be about as follows : — Leave Tawnio, 1st Eebruary; arrive Yin-cho, 15th Eebruary ; arrive Hsia-Kuan, 1st to 5th March (near Ta-li) ; arrive Ho-Ohing, 20th March ; arrive Hong-pu-so, 10th April (near junction of Anning River and Yang-tsze) ; arrive Yunnan-f u, 10th May. Mr. Scott will go from here north-west, to Lung-ling, thence east through Shunning, Nin-cho, and Ching-tung-t'ing to Yiinnan-fu ; back from there by the main road through Ghu-hsing-f u, to Ta-li-fu, where he will arrive in time for the annual fair which begins on the 24th April. Thence via Yung-Chang-fu and Momien to Bhamo. His dates will be appproximately : — Leave Tawnio, 1st Eebruary ; arrive Lung-ling, 10th Eebruary ; arrive Shunning, 24th Eebruary ; arrive Yin-cho, 26th Eebruary ; arrive Ching-tung-t'ing, 7th March ; arrive Yiinnan-fu, 31st March; arrive Ta-li-fu, 20th April; leave Ta-li-fu, 5th May; arrive Yung-ch'ang-fu, 14th May; arrive Momien, 22nd May; arrive Bhamo, 4th June. Mr. Ker and I will go from here through Mong Cheng (Cheng-k'ang) to Yin-cho. There I hope to find a letter from Lieutenant Watts- J ones, from which we shall be able to judge where Mr. Ker will be most likely to find him. Myself, I shall go on up to Ta-li-fu, where I hope to meet Captain Ryder, and to get into communication with Captain Pottinger by telegraph. My future movements will be guided a good deal by what I hear from Captain Pottinger. At any rate, I shall eventually go to Yiinnan-fu, and as Captain Ryder will go by the main road, I 40 may, perhaps, take a move northerly route between the main road and the Yang-tsze,, as that part of the country is quite unexplored. After meeting Captain Pottinger^ Mr. Turner, and Lieutenant Watts-Jones in Yunnan-f u, I propose, about the middle of May, starting for England via Tonquin. This will give me an opportunity of seeing what the Trench are doing. Dates for myself : Arrive Yin-cho, 10th February, Ta-li-fu, 3rd March. Mr. Ker and I leave to-morrow, the 30th January. No. 43. China Association to Foreign Office. — (Received March 17.) Sir, 159, Cannon Street, London, March 14, 1899. THE Committee have read with interest the Admiralty despatch of the 17th January, which you were good enough to communicate to them. They had already learned with much gratification that light draught gun-boats, specially designed for patrolling the Yang-tsze and West River, had been sent out, and that the " Woodcock " and " Sandpiper " had been put together, and successfully launched, respectively at Shanghae and Hong Kong. The Lords of the Admiralty appear to be under some misapprehension in demurring to a survey of the whole 400 miles of the Upper 5Tang-tsze between Ichang and Chungking. This Association has not proposed such an extensive undertaking, although it may become desirable later on. What was proposed was merely such a preliminary survey of the 100 miles or so (immediately above Ichang), which is peculiarly obstructed by rapids, with a view to ascertain whether certain preliminary ameliorations could be effected. The Memorandum submitted by the Association on the 6th December, 1898, anticipated that such a survey could be effected at very moderate cost, by means of a small expedition, which it was hoped that Her Majesty's Government would assist. Sir Evan MacGregor states that the Admiralty think " the example of a suitable vessel passing from Ichang to Chungking and back would be a readier way of assisting commerce." The success of such an experiment would be welcomed, both for political and commercial reasons, as it is undoubtedly desirable that the British flag should be shown on the upper waters of the Yang-tsze. The Committee are assured, however, by representatives of the great steamer Companies concerned in the Yang-tsze trade, that one such successful passage would not be sufficient to encourage the construction of vessels specially adapted to encounter a difficult and hazardous voyage. More precise information as to the character of the rapids, and as to the probability of ameliorating the hazardous portion of the channel, would be required. The Committee gather with satisfaction, from Mr. Brodrick's statement in the House of Commons on the 8th Eebruary, that Her Majesty's Government are generally in sympathy with that view, and contemplate a surrey of the nature proposed. They feel it unnecessary, in presence of that statement, to trespass upon your time by reaffirming the importance of the work, and desire to take the opportunity of expressing their appreciation of the promise it implies. I have, &c. (Signed) R. G. GUNDRY, Hon. Sec, China Association. Copy of Statement by Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, February 8, 1899. " We recognize that there are considerable advantages to be gained by surveying the Yang-tsze further up than it is possible at present for vessels to go, and the Government propose to send an officer for the purpose, and are prepared to bear the cost of the survey, with a view of seeing whether any further steps can be taken to render navigation possible." ;-■ : 41 No. U. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, March 17, 1899. 1 THE French Ambassador stated to-day, under instructions from his Government, that negotiations were in progress between the British and American Consuls- General at Shanghae and the Chinese authorities for an extension of the international Settlement to include the two districts west and south-west of the French Settlement, which would have been assigned to the latter under the Agreement recently made with the Chinese Government, but not ratified. That any future extension of the French Settlement would be impossible if this demand were agreed to. That, moreover, it would be a violation of an Agreement made between the Municipal Councils of the two Settlements in 1896, providing for the extension of both. That the Diplomatic Corps at Peking had approved of this Agreement, which was submitted to the Chinese Government in 1897. That the terms and spirit of this Agreement were respected by the French Consul-General in his recent negotiations, that he had only asked, in exchange for the Ningpo joss-house, for a small portion of the land which, under the terms of the Agreement above referred to, had already been assigned to the French, and that it was in order to act in conformity with this Agreement that the French Minister at Peking had kept you informed of the steps he was taking, I request you to report the facts. No. .15. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir E. Monson. Sir, Foreign Office, March 17, 1899. THE French Ambassador made to me to-day the following communication in accordance with instructions from his Government. According to information received from Peking by the French Government, the British and American Consuls-General at Shanghae are negotiating directly with the local authorities for an extension of the international Settlement, which would include the two districts west and south-west of the French Concession, on the left bank of the Wampou, which formed the subject of the Agreement recently concluded, but not ratified, between the French and Chinese Governments after the incident of the Ningpo joss-house. The effect of compliance with the demand of the British and American Consuls- General would be to make any future extension of the French Settlement impossible. It would, moreover, entail a violation of the Agreement arrived at in 1896 between the Municipal Councils of the French and international Settlements for joint action at Peking with a view to the extension of both of them. This Agreement took into account the special interests of each of the two Settlements, and contained a detailed plan for their extension, fixing the direction which it should take. It was approved by the Diplomatic Corps at Peking, and laid before the Chinese Government in 1897. The French Consul- General at Shanghae had respected the terms and spirit of this Agreement in his recent negotiations for the exchange of the land of the Ningpo joss-house for a small portion of the land already assigned to the French by the scheme referred to above, and it was in order to conform to the Agreement that the French Minister at Peking had kept Sir C. MacDonald informed of what he was doing. Under these circumstances, it was to be regretted that the British and American Consuls-General should have decided to break the Agreement of 1896, and take action injurious to the interests of the French Settlement. The French Government now wished to suggest that the French and British Representatives at Peking should be instructed to concert together with a view to making a fresh attempt, in conjunction with their colleagues, to obtain the adhesion of the°Cbinese Government to the scheme mutually agreed upon by the Municipal Councils of the two Settlements in 1896. I have requested Her Majesty's Minister at Peking by telegraph to report what are the facts of the case. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. [1049] Q 42 No. 46. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received March \ 8.) ,rt , . , x Peking, January 11, 1899. X IHAVE the honour to report upon the steps taken by Messrs Macdona and Sheridan, introduced to me by Foreign Office letters of the 14th April and the 6th May last, to secure a railway contract from the Chinese Government. Messrs. Macdona and Sheridan sent their letters of introduction to me on the 20th July. They informed me some time after that they intended to propose to the Chinese Government to construct a railway from Hangchow to Canton near the east coast of China. No indication had been given, to my knowledge by China that she wished to build this line, the physical difficulties of which would be enormous, as the country is mountainous the whole way. It would, moreover, compete with the sea traffic of the coast. . T , , .., „, A m ., On the 26th August, in the course of an interview I had with feheng Ta-jen, Director of Southern Bailways, I mentioned that there was a British Syndicate which desired to make an Agreement for the line indicated. Sheng said at once that Mr. Macdona had written to him at Shanghae on the subject, but he had not replied, as he wished first to make inquiries as to the financial status of the Syndicate. He asked me if I could guarantee that the Syndicate was m a position to carry out a contract. I promised to make inquiries, and if I found that the Syndicate had good backing to give Mr. Macdona a letter of introduction to Sheng Ta-jen. ° On the 15th September I gave Messrs. Macdona and Sheridan, at their requests, a letter of introduction to Wang and Chang, the members of the Chinese General Board for railways. They subsequently gave me to understand that Chang Yin-huan had received them graciously, and said that he would introduce them to his colleague Wang to talk the matter over. This interview did not take place, Wang alleging press of business. On the 21st September occurred the coup d'Etat, involving Chang's disgrace. On the 8th October I wrote, at the request of Messrs. Macdona and Sheridan, to the Eailway Board, then composed. of Messrs. Wang and Chao, asking them to see the applicants. Wang Ta-jen granted them an interview on the 11th October. Mr. Eulford, Acting Chinese Secretary, went also to act as interpreter, and to introduce Messrs. Macdona and Sheridan. Mr. Macdona said he wished to lay before the Board a scheme for a railway from Canton to Hangchow. They had already seen Chang Yin-huan, and he had promised to consider the scheme. Chang having left the Board, they now applied to the other members. After listening to their introductory remarks as to their representing a powerful English Syndicate commanding a capital of 7,000,OOOZ., and their wish to build this line, Wang Ta-jen said that Sheng Ta-jen had been given authority to make the arrangements for all the southern lines of China. If Sheng considered the line should be made, he would report for sanction. Initial steps could not be taken by the Board. Their duties were similar to those of the six Boards of the capital. The applicants should address themselves to Sheng at Shanghae. He had heard nothing of this scheme, and did not know what Chang had done in the matter. Private dealings of Chang's had nothing to do with the Board. His own opinion was that the line proposed would run through districts where there was but little trade. Being asked if he would look at the Syndicate's proposals already submitted to Chang, he said he had no objection to reading them, but nothing could be done by the Board in the first instance. I subsequently gave Messrs. Macdona and Sheridan a letter of introduction to ShSng, and they left for Shanghae. 43 No. 47. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 18.) My Lord, Peking, January 16, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 9th December, 189s,* respecting the Agreement with regard to Szechuan Mines obtained by Mr. Pritchard-Morgan, I have the honour to report upon the steps taken by Mr. Morgan prior to the signing of the said Agreement to persuade the Chinese Government to establish a General Mining Board. In my despatch of the 8th July, l*98,t I reported that Mr. Morgan had sent in to the Tsung-li Yamen an outline of a scheme for a General Board. On the 22nd duly, I transmitted to the Yamen a more detailed scheme handed to me by Mr. Morgan. On the 2nd August, an Imperial Decree was issued establishing a General Board for the mines and railways of China consisting of two Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen. On the 26th August, Mr. Morgan sent to me a letter addressed to your Lordship with the request that I would support his application. This application was a suggestion that Her Majesty's Government should lend its aid to a project to finance the Chinese General Board of Mines to the extent of at least 125,000/. in five annual instalments of 25,000Z. The inducement to do this was the appointment of an Englishman as adviser to the Board. I had several conversations on the subject with Mr. Morgan. I told him that I could not take upon myself to forward such a proposal. He was of course at liberty to send it direct to your Lordship, but I declined to connect myself with it in any way. I quite agreed with him that it would be most advantageous to have an English adviser to the Board, and I was ready to recommend this to the Tsung-li Yamen, but I did not think his present proposal to be practicable. The matter was then allowed to drop, I subsequently at various interviews with the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen advised the appointment of an adviser to the Board and recommended Mr. Morgan as a capable man who had already done useful work for them and had come out at the invitation of Li Hung-chang. Mr. Morgan gave me to understand that Chang Yin- huan was favourably disposed towards him, but kept putting him off by the statement that he must arrange a meeting between him and his colleague Wang Wen-shao. This meeting never took place. After the fall of Chang Yin-huan, Mr. Morgan applied to me to introduce him to Wang and his new colleague Chao, that he might lay his case before them. I did so and took Mr. Morgan and his mining engineer, Mr. Hay, to the Yamen on the 7th November ; Wang Ta-jen made excuses for Chao who did not appear. Mr. Eulford, Acting Chinese Secretary, was the interpreter. Mr. Morgan asked if the Mining Board were going to be worked in a systematic manner with published Regulations, and if they were going to appoint a foreign adviser. Wang Ta-jen said they were now considering the matter of Regulations, having ordered their Ministers in various countries to send them copies of the Regulations in force in those countries. They would examine these and would shortly submit a scheme to the throne. The question of the appointment of a foreign adviser was one of the points to be decided. He defined the duties of the Board to he simply to advise the throne as to sanctioning agreements and schemes submitted by the provinces. The Board did not intend to work mines itself. That duty would be intrusted to Chinese officials and merchants who could make contracts for loans and skilled labour with foreigners. In all cases the co- operation of the provincial authorities would be requisite. The Board did not propose to take matters out of their hands, but to supervise mining schemes generally in order to prevent abuses and confusion. Mr. Morgan urged the advantage of the Government of China working the mines, but Wang Ta-jen, while admitting the superiority of that plan in theory, said that China did not intend to do this, at any rate for the present. She had no funds for such work. Mr. Morgan offered to find the money, but Wang Ta-jen would not encourage the * No. 6. t See (i China Kr. 1 (1899)," p. 202. [1049] ._ ^ 2 u idea at all, and repeated what he had said about the scope of the Board's functions. The Board could not adopt such a scheme as Mr. Morgan had sketched out, and his own opinion was that, considering the limitation of its duties, the Board had no position to offer Mr. Morgan worthy of his acceptance. He was sure Mr. Morgan did not want a sinecure with a monthly salary of a few hundred taels. He repudiated any vague understanding between Chang Ym-huan and Mr. Morgan, saying that Chang had done many things privately without the knowledge of his colleagues. Mr. Morgan then represented the great expense and loss of time he had incurred at the invitation of Li Hung-chang. He considered he had been hardly used. Li had promised him, for instance, the P'mg-tu gold mine in Shantung, and he had had it inspected at some expense. Wang Ta-jen said he would make inquiries as to that affair. He understood that there were complications in the shape of a previous concessionnaire, a Chinese. Mr. Morgan asked as to the Sub -Commissioners for Szechuan Mines recently appointed. They had approached him on the subject of a loan, and he wished to know if Wang Ta-jen approved of this loan being made. Wang Ta-jen said the Sub-Commissioners named had full authority, and if they made proper arrangements for a loan, and reported it in due form for sanction, he had no doubt their action would be approved. At the same time, it was not within his province to advise Mr. Morgan to lend them money. I told Mr. Morgan that I had repeatedly advised the Chinese Government to appoint a foreign adviser to the Mining Board, and I once more gave this advice to Wang Ta-jen, but I could not do more than give good advice in the matter. On the 9th November Mr. Morgan wrote me a letter recommending Mr. Hay as adviser to the Mining Board. I forwarded this request to "Wang Ta-jen with my support. Wang Ta-jen had shown no inclination to appoint a foreign adviser. He did not reply to my note of the 9th November, and Mr. Hay was informed verbally on the 22nd November that no reply had been received. On the 26th November Mr. Morgan informed me of his Szechuan Contract, as reported in my despatch of the 9th December. Wang Ta-jen's Secretary had, on the 16th November, informed Mr. Fulford that Mr. Morgan would certainly be given some contract, as it was felt by the Chinese Government that he had spent a great deal of time and money since he had come to China at Li Hung-chang's request. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. No. 48. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. ^-(Received March 18.) % L ord, Peking, January 19, 1899. IN Continuation of my despatch of the 11th December, I have the honour to state that the reports of Her Majesty's Consul made it clear that the area suitable for foreign occupation at Shashih was limited, and that the land below the Japanese Concession, though undesirably distant from the business quarter was, under present conditions, practically the best site available. Mr. Clennell, however! mentioned that the physical conditions at Shashih were said to have changed within the last ten or twelve years, andUhat the time might come when a Settlement above the town would be more convenient, officially and commercially. He also saw objections, in point of principle, to British rights being made subject to an Agreement between Japan and China. I sent your Lordship a telegraphic summary of the Consul's views on the 3rd January, and suggested informing the Chinese Government that we reserved our rights. After receipt of your Lordship's telegram of the 7th January,* I addressed a note to the Tsung-lx Yamen, copy of which I have the honour to inclose. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. -•••■• ' —' ■■-■■■-— — ■-- See " China No. 1 (J899)," p. 844. 45 Inclosuve in No. 48. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, January 13, 1899. I HAVE the honour to bring the following to the notice of your Highness and your Excellencies. It will be within your knowledge that the Japanese Government have recently obtained land for a foreign settlement at Shashih, and that an Agreement has been concluded between your Government and the Japanese Government on the subject. The original of this Agreement was published in Japanese in the T6ki6 " Official Gazette " of the 2nd December, 1898, and I wish to draw your Highness' and your Excellencies' special attention to the last paragraph of Article I of this Agreement, the English translation of which is to the effect that " if, in future, another foreign settlement is established at Shashih, it shall be marked out on a situation below the Japanese settlement." Her Majesty's Government do not at the present moment need a settlement at Shashih, but I have received instructions to inform your Highness and your Excel- lencies that they reserve their future rights in this matter, and that these rights cannot be made subject to any Agreement between the Governments of China and Japan to which Her Majesty's Government are not a party. I avail, Sec. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MaoDONALD. No. 49. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. -^-(Received March 18.) My Lord, Peking, January 28, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 9th December, 1898,* on the subject of the murder of Mr. Fleming, I have the honour to report that on the 12th December I received a note from the Tsung-li Yamen, giving the text of another telegram they had received from the Governor of Kueichow, to the effect that Fleming had been killed by rebels. The Governor mentioned that the missionary investigators and his Deputies had returned to Kueiyang. 1 inclose translation of the Tamen's note. On the 14th December I received a telegram, dated the 10th December, from the English Mission, Kueiyang, in reply to mine of the 8th December, as follows : — " Consul's presence absolutely essential, or officials will not act. Chief murderers arrested, officials afraid bring them to Kueiyang. Planners of murder and looters of Mission-house not arrested. Nothing further being done; pressure required." On the 4th December I had received a telegram from Mr. Litton, Her Majesty' Acting Consul at Chungking, to this effect : — "Have you received my telegram of the 21st November requesting permission to proceed at once to Kueiyang? My own presence urgently needed at Kueiyang; delay fatal to interests of justice; further proof of instigation of local authorities forwarded by post." I accordingly informed him by telegraph on the 5th December of my reference to the missionaries at Kueiyang, and of their reply of the 2nd December. On the 7th December I sent Mr. Litton the following telegram : — "In view of present French demands respecting capture French priest in your district, very inconvenient send you Kueiyang. Have asked missionaries there to keep me informed by wire of steps which are being taken, and am pressing Tsung«li Yamen." On the 14th December I sent Mr. Litton a telegram as follows : — " In consequence of your telegram of 1st November, informing me of dangerous position British subjects in Szechuan, also your last Intelligence Report, in which you state that the whole province is in a state of the most dangerous ferment* I * No. 5. 46 hesitated to send you away from your post until I heard from missionaries at Kuei- yang as to whether your presence there was absolutely necessary. " They now telegraph to say that officials will not act unless you proceed there. If position of British subjects is no longer dangerous in Szechuan, you may proceed to Kueiyang, and I will inform Yamen. Negotiate direct with Governor, but do not make any demands without submitting them first to me." Mr. Litton replied that the state of affairs admitted of his absence from Chungking, and I accordingly instructed him, on the 19th December, to proceed to Kueiyang. I informed your Lordship of this step in my telegram of the 20th December. I advised the Tsung-li Yamen of Mr. Litton 's Mission, and the Ministers promised to telegraph to the Governor of Kueichow. On the 19th December I received a telegram from Mr. Litton giving the names of eleven persons who, he said, should be arrested in connection with the murder and the plunder of the Mission-house. These were three murderers, one plotter, two sharers of the booty, three accessories to the murder, and two plunderers of the Mission. I sent these names to the Tsung-li Yamen, and on the 28th December received the Yamen's reply, stating that they had telegraphed the names to the Governor of Kueichow, who had now replied that most of the men named had been arrested, and that the others would be sought out. Mr. Litton telegraphed that he would leave Chungking on the 24th. On the 26th December I received telegrams from the English Mission, Kueiyang, and from Mr. Litton at Chungking, to the effect that the Prefect of Chenyuan, the district in which the murder was committed, had been promoted to a post in Yunnan, and had passed Kueiyang en route. They requested his recall to Kueiyang to await the investigation of the murder. I wrote to and saw the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yam@n the same day, and insisted that the Prefect should await in Kueiyang the arrival of Mr. Litton. This was agreed to after a long discussion. The Prefect, although he had started for his new post, was recalled to Kueiyang, and ordered to await the arrival of Mr. Litton. Mr. Litton reported his arrival in Kueiyang on the 3rd January by a telegram, which reached me on the 10th. He added that he had an interview with the Governor, and that five murderers had been arrested, but not the most important. On the 14th January Mr. Lition's telegram of the I lth arrived, and on the 17th two telegrams, one of the 9th and one of the 11th January. Prom these I gathered that one of the most important criminals, the Headman of the village of Chung An Chiang, where the murder was committed, had not been arrested; also that rumours were current in Kueiyang of the impending murder of the Consul and missionaries. In the meanwhile I had received several despatches from Mr. Litton, °-iving details of the evidence collected by the missionaries who had gone to the scene of the outrage. I inclose a digest of this evidence. On the J4th January I telegraphed to your Lordship as to the failure of the Governor to arrest the Headman.* The same day 1 telegraphed to Mr. Litton that I would insist on the arrest of the Headman; and on the 17th I sent Mr. Litton a telegram, instructing him to state concisely what he considered the punishment and claim should be. On the 17th January I had an interview with the Prince and Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen. 1 handed to them a Chinese version of the digest of evidence mentioned above. I also mentioned the rumours as to designs against the Consul and missionaries. I said I could not believe such an outrage possible, but it was, nevertheless, my duty to warn them to take every precaution. The point I wished to bring particularly to their notice was the failure to arrest the Headman T'an Tzu-cheng. The evidence before them showed conclusively his implication in the murder, and his position as the responsible Headman of the village made his offence more heinous. & The Prince and Ministers made some attempt to treat the evidence as an ex parte statement, but I rejoined that it was based upon the examination of manv witnesses held by the missionaries, who went to Chung An Chiang in company With * See "China No. 1 (1S&9)," p. 335. 4-7 the Governor's Deputies. It then appeared that the Governor had telegraphed to the Yamen that the Headman had fled to the aborigines for protection, and it had not been possible to capture him. I refused to accept any such excuses; and the Prince and Ministers finally agreed to telegraph to the Governor in the strongest terms to put a stop to rumours or threats against the Consul, to use every effort to arrest T'an, and to settle the case speedily and satisfactorily. I telegraphed to Mr. Litton on the 18th January the result of this interview. On the 21st January I received Mr. Litton's telegram of the 18th January, stating that the Headman was still at large. On the 24th January I received Mr. Litton's telegram of 22nd January to the effect, that the Headman was said by the Governor to have escaped to Szechuan, that the other murderers had been executed, proposing to start on his journey back to Chungking on the 27th January, and leaving the case on my hands. I replied at once, referring once more to my telegram of the 17th January, and directing him to remain at Kueiyang till the case was settled. On the 27th instant I received two more telegrams from Mr. Litton, dated the 23rd and 25th January. Jn the former he recommends various punishments for officials concerned, and mentions amount of money which should be claimed for losses, and as an indemnity for the murders of Fleming and his companion, a Chinese. In the latter, he gives the gist of a note he had received from the Governor as to a settlement of the case, which he recommends to my favourable consideration. I replied to Mr. Litton the same day that if he considered the proposed settle- ment to be satisfactory, I would accept it. 1 instructed him to arrange the money claims, and advised him that I was again pressing the Chinese Government to secure the arrest of the Headman. I had sent Mr. Campbell, the Assistant Chinese Secretary, to the Tsung-li Yamen on the 22nd January to again urge the most peremptory orders to the Governor to arrest the Headman and settle the case. The Secretaries assured Mr. Campbell that, after my interview with the Prince and Ministers on the 17th, a most stringent telegram had been sent to the Governor. The Governor had recently reported that the Headman was in hiding, but that a large reward had been offered for his capture. The Secretaries promised to move the Ministers to telegraph again to the Governor. I wrote to the Tsung-li Yaaidn on the 27th January, informing them of Mr. Litton's statement in his telegram of the 25th January that the Headman was known on trustworthy information to be in hiding very near, and urging the Ministers to telegraph to the Governor that he must be captured at once, and that the settlement of the case depended entirely upon his arrest. To-day I received a telegram from Mr. Litton dated the 26th January, as follows : — " Your telegram of the 24th January. "Beg you to refer to my telegrams of the 24th and 25th January. Governor now much alarmed; Headman property confiscated ; Governor promises capture at an early date. Other murderers executed. Prefect Huang Ping handed over to Board. Peng banished, rest dismissed from posts. Claims settled 30,000 dollars. Submit settlement of the question generally satisfactory. " Ma)' I return to station ? " I replied at once that Mr. Litton should await the capture of the Headman before returning to Chungking. I propose to discuss the conduct of the Governor of Kueichow in this matter when further evidence reaches me by post. As yet I have nothing before me to justify Mr. Litton's suppositions of eonnivance, but the Governor has evidently only dealt with the case under the strongest pressure and with great unwillingness. His first telegrams to the Yamen have the appearance of deliberate misrepresenta- tions, but he may have been deceived by his subordinates. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. P.S. February 2, 1889. — Yesterday I received a telegram dated the 29th Januarv from Mr. Litton, stating that, owing to ill-health, he was compelled to return to Chungking at once, but that he had informed the Governor that he could not consider the case settled till the Headman had been captured. C. M. MacD, 48 1 Inelosure 1 in No. 49. *••' " • i Tsung-li Yamen to Sir C. MacDonald. (Translation.) Peking, December 12, 1898. < "WE lately sent your Excellency a telegram from the Governor of' Ku'eichow {jiving some particulars as to the murder of the English missionary Fleming in the Chingping district in Kueichow. We have now received the following telegram from the Governor: — • " The two foreigners sent by the missionary Wen (? Windsor) to Chung An Chiang and the Deputy have now returned to Kueiyang. They find that the murder of the missionary on the 4th November did not take place in the district of Ching- ping. On that day the Prefect of Huang Ping drove back rebels who were attacking the town. The natives seeing the rebels pursued them with vigour to Chung An and killed (the foreigner) by mistake. The two foreigners opened the coffin to see the body, and it was buried in the locality. The real offender (or offenders) have been taken. When they have been brought to Kueiyang, tried, and executed, a Deputy will go to Chungking to consult as to action." It is our duty to send this telegram to your Excellency for your information. (Cards of Yamen.) Inelosure 2 in No. 49. Memorandum respecting the Murder of the English Missionary Fleming in Kueichow Province, compiled from evidence collected by Missionaries who went to the place. THE missionary Fleming was living at Pang Hai, a village divided into two parts by a river, one occupied by Chinese and one by aborigines. Fleming's house was in the latter. On the 24th October, 1898, some robbers sacked the Chinese village. At the time Fleming had gone to Chen Yuan-fu and had not returned. False reports were circulated that the robbers were aborigines and that Fleming had supplied them with arms. Plans were then laid to kill Fleming. On the 27th October Fleming returned to Pang Hai. On the 28th October the Magistrate of Chingping went to Pang Hai and stayed a few days there. On the 2nd November the military official Liu, accompanied by a force of soldiers went to Pang Hai. An officer at the head of some soldiers went to the Mission-house and demanded admittance to search for arms. He was permitted to enter and search but found nothing. Fleming in view of this state of affairs went to see Liu who would not receive him. • Fleming did not know at the time that the people of Chung An Chiang (a village about 13 miles to the west of Pang Hai on the road to Kueiyang) were plotting to kill him. On the 2nd November thirteen men of Chung An Chiang, including Hsu Wu-chin and T'ien Hsiang-t'ang went to Pang Hai and talked with Liu's soldiers as to killing Fleming at Pang Hai. Liu hearing of it would not allow the deed to be done at Pang Hai. The thirteen men then went back to Chung An Chiang to devise other plans. Fleming, becoming alarmed at the aspect of affairs, decided to start for Kueiyang with two Chinese followers named P'an on the 4th November so as to avoid trouble. The three men left Pang Hai and reached Chung An Chiang where they lunched. On leaving Chung An Chiang they were attacked close to the village. It was necessary to cross a ferry to leave the village, and in the boat with Fleming and his two followers went about twenty men of the village. Among them were Hsu-chin, T'ien Hsiang-t'ang and Hsu Erh, On leaving the boat Hsu Wu-chin, taking a big knife, went after them and suddenly cut down one of the P'ans. Fleming dis- mounted from his mule to go to his assistance when Hsu Wu-chin, T'ien Hsiang-t'ang and Hsu Erh attacked and killed him. The other P'an meanwhile escaped. The affair was known to every one in the neighbourhood. The scene of the murder was only about 300 yards from the crowd in the village who could all see the outrage. At the time of the murder the Headman of Chung An Chiang, named T'an Tzu-cheng, with many of his militia were on the street watching the affair from afar. He did not lift a finger to stop the murder. Directly the deed was done T'an and some of his men went across the river in the ferry, and came back with the mule and baggage of the 49 murdered men and with Hsu Wu-chin. The booty was shared by Hsu K'ang-tiung and Han Tsu-ngen. The next day he had the audacity to send in a lying account in his own name and that of three other Headmen to the Prefect of Huang Ping to the effect that an unknown foreigner and an aborigine had been killed by rebels, and that the rebels had escaped. This was done to shirk his responsibility in the matter, whereas he was really the ■originator of the plot. For when Hsu Wu-chin was brought back he was bound by his family for the night and released next day ; he then went in search of T'an Tzu-ch'eng saying, "I did this deed for you and you now forsake me," and avowed his intention of killing T'an. T'an went into hiding for several days and dared not show himself. On the 11th November the Huang Ping Prefect, sent men who arrested Hsu Wu-chin. The magistrate of Ching Ping, who stayed at Pang Hai for several days and did nothing to protect the missionary from his cruel fate, and the military officer Lin, who knew of the designs of the people of Chung An Chiang and did not take steps to prevent their execution and sent no escort with Fleming are also culpable. On the 6th November two military officials Ch'en and P'eng went with soldiers to the Mission-house at Pang Hai and stripped it of everything. January 17, 1S99. No. 50. China Association to Foreign Office. — (Received March 18.) 5>5ir, 159, Cannon Street, London, March 17, 1899. THE Committee desire to submit, for the consideration of Her Majesty's Govern- ment, a Memorandum showing the grave inconveniences that have arisen, and that are likely to arise hereafter to a much greater extent, in China, from the ivant of a code of commercial law and of Courts competent to duly administer it. The chaotic condition of Chinese civil law, and the unreliable character of the Courts, made themselves felt directly the Treaty of Tien-tsin had established more intimate relations between foreigners and Chinese. Inquiry and research have failed, indeed, to discover the existence of any code which governs or controls the decisions of Chinese Tribunals in civil cases. Com- mercial disputes are submitted, commonly, for the arbitration of Guilds ; and Chinese Magistrates are believed to evolve out of their inner consciousness principles applic- able to cases that are brought before them lor decision. It says much for the prevalent good-feeling and good-faith, on both sides, that •commercial relations have gone on with so much smoothness, under such conditions, for so many years. Those relations aro tending, however, to become much more complex ; and a recent case, in which the Taotai of Shanghac refused to enforce a call against recalcitrant shareholders in the Bank of China, on the ground that Chinese law makes no provision for such claims, is a strong example of the pow r erlessness or unwillingness of a Chinese Court to give just redress to a foreign suitor. Everything points to approaching industrial development in China, on an important scale. Foreign and Chinese capital is certain to be more and more associated. Numerous questions of great commercial importance are almost certain to arise, between foreigners and Chinese, which will demand settlement by a com- petent Court ; yet there exists in China neither law to regulate, nor Tribunal which can be relied upon to adjudicate fairly in cases of difficulty or dispute. Charges of incapacity are, in fact, frequently launched from the throne ; though under the guise, commonly, of denunciations of clerks and underlings for rapacity and extortion. These conditions appear pregnant with possibilities of confusion, and the Associa- tion ventures to suggest that the Chinese Government should be urged not only to give immediate effect to the promises which it has made to set about the introduction of an international code, but also to take steps to bring about the establishment of International or Mixed Courts competent to administer it. A comparison is suggested with the situation in Egypt before the institution of the International or Mixed Tribunals. "Previous to the establishment of these Tribunals " (writes Sir Alfred Milner) " all suits against foreigners had to be brought before their respective Consular Courts ; . . . . but when the foreigner himself had an action to bring, he entirely declined to go before the Native Courts ; alleging that [1049] H 50 no justice could be had in that quarter, he would appeal to the Consul-General of his country to get his claim settled by diplomatic action." ,: The consequences were as inconvenient, often, to the Egyptian Government, as the 1 initial procedure had proved to the foreign plaintiff ; and the time is almost certainly at hand when similar difficulties will be felt in China unless due provision be made against them. The situation, happily, has not yet reached the point of development it had reached in Egypt when the remedy was applied. But it is analogous in many respects, and the analogy encourages -the suggestion that a similar remedy might be found. " The Egyptian Government," we are told, " was encouraged to propose, and, after eight years of weary negotiations, to carry, with the consent of all the Powers, a law creating a single strong international jurisdiction to supersede, for the great majority of civil cases, the existing Consular Courts. The new Tribunals were made exclusively competent to try all suits in which the plaintiff and defendant were of different nationalities — that is to say, all suits between natives and foreigners, as well as between foreigners not belonging to the same country ; and they were authorized to deal with actions concerning real estate, even between persons of' the same nationality. .... The composition of the Tribunals was partly native and partly foreign, but the foreigners were everywhere in a majority — in the proportion of four to three in the Courts of First Instance, and of four to seven in the Court of Appeal. Among the foreign Judges, the United States and all the European Powers, except Spain and Portugal (which, however, subsequently contributed members to the Courts), were represented. The Honorary Presidency of each Court was reserved for an Egyptian subject, but the Vice-President, who was the real Acting Chief, w r as in every case a foreigner." The Mixed Tribunals have now been working for upwards of twenty years. "Opinions differ greatly about their merits ; but no impartial judge will question that, on the balance of advantages and disadvantages, they have been of enormous benefit to Egypt. Their members have not always been well chosen ; their code and procedure are not, in all respects, particularly suitable to the condition of the country ; their Judgments have, in many instances, suffered from personal and political bias ; but not only has their jurisdiction been an immense improvement on the state of things which preceded it, but they have set in Egypt a new standard of equity, and have familiarized the public mind with the spectacle, previously unknown, of judicial method, impartiality, and incorruptibility." The benefits which enured in Egypt might be anticipated with equal certainty in China. It cannot be disguised, on the other hand, that similar inconveniences mi^ht probably be felt. While improving the administration of justice, the Tribunals tended certainly, in Egypt, to complicate the political situation. " They were," to again quote Sir Alfred Milner, "a new stronghold of foreign influence, a new surrender of the sovereign rights of the native Government. They might, nominally, be the Courts of the Khedive, .... but they were, in reality, foreign Courts deriving their authority from outside .... Add to this that thev naturally enjoy an amount of influence and respect which could not attach to the numerous petty Tribunals for which they were substituted. Judicially far better, they are at the same time politically more formidable than the authorities whom they have supplanted." If it appear rash to suggest the introduction of a new complication into the already sufficiently complex situation at Peking, it is evident also that " the sovereign rights of the native Government " have been already so shaken that its only chance tf salvation lies in the adoption of such administrative and economic reforms as mav enable it to recover cohesion and prestige. The conditions differ from those prevailing in Egypt twenty years a°-o in an essential feature. The Government of the Khedive was led to take the initiative. Experience forbids us to expect that the Government of Peking will follow that example. It is to the credit of the Reform party, which was suppressed by the recent coup d'fitat, that it placed administrative and judicial reform in the forefront of its programme ; and the Association cannot but regret the subversion of a regime which gave the best hope that has yet been perceptible in China for the future. Still, it may be doubted whether the Imperial authority would have been capable, even in favourable circumstances, of effecting such a change as that now proposed without external support. Its accomplishment spontaneously is, at anv rate, hopeless as matters stand. The necessity will have to be strongly urged. The" initiative must come from without. 51 The Association is fully conscious that the proposal is one which requires the co-operation of the Powers chiefly concerned. The preponderant interests of Great Britain would seem to make it fitting, however, that she should take the lead in proposing such concerted action as may attain the object in view. The situation has become — it would be scarcely an exaggeration to say that it is daily becoming — financially and politically, more strained since the Empress Dowager's usurpation of power. It is with a consciousness, therefore, of urgency that the Association ventures to advocate the inauguration of reforms which cannot, in its opinion, be delayed without very grave danger to the integrity of the Empire and to the interests of the Treaty Powers. I have. &c. (Signed) R. S. GTJNDRY, Hon. Secretary, China Association. Inclosure 1 in No. 50. Memorandum on the Need of a Code of Chinese Mercantile Law. BY promulgating a Code of Railway and Mining Begulations, the Tsung-li Yamen has recognized the probability of industrial enterprise in China being undertaken on a scale that will necessitate the employment of associated capital. The Regulations are crude, and contain provisions against which the foreign Ministers have protested as impracticable ; but that is of secondary importance, as details can be amended. The important question is whether any efficient Regulations can be framed without preceding reforms in Chinese law. The desirability of making railways and opening mines was formally admitted by the Empress Regent in 1887, and Chinese capitalists were invited to take shares in the proposed line from Taku to Tien-tsin. The invitation was renewed in a recent Edict sanctioning the Lu-Han line ; but Chinese merchants refused to be tempted, as they had refused, often, before. They refuse to believe that their officials will abstain from inter- ference, and they will have nothing to do with enterprise in which the officials have a hand. The one thing that would give them confidence is foreign control ; but Article 13 of present Regulations expressly stip-Iates that — " In order to protect the sovereign rights of China, the control of all Railway and Mining Companies, irrespective of the foreign capital concerned, must remain in the hand of the Chinese merchants," though the accounts shall be open to the inspection of foreign shareholders. The object is intelligible ; but it must be obtained by other means ; for it is more than doubtful whether Chinese or foreign capital would be forthcoming, or any Companies formed at all under such conditions. The difficulty of adjusting disputes that might arise between foreigners and Chinese became evident at a very early stage of intercourse. Article XVII of the Treaty of Tien-tsin provided that — "A British subject having reason to complain of a Chinese must proceed to the Consulate and state his grievance. The Consul will inquire into the merits of the case and do his utmost to arrange it amicably If disputes take place of such a nature that the Consul cannot arrange them amicably, then he shall request the assistance of the Chinese authorities that they may together examine into the merits of the case and decide it equitably." The idea seems to have been to constitute a Joint Tribunal, basing its decisions upon broad principles of justice ; but complaint was made by the Shanghae Chamber of Commerce, so early as 1867, that the actual upshot had been " a Court which, being guided by so-called Chinese law, leaves the decision entirely with the Chinese Magistrate, affording no scope for the exercise on the part of the foreign Assessor of the authori- tative action by which alone we can hope to obtain justice." " A manifest injustice is (it was urged) done to a foreigner if, whenever he brings a suit against a native of China, he is dependent only on the doubtfulness and corruption of the native mode of arranging such matters. The Chinese have no known code of civil law and it is impossible for a foreign merchant to become acquainted with the security afforded bv the Chinese Courts for the fulfilment of native contracts. .... Attempts have been* made to discover some of the general principles of Chinese Commercial Law ; but they have resulted in complete failure, it having become, at each new. stage . of the investigation, more evident that nothing which can be dignified by the name of a civil [104.9] H 2 52 code exists in China; disputes being for the most part settled by reference to the Guilds; or by other arbitration " The remedy suggested by the Shanghae Chamber was a more precise definition! and gradation of the powers of Mixed Courts, the idea being that their decisions " Avould speedily form themselves into a code of law applicable to the settlement of all disputes likely to arise in the conduct of mercantile transactions." Sir Rutherford Alcock went further and urged on the Tsung-li Yamen the neces- sity for "adopting some common basis of adjudication " — in other words, a code of mercantile law which could be accepted by Chinese and foreign Judges alike as- founded " on broad and universal principles of equity." The Chinese " expressed satisfaction at the suggestion, agreeing that the establishment of such a code would supply a great want." Sir Rutherford reported accordingly that " the adoption of a commercial code- and fixed procedure in harmony with European principles of legislation " appeared to- be in sight, adding that 'this would be an important step towards the adoption of an international code — when "one, if not the greatest, objection to the residence of foreigners in the interior would have been removed ; " and the Board of Trade wound up the correspondence with an expression of confidence that " a written code of law to which both nations can appeal as a guide in disputes will remove a fruitful source- of misunderstanding and difficulty, while this and Mixed Courts of Justice in civil actions cannot fail to be productive of unqualified good in placing our commercial* relations on a sounder footing and raising the standard of commercial morality." It was even believed that the Chinese were about deputing a competent officer to confer on the subject with Sir Edmund Hornby, then Chief Judge of Her Majesty's Supreme Court at Shanghae ; and " my Lords suggested that Sir R. Alcock should be instructed' to call upon that gentleman to submit a statement of his views as to the best method! of giving effect to the proposed arrangements." Nothing of the kind having, characteristically, been done, Sir Thomas Wade revived the question eight years later (in 1876), in the Chefoo Convention, in the following terms : — " In order to the fulfilment of its Treaty obligations, the British Government has established a Supreme Court at Shanghae with a special code of rules. The- Chinese Government has established at Shanghae a Mixed Court, but the officer presiding over it, either from lack of power or dread of unpopularity, constantly fails to enforce its Judgments. It is now understood that the Tsung-li Yamen will write- a circular to the Legations inviting foreign Representatives at once to consider with the Tsung-li Yamen the measures needed for the more effective administration of justice at the ports open to trade." Is it necessary to add that the Yam6n has neither issued any such invitation nor taken any steps in the direction indicated, to the present day. The status of the Mixed Court has, on the other hand, been confirmed on the very basis which the Shanghae Chamber deplored. Clause 3 of section 2 of the same Convention declares : — " It is further understood that, so long as the laws of the two countries differ from each other, there can be but one principle to guide judicial proceedings in mixed cases in China, namely, that the case is tried by the official of the defendant's- nationality, the official of the plaintiff's nationality merely attending to watch the proceedings in the interests of justice. If the officer so attending be dissatisfied with the proceedings, it will be in his power to protest against them in detail.. The law administered will be the law of the nationality of the officer trying the case.'' The fact seems to be that the Chinese had laid hold of the Chamber's propo- sition and contended that it was applicable to both sides. Not Chinese defendants only but all alike, Chinese v. English, as well as English v. Chinese, were triable before the Joint Tribunal contemplated by the Treaty of Tien-tsin, and Sir Thomas Wade preferred evidently the Scylla indicated by the Chamber to the Charybdis- indicated by the Chinese. The arrangement would present itself, moreover, as temporary, in view of the promise contained in the previous clause, as " the measures needed for the more effective- administration of justice " implied the promulgation of a code which should be "accepted by Chinese and foreign Judges alike." It is possible that, if Sir Thomas had returned to 1 eking, the Chinese might have been persuaded to give this promise effect. As- things have happened it remains a dead letter, and the administration of justice stands- exactly where it did thirty years ago. Yet the need of reforms such as were then indicated has heen felt increasingly year by year. Every year our commercial relations with China become more important, and the interests of British and Chinese capitalists more involved. The Industrial Companies that have been founded recently at Shanghae under foreign management contain numerous Chinese shareholders. Chinese are also shareholders in the local Eire and Marine Insurance Companies, and in most of the local banks. The uncalled capital of such Associations constitutes a reserve adding materially to the estimation in which they are held. Yet the Taotai of Shanghae ruled lately that Chinese law cannot be invoked to enforce payment of calls. "Commerce," he declared, "between China and foreign countries is conducted strictly on lines laid down by Treaty. Now in the Treaties it is stated that subjects of the Contracting Parties may employ persons in any lawful capacity, or may mutually engage in trade ; but I cannot find any clause permitting them to take shares in Companies. That is, no doubt, because — the laws of the various Treaty Powers not being identical— each nationality must adhere to its own. If Chinese merchants go into partnership with foreigners for purposes of trade, and disputes occur, they cannot be settled according to Chinese law, nor can they be settled according to Western law, nor do the provisions of the Treaties apply. If Chinese and foreign merchants are mixed up in business transactions, endless opportunities will be afforded for unscrupulous dealings and nefarious practices of all kinds." The case at issue was one in which the Bank of China sought to recover certain calls due on shares held by Chinese. Sir Claude MacDonald has persuaded the Tsung-li Yamen to send it back to the Viceroy to be tried afresh, and it may be hoped that a decision which cuts at the root of industrial co-operation between foreigners and Chinese will be reversed; but the unsatisfactory conditions under which it was possible will remain so long as the Chinese evade fulfilment of the promises made in 1868 and 1876. The language of Treaties is necessarily general. It did not come within the scope of one so comprehensive, even as the Treaty of Tien-tsin to enumerate the- various classes of contracts that might or might not be entered into between foreigners and Chinese. It is notorious, at any rate, that Chinese, both merchants and officials, have for years been shareholders in foreign Companies, and have enjoyed all the advantages which such a position gave. It is the merest trifling, therefore, to- raise such a quibble as that invented by the Taotai at the present day. But the very frivolity of his propositions may serve to show the necessity for reforming a judicial system out of which they can be evolved. The new Mining and Railway Regulations, imperfect in part and objectionable- though they be, constitute an admission that the old order of things has changed, and afford an opportunity to press for fulfilment of pledges taken when the need was less urgent than now. Judicial reform was a prominent feature in the programme urged upon tbe Tsung-li Yamen by Kang Yii-wei. That programme failed to com- mend itself to a body less adversely constituted than the present ; but it is submitted that no greater service could be rendered to the Chinese nation than to substitute, for the present chaotic condition of China civil law, a mercantile code based upon broad principles of justice, and suitable to the requirements of modern times. (Signed) R. S. GUNDRY, Hon. Secretary, China Association^ 159, Cannon Street, London, March 11, 1899. Inclosure 2 in No. 50. China Association to Sir C. MacDonald. China Association, Shanghae Branch^ Your Excellency, November 3, 1898. THE Committee of this branch of the Association desires to address your Excellency on the subject of the Judgment recently delivered by the Taotai of Shanghae in the case of the Bank of China, Japan, and the Straits (Limited) against two of its Chinese shareholders. The Judgment in question has no doubt already received your Excellency's attention, but the importance of its bearing upon commercial relations hetween Chinese and foreigners may, the Committee trust, be accepted as sufficient ground for some explana- tion of the issues involved, as well as our reasons for protest. 54 The immediate case in question was as to the liability of Chinese in respect of shares Jheld by them in a British Company, and the decision of the Taotai is that Chinese share- holders are not bound by the Contract in virtue of which they hold such shares ; he does not deal in any way with the merits of the case before him, but bases his Judgment on that one point alone. It has, no doubt, not escaped your Excellency's recollection that in 1897, when the Bank of China, Japan, and the Straits (Limited) brought a similar case against some of its Chinese shareholders, the then Taotai of Shanghae refused to hear the case, giving as his reason that as there was no provision in the Treaties for partnerships between Chinese and foreigners, the holding of shares by Chinese in foreign Companies was illegal. The present Taotai does not take this ground, but the two decisions practically arrive at the same end, varying only in the shiftiness of Chinese jurisprudence. Both of them are unquestionably opposed to Article XVI of the Tien-tsin Treaty, which lays down that "justice shall be equitably and impartially administered by both Chinese and British." As your Excellency is aware, shares in British Joint Stock Companies are largely held by Chinese, and in many of these Companies a considerable reserve liability attaches to the shares in respect of uncalled capital, which, in fact, forms a reserve upon which the credit of the Company largelv depends. This reserve liability is loosely described by the Taotai as " extra money," and he declares that there is not anything in the law of China compelling Chinese to pay this "extra money " if they do not wish to do so. The effect of such a Judgment upon all Companies having Chinese shareholders — irrespective of whether there be a reserve liability upon the shares or not — is of a more than serious character. The question of what protective measures may be found possible under the circumstances may no doubt be more properly left to the Companies themselves ; but it would seem that the first step to be taken is to stop any further transference of shares to Chinese, for it is easy to conceive that if the transference of shares is allowed to continue as heretofore (and the Taotai's Judgment is plainly in the direction of encouraging irresponsible holding of shares by Chinese), the control of a British Company might fall into Chinese hands, and its future would, it is reasonable to suppose, be conducted in some relation to the irresponsibility of its Managers to British law. Again, in the case of Companies whose shares carry a reserve liability, it seems only reasonable that Chinese shareholders should not receive any benefit in the way of dividends, &c, until their reserve liability is paid up in full ; but, indeed, to carry the matter to its logical conclusion, not only should no increase of Chinese holdings in British Companies be permitted, but every effort should be made to eliminate the Chinese element from the share register of such Companies altogether. The common-sense results of the Taotai's Judgment are at once apparent ; his Judgment stops the commercial progress of China on the oniv lines on which experience had proved it can be advanced, namely, by mutual investment of Chinese and foreign capital, safeguarded by the laws of equity and j.ustice as recognized bv all civilized countries. Unless China is prepared to recognize these laws, she is unfit to be received into the international comity, nor can she expect any investment of capital for the development of her resources — her need in this direction is too well known to require comment. But the Judgment of the Taotai goes far beyond the immediate question of share contracts, of which it was the outcome. It is plain that it strikes at the very root of all commercial relations between Chinese and foreigners, in that the validity of all Contracts now becomes dependent upon the rulings of Chinese Courts, based upon a shadowy, and to us unknown, law. The Taotai has ruled that no Chinese subject can enter into an agreement that, in case of a disputed Contract, the law of a foreign country shall be applied to the settlement of such dispute. In giving this ruling he takes his stand upon section 2, Article III, of the Chefoo Convention; but it is inconceivable that the section in question can bear any such interpretation, and it would have been more to the point had the Taotai quoted from Chinese law in support of his ruling ; not having done so we can only conclude that he was unable to do so. From the ruling it follows that the most ordinary and most convenient mode of settlement of disputes by arbitration equally falls to the ground, because no Chinaman is now bound to accept an arbitration decision adverse to himself if he thinks that he can evade the Award by an appeal to his own Courts. The Taotai tells us that there is nothing in the law of China compelling a Chinese to pay his liability under Contract in respect of shares; we may equally expect to hear that the law of China, as interpreted in its Courts, does not compel pecuniary disbursements ^except perhaps to the Courts themselves) in respect of any' other kind of Contract. We have no doubt that the far-reaching effects of the Taotai's Judgment are fully appreciated by your Excellency, and in explaining our reasons for protest at this length, 55 we do so chiefly to indorse and to strengthen what has already been written on the subject of the maladministration of justice in the Mixed Courts. The whole question is one which will no doubt receive full consideration at the hands of your Excellency, and we would respectfully suggest that some reasonable and equitable remedy should be made a condition in any negotiations for Tariff and Treaty revision. I have, &c. (Signed) C. J. DUDGEON, Chairman, Shanghae Branch, China Association.. No. 51. Sir d MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 18.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, March 18, 1899. SHANGHAE Settlement extension. I received telegraphic information, dated 9th March, from Her Majesty's Consul* General at Shanghae to the effect that the right of individual Consuls to negotiate with the Chinese local authorities apart from the Consular Body for an extension of the general foreign Settlement has been questioned by the Erench and Russian Consuls ; Mr. Brenan and the German and American Consuls replied to this that the benefits they were endeavouring to acquire would be open to all foreigners alike, and that they could not permit any questioning of their action taken for the benefit of their own nationals. They have the support of the Japanese Consul. In a letter written yesterday to the doyen of the Diplomatic Body, the Erench Minister raised the same question, and added that the demand for an extension of the Erench Settlement at Shanghae put forward by a former Erench Minister on the 19th March, 1896, had never been withdrawn. So. 52. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir Chih Chen Lo Feng huh. Sir, Foreign Office, March 18, 1899. ON the 21st November last I had the honour to address a note to you, in which' I renewed the offer that the claim for compensation on account of the loss of the "Kow-shing" which Her Majesty's Government have advanced on behalf of the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company, should be referred to arbitration. I have now the honour to inquire whether any reply to this proposal has as yet reached you from your Government, before whom I requested that it might be laid. I have, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 53. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, March 19, 1899. IN regard to the question of gun-boats on the Yang-tsze, the " Woodcock " will be at Ichang in April, and Avill remain to enable the rapids to be studied by the Commander. The " Woodlark " will probably reach Shanghae about the 20th March, and can, when put together, proceed up the river. The Admiralty's present intention is that the two gun-boats should attempt the passage to Chungking in the autumn, and return. Do you consider that they should then be stationed below Ichang, or at Shanghae and vicinity, or cruise between Ichang and Shanghae ? 56 No. 54. Sir C. MacDonalcl to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 21.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, March 21, 1899. YANG-TSZE gun-boats. Of the alternatives proposed in your Lordship's telegram of the 19th March, I think the one that the vessels should cruise between Shanghae and Ichang is best. I understand, however, that the river is easily navigable for 200 miles below Chungking, and even for a greater distance above it ; in my opinion, therefore, to produce the best effect, one of the vessels should remain for six or twelve months at Chungking and vicinity. No. 55. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received March 22.) ^(Telegraphic.) Peking, March 22, 1899. SUPPORTED by the United States' and German Ministers, I am urging the ■extension of the general foreign Settlement at Shanghae on the Chinese Government. "With the intention, probably, of stopping the whole scheme of extension, the Chinese Government have been offering to include in the general extension some of the land demanded in 1896 by the French. None of the land, however, then demanded by the French is included in the present demand of the general foreign Settlement ; and I was to-day assured by M. Pichon that therefore, so far from wishing to block the scheme, he would be ready to support it. M. de Giers also tells me he has no wish ■ to stand in its way. No. 56. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, Foreign Office, March 22, 1899. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that a copy of your letter of the 17th January, relative to the navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze, was com- municated to the China Association. I am to transmit to you a copy of a communication which has been received from the China Association,* explanatory of their views on the subject, and I am to request that the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty will favour Lord Salisbury with their observations thereon. I am, &c. (Signed) ERA NCIS BERTIE. No. 57. Mr. Bar-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 23.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, March 23, 1899. SIR C. MacDONALD left Peking this morning for the south on his way home. No. 58. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir » . , Foreign Office, March 23, 1899. WITH reference to the letter from this Office of the 14th instant, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a paraphrase of a telegram which has been addressed * No. 43. 57 to Hei* Majesty's Minister at Peking,* requesting his opinion as to the part of the Yang-tsze River on which the shallow-draught gun-boats could most usefully he ■employed, together with a paraphrase of the telegram which has been received from ■Sir C. MacDonald in reply, t I am to say that Lord Salisbury thinks that the " Woodcock " and the " Wood- lark" should, on their return, after their attempted passage to Chungking in the ■autumn, cruise between Ichang and Shanghae. I am, &c. (Signed) E. H. VILLIERS. No. 59. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 27.) My Lord, St. Petersburg}), March 22, 1899. I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith a translation of the sections, of which an abridgment appears in the Parliamentary Paper " Russia No. 1, 1898," of the Statutes of the Chinese Eastern Railway Company based upon the Agreement concluded on the 27th August (8th September) 1896, by the Chinese Government with the Uusso-Chinese Bank. The remaining paragraphs are given in full in the Parliamentary Paper. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES S. SCOTT. Inclosure in No. 59. Translation of Sections of the Statutes of the Chinese Eastern Railway Company. Distribution of Net Income. § 17. BY Resolution of a general assembly of shareholders sums may be put aside out of the net profits of the railway and added to the reserve fund (§ 14) to the extent of 10 per cent, of the net income. The remaining sum shall be devoted to the payment of interest on, and amortization of the bond capital of the Company. Out of the remaining surplus, or net profits of the Company, a dividend on the shares shall be paid, the amount of which each time shall be determined by Resolution of a general meeting of shareholders. Any surplus of net profits that may remain after this shall be devoted to the extinction of the debts of the Company to the Russian Government. In those years, when the Company shall no longer remain indebted, the aforesaid surplus shall be allotted as an additional dividend on the shares. Management of the Society. § 18. The management of the affairs of the Company in respect of the construction and exploitation of the Chinese Eastern Railway, as also of the keeping of the books and accounts of the Company, is assigned to a Board of Management. The Board of Management is the representative of the Company, in consequence of which the action of the Board, taken within the limits of the rights granted to it by the Treaty concluded with the Chinese Government, by the present Statutes and the Resolution passed at the general meetings are binding on the Company. Being invested with full power by the Company, the Board of Management acts without any legal power of Attorney from the Company, and at the same time exercises the right of appointing Agents whom it furnishes with powers of Attorney in general order. a The seat of the Company shall be at Peking and St. Petersburgh. The meeting of the Board shall take place at Peking as well as at St. Petersburgh. The Board shall have its own seal. * No. 53. t No. 54. ,....;) [1049] I 58 Constitution of the Boardi § 19. The Board of Management consists of a Chairman and nine members. The Chairman of the Board is appointed by the Chinese Government. ; The other members ; of .the Board, are ^elected , by -a general meeting of shareholders < The Board elects a Vice-Chairman from its midst. , . , • <- •• The duties of the ...Chairman shall consist in the watching over the exact fulfil- ment by the Railway Company of its obligations towards the Chinese Government. All communications between the Company and the Chinese Government, as also with the Chinese central and local authorities, shall proceed through the Chairman. The functions of the Vice-Chairman relate more immediately to the management of the affairs of the Company. The members of the Board retire annually, two at a time, either by lot or mutual agreement, during the first five years, and by seniority of election subsequently. The general meetings elect new members in the place of those who have retired. The functions of the members of the Board elected by the shareholders may terminate before the expiration of their term of office by Resolution passed' at a general meeting. , , Order of Transaction of Business of ih". Board. ■■• § 20. Board meetings shalL be held when- requisite on their being convened by the Chairman or Vice-Chairman. . In order that the decisions of the Board shall he valid* the presence of five members, including therein the Chairman or Vice-Chairman, summoned either by post or telegraph, shall be necessary. The Resolutions shall he carried by a simple majority of votes. The drawing of sums from banks, and generally institutions and persons to whom have been intrusted the custody of the moneys of the Company, the transfer of Government securities, the issue of receipts, and the transfer endorsement of sums owing to the Company, besides sums on current account, must be certified by the signature of no less than three members of the Board. The payment of moneys on current accounts, i.e., out of the ready cash of the Board, shall be effected in accordance with the rules established by Resolution of the Board by orders signed by one of its members empowered for that purpose. The books of the Company shall be annually closed on the 31st December (o.s.). General Meetings of the Shareholders and the Subjects that appertain to their Notice. § 21. The general meetings of shareholders are ordinary and Specials The ordinary general meetings are convened annually for passing Resolutions on the Report and balance sheet presented by the Board, and for election of members of the Board. Besides these fixed subjects other questions may be considered at ordinary general meetings which may appertain generally to the consideration of shareholders at general meetings. Special general meetings.are convened according to be submitted ■ to consideration at: ordinary meetings, general meetings shall also take cognizance of the following- matters: ' '■* '■'.>.■:■■:::■ .■<■. ■■■ ..,:,, (a.) Confirmation of the action and projects of the Board of Management in regard to the construction and exploitation of the railway. (6.) Examination and approval of the Reports of the Board. (c.) Consideration and confirmation of proposals in regard to the employment of the reserve fund. (d.) Approval of sums set aside towards the reserve -fund to the extent fixed bv § 17 as also for dividend to the shareholders, and sanction of allotments to the pension .and assistancei fund, if such be established for the linei ^«fe' ' ^- ';<-;•<*«. '■ ■;..» ■ ■* — (e.) Election of members of the Board and 'of the Audit' Committee. : - & * ! (/•) Assignment of emoluments to the members of the Board of Management and Committee of Audit. 5'J (g.) Assignment of sums for disposal by the Board of Management for annual, casual, and unforeseen expenses, within the limits of the approved estimates, and according to permission to the Board to obtain monev credits. (h.) The solution of general questions beyond the powers of the Board, and also of all matters submitted by the Board to the consideration of the general meeting. Order of Convening General Meetings. § 22. General meetings shall be convened at the option of the Board at Peking or St. Petersburgh by notification published in the Chinese or Russian newspapers. Conditions under which General Meetings shall be recognized as legally held. § 23. General meetings of shareholders and their Resolutions shall be considered of legal effect when they are attended by the representatives of at least one half of the share capital of the Company. Participation of Shareholders and the Order of Transaction of Business at General Meetings. § 24. At general meetings each share gives the right of one vote, irrespective of the number of shares held. In order to take part in a general meeting, holders of shares shall present to the Board of Management, either personally or through their representatives, furnished with a legal power of Attorney, not later than seven days before the day of meeting, the shares of the Company belonging *to them, or a certificate from the State Bank, its sub-offices or branches, or of the Russo-Chinese Bank or its branches, to the effect that the shares are in their custody and will not be delivered before the day following that of the general meeting. These certificates shall specify the number of the shares. The shares lodged shall be kept by the Board and returned to the persons who shall present the receipt issued against such shares by the Board. All questions shall be decided by a simple majority of votes. The Resolutions passed at general meetings, held on the above-mentioned bases and within the limits of power assigned to such meetings, under the Statutes, are binding on all shareholders both present and absent. Local Management of Works of Construction. § 25. The immediate control and management of technical matters relating to the projection and execution of the work of construction of the railway is confided by the Board to a Chief Engineer. The Chief Engineer is immediately responsible to the Company and Board for the solidity, correctness and practical utility in technical respects of all the works of construction. The Chief Engineer, his locum tenens and Senior Engineers in the construction of the line, as also the, Senior .Inspectors are appointed by the Board. The other employes are appointed either by the Board or immediately by the Chief Engineer, according to the powers granted him by the Board. Local Management of the Railway when in Working Order. § 26. The immediate control and management of the working of the railway and over working operations conducted on the line during exploitation js, confided by the Board of the Company to a Manager of the line. The Manager, of the line, the Chief of separate services, and the Senior Inspector are appointed by the Board. The other employes on the line are appointed either by the Board, or immediately by the Manager of the line, according to the power granted him by the Board. The seat of management shall be selected by the Board. [1049] I 2 60 ' Questions to be submitted to the Minister of Finance for his confirmation. ' § 27. In view of the guarantee given by the Russian Government of a net revemie of the Eastern Chinese Railway Company, and the right consequently issuing therefrom of the Russian Government to exercise supervision over the progress of the construction and exploitation of the line, the following questions must he submitted for the approval of the Russian Minister of Finance : — (a.) The selection of Vice r Chairman. '- ; ' (b.) The appointment and dismissal of the Chief Engineer for the construction of the line and of the Manager of the same ; of the Engineer Chiefs of the separate- services. (c.) The selection of members of the Audit Committee. (d.) The direction of the line of railway. (e.) The technical conditions for the construction of the line, and those technical plans and estimates for railway works, the approval of which shall not be within the province of the powers of Chief Engineer; the complete projection of the line of direction of the railway ; detailed estimates for its construction, and estimates for working the line ; the scope of rights and duties and limits of power of the Chief Engineer, Manager of the railway, and senior employes engaged in the construction, and working of the line, as also the order of internal arrangement in all the branches- of management, both in regard to construction and exploitation. (/.) The mode of investment of the pension, reserve and other funds, with the exception of those mentioned in § 14. Committee of Audit. § 28. The general meeting of shareholders elects an Audit Committee, consisting; of five members, not participating in the management of affairs of the Company. The Committee of Audit elects from its midst a Chairman. The members of the Committee retire annually by one member, either by lot oir by mutual arrangement, during the first five years, and by seniority of election in the succeeding years. In the place of a retiring member the general meeting elects another for the vacancy. The duties of the Committee shall consist in : — (a.) Examination of proposed estimates and price charges for the work of con- struction and development of the line. (6.) Examination of reports of completed constructions. (c.) Examination of yearly estimates of income and expenditure in respect of the working of the line. (d.) Examination of the Report of the Board concerning the income and expen- diture of the working of the line during the year. (e.) A general supervision of the progress of business, both as regards the con- struction and the working of the line. The Board of Management of the Company shall, without delay, supply the Com- mittee of Audit with all the information and explanation it may demand. The proposed estimates, both for the construction and development of the line, as also for the working of the same, shall be examined by the Committee jointly with the Board at a combined meeting at which all questions shall be settled by a majority of voices of members present. Thereupon, proposed estimates for the construction as also for the exploitation of the line, shall be submitted by the Board of Management to the Minister of Finance for his approval. Reports, both as regards the construction and exploitation of the line shall be examined by the Committee of Audit by the members of the same alone ; and they shall make any remarks thereon which they consider necessary by a simple majoritv of votes. The Board of Management, when submitting Reports for approval to the general meeting of shareholders, shall present at the same time the observations- thereon ot the Committee of Audit, as also its own in explanation. On the examination at a general meeting of the conclusions of the Committee of Audit, and after the passing thereon of. Resolutions by the general meeting, the Committee of Audit shall on the audited Report and books of the Board of Management make an inscription in conformity, with the Resolutions of the general meeting. 61 ^ The members of the Committee of Audit shall receive for examining the Reports ancTestimates remuneration as fixed by the general meeting of shareholders. No. 60. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 27.) My Lord, St. Petersburgh, March 23, 1899. THE Belgian Minister, referring yesterday to the recent publication of Parliamentary Papers on Affairs in China, said to me that he understood they contained an interesting account of our opposition to the conclusion of the Belgian Concession for the Peking-Hankow Railway, which from what he was told of the correspondence,. , was based on an entirely mistaken conception of the part which the Russian Govern- ment aDd Russo-Chinese Bank had taken in connection with this Concession. As he had had to deal with all the communications on this question, he was- anxious to give me the most solemn assurance which the Director of the Russian Bank would be able to confirm, that not a single rouble of Russian money was invested in that Concession, and that the Russo-Chinese Bank had no share or interest in it what- ever, except having undertaken to act as bankers for the Belgian Syndicate. It was a purely Belgian undertaking with the object of developing Belgian industry, and the Russian Government had consented to give the Belgian Government its support in obtaining the Concession, for the simple reason that a small country like Belgium could have no possible political object in view, and the Russian Government had said that they could on that account more readily support it than if the undertaking had been German, British, or French. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES S. SCOTT. No. 61. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, March 29, 1899. W HAT is present position of Mr. Pritchard-Morgan's Szechuen Contract r No. 62. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 30.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, March 30, 1899. PRITCHARD-MORGAN'S Ssiichuan mining contract. In reply to the question in your Lordship's telegram of the 29th March, I am taking the opportunity of an interview with the Tsung-li Yamen to-morrow to press the ratification of the final contract, which Pritchard-Morgan's agent tells me is now before the Yamen for purposes of ratification. No. 63. Foreign Office to Mr. P. Morgan, M.P. Sir, Foreign Office, March 30, 1899. WITH reference to your Contract for the development of mines in Szechuen, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that a telegram was addressed to Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Peking inquiring how the matter stood. 62; A telegram has now been received from Mr. Bax-Ironside stating that he. had been informed by your agent that the final Contract is now before the Tsung-li Yamen, for ratification. . Mr. Bax-Ironside will see the Yamen to-morrow, and will urge them to ratify the Contract. I am, &c. (Signed) F. H. VILLIERS. No. 64. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received April 1.) (Telegraphic.) - Peking, April 1, 1899. NO difficulties are anticipated by the Chinese Government regarding Pritehard Morgan's Sstichuan mining contract, about which your Lordship's telegram of the' 29th March made inquiry. I will keep a close watch on the progress of! the contract. Meanwhile, I am informed by the Yamen that a Memorial will shortly be presented to the Throne with a view to its favourable consideration, No. 65; Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 2.) ^Telegraphic.) Peking, April 2, 1899. AT at interview the day before yesterday I brought to the Yamen's notice, at the request of the British and Chinese Corporation's agent, certain breaches of the Agree- ment for the Northern Railway Loan" guaranteed by the Chinese Government, viz., that the proceeds of the railway were not being paid into the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank, and also that the Railway Administration had not yet paid the interest for the first two months. The Director-General undertook that in future the railway proceeds should be duly paid into the bank, and asked for a little more time to straighten matters out. The Yamen promised immediate payment of the first month's interest, and payment of the second month's as soon as the current proceeds allowed. I do not propose to apply formally to the Chinese Government for payment of the -overdue interest until I have seen the result of my representations. No. 66. ■ Foreign Office to Mr. P. Morgan, M.P. Sir, Foreign Office, April 3, 1899. WITH reference to my letter of the 30th ultimo, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that a further telegram has been received from Mr. Bax-Ironside, . Her Majesty's Charge^ d' Affaires at Peking, on the subject of your Mining Contract in the Province of Szechuan. The Tsung-li Yamen have stated to Mr. Bax-Ironside that a Memorial will shortly he addressed to the throne recommending favourable consideration of the Contract. The Yamen do not foresee any difficulties. Mr. Bax-Ironside will watch the matter closely. I am, &c. (Sighed) F. H. VILLIERS. 63 No. 67. Foreign Office to China Association. - Sir » 5 Foreign Office, April 4,1899. ■i ■' I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th ultimo, advocating the introduction in China of an International Code and the establishment of Mixed Courts to administer it. I am to state that the matter will receive careful attention, and that, as ■ Sir C. MacDonald is shortly coming to this country on leave of absence, an oppor- tunity will be taken to consult him. I am, &c. (Signed) E. H. VILLIERS. No. 68. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir F. Lascelles, Sir, Foreign Office, April 5, 1899. "WITH reference to Article V of the Treaty of the 6th March, 1898, between Germany and China for the lease of Kiao-chau, a copy of .which was inclosed in .your Excellency's despatch of the 30th April, 1898/* I 'request you to endeavour to ascertain whether any further negotiations have taken place between the German and Chinese Governments for the regulation of the customs frontier and the mode- of collecting customs dues, and, if so, what has been their result. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 69. Yunnan Company to Foreign Office. — {Received April 7.) Dear Sir, 57£, Old Broad Street, London, April 6, 1899. I AM directed by the Board to hand you herewith a copy of telegram received to-day from Rangoon concerning the movements of Captain H. R. Davies, &c. I have, &c. (For the Yunnan Company, Limited), (Signed) .JOHN O. HEWITT, Secretary.. Inclosure in No. 69. Telegram from Rangoon. "WE have received the following' telegram from the Arracah Company, Limited,. Rangoon, to-day: — " Lieutenant Watts Jones and Captain Davies on the way to Hsuan Wei, .returning to Yunnan the 10th May. Line from Tali-fu to Yunnan-fu practicable, probable cost per mile is l,00j000 rupees." Hsuan- Wei-Chou is about 120 miles north-north-east of Yixnnan-f a. Longitude about 104°, latitude about 26°. .* > No. 70. Report on Trade on the West River. — (Communicated April 7, 1899.) THE West River was opened to trade in 1897, Some time has elapsed since then, and it is now possible to form some idea of the effect of the opening and the advantages that have accrued to foreign trade by that opening. The opening of the - "See "China No. 1 (1899)," p. 69. 64 river as far as foreign goods imported and native goods exported to a Treaty port are concerned is fairly satisfactory. The* transit-pass system has been enforced at last and has been working fairly well. In Kwangsi in the last year out of 5,000 odd transit passes issued for the cai'riage of goods" lo the interior, there was only one com- plaint of delay and exactions, of 1,050 odd passes issued to exporters there were six complaints, of these five have been satisfactorily settled, one is still under discussion. Unfortunately, the position of the internal — i.e., trade between ports in the interior, is far from satisfactory, neither is the carrying trade as far as foreign steamers are concerned. The carrying trade with the exception of one American boat, the . " Dosing," is between 'the Chinese and ourselves. Were the inland waters open and equality of treatment secured to both, a large increase in which both Chinese and British vessels would participate would inevitably occur. The carrying, trade is divided between (1) carriers of foreign imports from Hong Kong direct, and consist of British steamers and British sailing junks and a ' number of junks flying " no flag '' towed by Chinese steamers. (2.) Internal traders. These " no flag " junks have arisen in the following manner. Taking advantage of this rule issued by the Customs that " Foreign owned steam-vessels and foreign owned vessels not being steamers, if not holding national or colonial registers are permitted to trade on the West River on payment annually of 100 dollars under a West River Certificate," the Chinese merchants at Hong Kong thereby saw a chance of avoiding li-kin officials and also the responsibility and expense incumbent on carrying a foreign flag, get some foreigner to become nominal owner of junks and of the bulk of the cargo carried. This foreigner then communicates with the Consul and the Customs that one of these Chinamen is his agent, obtains all the necessary transit passes and negotiates all the custom business. In case of li-kin interference he obtains Consular protection. This state of things has been brought about by the corrupt fiscal administration which forces their own nationals to secure equality of treatment under cover of a foreign name and may be expected to die a natural death as improved internal fiscal arrangements arc instituted. At present the number of British steamers engaged in West River foreign carrying-goods traffic is small. "Sou must remember that owing to excessive exactions the bulk of the trade was diverted to the route which presented less resistance in the shape of li-kin, via Pakhoi, and British merchants were not in a hurry to build ships for the river traffic until it was seen what effect the opening would have on the trade. While the internal trade has reverted entirely to Chinese boats as being less expensive as I shall show below. The trade with the interior is divided into— (a.) Foreign imports. (b.) Exports for foreign ports. ■ (c.) Internal trade, i.e., carriage of Chinese goods from one port to another. (d.) Export of Chinese goods to Hong Kong whence they are reimported into China under transit pass. It is far cheaper for the Chinaman to send his goods to Hong Kong and to pay the duty on export, the duty on import, the half duty for a transit pass — in all 12^ per cent. — and the freight charges, than to send the goods direct from one place in the interior to another, owing to the excessive li-kin exactions. As is quite clear from this, if this is the case, and it is so, trade is not only not encouraged, but, despite the so-called opening, it is being stiffied. Until this internal li-kin is entirely controlled and reformed, trade cannot be expected to flourish in the way it should. To deal with the first class, we find that the condition of affairs may be assumed to have improved. It is impossible to give figures as none were kept previously, but since tl^e opening of the river and the enforcement of the transit-pass system, goods now arrive at their destination without more than ordinary exaction treatment. But here I must point out a great drawback to trade. No foreign ship trading between Treaty ports may stop at any intermediate town except such town is a port of call. Consequently goods for any place not a Treaty port, or a port of call, must be tran- shipped at the nearest Treaty port. This in itself is sufficient to divert to Chinese steamers a good deal of trade that would come to our boats if they were enabled to trade freely. We have heard, too, a good deal about the apathy of British merchants in not pushing their goods into the interior. When we consider the harassing action of the •authorities, the far greater expenses that foreigners incur in travelling in comparison with the Chinese, and the difficulties in dealing with the native, an almost impossible proceeding without a native intermediary, can we wonder that British firms are 65 content to sell their goods in the big distributing centres — Hong Kong and Shanghae — to the agents of Chinese firms, who are there and are only too willing to buy, requiring only assistance in the matter of transit passes. In touching on the second description of goods we find again that the conditions of trade are fairly satisfactory where the transit pass is concerned, though the difference in the weights used by Chinese officials gives them a loophole for exactions. For instance, a man takes out a transit pass at a town in the interior (this may take two months to get from the nearest customs establishment) to bring goods to the neai-est Treaty port. His goods are weighed at A and the amount entered on his pass. On his arrival at B before shipment his goods are again weighed, the weights being different though nominally the same. If his goods weigh heavier than on the certifi- cate he has to pay on the excess. If lighter he is told he has smuggled and is fined. As he is a Chinese subject he has no redress. Under the heading of internal trade comes the crux of the whole failure of the so-called opening of the inland waters. "When Chinese goods are carried between port and port, the exactions are so excessive on goods carried in foreign steamers as practically to drive foreign carrying-trade off the river. Chinese goods carried in British vessels would pay li-kin at both ends to the provincial's officials, and in addition a whole and a half duty to the Customs merely for the reason that it was carried by steamer. Whereas junk-carried cargo comes under the li-kin officials only^ and in consequence only pays li-kin. This seems intended to protect the Chinese junk Companies, and to be fair as protecting a native industry ; but as these Companies are only allowed to run if they satisfy the officials, or the officials are shareholders, it is obvious that the freights can be so adjusted and the li-kin too as to put any other competition out of Court, and will secure to the official Companies the entire carrying -trade. This is, too, a tax on British goods, as a cargo of British goods carried into the interior in British-owned vessels, unless refilled with goods for export to foreign ports, would have to pay the entire cost of the expenses of running the vessel both ways. It seems absurd to impose an additional tax of 7^ per cent, on all steamer-carried goods. I have endeavoured to bring home the following points : — 1. British merchants do not possess a direct pecuniary interest in goods to their destination in China. 2. British owners do possess a direct interest, and can be relied on, if equally treated, to push their vessels to all parts of China where navigable waters exist. 3. Where British ships go British firms will follow (J. Matheson and Co. at Wuchow are an example). 4. Ship-owners, owing to the differential treatment accorded to a Chinese cargo carried in their boats, are under a grave disadvantage. 5. That where it is laid down in the Inland Water Regulations that steamer- towed junk cargo should be treated exactly as steamer cargo, the Customs authorities have interpreted it otherwise, and such cargo escapes the differential and disadvan- tageous Tariff applied to steamer-borne cargo. This then should be done to remedy this state of things. Eirst and foremost, the whole of the inland li-kin should be reformed and administered. Equality should be established for all vessels trading on the inland waters. Goods would then pass into and out of China far more cheaply, and with much greater ease and celerity, and in consequence the buying power of the Chinese would be greatly enhanced, and an increase of trade, impossible to estimate, would follow. While I am on the subject of trade I should like to call attention to the difficulty in obtaining concessions to work the soil, and the impossibility of doing so under the existing Chinese mining laws. In Kwangsi, after an enormous amount of procras- tination and worry, a concession was obtained to work coal, but it was accompanied with the intimation that the Chinese mining laws must be complied with. These establish, I believe, a royalty of 25 per cent, on all takingSj and would consequently render impossible the successful accomplishment of any enterprise. The people here are not at all niggardly, and buy to the outset of their capability, but trade cannot be expected to improve much until such industries are brought into play. These will cause more wealth to circulate, and the buying power consequently to increase. The reform of the Mining Regulations should be enforced at once, and a more satisfactory arrangement arrived at. Wuchow, March 1 , 1899. po«] 5 No. 71. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 10.) My Lord, Berlin, April 6, 1899. ■""- I HAVE the honour to transmit to your Lordship herewith copy and translation of New Harbour Regulations for the port of Tsintau, which were issued by the Imperial Governor, Hen- Bosendahl, on the 15th January last, and which have been nbw officially approved by the Secretary of State for the Navy, abting in the Chancellor's pame, and have been published in the Official Gazette. ' ! * '" '"'' •* * ■ '■' ■ I have, &c, (Signed) ERANK 0. LASCELLES. Inclosure in No, 71. Harbour Regulations for Tsintau. (Translation.) § 1. THE harbour district of ^iap-chau Bay js divided into an outer and an inner roadstead. The outer or Tsintau roadstead is pounded by a line from Pile Point to the eastern point of the so-called Clara Bay, and a ^ ne connecting Cape Evelyn With Yu«nui-san. The inner roadstead begins at' the last-named line of connection, and is bounded on the north by a line from Roman's Man4 to the northern point of Ghiposan. ' = > ' ' ' The anchorages for different ships and craft are shown on the map. § 2. The commander of an in-coming ship must comply with the regulations of the harbour-master or officials, when his anchorage is assigned to him. § 3. The ship's commander must give notice of the arrival and departure of his ship on production "of the certificate at the harbour office. The certificate is returned after customs clearance and when the harbour dues of 2-| cents per registered ton have been paid. § 4. The captain is bound to hand over to the Chinese customs-office an exact list (manifest) of goods on board, giving the number of packages, marks, numbers, contents, #c., and of which statistical data must' be completed on demand; Opium may be brought in only in original chests. The importation of smaller quantities is forbidden. Opium must be declared, immediately on arrival, at the custom-house which will superintend the transport of the same to the bonding warehouse. Contraventions are punished by confiscation of the opium and a fine to the extent of a fifth of its value (minimum 500 dollars.) § 5. The introduction of arms, powder, explosives, and the materials for their manufacture, is subject to official control ; special declaration of siich goods must be made on arrival. Ships carrying petroleum, or explosives, must anchor at the spot appointed for them on the map until their cargoes have been discharged at a place indicated by the harbour office. These ships must carry a red flag on' their fore-mast. Before taking on board the above-mentioned articles the permission of the harbour office must be obtained, the directions of which must be carried out in every case. § 6. Ships with an infectious disease on board must carry a yellow flag on their fore-mast. Before the permission of the harbour office has been obtained, no one is allowed to leave the ship or to have any communication with the land. § 7. The national flag of the ship must be carried on entering and leavin<* port. ■ § 8. Seamen are paid off at the harbour office or at the Consulate of the nation to which the ship belongs. ' Every seaman paid off at the Consulate must report himself at the harbour office within 24 hours, and present a certificate proving he has been paid off. • A captain may not leave a seaman behind without the consent of the harbour office or of the Consulate. In the case where a seaman is to be left behind in indigent circumstances, the consent can be made conditional on the captain's guaranteeing 8 his maintenance for three months. & "No seaman can arbitrarily remain behind at the port. 67 § 9. Deserters may be arrested through the agency of the harbour office and brought back on board the ship ; ships and dwelling-houses ma$ be subjected to search: for them. Persons who afford an asylum to such a seaman, although (? if) his offence is known to them, are liable to punishment. § 10. The commander is bound to declare the death of every passenger or seaman, which occurs in the port at the harbour office, and also at the local office. The declaration at the local office need not be made if the deceased is a Chinaman. § 11. Disputes between captain and crew of a ship, the nationality of which is not represented by a Consulate in the Protectorate, are decided by the port authorities. In carrying out their decision the authorities are entitled to impose fines up to 350 dollars and imprisonment up to six weeks. § 12. Every snip anchored in the port must show a white light from sun-set to sun-rise. Pire on board and mutiny must be notified to the harbour office by distress signals (bell ringing or flag signals.) , i r . , § 13. It is forbidden to throw ballast, ashes, or offal into the water within the harbour. On the other hand the use of ship's closets on ships lying at anchor is permitted. Every one is bound to remove articles belonging, to him or confided to his care if they interfere with the harbour traffic. The port police can carry out such removal at the expense of the owner, should the latter neglect to do so when called upon. Persons not legally authorized may not go on board a ship without the permission of the captain or his representative. It is forbidden to make fast to a ship, junks, lighters, and such like craft without the permission of the captain or his representative. , i( , § 14. Buoys may only be laid with the permission of the harbour authorities,, Loo^e buoys must be lighted from sun-set to sun-rise. The buoys are subject Jo the control of the harbour authorities, who can transfer or remove them to facilitate the traffic in the harbour. „ , i § 15. Contraventions of §§ 10 and 14 of the Regulations are punishable by fines up to .25 dollars, of §§ 2, 3, and 12 up to 100 dollars, of §§ 5 and 6 up to 2,000 dollars. . • . A captain is liable to a fine of up to 100 dollars, and a seaman up to 25 dollars, or imprisonment for Up to 25 days for the contravention of § 8. Contraventions of § 13 are punishable by 50 dollars fine, or one month's imprisonment. The ofiences J mentioned in § 9 are punishable by a fine up to 250 dollars or three months' imprisonment. These Regulations come into force this day. The Imperial Governor*- ■ , . i (Signed) ROSENDAHL. Tsintau, January 15, 1899. Approved: (Por the Imperial Chancellor), (Signed) Tikpitz. Berlin, March 31, 1899. No. 72. China Association to Foreign Office. — (Received April 10.) gj r . 159, Cannon Street, London, April 8, 1899. '< ' IN pursuance of my letter of the 6th December, 1898,* and subsequent corre- spondence regarding a projected survey of the Yang-tsze Gorges, I have the honour to inclose a Memorial, signed by 119 British and American residents in the Valley of the Yang-tsze, which has been forwarded to this Association with a request that it might be laid before the Marquess of Salisbury. The Committee have had pleasure in calling the attention of the signatories, in * See " China No, 1 (1899)," p. 312, [1049] K 2 68 reply, to Mr. Brodrick's statement in the House of Commons, on the 8th February, that the Government is well-disposed, to undertake the survey desired. (Signed) ' R. S. GUNDRY, Hon. Secretary. Inclosure in No. 72. The Upper, Yang-tsze. Memorial to the Marquess of Salisbury, Sfc. WE the Undersigned British and American citizens resident in West China and Valley of the Yang-tsze River, respectively beg to represent to your Lordship the vexatious delays in communication between West China and the Lower Yang-tsze Biver. These constitute not only a hindrance to trade, but a danger to the lives and properties of missionaries and other residents in the interior, on account of the difficulty of affording proper protection against rioters. These inconveniences are principally due to the absence of regular steam com- munication between the Lower Biver and the Port of Chung-king. It was formerly considered impossible for steamers to ascend the rapids above Ichang ; but in the spring of this year Mr. A. J. Little, a British subject, succeeded in bringing a steam-launch up the rapids to Chung-king. His experience has proved the navigability of the Upper Biver by steam, but it also proved the necessity of a careful survey of the river from Ichang upwards before steam communication can become regular and profitable. Under these circumstances, we venture to submit for your Lordship's considera- tion the advisability, in the interests of foreign residents and foreign trade in West China, of instituting such a survey by naval experts at as early a date as possible. We have, &c. (Signed by 119 British and American residents in the Valley of the Yang-tsze.) No. 73. Mr. BaX'Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 11.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, April 11, 1899. NORTHERN Railway Loan. A slightly more satisfactory state of affairs has come about since the dispatch of my telegram of the 2nd instant, as regards the payment of the proceeds of the Northern Railway into the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank. The Chinese Government have been officially notified by me that they are liable for payment of the first two months' interest on the loan. I trust that it will not be necessary for me to have to press the bank's claim. No. 74 Colonial Office to Foreign Office. — (Received April J 2.) feir ' T 4 ., ,. , , *, « ,-, , Downing Street, April 11, 1899. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to transmit to you, for the considera- tion of the Marquess of Salisbury, a copy of a despatch from the Governor of Hong Kong, drawing attention to the increase of piracy in Chinese waters adjacent to that Colony, and the consequent injury to commerce. 2. As his Lordship is aware, this question is of great importance to the trade of Hong Kong, and Mr. Chamberlain hopes that it will be pressed upon the Chinese Govern- ment when the occasion seems opportune for such representations. I am, &c. (Signed) C. P. LUCAS. 69 Jnclosure in No. 7i. Governor Blake to Mr. Chamberlain. Sir, Government House, Hong Kong, March 2, 1899. I HAVE the honour to bring to your notice the increasing frequency of piratical outrages in Chinese waters adjacent to this Colony, and the constant danger to life and property which exists, and which threatens to materially affect the trade between this port and the south of China. 2. Only very recently a piratical attack was committed on a Hong Kong licensed junk within 50 miles of the Colony, which resulted in the loss of two lives and a con- siderable amount of property, and within the last two years there have been several similar outrages on Hong Kong craft in the neighbouring Chinese waters. The inland waterways are also, 1 am informed, literally infested with pirates. 3. Several representations have been made to the British Consul at Canton on the subject of these piracies, but he has been unsuccessful in his attempts to move the Chinese authorities to exercise an effective control over their waters, or to arrest and punish the authors of these outrages, many of whom are still at large, and doubtless committing daily depredations in different parts. 4. Representations have also been made to Her Majesty's Minister at Peking, and I have myself addressed Sir Claude MacDonald in reference to the recent case of piracy which has come under my notice, but I fear that but little will result from the vague instructions sent by the Central Government to the provincial authorities upon his Excel- lency's representations, unless the Tsung-li Yamen clearly understand that such representations emanate from Her Majesty's Government, and are likely to be insisted upon. 5. I therefore trust that you will see fit to approach the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on the subject, with a view of a forcible representation and vigorous protest being made to the Tsung-li Yamen through Her Majesty's Minister at Peking, and effective measures being taken at an early date. I have, &c. (Signed) HENRY A. BLAKE. No. 75. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— -(Received April 15.) My Lord, Peking, February 9, 1899. WITH reference to previous correspondence with regard to similar questions at Foochow and Amoy, I have the honour to inclose herewith to your Lordship an extract from an Intelligence Report which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Canton, reporting the opening of the question of the extent of the li+kin area at that place. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MaoDONALD. lnclosure in No. 75. Extract from Canton Intelligence Report for Deecmber Quarter, 1898. Li-kin Abeas. — This quarter has witnessed the opening of the question of li-kin areas. A British subject named Banker wished to open a piece-goods shop in the city, of which the Viceroy was duly informed, and requested to enjoin upou his subordinates not to attempt to interfere in any way with Banker's business, as the Consul had received explicit instructions not to permit the slightest infraction of Treaty privileges. He replied with the time-honoured contention based upon the 3rd section of the Chefoo Convention, whereupon it was pointed out to him that the said section being abrogated by the Additional Article, matters reverted to the footing of the Treaties of Nanking and Tien-tsin, which declared certain ports open to trade. About this stage of the controversy the Viceroy reported the matter to the Yamen. He also requested Mr. Mansfield to direct Mr. Banker to close or remove his shop (which had not then been started) pending the discussion of th« question of to li-kin areas between the two Governments. Mr. Mansfield replied that he was directing Banker to pursue his venture, but that, in the event of the two Governments subsequently deciding that the area of exemption was to be confined to the concessions, lie would then inform Banker that he was under the necessity of paying li-kin. Banker has accordingly opened his shop, and further developments will be awaited. (Signed) G. D. PITZIPIOS, Acting Vice-Consul. Canton, January 11, 1899. No. 76. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury .—(Received April 15.) My Lord, Peking, February 13, 1899. , I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith to your Lordship an extract from an Intelligence Report which I have received from Her Majesty's Acting Consul at Samshui, reporting the progress of trade at that port during the past year. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Iriclosure in No. 76. Extract from Samshui Intelligence Report for December Quarter, 1898. Commercial Summary: Increase in volume of Trade. — The Maritime Customs Trade Returns for the last quarter of 1898 show a gratifying increase in the volume of trade at this port, compared with the corresponding period in 1897; an increase sufficiently remarkable in view of the somewhat pessimistic opinions which have been freely expressed as to the future of Samshui. A glance at the totals for the whole year shows that the value of the trade for 1898 exceeds that of the previous year by 1,500,000 taels, the figures being: — 1897 (half year) taels, 103,564. 1898 ... " taels, 1,614,913. If one takes into consideration the present primitive state of steamer communication and the restrictions which the li-kin authorities, both directly and indirectly, are able to place on foreign trade, there is good reason to hope for an equally satisfactory advance during the present year, and that the port will soon take its proper place as the greal distributing centre for the produce of the West and North Rivers. (Signed) HARRY H. FOX, Acting Consul, Samshui, January 19, 1899. No. 77. Sir C> MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury .—(Received I Aff'il 15.) My Lord, Peking February 14 1899. WITH reference to recent questions raised by the illegal exaction of li-kin, I ha>e the honour to inclose herewith to your Lordship an extract from an intelligence Report which I have received from Her Majesty's Acting Consul at Samshui, reporting that no fresh cases have occurred at that port. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. Mi j cDONtm n Inclosure in Jv T o. 77, Extract from Samshui Intelligence Report for December Quarter, 1898. Commercial Summary : Li-kin and Tsoli Stations. — The question of U-ldn and isoli' stations and their attempts to tax foreign goods has been fully reported on by my predecessor in his despatches Nos. 15 and 16 of the 30th September and 21st October, 1S98. In November last he was successful in obtaining the refund of the value of a cargo of oil confiscated by the Chinese authorities at Kumchuk. No fresh'cases have been brought to my notice, but the taxation of foreign goods in Chinese hands goes on constantly, even in Samshui itself, the Chinese merchants unwillingly consenting for fear of reprisals should they object. I have explained to one or two with whom I have come in contact that I am quite ready (with your authority) to take up any case of the kind they may bring before me, but that the initiative lies with the aggrieved party and not with Her Majesty's Consul, and further, that a definite case of improper levy must be produced supported by proofs in the shape of receipts, &c. (Signed) HARRY H. FOX, Acting Consul, Samshui, January 19, 1899. No. 78. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 15.) My Lord, Peking, February 14, 1899. IN Julv last, at the time of the opening of the inland waters of China to steam-, launches, some disturbances directed against the new system occurred in the neighbour- hood of Chinkiarig, and the property of certain British subjects, launches, and wharves ih the interior, was injured by lawless mobs. ' I spoke about the' matter to the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yam£n on the 7th July last, and steps were taken by the local authorities to preserve order. Her Majesty's Consul at Chinkiang referred to me the question of compensation for the damage done, and I instructed him to prefer a claim against the local officials. Oh the 15th December Her Majesty's Consul informed me by telegram, and also by a despatch, copy of which I inclose, that he was unable to obtain from the Taoiai payment of the amount claimed. I pressed the claims with the Tsung-li Yamen both by letters and at an interview with the Ministers on the 4th January, and I am glad to be able, to state that on the T7th ultimo Her Majesty's Consul informed me, in a despatch, copy of which I inclose, that the matter had been settled. I have, &c. (Signod) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD, Inclosure 1 in No. 78. Consul Scott to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Chinhiang, December 15, 1898. I REGRET to have to report that I have been unable to settle the claims of Mr. Starkey arid Mr. Gregson for the wreckage of their steam-launch stations at Yang- chow and Paoying by Chinese in July last, soon after the opening of the inland naviga- tion. Mr. Starkey's claim amounted to 497 dollars, and its accuracy has never been questioned by the Chinese authorities. Mr. Cregson's claim amounted to 1,856 taels, which he afterwards reduced to 1,506 taels; but even when thus modified, I felt myself unable to accord it my support in face of the objections of the Chinese officials for demurrage on two launches which were Chinese-owned and run under the Chinese flag, and in respect of which he has never produced any charter-party. After some discussion, Mr. Gregson finally acquiesced in my ruling, and gave me in writing his consent to accept 1,920 dollars on his behalf, if paid at once. As regards the Taotai, I had arrived at an adjustment of the amount ; he offered 2,400 dollars ; and this sum the parties concerned signified their readiness to accept ii 72 paid within a reasonable time. Several delays ensued ; the Taotai appealed to me for time to collect the money from the Magistrates at Yangchow and Paoying, promising to pay over the sum agreed upon by the end of November. On my continuing to press him for a settlement of the case, he at last assured me that payment would be made for certain on the 12th December, but, I regret to say, again without fulfilling his promise. 1 beg to inclose a copy of my letter to the Taotai of the 14th instant, which will explain the position of affairs on that date. All along the Taotai has expressed his earnest desire to arrange matteis; but he pleads, and, 1 believe, truly, that the Magistrates at Yangchow and Paoying, relying on the Viceroy's views of the case, refuse to acknowledge any liability ; they only offer to deal with the rioters without admitting any right of claim on the district officials. The Taotai's last offer is to pay 1,200 dollars himself, and take measures to recover the balance ; but in face of the delays that have occurred, and his inability to enforce his wishes on his subordinate Magistrates, I saw no prospect of any final settlement. Under the circumstance I found myself bound to decline his proposal ; and have this day appealed to you by telegraph on behalf of Mr. Starkey and Mr. G-regson in respect to com- pensation. I have, &c. (Signed) JAMES SCOTT. Inolosure 2 in No. 78. Consul Scott to Taotai Chang. Sir, Chinkiang, December 14, 1598. I REGRET to find myself compelled to appeal to Her Majesty's Minister regarding the claims of Mr. Starkey and Mr. Gregson for the wreckage of their steam-launch stations at Yangchow and Paoying. I have all along made it my endeavour to arrive at a friendly arrangement, but in vain ; and under the circumstances my offer to close the case on payment of 2,400 dollars, to which sum I had agreed after prolonged negotiations to reduce the claim, can no longer remain open. I have always acceded to your request for time to recover the money, and when, in answer to my urgent representations, you sent your Deputy to assure me that the case would be settled for certain on the 12th December and the amount agreed upon duly paid, I accepted your word and offer without question. You now ask me, however, to receive one-half, the balance to be forthcoming on recovery afterwards. You have already had time to recover the amount; and seeing that you have failed to keep your promises and especially your engagement for the 12th instant, I do not consider that I can rely any longer on your assurances of an early settlement of the case, which has now been dragging on for months. I have, &c. (Signed) JAMES SCOTT. Jnolosure 3 in No. 78. « Consul Scott to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Chinkiang, January 17, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 15th ultimo, I beg to report that early in January the Taotai approached me on the subject of the claims in connection with the wreckage of the landing-stations on the opening of the inland navigation. He gave me to understand that the Viceroy had directed him to arrange matters, and he asked me to name the amount which I was prepared to recommend for your approval, so that he could submit the same to the Viceroy and obtain the latter's sanction. I explained to him that claims to the amount of 2,415 dollars were found in order, and that on receiving a satisfactory offer for this sum I would recommend its acceptance. After some days' consideration, the Taotai undertook to pay 2,000 dollars at once and the balance in six weeks. This proposal I conveyed to Mr. Gregson (Mr. Starkey 's claim was to be paid in full), and he at once consented, subject to your approval. Meantime, on the 12th instant, I received your telegram, and from its tenour I concluded (I hope rightly) that I could aaree to the settlement proposed by the Taotai and accepted bv the principal claimant. < , ,* 73 Mr. Starkey has been paid his claim in full (495 dollars), and Mr. Gregson has written acknowledging: the receipt of 1,505 dollars and agreeing to accept the balance of 415 dollars in six weeks' time. Mr. Gregson and Mr. Starkey desire me to convey to you their thanks for your support in settling their claims. I have, &c. (Signed) JAMES SCOTT. No. 79. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received April 15.) My Lord, Peking, February 14, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a note which I addressed to the Tsung-li Yam$n on the 9th January in consequence of Her Majesty's Consul at Chinkiang having reported to me that the Governor-General of Nanking denied the right of towage on the Yang-tsze Hiver under the Inland Navigation Regulations. I saw the Ministers of the Yamen the same day, and they promised to call upon the Governor-General for an explanation of his action in the matter. The position of the Governor-General was so untenable that I thought a personal visit from Her Majesty's Consul at Chinkiang to him might clear away misunderstandings, and I accordingly directed Mr. Scott, by telegraph, to call upon his Excellency. Mr. Scott, in his despatch of the 23rd January, copy of which I inclose, relates the satisfactory result of his representations to the Governor-General. C have &c (Signed) CLAUDE M. Mac DONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 79. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, January 9, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform your Highnesses and your Excellencies that I have received a despatch from Her Majesty's Consul at Chinkiana;, on the subject of the inception of the navigation of the inland waters by steamers. He states that the British merchant, Mr. Starkey, applied for a special Customs pass for his launches, the " Chin Yun " and the " Hsin Hung " to tow boats between Chinkiang and Liu Ho Hsien. The Taotai, in his reply to the Consul, quotes the orders of the Viceroy of Nanking against issuing such special passes for towing on the Yang-tsze. I find that on the 25th July, 189S, [ received a despatch from the Yamln, sending me the Regulations for the navigation of the inland waters of China by Chinese and foreign steamers. The 7th Article contains the following clause, "such steamers are not to tow on the Yang-tsze without a special licence from the Customs." On the 15th September I received another despatch from the Yamen sending me supplementary Rules. In the despatch they quoted a telegram from the Nanking Viceroy, dated the 27th July, in which his Excellency, referring to the above clause, said, " this clearly means that foreign merchants are at liberty to apply for such special permits through their Consuls." The 7th Article of the above-quoted Regulations not having been altered in any way, the permission to former steamers to take out passes for towing on the Yang tsze is still in force, and the contention of the Nanking Viceroy that the absence of the word "Yang-tsze" in the supplementary Rules is a tacit acknowledgment that towing on the Yang-tsze is not allowed, is a complete misunderstanding. I inclose a copy of the Chinkiang Taotai's letter to the Consul, and beg your Highnesses and your Excellencies to address the Nanking Viceroy, directing his attention to the Regulations for the Navigation of Inland "Waters, and instructing him to order his subordinates to act in conformity therewith. I avail, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. [1049] 71 Inclosure 2 in No. 79. Taotai Chang to Consul Scott. (Translation.) Sir, Clrinkiang, December 16, 1898. WITH reference to the application of Mr. Starkey to tow boats with cargo on the Yang-tsze by his launches " Ching Yun " and " Hsin Hung," I duly laid the matter before the Viceroy, the Minister Superintendent of Trade for the Southern Ports, request- ing his instructions whether special Customs papers were to be issued to to tow, or whether all permission was to be refused in terms of the Regulations. The Viceroy now writes in reply : — "The navigation of inland waters is a special arrangement, distinct from the Treaty, and its regulation rests with the Chinese authorities. The Rules proposed by the Inspector- General of Customs should have been communicated to the Viceroy by theTsung-li Yamen for his consideration, and the issue of instructions to the Customs. It is laid down in the second set of Regulations that the towing of cargo boats on the Yang-tsze is not allowed ; and when the Inspector-General subsequently sanctioned the issue of special passes, application was made by telegraph to have this altered. Accordingly, in the fourth set of Regulations, the word " Yang-tsze " is never once introduced — a tacit acknowledgment that towing on the Yang-tsze River is not allowed ; and merchants are bound thereby. As regards Mr. Starkey's present application to tow by launches between Chinkiang and Liu Ho Hsian, the route is along the Yang-tsze River, and the Regulatiocs having been, altered subsequently, no permission can be granted. The Viceroy has to desire the Taotai to move the Concul to disallow towing, and also see to it that the Customs duly record this as a special Rule, notify and carry out the same." I have now the honour to write requesting you to disallow towing. I am also communicating with the Customs not to issue any special pass for towing on the Yang-tsze River, desiring them to duly notify and carry out this as a special Rule. (Card and compliments of Chang, Taotai of Chinkiang.) Inclosure 3 in No. 79. Consul Scott to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Chinkiang, January 23, 1899. I BEG to report that on the 17th instant I proceeded to Nanking, and that on the following day I had an interview with the Viceroy. His Excellency, who was accompanied by his interpreter and by the Taotai in charge of the foreign Department, received me courteously and in a friendly manner. I explained the object of my visit, and urged him to allow towing on the Yang-tsze as laid down in Article 7 of the Inland Navigation Regulations. The Viceroy stated his position in respect to this question ; that according to the first set of Regulations, towing was prohibited on the Yang-tsze ; that according to the amended Regulations, towing was allowed; and that in regard to this latter concession, he had several times telegraphed his objections to the Tsung-li Yamen, but without receiving any reply, beyond having the supplementary Rules communicated to him. He went on to say that he looked°upon these latter Rules'as made in response to his objections, and as intended to disallow towing on the Yang-tsze. In reply, I pointed out to his Excellency that towage was provided for under Article 7, all that was necessary being an application for a " special permit ; " while as regards the supplementary Rules, they were concerned merely with the manner in which dues and duties were to be paid and collected. I produced the Regulations and Rules, and called his careful attention to them. His Excellency did not appear to be at all familiar with their text; and he asked me to leave my copy of them with him for his perusal. The Viceroy declared that he was actuated by a sincere desire to arrange matters'— he was sensible of his obligation to the British Government for their friendly support. He ^plained that he required a little time to consider the question, and that as the real difficulty in this, as in all new Regulations, was their effect on the li-kin Revenue he had to consult the other high provincial authorities, and he hoped, therefore, that 1 would defer my departure trom JNankmg for a few days. On the 19th the Viceroy sent his interpreter to call and to repeat his Excellency's assurance of his desire to arrive at a friendly and satisfactory settlement. The matter/he 75 said, was one that could be arranged, and he was sending the Superintendent of the li-kin Department to Chingkiang; and he asked me to meet that officer and arrange with him and the Taotai at Chinkiang. Towards the conclusion of my interview with the Viceroy 1 mentioned the question of the rice bonds as reported to you in my despatch of the 30th December last.* But as I saw that his Excellency was in bad health, and was at times scarcely able to speak, I suggested, for his convenience, to confer separate! v with the Taotai on the following day at the latter's Yatnen. The Viceroy thanked me for my consideration for his health, and reiterated his desire to meet the wishes of Her Majesty's Minister in all matters. On the 21st I saw the Taotai, and he informed me that the Viceroy had directed him to renew his assurance on the " towage " question. In regard to the rice bonds, he stated that the Viceroy was prepared to carry out the six months' rule of other ports, and for this purpose he requested me to again address the Chinkiang Taotai, recapitulating the facts and points embodied in the short Memorandum in explanation of the case, which I had handed to him at the. previous interview of the 19th instant. 1 returned to Chinkiang on the evening of the 22nd, and have this day reported to you by telegraph accordingly. I have, &c. (Signed) JAMES SOOTT. No. 80. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 15.) My Lord, Peking, February 15, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a despatch received from Her iMajesty's Consul-General at Shanghae, with reference to new land Regulations which the Chinese authorities are endeavouring to introduce at Woosung. I also inclose copy of the instructions which I have sent to Mr. Brenan in this matter. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 80. Consul- General Brenan to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Shanghae, January 81, 1899. I HAVE the honour to request your instructions as to the position 1 should take up vis-a-vis the Chinese authorities in the matter of the leasing of land by British subjects at "Woosung. It is a matter which I foresee is likely to cause us much difficulty. As soon as it was known that Woosung was to become an open port, foreigners begat* to buy land there. The Chinese did the same, and amongst these there are some officials of influence. When foreigners buy land in Shanghae the regular course is for the Consulate- General concerned to send in to the Taotai the title-deed under which the Chinese seller holds the land, together with a deed of sale from the seller to the purchaser. After the Taotai has satisfied himself that the transaction is in order, he exchanges these documents for a title-deed issued in his name on behalf of the Chinese Government ; without this title- deed the foreigner's title to the land is not admitted. When 1 applied to the Taotai to issue title-deeds for the lots bought by British subjects at Woosung, the Taotai replied that it was necessary to wait until the Viceroy had sanctioned the Regulations for the Woosung Foreign Settlement. These Regulations- have now been published, and a copy is inclosed. You will observe that Rule 1 lays down that foreigners may lease land only within the limits of the Settlement. The Settlement has about 4 miles of river frontage, and a depth of 1 mile; so that the area is sufficient for ordinary business purposes for the present. But the chief objection to restricting foreigners to the S3ttlement is that the official ring which has bought up the best part as a speculation will be able to keep up the price of lots. Rule 3 is open to serious objection. It makes it compulsory on a Chinese proprietor, before he can sell his land to a foreigner, to obtain from the Ching Chang Office a * Not printed. [1049] " ; L 2' 76 certificate confirming his title to the land. When a foreigner desires to obtain a title-deed from, the Taotai it will be necessary for him to produce this certificate as well as the bill of sale. Wilhout the certificate the Taotai will refuse to issue a title-deed. This Ching Chang Office is an innovation, and it has doubtless been created in order that the officials may secure a good share of the enhanced value of the land. Before Woosung was thought of as a Treaty port land was worth, say, 100 dollars a mow ; it is now quoted at 1,000 dollars. A Chinese proprietor wishing to sell to a foreigner must now, as I have stated, obtain a verification of his title from the Ching Chang Office. The Ching Chang Office may raise difficulties and refuse the certificate until the would-be seller has satisfied their demands ; and as at this stage of the proceedings no such foreign interests are involved as would enable the Consul to interfere, these demands may be most exorbitant, and the Chinese seller must either submit or the sale must fall through. Rule 7 requires foreign owners to exchange the title-deeds they now hold for the new kind of title-deeds, and pay the registration fee of 10 dollars a mow. There may be no objection to one form of title-deed being exchanged for another in order to insure uniformity, but as this is done for the convenience of the Taotai's Land Office, the fee of 10 dollars is unjust. To the other Rules I see no objection. The Land Office in this Consulate has now notice of about eighty lots which have been purchased by British subjects, and for which it is desired to obtain the Taotai's title- deeds. The price has been paid, and the British subjects hold bills of sale from the Chinese proprietors, but the transaction cannot be completed so long as these Rules remain in torce, for the consent of the Ching Chang Office has to be obtained, and neither the Chinese seller nor the British purchaser wish to place themselves in the power of an Office which there is every reason to believe has been created for the purpose of extortion. The Taotai takes the ground that Woosung is not a port open by Treaty. It has been opened voluntarily by the Chinese Government, and Chinese officials are therefore free to name the conditions on which foreigners may acquire land there. I have argued that under Article XII of the Tien-tsin Treaty British subjects may acquire land at Woosung as they have done at Whampoa, Pagoda Anchorage, and Taku, but it does not suit the Taotai at present to admit my contention. I have also pointed out that a large part of the lots purchased by British subjects were obtained before the Woosung Land Regula- tions were issued ; but to this the Taotai replies that in that case the sale was illegal, as Woosung was not yet open to foreign residents. To me it appears that separate Land Regulations for Woosung are unnecessary. The practice followed at Shanghae has been found to work satisfactorily. Here British subjects, as the Treaty provides, are left "to make their agreements for the land at the rates prevailing among the people equitably, and without exaction on either side." When the parties have come to terms, and the Taotai has satisfied himself that the transaction is in order, he gives the foreign purchaser a new title-deed. It would be well if this system could be adopted at Woosung without the intervention of the Ching Chan" - Office, which is the same as the Shengko Office of evil report in Shanghae. I shall not accept the Taotai's conditions for the purchase of land until I have had the honour of receiving your instructions. I have, &c. (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. Inclosure 2 in No. 80. Regulations for the Registration of Land rented by Foreigners in the Commercial Settlement at Woosung. WOOSUNG being opened as a commercial Settlement at the initiative of the Chinese Government, its general conditions differ from those of other ports opened by Treaty ; and foreigners shall only be permitted to rent land and reside within the delimited area "of the Settlement, which shall be for the use of all nationalities alike. 2. Chinese selling land to foreigners can only to do under form of leases in perpetuity, and cannot in any case do so under deeds of sale! 3. Foreigners renting land shall base their titles upon the certificate of ownership recently issued by the Ching Chang Office to the native owners. It shall not be 77 considered sufficient evidence of ownership if the native owner only produces his land tax receipts of former years but does not hold the above-mentioned certificate; and in order to guard against fraudulent sales and subsequent defects of title arising, foreigners shall avoid renting such land. 4. When foreigners rent land, their respective Consuls shall send a deputy to measure the land in conjunction with the Native Land Office. 5. The registration fees to be collected by the Native Land Office have been fixed by the high provincial authorities at an equitable figure, viz., 10 dollars per mow, to be paid by the lessor to the Native Land Office without abatement. Beyond this there shall be no further fees or charges, and if any official servants or runners demand further payment, foreign renters shall be at liberty to hand them over to the Office for punishment. 6. With regard to the land rented by foreigners which is to be transferred to another name ; if the whole lot is to be transferred remeasurement shall not be necessary. But if it is desired to have a new title-deed issued, or to transfer a part of the lot, remeasurement by the Native Land Office shall be requisite, and the fees and practice shall be the same as on the issue of the original deed of lease. 7. Any native deeds of sale held by foreigners for land within the Woosung Settle- ment shall be sent by them to their respective Consulates for cancellation, and the Consul shall send a deputy to measure the land in conjunction with the Native Land Office, and a certificate shall be issued on payment of the measurement fees per mow of land; on production of which certificates the title-deed in both languages, Chinese and foreign, shall be issued (i.e., the Toatai's deed). 8. The standard measurement shall be the old one of 240 kung = 1 mow, making 6,600 square feet Chinese, which is equal to 7,260 square feet, English. 9. In future, if on measurement there proves to be more land than is shown on the certificate, the original owner may get the surplus placed on the register by paying its market value (to the Office) and thereupon can let it (to foreigners), or the foreigner may himself pay these charges and thereby obtain the lease of the land. 10. A sum of 2,000 cash per mow per annum as land tax shall be payable on all land rented by foreigners, dating from the day on which the land is measured. Beyond this sum there shall be no further land tax, and after the first payment is made on the occasion when the land is measured, future payments shall be made through the Consulates in the first month of every year, and receipts for the same shall be issued by the Woosung Land Office. 11. It shall not be permitted to erect any thatch or matchboard building within the Settlement limits, or to store there any gunpowder, explosives or other articles dangerous to life or property. 12 The certificates (issued by the Ching Chang Office) are of two classes, viz : — (1.) The certificates for accreted land put up for public sale and purchased from Government by the two Companies styled "Hsing-Li" and ■' Heng Yuan." These need not be exchanged (for ordinary Ching Chang certificates) in order to obtain a Taotai's deed, which can be obtained by direct application to the Shanghae Taotai's Yamen. (2.) The ordinary Ch'ing Chang certificate, which applies entirely to land belonging to natives (as opposed to Government land), and whenever such land is leased either to Chinese or foreigners, all documents of title to it must be produced at the Hui Chang and Ching Chang Offices, which will thereupon issue such a certificate, and thereby enable {the renter) to apply for a Taotai's deed. 13. The Chinese authorities shall protect according to Treaty all foreigners residing ■either temporarily or permanently in the commercial Settlement at Woosung. Inclosure 3 in No. 80. Sir C. Mac Donald to Consul- Genera I Brenan. Peking, February 3, 1899. WE have the honour to state that the Governor of Kuangsi, Huan Huai-sen, has memorialized the Throne requesting that Nanning in Kuangsi be opened as' a' port of international trade. By Imperial Rescript the Tsung-li Yamen was ordered to report upon the question. The Yamen has accordingly considered the matter, and on the 30th January memonalized the Throne that the request of the Governor should be granted and that Nanning should be opened as a port of international trade in a similar way to Yochow in Hunan, Chin Wang-Tao in Chihli, and San Tu Ao in Fukien so as to extend advantages and increase trade. The Imperial assent has been given to the proposal. We are writing to the Governor of Kuangsi that he should, in accordance\vith the Imperial commands, devise proper plans for opening the port and submit detailed proposals for the consideration of the Yamen. A date will then be fixed for the opening of the port to business. We have also to convey the information to your Excellency to be placed on record. • (Seal of Yamen.) No. 82. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received April 15.) (Extract.) Peking, February 16, 1899. 1 HAVE the honour to report upon the steps taken up to the. present time by Sir John Lister Kaye to secure railway and other contracts for public works from the Chinese Government. * S^e " China No. 1 (1899)," p. 360. 79 Upon the arrival of Sir John Lister Kaye in Peking he came to see me, and spoke of his plans for financing a railway from Canton to Chengtu, with branches along the Yang-tsze to Hankow and Suifu. He showed me a scheme of contract which contem- plated lending the Chinese 18,500,000/. at 85 per cent., policing the railway, extensive mining rights, &c. I informed Sir John Lister Kayo of the recently expressed intention of the Chinese Government to build no more trunk lines for the present, and of the certainty of China's rejection of such a sweeping proposal as the one he had in hand. Sir John Lister Kaye, however, wished to have his scheme laid before the Chinese ■Government, and on the 5th December addressed me a letter to that effect. I sent the proposal to the Tsung-li Yamen, and on the 15th December received their reply, stating that the Chinese Government did not intend to entertain proposals for any lines beyond those already arranged for, at present. Sir John Lister Kaye then requested that I would inform the Tsung-li Yamen that he hoped that, in the event of their considering at some future date the construc- tion of the railway in question, his proposals might hctve a prior claim to consideration over all those proposals which might in the future be submitted to the Chinese •Government. [ complied with this request, and on the 31st December received a reply from the Yamen that Sir John Lister Kaye's application would be kept on record as material for contingent future negotiation, but that it could not be regarded as having a prior claim to a fixed Agreement. On the 19th December Sir John Lister Kaye asked me to apply to the Chinese •Government for permission to make a survey of the Upper Yang-tsze in order to ascertain what steps were necessary to improve the navigation of the river. After the survey he would be prepared to submit to the Chinese Government proposals for the carrying out of such works as the engineers might recommend. I supported this request in a note to the Tsung-li Yamen of the 23rd December, and on the :27th December received a reply to the effect that the Yameu had referred the matter to the Viceroys of Szechuan and Hukuang for a report. No. 83. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received April 15.) lly Lord, Peking, February 18, 1899. FOR some time past constant complaints have been made by the Hong Kong Grovernment and Her Majesty's Consuls at Canton, Samshui, and Wuehow of the disgraceful prevalence of piracy in the Cantonese waters, both in the rivers and along the coast. The Governor of Canton is singularly helpless in the matter, and the evil continues to grow. It has become a serious scandal and hindrance to trade, and it is to be feared that unless efficient steps are taken, some terrible outrage in which foreigners will suffer will take place. I have therefore thought it my duty to address the Chinese Government in strong terms, calling upon them to see that proper measures are taken to put a stop to this dangerous state of affairs. I have the honour to inclose copies of two notes which I have sent to the Tsung-li Yamen on the subject, one dated the 22nd November, 1898, and the second of this day's date. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 83. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li Yamen. II. les Ministres, Peking, November 22, 1898. I, HAVE the honour to inform your Highness and your Excellencies that I have received a , despatch from Her Majesty's Consul at Canton to the following •effect : — Consul Brenan, in his Trade Report for 1897, says, " Probably never since Canton 80 was open to foreign trade has piracy been so rife as in the year under review. The boldness of the pirate is, however, surpassed by the apathy of the provincial govern- ment." Since Mr. Brenan wrote this matters have been going from bad to worse. Six cases of piracy have been brought to the notice of this office by the Hong Kong Government, of which only one has been dealt with by the Chinese authorities. These cases, however, form but a very small proportion of the cases that have actually occurred. I have found no less than forty-one cases, accounts of which have been given in the local press. Matters have now reached such a pass that trade on the inland waters of the province is being very seriously interfered with. I have the honour to inclose copy of my despatch to the Viceroy on the subject of the last case where a launch plying between Hong Kong and Samshui under the British flag was taken possession of and looted. Finding ray representations on the subject generally, both verbal and in writing, are of no avail, I find myself obliged to bring the matter to your notice. It is my duty to transmit to your Highness and your Excellencies a copy of the Consul's letter, and to request that you will direct the Viceroy of Canton to imme- diately take steps for the apprehension of these pirates and robbers, and for the prevention of such outrages, which have a very damaging effect on the Imperial revenue and on trade generally. I avail, &c. , (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 2 in No. 83. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, February 18, 1899. ON the 22nd November, 1898, I addressed your Highness and your Excellencies on the subject of the disgraceful prevalence of piracy on the Canton Biver. On the 12th instant I received your note stating that the Viceroy of Canton reports the capture of two of the pirates concerned in the looting of the steam-ship " Tung Chiang," and the issue of strict orders for patrol, &c. 1 have now to send you copies of two letters addressed to the Viceroy of Canton, the first on the 25th January by Her Majesty's Consul, Samshui, complaining of the plunder of the British steam-ship " Kungsoo " on the 24th January, and the other from Her Majesty's Consul, Canton, dated the 28th January, complaining of an attempt to loot the British steam-ship " Lung Kiang " on the 20fch January. Her Majesty's Consul, Canton, reports that on the 16th December, 1898, he brought to the notice of the Viceroy a piratical attack on a Hong Kong fishing-junk at Ping Hai, some 50 miles north-east of Hong Kong. In this case five men were killed and others wounded, and the junk stripped of all valuables. He informs me that since November, 1898, that is in three months, no less than forty-seven cases of piracy in the Canton waters have been reported in the papers. In several of these cases life was taken, and it may almost be said that a reign of terror exists on the waterways of the Two Kuang. Cargo boats are afraid to travel at night, or to move about except in company, and trade is becoming to a certain extent paralysed. The Viceroy is always ailing, and it is difficult to obtain an interview with him. Her Majesty's Consul has repeatedly addressed him on the subject of these piracies in the strongest terms, but can only obtain the stereotyped reply that stringent instruc- tions have been sent to the officials concerned. Admiral Ho, the Commander-in-chief, who should properly be the officer to inaugurate a vigorous campaign against the pirates appears absolutely supine and incapable of dealing wdth the evil. The complaints of the Hong Kong Government and Her Majesty's Consuls show a state of affairs in Canton Avaters which is quite intolerable. There is no security for life or property, and as British subjects are closely concerned, it is my duty to inform your Highness and your Excellencies that unless measures are immediately taken to prevent such outrages, I shall have to report, for the consideration of Her Majesty's Government, the advisability of taking steps to protect British lives and property, either by patrolling the waterways or by placing guards on the steamers, 81 the expense of which would be made the subject of a claim on the Chinese Government. I avail, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. No. 84. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 15.) My "^™tt ^ Peking, March 6, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 14th ultimo, I have the honour to inclose herewith to your Lordship copy of a despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Chinkiang, announcing the final payment of the claims arising out of the disturbances near that place in connection with the opening of the inland waters of China to steam navigation. ^ I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 84. Consul Scott to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir » Chinkiang, February 21, 1899. T HAVE the honour to report the final payment of the claims in connection with the wreckage of the landing ststions on the opening of the inland navigation. According to my despatch of the 1 7th January last, there was a balance of 415 dollars due to be paid in six weeks' time. On the 20th instant the Taotai sent his cheque for 400 dollars, with a request that the matter might be closed. The outstanding claimant, Air. Gregson, on being referred to, agreed at once ; and I now beg to forward copy of his receipt in due acknowledgment thereof. I have, &c. (Signed) JAMES SCOTT. Inclosure 2 in No. 84. Receipt. RECEIVED from Her Majesty's Consul the sum of 400 dollars, accepted herewith in full discharge of balance of my claim against the native authorities in connection with the steam-launch disturbances. Kindly thank Her Majesty's Minister for his energetic intervention in the settle- ment of this matter. (Signed) E. GREGSON. Chinkiang, February 20, 1899. No. 85. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received April 15.) Sir, Admiralty, April 14, 1899. MT Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having had before them your com- munication of the 22nd ultimo, inclosing copy of a letter from the China Association on the subject of the navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze, desire me to request you will represent to the Marquess of Salisbury that their views as to the steps to be taken to develop the navigation of the Gorges, are fully explained in their letter of instructions to the Commander-in-chief on the China Station, dated the 23rd February last, a copy of which was sent to the Foreign Office in Admiralty letter of the 2nd March.* My Lords do not consider that any action, beyond that specified in the letter to * No. 37. [1049] M 82 the Cominander-in-chief, can be taken at a preliminary examination of the localities in question, and that the expediency of making a comprehensive surrey of the upper waters with a view to establishing permanent steam-boat communication between Ichang and Chungking is a matter for future consideration, and must in great measure depend on the experience that may be gained at the investigations to be made in the autumn. My Lords are informed that an examination of the rocks, which encumber the worst parts of the rapids, has already been made by Captain Pottinger on behalf of the Yunnan Company. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. No. 86. Shanghae General Chamber of Commerce to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received ; April 15.) My Lord, Shanghae, March 9, 1899. A COPY of a Memorial has been furnished this Chamber, which was addressed to your Lordship through the China Association, London, by the residents of Chung- king, urging that steps should be taken by naval experts to survey the waters of the Upper Yang-tsze, with a view to promote regular communication by steamers with the port of Chungking, and the Committee of this Chamber cordially support the Petition made, in the interests of trade and for the better protection of the lives of foreigners resident in the Province of Szechuan, believing that there are no insuperable difficulties in vastly improving communications with Chungking, and thereby giving facilities to a trade which is open to great developments. I have, &c. (Signed) C. J. DUDGEON, Vice- Chairman* No. 87. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 15.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, April 15, 1899. ON the 1st of next month Nanking is to be made effectively an open port. It has been nominally a Treaty port for the last forty years. No. 88. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-lronside. Sir > „.„.„ . , a . „ ,, ^ Foreign Office, April 18, 1899. I HAVE received Sir C MacDonald's despatch of the 16th January relative to a proposal of Mr Pntchard-Morgan, M.P., that the Chinese Government should establish a General Mining Board. I approve Sir C. MacDonald's proceedings as reported in his despatch. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 89. Foreign Office to China Association. Sir, Upper Yang-tsze I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform vou that in February last the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty addressed a dJs"ateh to the * No. 43. Foreign Office, April 19, 1899. 83 Commander-in-chief on the China Station, stating that they were considering the advisability of an attempt being made in the autumn by Her Majesty's ships "Woodcock " and " Woodlark " to pass through the Yang-tsze gorges to Chung- king. The Commander-in-chief was requested in the meantime to instruct Lieutenant and Commander Watson to proceed to Ichang during the present month to personally examine the obstructions within a moderate distance, which he may be able to reach by land or junk, and to report on the feasibility, or otherwise, of the ascent being made by the above-named vessels. A copy of your letter of the 24th ultimo was communicated to the Board of Admiralty, and they have stated that they do not consider that any action beyond that specified in the despatch to the Commander-in-chief, referred to above, can be taken at a preliminary examination of the localities in question, and that the expediency of making a comprehensive survey of the upper waters of the Yang-tsze with a view to establishing permanent steam-boat communication between Ichang and Chungking is a matter for future consideration, and must in great measure depend on the experience that may be gained at the investigations to be made in the autumn. I am, &c. (Signed) T. H. SANDERSON. No. 90. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received April 20.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, April 20, 1899. MR. PRITCHARD-MORGAN'S Ssuchuan Mining Contract. At an interview this afternoon the Ministers of the YamSn, in informing me of the ratification of the above Contract, mentioned that M. Pichon had lodged a protest against it as a monopoly, to which they had replied that no monopoly was granted by the Contract. No. 91. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 20.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, April 20, 1899. NORTHERN Railway difficulties. The Yam6n to-day again assured me emphatically that the matters of which complaint has been made should be at once altered for the better. This was in response to the remonstrances which I urged against the existing state of things. We shall be able to judge in the course of the next few days what value is to be placed on the above assurances. No. 92. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Irinside. Sir, Foreign Office, April 20, 1899. I HAVE received Sir C. MacDonald's despatch of the 14th February relative to the refusal of the authorities of Chinkiang to issue licences to British subjects for towing on the Yang-tsze. I approve the action taken by Sir C. MacDonalcl in the matter. You should report the result of the conference which Her Majesty's Consul at Chinkiang was to have with the Taotai of that port on the subject of these licences. and inform me whether the question has been definitely settled. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. [1019] M 2 84 No. 93. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, April 20, 1899. I HAVE received Sir C. MacDonald's despatches of the 14th February and of the 6th March relative to the claims of British subjects arising out of the disturbances at Chinkiang in July 1898, at the time of the opening of the inland waters to steam navigation. I approve the action taken by Sir C. MacDonald in the matter, and I have heard with satisfaction of the settlement of these claims. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 94. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, April 20, 1899. T HAVE received Sir C. MacDonald's despatch of the 15th February relative to the action of the authorities at Woosung in regard to the leasing of land there by British subjects, and I approve the reply which he returned to the despatch from Her Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae of the 31st January on the subject. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 95. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received April 21.) Sir, Admiralty, April 19, 1899. I AM commanded by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, extracts from a letter from the Commander-in-chief on the China Station, dated the 1 7th March last, relating to the movements of Her Majesty's ships on the Yang-tsze River. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 95. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Extracts.) March 1? lg99i THh "Lmnet left Hankow on the 13th for Shanghae, calling at the Treaty ports on her way down the river. She is to be ready on the 27th to convey Sir Claude MacDonald to Hankow, and return with him to Shanghae. , -,L h 1 e 'T,° 0dc0C ! C " Ieft Shan S hae on the 4th March, and arrived at Hankow on the 12th. After a short stay there she will proceed to Ichang in April, as directed by their Lordships, and her Commander will visit the rapids to obtain all possible information. r w T 5 e "i E » k " remainS at Ichang ' but wiU move down the river °a the arrival of the "Woodcock. No. 96. Foreign Office to Colonial Office. S * WITH reference to ,„„ ■■ ,ette r of the 11th ir,^Z^£ i V^^ of Salisbury to transmit to you a copy of a despatch which has been received from Her 85 Majesty's Minister at Peking, on the subject of the increase of piracy in the Chinese waters adjacent to Hong Kong.* Sir C. MacDonald states that the local authorities at Canton appear to be unable to cope with the evil, and transmits copies of two notes which he has addressed to the Tsung-li Yamen urging them to take immediate steps to put a stop to these outrages. Lord Salisbury will communicate copies of your letter under reply, and of Sir 0. MacDonald's despatch, to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and will suggest that they should be forwarded to the Commander-in-chief on the China Station. I am, &c. (Signed) T. H. SANDERSON. No. 97. Acting Consul- General Brenan to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 22.) My Lord, Shanghae, March 20, 1899. ACTING- under instructions from Her Majesty's Minister, I have the honour to inclose copies of three despatches, with their inclosures, which I have addressed to him on the subject of the extension of the foreign Settlement at Shanghae. I have, &c. (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. Inclosure 1 in No. 97. Acting Consul- General Brenan to Sir C. MacDonald. (Extract.) Shanghae, March 10, 1899. I PROPOSE in this despatch to report the present situation as regards the extension of the foreign Settlement area. As the result of many interviews between the Taotai and the British, United States', and German Consuls, the limits of the proposed extension were agreed upon towards the end of January, and the Taotai, who was about to proceed to Nanking on business, undertook to recommend the Viceroy to grant this extension. The Taotai returned early in February, and he let it be understood that the Viceroy's approval had been obtained. On one pretext or another, the Taotai put off meeting the three Consuls until we insisted on an interview, which took place on the 6th instant. At this meeting the Taotai came with a Memorandum which he said contained the decision of the Viceroy. He was proceeding to explain the constitution of the governing body within the new area, when we interrupted him by saying that before discussing this question it was necessary to know the limits of the new area. He replied that he could not say precisely, as he was preparing a map which he wished to submit to the Viceroy. However, he was able to fix the chief points, and this showed that no portion of the Pao-shan district could be included ; indeed, the Taotai distinctly informed us that whatever the area conceded might be, it was out of the question that any portion of the Pao-shan district should be included. The foreign Settlement is rapidly growing in the direction of the railway station ; it is therefore very necessary that this quarter should come under the control of the Municipal Council. On reference to the plan in your possession, you will see that the Pao-shan district boundary-line unforunately makes an indentation at this particular spot. The Chinese authorities contend that foreigners may not lease land outside the administrative division wherein Shanghae lies, that is, they may lease land in the Shanghae Hsien, but not in the Pao-shan Hsien. I can conceive no valid reason why they should insist on this, and when challenged they are unable to give any. A good portion of the land in that direction has already been bought by foreigners, but for the above-mentioned reason they have been unable to get their property registered in the Taotai's Land Office. No difficulty is experienced in buying land 5 miles distant from the Consulate if it lies in the Shanghae district, but the Taotai will refuse to * No. 83. S6 recognize a sale in the Pao-shan district although the property may be within a mile of the Consulate. My two colleagues and I were of opinion that an extension of the foreign Settlement on these terms was unacceptable, and we informed the Taotai that it was useless to continue the negotiations. We thereupon separated, after agreeing amongst ourselves that we should request the Viceroy at Nanking to depute another official to resume the negotiations. As I have reported to you, I telegraphed to the Viceroy on the 6th instant, requesting him to depute a special official to settle the matter with me, and the next day I received his Excellency's reply, stating that Ts'ai Taotai would be at once superseded by Li Taotai, who would be empowered to come to terms on the subject. I am now awaiting his arrival. The day after our abortive meeting with Ts'ai Taotai, he sent a message implying that he could give better terms than he had offered the day before, but we replied that unless he was authorized to give the area agreed upon last January, and to place it under the existing municipal Rules, we did not wish to reopen the question with him. His answer was that it was absolutely impossible to concede any portion of the Pao-shan district. The Taotai then, it would seem, sent the Viceroy's proposals to the senior Consul (the Portuguese Consul), as the official Representative for foreign interests at Shanghae. This I learned on the 8th instant at the regular monthly meeting of the Consular Body, when we assemble to discuss anything that requires our attention. After the ordinary business had been disposed of, the Portuguese Consul produced the Viceroy's proposal, and invited discussion. The Russian Consul, M. Laptew, expressed his astonishment that a measure which was intended to affect all foreigners at Shanghae, had been dealt with in anv other way than through the Consular Body. He dwelt on the great commercial interests that Russia possessed in the port, and he questioned the propriety of any individual Consul attempting to change the existing state of things without the approval of the Consular Body. The Prench Consul followed him in the same strain. I thereupon stated that it was a matter of great importance to British subjects al Shanghae that the limits of the present Settlement should be extended; that if I succeeded in obtaining the extension, the subjects of all Powers would have the advantage with British subjects ; and that while I would be glad to receive the support of other Consuls, I could not agree to submit, for the approval of the Consular Body, any step I deemed it desirable "to take in the interests of my countrymen. The American and German Consuls expressed themselves in similar terms. Since our Consular meeting, both the French and Russian Consuls have separately, in a very, friendly way, discussed with me the question of Settlement extension. They both maintain that as the Settlement is cosmopolitan, it is not " correct " for me to endeavour to extend its limits without previous consultation with my Consular colleagues. I have pointed out that I could quite conceive that a majority of the Consular Body might be against any extension at all ; in that case I would not uiye upon their nationals to occupy any portion of the new territory ; but on the other hand I could not allow any majority, however great, to stand in the way of my nationals snreadinff further a-field. is The Russian Consul has stated to me that in his opinion the Viceroy could not grant an extension of the Settlement without the consent of the Tsun°--'li Yam6n • and that the Russian Minister would have to be consulted. The Japanese Consul is in favour of Settlement extension, and has waived all claims to a separate Concession on condition that the site he had bespoken is thrown into the general Settlement. The other Consuls have little interest in the matter. To all outward appearance, as you are aware, the cosmopolitan Settlement hero is British ; seven out of the nine Councillors are British; so are the police, and all the non-Chinese employes of the Council; and English is the language used in all documents. ° 87 Inclosure 2 in No. 97. Acting Consul- General Brenan to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir > Shanghae, March 17, 1899. I HAD the honour to-day to send you the following telegram in code: " At request of China Association I transmit following Resolution passed at public meeting yesterday : — " ' That in view of the present deadlock in the matter of the extension of the general Settlements at Shanghae, this meeting urges the necessity of immediate, united, and vigorous action on the part of the Governments of Great Britain and the' United States, in order to obtain a definite solution of a question which vitally affects the interests of this community.' " I have, &c. (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. Inclosure 3 in No. 97. Acting Consul- General Brenan to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Shanghae, March 17, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose a copy of the conditions which the Chinese authorities propose should attach to any extension of the foreign Settlement. I do not believe they have been put forward with any other object than to bring the discussion about Settlement extension to a deadlock. I propose to briefly criticise the Regulations in their order. 1 . If this Regulation was accepted, the effect would be that the Municipal Council would be composed entirely of Chinese, and that the existing foreign Settlement would pass under Chinese rule. 2. The wishes of the Chinese authorities could be complied with in this respect, provided precautions were taken that Chinese residents within the Settlement could obtain a fair hearing in the Mixed Court. 3. Precautions will have to be taken that this does not confer a right on Chinese officials to tax or harass Chinese residents within the Settlement. 4. It is impossible thus to tie the hands of a future generation. 5. This means that under the Shimonoseki Treaty the Japanese (and other Powers as well) obtained certain privileges for articles of local manufacture. The privileges were surrendered by the Japanese in consideration of their receiving separate Settlements or Concessions at the Treaty ports. As the proposed extension of the Shanghae Settlement takes in the area originally set aside for the exclusive use of the Japanese, the right of the Chinese Government to tax local manufactures remains unimpaired. 6. This refers to a passage in a letter I had previously written to the Viceroy at Nanking wherein I had argued that, in asking lor an extension of the Settlement, there was no intention of depriving Chinese officials of jurisdiction over their people, and that no Regulation could be put in force without the assent previously obtained of the Chinese authorities. 7. The only outlying districts where the foreign municipal police exercise their functions are certain roads which are the property of the Municipal Council. 8. There is no objection to this. I have, &e. (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. Inclosure 4 in No. 97. Proposed Regulations for Settlement Extension. (Translation.) 1. AFTER this extension of the Settlement, Chinese resident within its limits shall in every respect have the same rights and privileges as foreigners, and Chinese may duly vote for and be elected as Municipal Councillors. 2. Warrants issued by the Chinese authorities for the arrest of natives in cases not affecting the interests of foreigners need not be counterigned by the Senior Consul- 88 General, but the former practice of the Mixed Courts shall be followed in this matter. 3. Any Chinese official, buildings, or offices, &c, already established within this extension shall remain under existing conditions, and not be interfered with by foreigners. 4. Since the extension now contemplated materially increases the area of the original Settlement, and all nationalities henceforth have the right (to reside) in this (cosmopolitan) Settlement, no further requests for extension must be made. 5. Whereas the Chinese Government agreed to give the Japanese Government a Settlement at Shanghae and other ports, (in consideration for which) it was specified in the Treaty that an excise duty should be imposed on all articles manufactured from native or foreign produce (by Japanese subjects in China), and as the present cosmopolitan extension is to include the area which was to have been given (as a Japanese Settlement), excise duty shall be chargeable in accordance with the provision of the Treaty above mentioned. 6. All questions of taxation within the extension in which Chinese are affected shall be first submitted to the consideration of the Chinese authorities before being put into operation, in accordance with the despatch of Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General, Mr. Brenan ; and whenever the Chinese authorities may have occasion to issue Procla- mations or prohibitions, if the approval of the Consular Body is given, the Municipal Council shall not offer any interference. 7. After this extension has been effected, all municipal police shall be withdrawn from the outlying districts, which will be policed by the Chinese authorities, in order that a clear demarcation may thus be made between the spheres of authority. 8. All Government creeks and rivers within this extension, together with all native graves and property, &c, shall be treated in accordance with the terms of the Regulations under which the extension of the Settlement on the Hongkew side was made in 1893. (Seal of Ts'ai Taotai.) Dated March 6, 1899. No. 98. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 22.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, April 22, 1899. YANG-TSZE navigation improvement. Sir John Lister Kaye has told me that he will soon return home, in order to further his views that the Powers having Treaties with China should give then- consent to a, toll being levied of 33s. per ton on vessels plying on the Upper Yang-tsze. This charge he decided to be necessary to ruake his proposed improvements a financial success. Further particulars on this matter will be sent by mail. No. 99. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir » Foreign Office, April 24, 1899. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you a copy of a letter from the Colonial Office,* calling attention to the increase of piracy in the Chinese waters adjacent to Hong Kong. A copy of a despatch which has been received from Her Majesty's Minister at Peking on the same subject is also inclosed.f Sir C. MacHonald states that the local authorities at Canton appear to be unable to cope with the evil, and forwards copies of two notes which he has addressed to the Tsung-li Yamen, urging them to take immediate steps to put an end to these outrages. * Ko - 74 - t No. 83. 89 T am to suggest that copies of the papers inclosed in this letter should he transmitted to the Oommander-in-ehief on the China Station. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 100. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 25.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, April 25. 1899. I UNDERSTAND that a resumption of the negotiations with regard to the Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway has been made. Negotiations have been at a standstill for about two months, on account of the German demand as to the section of line passing through Shantung, but I hear that the German Syndicates consent to the Shantung section being a Chinese Government line. No. 101. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 26.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, April 26, 1899. SIR CLAUDE MacDONALD endeavoured to come to an agreement with M. Pavloff and M. de Giers concerning the claims of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to certain lots of land included in the new Russian Concession at Hankow, which claims the Russian authorities at that port refused to recognize. These negotiations were, however, without success. Your Lordship will receive, in despatch of the 20th March from this Legation, copies of the correspondence on this subject up to date of Sir Claude Mac Donald's departure. M. de Giers was informed by me of the conclusions to which Sir Claude MacDonald came after an investigation of these claims at Hankow on his way to England, and which led him to support them in the main. As, however, M. de Giers still remained of the opinion that the claims were not valid, I wrote to him that I had referred the matter to your Lordship, at the same time expressing a hope that nothing would be done by the Russian authorities at Hankow to interfere with the rights claimed, or to increase the difficulties of the situation, until the matter had received your Lordship's consideration. Yesterday M. de Giers wrote officially to inform me that the action which the Russian authorities may be in a position to take with regard to the lots in question cannot be delayed after the 15th May. In my reply to this communication, after calling attention to the main points in the case, 1 showed how the arbitrary fixing of a date beyond which Russian action cannot be delayed was open to objection. I pointed out that Sir Claude MacDonald is en route to England with particulars which he has obtained personally at Hankow, that the correspondence has recently been forwarded to your Lordship, and that the question may possibly form the subject of an early discussion between the two Governments. In view of the fact that the case involves details which cannot adequately be dealt with by telegraph, it appears to me essential that there should be a delay of action on the part of the Russian authorities until the correspondence has reached your Lordship. No. 102. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. gj r Foreign Office, April 27, 1899. I HAVE received Sir C. MacDonald's despatch of the 18th February respecting the increase of piracy in the Chinese waters adjacent to Hong Kong. [1U49] N 90 I approve the representations made by him to the Tsung-li Yamen On the subject. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have been requested to communicate a copy of Sir C. MacDonald's despatch to the Commander-in-chief on the China Station. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 103. Foreign Office to British and Chinese Corporation. Sir, Foreign Office, April 27, 1899. WITH reference to a communication made to this Office on the 17th January last, by Mr. Cameron, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that Her Majesty's Minister at Peking has reported that the proposal to insert in the Agreement for the Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway a clause giving to the Deutsch Asiatische Bank the option of constructing lines from the province of Shantung up both banks of Ihe Yellow River has been withdrawn. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 104. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, April 28, 1899. BELGIAN Syndicate in the prospectus issued for the Peking-Hankow Railway Loan state that, in the event of the Contract with the American Syndicate not being finally arranged, they have a preferential right to Hankow-Canton line. 1 should be glad to be informed as to the correctness of this statement. No. 105. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received April 30.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, April 30, 1899. IN an interview which I had with the Tsung-li Yamen yesterday, their Excellencies told me that the Belgian Agreement contained no stipulation such as that referred to in your Lordship's telegram of the 28th April. The Yamen have promised to permit me to compare the original of the text in their possession with our copy of the Chinese text. No. 106. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 1.) M y Lord « . Peking, March 9, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose copies of correspondence which has passed between Her Majesty's Consul at Ningpo and myself with regard to the levy of certain local rates on British subjects for municipal purposes. I should explain that up to the present Ningpo has had no constituted munici- pality. Formerly, when the port was more important and foreign residents were more numerous, the affairs of the settlement were controlled by the Consular body Gradually the foreign population dwindled, and the number of Consuls was reduced! When the latter numbered two only, and the expense of maintaining a police force, repairing roads, lighting streets, &c, became too heavv for the* limited foreign 91 community, the policing of the settlement was handed over to the Taotai. He pays for a body of police, at the head of which is a European Controller (who is also Magistrate) and a European sergeant. The roads and lighting were under the care of a Road Committee elected from the residents, which levied a voluntary rate on rentals to provide the funds required. In 1898 certain improvements were proposed. The Road Committee became a Committee of Public Works, a scheme for altering the bund is in execution, artesian wells have been sunk, and it is proposed to establish a school for the instruction of Chinese in English and Western knowledge. The funds for these works have hitherto been provided by the voluntary assessment above mentioned, together with wharfage dues on all goods landed on or shipped from the bund. These dues, in the case of Chinese, have been enforced by the sanction of the Taotai, and they are paid voluntarily by most of the foreign firms concerned. It is now proposed that the rate on rentals and the wharfage dues should be made com- pulsory on foreign residents, and before this can be effected as regards British subjects my sanction under the China and Japan Order in Council of 1881, and the final approval of Her Majesty's Government, are necessary. I have the honour to recommend that the authority required may be granted. The exact rates which it is proposed to make compulsory are as follows : — (a.) Eor the building of the bund, wharfage dues at the rate of three cash per package on all merchandize imported and exported ; and (b.) For repairing, lighting, cleaning, and disinfecting the roads, streets, and bund, a tax of three per cent, on rentals, I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 106. Consul Playfair to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Ningpo Consulate, November 17,. 1898. I HAVE the honour to forward from the Public Works Committee of this port an application to sanction the levying of certain rates on British subjects for municipal purposes. The Committee in question is elected by all the leading residents in the settle- ment, whether foreign or Chinese, and is in every way representative. Its objects have my complete approval, and I shall be glad if you will give the application I inclose your most favourable consideration. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. II. PLAYEAIR. Inclosure 2 in "So. 106. The Public Works Committee of Ningpo to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Ningpo, November 15, 1898. THE Municipal Body governing the so-called foreign settlement, collects : — (a.) Por the building of the bund wharfage dues at the rate of 3 cash per package on all merchandize imported and exported ; and (b.) For repairing, lighting, cleaning, disinfecting the roads, streets, and the bund, a tax of 3 per cent, on rentals. The payment of the wharfage dues was made compulsory for the Chinese by the Taotai, through a Proclamation ; the foreign merchants voted in its favour at a public meeting presided over by Her Britannic Majesty's Consul. The tax on rentals was imposed some years ago by the then existing Road Committee in the presence and with the approval of the Consular Body, consisting of the British and United States' Consuls. In reply to an inquiry addressed to Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, under what conditions he would be able to enforce, the payment of the above-named taxes on the part of the British subjects, Mr. Playfair replied that taxes proposed by the Public Works Committee would have to be approved of by the British Minister at Peking before he could enforce them. [1049] N 2 92 At the request, therefore, of the Public Works Committee, I have now the honour to request your Excellency's approval to the two above-named taxes, namely, the wharfage dues of 3 cash per package and the tax of 3 per cent, on all rentals. I have, &c. (Signed) P. G. von MOLLENDORFE, Chairman, Public Works Committee. Inclosure 3 in No. 106. Sir C. MacDonald to Consul Playfair. Sir, Peking, November 25, 1898. I AM in receipt of your despatch of the 17 th November, forwarding an appli- cation from the Committee of Public Works, Ningpo, for permission to levy certain municipal rates on British subjects. I wish for a fuller report from you of local circumstances and the mode in which the authority requested should be given. The affair seems to me to be one calling for the adoption of Municipal Regulations to be sanctioned by the Ministers of all the Foreign Powers concerned. But in the absence of precise information as to the status of the Public Works Committee and local custom or regulations, I am unable to come to a decision. I presume that municipal affairs have hitherto been managed in Ningpo by voluntary action on the part of the residents. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. Mac DONALD. Inclosure 4 in No. 106. Consul Playfair to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Ningpo Consulate, December 23, 1898. IN continuation of my despatch of the 17th November, and in response to one of the 25th November from the Legation, I have the honour to inclose copy of a letter from the Chairman of the Ningpo Public Works Committee, in which he gives the particulars asked for. These particulars are, I believe, substantially correct, and I have not been able to add anything by my own inquiries. If Ningpo was a cosmopolitan settlement, such as Shanghae, it would apparently be requisite to obtain the sanction of the entire Diplomatic Body at Peking, and also of the Chinese Government ; and it may still become necessary to do so should the community ever be more varied in nationality, but at present all the foreign mercantile interests here are British, with the exception of one German firm and one German storekeeper. I am advised that the sanction of Her Majesty's Minister will, under Order in Council, be sufficient for the enforcing of the rates, fixed by the Public Works Committee, on British subjects; and the German Consul- General at Shanghae has power to deal in such matters with his countrymen. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. II. PLAYFAIR, Inclosure 5 in No. 106. Public Works Committee, Ningpo, to Consul Plat/fair. Sir ' * irT1 „ . Ningpo, December 19, 1898. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your despatch of the 1st instant re municipal rates levied on British subjects, transmitting to me copy of a despatch from Her Britannic Majesty's Minister at Peking on the subject. In reply, I beg to say that the so-called Ningpo Settlement, or Campo, is, in the Treaty sense of the word, neither a settlement nor a concession. Foreigners have, since the opening of the port, lived on the northern bank of the river, and had formerly, 93 during the flourishing time of the Ningpo trade, a municipality, which, under five Treaty Consuls then resident in Ningpo, governed the land inclosed by the river and racecourse. Later on this municipality was given up for want of funds, and most of the Treaty Powers withdrew their Representatives, so that in the beginning of the eighties only Great Britain and the United States of America had Consuls here. Under the latter a Road Committee was instituted, which took charge of the roads •and streets in the Campo, levied a 8 per cent, tax on rentals and 50 dollar cents for each lamp furnished, and which received a further voluntary contribution each from the Customs, Messrs. Butterfield and Swire, and the China Merchants' Steam Navi- gation Company to assist in keeping the bund in order. The funds for the police, under a European Controller with 25 native constables, were provided by the Taotai, who contributed 400 dollars per mensem, and by the Customs, which pay 50 dollars per mensem for guarding the opium godovvn. The foreign cemetery, with its funds, was in charge of foreign trustees. A scheme for building a bund from the Bridge of Boats to the cemetery was proposed in 18S5, and had already obtained the sanction of the Foreign Ministers at Peking when, through the objection of the United States' Charge d' Affaires, it fell through. In the beginning of this year the scope of the Road Committee was extended, a scheme for bunding and for a better water supply being added. The name of Public Works Committee was then adopted. As far as the Chinese are concerned, the Taotai issued a Proclamation ordering them to pay 3 cash per package on all merchandise imported and exported. At a meeting of all foreign merchants, the levy of the same rate of wharfage dues for foreigners was proposed and carried. The new Public "Works Committee consists of six foreign and six Chinese members, the former being the Commissioner of Customs, the agent of Butterfield and Swire, the Physician of the port, the Controller of Police, and one representative each of the American Presbyterian and the Roman Catholic Missions, both being land-owners in the Campo. The six Chinese members are elected by the Chinese inhabitants of the Campo each year. Her Britannic Majesty's Consul has been invited to be present at any of the meetings of the Public Works Committee at his pleasure. To convert this public body into a municipality, as his Excellency suggests, would present no difficulty. No new Regulations need be drawn up and no new taxes levied, a,s the present income is sufficient for present requirements. Money is required for building the bund, for repairing and lighting roads and streets, for boring wells, and, later on, for establishing a school of Western learning. The present sources of income are : a wharfage due of 3 cash per package, a 3 per cent, tax on all rentals, and a tax of 50 dollar cents for each lamp supplied. If his Excellency approve of the levy by the Public Works Committee of the above- mentioned three taxes, he will only be sanctioning what is the established practice of the port. I have, &c. (Signed) P. S. von MOLLENDOREE, Chairman, Ningpo Public Works Committee. Inclosure 6 in No. 106. Sir C. MacDonald to Consul Playfair. Dear Mr. Playfair, Peking, January 12, 1899. I HAVE read your despatch of the 23rd December, and also the note in your last Intelligence Report on the same subject. Of course I approve the object of the Public Works Committee, and should not hesitate to give the sanction required if ours were the only nationality involved. My difficulty is this : the Ningpo community, now practically British, may at any time become more cosmopolitan, as regards this it is useful to remember that an extension from Hangchow to Ningpo is part of the accepted scheme of railways, and if new comers of other nationalities refused to pay the taxes fixed by the Public Works Committee, it is scarcely likely that British subjects would care to continue under the obligations which my sanction would legally impose on them. I should like to be sure that you have thoroughly considered this particular aspect of the matter. It is not at all desirable that I should sanction, and ask Her 94 Majesty's Government to approve, a step which the British community at Ningpo* may find it necessary to recede from later. Yours, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MCDONALD. Inclosure 7 in No. 106. Consul Play fair to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Ningpo, February 8, 1899. I HAVK the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your semi-official note of the 12th January last on the subject of the proposed legalizing of certain assessments which the Ningpo Public Works Committee wishes to have the power to levy on British subjects. In this connection, and in consequence of the above note, I requested the German Consul-General at Shanghae to inform me if, in the event of such a liability being imposed on British subjects by Her Majesty's Minister at Peking, he would follow the same course as regards German subjects. I have now the honour to inclose copy of his reply, which is in the affirmative. Touching the possibility whether the opening of the Ningpo-Soochow Railway might lead to an influx of foreigners of various nationalities as residents at Ningpo, I do not think that the railway would have any such effect; nor do I believe that Ningpo will ever again be such a centre of direct trade that there is a likelihood of any firms of consideration establishing themselves or their branches at this port. The tendency of the present day in China is rather to centralize than to scatter abroad,, while the habit of the Chinese retail dealer is rather to procure the wares he requires- at a large centre than to purchase them at a local " hong." That Ningpo should once more become what it used to be — a populous Treaty port thronged with foreign merchants — is, if not absolutely impossible, at least highly improbable. The eventuality is so remote that I should recommend that its present condition, where there are no nations represented but Germany and Great Britain, be assumed to be likely to last, and that the prayer of the Public "Works Committee be granted, even at the risk of further steps being ultimately necessitated by an unforeseen increase in the variety of nationalities. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR. Inclosure 8 in No. 106. Dr. W. Knappe to Consul Playfair. Sir and dear Colleague, Shanghae, February 6, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated the 24th January, and of your telegrams. With reference to our conversation re municipal affairs of Ningpo and the reasons for making taxation on all foreigners obligatory, I beg to inform you that I am quite willing, if Her Britannic Majesty's Minister should impose the liability on British subjects, to follow the same course as regards the Germans residing at Ningpo. I have, &c. (Signed) DE. W. KNAPPE. No. 107. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 1.) My Lord, Peking. March 15, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a letter dated the 11th instant from the Inspector-General of Chinese Maritime Customs to the agents of the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank and the Deutsch Asiatische Bank, on the subject of tbe Li-kin Collec- torates pledger! for the service of the 4| per cent. Gold Loan of 1898. 95 This letter contains an interesting account of the present situation yrith regard to the collection of the li-kin. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure in No. 107. "Sir It. Hart to Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation and Deutsc/i Asiatische Bank. Inspectorate- General of Customs, Peking, Sirs, March 11, 1899. I DULY received your joint letter of the 21st February, but have been too busy over other more pressing matters to attend to it till to-day. 2. The Deputy Commissioners appointed last May to the Li-kin Collectorates pledged for the service of the 4£ per Cent. Gold Loan of 1898, have visited and reported on the offices, staff, work, and revenue in each, and their Reports have been Tery carefully read and studied by myself, and the situation is now as follows : — The seven Collectorates were described in the Loan Agreement as collecting a revenue of about 5,000,000 taels a-year, and since June have been remitting funds more or less in accord therewith to Shanghae for the service of the loan. The Salt Collectorates at Ichang, Hankow (Hupeh), and Tatung (Anhui) were found to be — not separate and distinct establishments collecting only li-kin, but — establishments of a general nature, charged with the supervision of the consumption -of salt generally and collecting salt taxes of various kinds, one of them being the loan-pledged li-kin. The General Merchandize Li-kin Collectorates at Kiukiang, Soochow, Sung Hu, and Eastern Chekiang were found to be branches of the Kiangsi, Kiangsoo, and Chekiang General Li-kin Offices ; but unlike the salt li-kin establish- ment, they are sufficiently separate and distinct in both constitution, interdependency, and taxes collected, to be treated as separate entities. The two sets of Collectorates — salt and general merchandize — differ radically in another important respect : the general merchandize li-kin is collected on merchandize when passing a station, but the salt li-kin is not collected until the salt concerned has been sold and disposed of, and even then it is paid as part and parcel of a lump sum representing various taxes to one collector, who divides it accordingly, one part going to the li-kin account, and the rest io other accounts. To take charge of the salt li-kin would mean either — (a.) To collect it from the official collector, or (&.) To organize a separate establishment, which, in turn, would have to •either — 1. Do the same work, i.e., collect li-kin after sale of salt, or 2. Aim at the same result by collecting on salt en route and before sale. This latter procedure (2) would disorganize the whole trade, would be resented by and greatly inconvenience all salt traders, and would probably in the end be Jess pro- ductive of revenue than the other (1) ; and, further, as this other (1) would simply consist in duplicating part of (a), it would be expedient that that duplicate should be of the most economical kind ; accordingly, up to the present we have not attempted to collect the salt li-kin direct, but have contented ourselves with receiving it through the official collector of all salt taxes, at the same time making such a study of the salt procedure as will enable us later on to check, and in some degree control, that collector's work, and perhaps thus increase collection. The study of the question of taking over the work of collecting li-kin on general merchandize brought to light difficulties of another kind. The present collectors appear to be quite willing to hand •over the work to us ; but to be able to take it over and work it we must be provided with Chinese-speaking Europeans for almost 100 li-kin stations in Eastern Chekiang, and for almost thrice that number in Kiangsoo ; and we must also supply fitting residences and offices, the ones now in use being for the most part quite unfit for occupation by non-Chinese. Not having even twenty Chinese-speaking officers who could be taken away from customs work for duty in the li-kin branch, and not being able to provide suitable quarters at all the places at which they would have to function, I have thought it prudent to go slowly ; by allowing the present collectors to continue functioning we get the revenue the service of the loan requires, whereas, were we to begin taking it over, that revenue would be in jeopardy ; all the present staff would 96 disappear, and for a considerable time to come— two or three years, perhaps — we could collect nothing like what is collected under the present system. In this general merchandize department, therefore, just as in the salt department, I have contented myself with initiating a regular procedure for obtaining monthly amounts from the present collectors for monthly remittance to Shanghae to meet the monthly payments there to be made on loan account, and with making such an inquiry into collection procedure everywhere as shall make collection both possible and easy when we have a sufficient number of men trained to undertake it. I originally thought it would be some three years before the work of collection could be said to be safely going on in our hands ; but the knowledge of the matter gained this last year shows that five or six years will be required. I believe the course I am taking is the safest, and also that it is the most expedient to follow in the interest of all concerned — traders, tax-collectors, and bond- holders ; hitherto the work done has consisted rather in inquiry, in placing the new men in touch with the old, and in arranging for regular remittances, but presently I propose to advance a step and take a more active part in the superintendence of district and sub-district procedure, and thereby train a competent staff for the final work, collection. The Deputy-Commissioners appointed to the collectorates, Messrs. Parr, de Lucas, and Wolf, and Messrs. Grimani, Mayers, and Montgomery, are now established close to the head-quarters of the salt and general merchandize li-kin collectorates at Ichang. Hankow, and Tatung, and at Kiukiang, Soochow (Sang Hu), and Hangchow (East Chekiang) ; they are received and recognized by the Provincial high authorities and by the li-kin officials, and they have visited and reported on every station and sub-station in their respective collectorates. Round each a staff is gradually being formed, and later on some further advance will be made ; as it is, I am quite content with what has already been done, and it is not any part of my plan to cause difficulty or invite disaster by either unnecessary haste or uncertain experiments. The important thing for the moment is that the money should now be regularly forthcoming for the loan, and I am subordinating all other considerations to that. I am, &c. (Signed) ROBERT HART, Inspector-General of Customs. No. 108. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 1.) My Lord, Peking, March 15, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 28th January on the subject of the murder of Mr. Fleming, I have the honour to state that on the 2nd February I telegraphed to your Lordship the outlines of the settlement of the case arranged between Mr. Litton and the Governor of Kueichow. I have now the honour to inclose copies of two despatches from Mr. Litton, written after his return to Chungking, and dated the 11th Februarv, giving the text of the Agreement signed by him and the Governor on the 28th January, and a further Report on the claims for losses and indemnity in connection with the affair. The final settlement of the case awaits the capture of the Headman. I had wished Mr. Litton to remain at Kueiyang until this man had been caught, but, as explained in my last despatch, ill-health induced him to return to Chungking. I have instructed Mr. M. F. A. Fraser to take up his post as Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking, and Mr. Litton will shortly be free to return to Kueiyang if necessary. 1 am not disposed to take action against the Governor of Kueichow if the Headman be caught. But I have pressed the necessity of capturing the Headman most strongly upon the Tsung-li Yamen, and warned them that failure to effect his arrest will result in my demanding the dismissal of the Governor. I have also told them that, unless the man was speedily caught, Mr. Litton would return to Kueiyang to watch proceedings. The Prince and Ministers assured me that the Agreement signed by the Governor and the Consul would be faithfully carried out. They promised to send an impera- tive telegram to secure the speedy arrest of the Headman. 97 I am awaiting the result of this action before ordering Mr. Litton to start for Kueiyang. The Yamen further promised to communicate to me the result of the Governor of Kueichow's denunciation to the throne of the officials concerned. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 1 in No. 108. Acting Consul Litton to Sir C. MacDonald. (Extract.) Chungking, February 11, 1899. I HAVE the honour to submit herewith a full translation, together with copy of the Chinese original of the Agreement respecting Mr. Fleming's case, which was made between the Kueichow authorities on the one part and myself on the other. This document is in effect the same as that of which a summary translation was submitted to you from Kueiyang, with the addition of certain definite arrange- ments regarding the amount and payment of the indemnity. I carefully explained to the Governor that the arrangement was of the nature of a promise on his part, for the fulfilment of which he was personally responsible;. and I also informed him, in an official note, that in no case could the matter be con- sidered closed until the Headman was brought to justice. I greatly regret that the state of my health, and the absence of the doctor from Kueiyang, necessitated my departure before receipt of your wire of the 28th ultimo, ordering me to await the capture of the Headman. I left Kueiyang the 29th January and reached my post the 7th February. Just before my departure I was, shown the Governor's instructions to a " wei-yuan " (an expectant Prefect named Liu) to proceed to Chung An and confiscate the Headman's land and sell up his house. I also had an interview with Liu, and he showed me further instructions which he was to take to the newly-appointed local officials, informing them that if they ventured to shelter the Headman they would be summarily dismissed. Mr. Adam left Kueiyang with Prefect Liu. Mr. Adam went to make arrange- ments for the funeral of Mr. Fleming, and to take a tour of observation with a view to reporting as to whether the Proclamations and rewards have really been put out. Not a single copy of either, I may mention, was to be seen on the road from Kueiyang to Chungking. With the exception of the west frontier the Province of Kueichow is perfectly quiet. I submit some details concerning T'an. He is a large landowner, and has a big house. He has the brevet rank of "yin-chi" or major, and is about 50 years of age; for some years he has dominated all the country-side. He has a definite official position as " t'uan-chang " or chief of militia, a post conferred by the local Magistrate with the approval of the Governor. T'an has commercial dealings with Hunan, to which province he has been in the habit of sending rice, oil, &c. If he has really run away, it is probably to Hunan that he has gone. But, I feel sure that he was simply in hiuing till near the end of last month. He has friends in Kueiyang who would certainly let him know what was going on and facilitate his escape, even when the Governor really wished to secure him. Inclosure 2 in No. 108. Agreement respecting the Fleming Murder Case. (Translation.) LITTON, the British Consul, Wang, the Governor of Kueichow, Shao, the Treasurer, and Yu, the Judge. In the matter of settling a certain case by mutual agreement after mutual discussion. On the 21st of the 9th moon the missionary Fleming and the Christian P'an were murdered at Chung An. The real murderers have already been arrested and punished according to law. The various degrees of punishment which, according to the canons of the Great Tsing Dynasty, ought to be assigned to the local officials |1049] 98 and gentry have also been decided upon by mutual discussion, and despatches have passed between the parties. As to compensation and indemnity claims, it has been agreed that 22,000 Kueiyang taels shall be paid in two equal instalments, that is to say, one instalment between the 1st and 10th of the 3rd Chinese moon, and one between the 1st and 10th of the 4th moon. The money is to be remitted from the Kueichow Treasury to the Chungking Taotai, who is to pav it into the Customs Bank to be received by the Consul. The Consul will give two receipts-r-one to be kept by the Taotai, and one to be sent to the Treasurer of Kueichow. The money must be paid punctually. According to the Treaties, whenever an international matter has been brought to a settlement, the parties must memorialize the Throne and petition the Minister respectively, so that the matter may be closed, and no further misunderstandings -arise. This signed Agreement has therefore been prepared as a proof. Each party will keep a copy as evidence of the points which have been agreed upon, and which are set forth below : — 1. Tsuan, Prefect of Chen Yuan and newly-promoted Taotai of Ta Li-fu ; An, Prefect of Tu Yun ; T'ang, Magistrate of Pan-chiang. These three are to be handed over to the Board for examination of their conduct, the circumstances of their case being clearly stated. The Ch'ing P'ing Magistrate (Liu) is dismissed. The Huang Ping " Chou " (Li) is to be handed over to the Board for a determination of his punishment ; but the circumstances of his case, and the fact that he arrested Hsu and Tien, two important criminals, is to be clearly stated. Peng, the Wei Kuan, is dismissed and also banished. Liu Fu-li is dismissed. Chen, Wei Kuan, who failed to look after his son, is to vacate his post, his son to be punished by the Kuei- yang Fu. 2. The gentry Hsu" Kang-tsung, Han Tsu-en, Huang Pin-su are to be brought up to the capital by the Prefect, and deprived of their honours and degrees. 3. The murderers Hsu and Tien were on the 10th of the 12th moon examined and identified by the Prefect and the Consul, and were executed. Hsu Erh is to be retired by the Prefect, and meanwhile kept in custody. 4. A reward' of 500 taels for the capture of the escaped criminal T'an Tsu- cheng has been generally published, and until he is arrested his house is to be sealed up and his property for the time confiscated. When he has been caught and Eunished according to law, the property may be restored (I.e., to his familv, T'an aving been condemned as principal accessory). This is an extra legal measure, and cannot be put in a Memorial to the Throne. 5. The special Proclamation for South-east Kueichow and the general Procla- mation for the whole province were settled on the 7th of the 12th moon, and have been engraved. After they have been put out, a missionary will travel to see that the local officials really obey their orders. 6. An official is to accompany a missionary to Panghai to purchase a piece of land for the burial of Messrs. Fleming and P'an. The price is to be paid by the missionary, and the people are to be ordered by the local officials to sell at a fair rate, and not to make trouble. 7. The indemnity for Messrs. Fleming and P'an is to be 16,858 taels ; compen- sation to Mr. Webb, 2,200 taels; to Mr. Bolton, 1,542 taels; to late Mr. Fleming, 50 taels; losses and expenses of the Mission, 350 taels ; the total sum being 22,000 Kueiyang taels. s The above seven clauses will settle the case and the claims. They were all agreed upon at personal interviews. (Seals.) Kueiyang, January 28, 1899. Inclosure 3 in No. 108. Acting Consul Litton to Sir C. MacDonald. SlF ' iFTrru r «. tu i • , Chungking, February 11, 1899. WITH reference to the claims to be paid on account of the murder of Mr Fleming and the looting of the Panghai Mission, I have the honour to submit the following Report: — I found difficulty in not settling rather than in settling these claims; the 99 Governor continually wished to bring our discussions round to the money question. I could certainly have got any sum up to 60,000 taels with very little trouble, but I had no means of compelling the Governor to pay out of his own pocket, and neither the representatives of Mr. Fleming nor the Mission put forward any claims except for actual damage done. As the money will come out of the pockets of the Szechuanese, who are quite innocent in the matter, I fixed the amount at 30,000 dollars; and in order to have a small balance on the right side, I demanded 22,000 Kueiyang taels. This sum is to be paid to the Consulate here in two halves — the first half at the beginning of the Chinese 3rd moon, and the second half at the beginning of the Chinese 4th moon. Subject to orders from you, it is proposed to deal with the money in the following way : — 1. Mr. Bolton to receive 1,542 taels. 2. Mr. Webb to receive 2,200 taels. 3. The Mission to receive 500 taels for damages and expenses. 4. The family of P'an, the murdered evangelist, to receive 1,000 taels. 5. The remainder to be paid to Mr. Fleming's representative, who is his father. I am in communication with Messrs. Fleming, Webb, and Bolton, and shall make suitable arrangements for remitting the money as received. I have, &c. (Signed) GEORGE J. L. LITTON. No. 109. Sir C. Mac Donald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May I.) My Lord, Peking, March 16, 1899. REFERRING to my telegram of the 30th January,* I have the honour to inclose an extract from Mr. Litton's last Intelligence Report, which explains the circumstances connected with the attack on Mr. Parsons. I have, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure in No. 109. Extract from Chungking Intelligence Report, February 14, 1899. Attack on Mr. Parsons. — On the 24th January, just after the rebels had been dispersed, Mr. Parsons, a missionary, started for Paoning by the north road through the Chiang-pei, a district known to be infested by bandits; in direct contra- diction to the request I had marie before leaving for Kueiyang, he went off by the land route without a proper escort, and not accompanied by other foreigners. The Taotai declares he only knew of Parsons' departure after he had gone. Though Mr. Parsons heard that the country ahead of him was disturbed, he took passage on a crowded native boat at a market 18 miles north of this; a few miles further on he arrived at a market where a band of flying rebels, some in uniform, were assembled, where the local militia was in arms, and where fighting of a kind was actually going on; he went on shore to a restaurant; of course, a disturbance followed, and Mr. Parsons returned to his boat, whence the other passengers had fled; he was attacked on the boat, and to save his life jumped into the water, and was picked up by a native gun-boat, which certainly saved his life; his servant was. captured, but after some days released. If Mr. Parsons had been captured, the whole rebellion would have begun again. I do not see my wav to making any demands on the Taotai in this case, but I have requested that the names of the men who rescued Mr. Parsons shall be given me, with the view of making them a present. The Taotai has already- ordered them to receive 20 taels, a small sum considering the complications from * See " China No. 1 ( 1 899)," p. 359. [1049| O 2 100 which they saved us. For the last six months I have had to give my whole attention to preventing the murder or kidnapping of British subjects; in nearly every case I have been assisted by the missionaries themselves. NO. 110. Sir C. Mac Donald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 1.) {Extract.) Peking, March 20, 1899. M. PAVLOFF, after handing over charge of the Russian Legation here to M. de Giers, went to Hankow to examine the difficulties connected with foreign-owned land which the establishment of the Eussian Concession has given rise to, and endeavour to settle them. One of the cases which M. Pavloff discussed with Mr. Warren referred to certain lots of land claimed by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., whose title, in the view of the Eussian Consul, M. Vahovitch, was defective, and could not be recognized. Mr. Warren found that M. Pavloff completely indorsed M. Vahovitcb's opinion. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. were denied any title whatever to the property they claimed, except one little lot, and were told that their remedy, if dissatisfied with the local decision,' lay in an application to the Eussian Courts. In the inclosed Memorandum I sketched the main facts and some of the considera- tions which, it appeared to me, M. Pavloff and M. Vahovitch had rather lost sight of or given insufficient weight; and in the covering letter I made certain propositions which I thought M. de Giers could not find it difficult to accept, if he really wished to come to an arrangement. However, as your Lordship will see from the pro-memorid (Inclosure No. 2), which is intended to be a reply to my Memorandum, he does not modify in the least the attitude taken up at Hankow, but confirms and continues it. T have sent M. de Giers a few observations on the pro-memorid (Inclosure No. 4), and as it contains detailed objections to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claims, which I cannot attempt to deal with profitably by correspondence, I have informed him that I shall make a personal investigation of the whole situation during my approaching^ visit to Hankow. Inclosure 1 in No. 110. Memorandum on certain Lots of Land held by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., at Hankow. MESSES. JARDINE, MATHESON, and Co. claim ownership of eight lots of land situated " immediately within and contiguous to the British Concession at Hankow." Those lots are all registered in their name in the British Consulate Land Register as follows : — 1. One lot on folio 215, deed of sale, dated October 18, 1862. 2. 11 n 298, )i n November 25, „ 3. ») ?) 299, j> ?» » 25, „ 4. 11 » 300, » !> „ 25, „ 5. 11 n 301, >; >) J> 25, „ 6. 11 •a 281, !> 5, April 16, 1863. 7. ?J ii 162, ', V August 17, 1862. 8. )3 ii 494, 1J !! March 26, 1864. They are also marked out by the firm's boundary stones, which have stood continuously on the lots since they were acquired. On the 21st November, 1896, in compliance with an official Notification, Jardine, Matheson, and Co. handed in to His Imperial Eussian Majesty's Consul duly certified copies of the registrations of their lots in the British Consulate Land Register. On the 7th January, 1897, these were supplemented by Chinese title-deeds for lots 215, 298, 299, 300, and 301. On the 7th February, 1898, thirteen months afterwards, His Imperial Russian Majesty's Consul wrote to Jardine, Matheson, and Co. returning the certified copy of the registration of lot 494, and stating that he could not recognize it as constituting a title to land in the Russian Concession. He further stated that from reliable information "he believed the property in it to be situated without the limits of the Concession aud in altogether a different locality." 101 On the 10th February, Jardine, Matheson, and Co. replied to M„ Vahovitch, pointing -out that their titles, apart from other considerations, rested on thirty-four years of undisputed and continuous possession, and maintaining that such a length of tenure constituted a legal title under either British or Russian or Chinese law. Hearing nothing further from His Imperial Eussian Majesty's Consul the firm appealed to Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, and the latter, after inquiring into the matter, pointed out the justice and incontrovertible character of Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claims. He suggested that if the documents advanced in support of those claims appeared to His Imperial Russian Majesty's Consul as unsatisfactory or defective, the Chinese authorities should be requested either to rectify the inaccuracies or furnish proper documents in their place. On the 1st March, 1898, M. Vahovitch, replying to Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, refused to accept registration in the British Consulate as " having any validity or force whatsoever," declined to entertain length of tenure as constituting a legal title, rejected the proposal to allow the Chinese authorities to rectify or renew the documents handed in to him in support of Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claims, and repeated that the lot described on folio 494 of the British Consulate Register "is situated in a district not comprised within the Russian Concession." With regard to the seven other lots he stated that the deeds bad not yet been verified. In March 1898 M; PavlofF promised Sir Claude MacDonald to send M. Vahovitch a recommendation by telegram to register Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s lots if the Chinese authorities would make out new leases for them in accordance with the Land Register of the British Consulate. In the reports received from Her Britannic Majesty's Consul there is nothing to show that any steps were taken at Hankow in pursuance of this recommendation. On the 26th May M. PavlofF sent Sir C. MacDonald a resume" of the instructions which had been sent on the previous 17th April to M. Vahovitch. In acknowledging the receipt of this document Sir C. MacDonald stated that he felt sure that if the suggestions laid down in paragraphs 4 and 5 were acted on by M. Vahovitch " a very unsatisfactory and disagreeable state of affairs " would be speedily brought to an end. Notwithstanding these instructions, no advance towards a settlement resulted. In December 1898 M. PavlofF visited Hankow, and, together with M. Vahovitch, discussed the matter with Her Britannic Majesty's Consul. M. Pavloff and M. Vahovitch declared that Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s deeds were incorrect, and referred to land elsewhere than in the Russian Concession. They preferred certain title-deeds put forward by Chinese, because they were in order and stamped by the Magistrate. The following is a short summary of the considerations affecting this particular' case : — 1. Tt is important at the outset to remember that the only indisputable foreign evidence which can be produced in support of titles to foreign-owned land at Hankow are the land registers of the Consulates. That kepi at the British Consulate is the oldest and most complete, and, with reference to land acquired outside Concession limits in the early sixties, it is supported by a survey made in 1864 by a Mr. John Gavin, C.E. The plan drawn up by this gentleman was circulated by Her Britannic Majesty's Consul as official and authoritative so far as it went. The only other evidence that can affect these titles must be of purely Chinese origin. It is also necessary to mention that land in China is not officially registered in a British Consulate until the documents of title are verified and stamped by the proper Chinese authority. 2. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. purchased certain lots in 1862-64. The purchases are attested by formal and legal entries made at the time in the proper public record — the Land Register kept at the British Consulate — by boundary stones also set up at the time, and by certain title-deeds. They remained in undisturbed possession of the land, and exercised rights of ownership (received rents) from the date of the purchases in 1862-64, and their possession and rights were never called in question until the Russian Concession was formed. 3. It is now alleged that the limits of ground as shown by deeds, &c, do not correspond with the lots as actually claimed, and that the land referred to in the deeds is not within the limits of the Russian Concession. It is the experience of British Consuls in China, especially as regards riparian property, that limits given in old title-deeds usually do not clearly correspond with present-day boundaries. The land in and around the British Concession at Hankow being particularly liable to floods, the boundaries are constantly liable to alterations. 102 Her Britannic Majesty's Consul states "title-deeds of land in Hankow are in many cases in an imperfect stale " from this cause, and he considers that Jardine, Matheson,. and Co.'s deeds are not more imperfect than many others. M. Pavloff and M. Vahovitch assert that the land is elsewhere than in the Eussian Concession, but they do not say where it is. 4. The title-deeds of Chinese claimants are preferred to those of Jardine, Mathe- son, and Co., because they correspond exactly with the actual boundaries, and are in order. But the undoubted fact remains, of which the title-deeds, registrations, and boundary stones are the evidence, that the ground belonged at one time to Jardine, Matheson, and Co. If parted with by them, legal transfers, in accordance with practice,, must have been indorsed on the deeds and noted in the Consular register. This method of transfer has been recognized by all foreign authorities at Hankow, including the Russian Consul, ever since the port was opened. It is also extraordinary that the new owners should have allowed Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s boundary stones to remain, and that the fact of their ownership was not even dreamt of by Jardine, Matheson, and Co., who are a reputable firm of British merchants, and not in the least likely to- advance spurious claims to the property of others. As regards the new title-deeds put forward by the Chinese claimants, para- graphs 4 and 5 of the instructions sent by M. Pavloff to M. Vahovitch are very pertinent : — " (IV.) Sous aucun pretexte ne pourraient etre reconnus comme valables les documents qui seraient issus ou legalises par le3 autorites Chinoises, ulterieurement au fait de l'assignation de la " Concession " au Gouvernement Russe, car cela creerait un pre'c^dent dangereux et pourrait aincner plus tard des difficult^s avec d'autres personnes qui pourraient facilement se faire donner par les autorites Chinoises des titres analogues pour les memes terrains et portant m&me une date anterieure." " (V.) En pratique, vu l'inexactitude gene>ale des documents et des registres des autorites Chinoises il semblerait indispensable que, dans tous les cas ou l'adjudication d'un terrain quelconque a un particulier de nationalite etrangere ne porte pas dommage aux droits et aux interets legitimes d'autres particuliers, la question soit traitee avec la plus grande indulgence et liberalite afin d'eviter, dans la mesure du possible, tout motif pour accuser le Gouvernement Russe d'avoir depossede les proprietaries Grangers des terrains qu'ils avaient depuis longtemps honnetement acquis et dont ils avaient joui jusqu'ici d'une facon incontestable, pour la seule raison qu'ils avaient eu l'imprudence de ne pas accomplir a temps certaines lbrmaliles legales."* It is notorious that title-deeds are easily manufactured, and that the condition of affairs at Hankow has given inducement to this species of industry. In the present instance there was at first no Chinese counter-claim to Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s lots and it is suggested that the long delay since the firm's deeds were sent to His Imperial Russian Majesty's Consul (the 21st November, 1896), has, if anything, assisted the manufacture of the counter-claims. The fact of the Chinese deeds being scrupulously exact and in order ought to make them suspicious under the circumstances. In any case their origin should be closely inquired into, and it would seem only reasonable to allow Jardine, Matheson, and Co. an opportunity, which they have not yet had, of examining these deeds for themselves. Inclosure 2 in No. 110. Pro-memorid. MM. JARDINE, MATHESON, et Cie. reclament comme leur propria huit lots de terrain situes dans la Concession Russe de Hankow et qui sont tous inscrits a leur nom * Translation.-" (IV) On no pretext could the documents issued or legalized by the Chinese authorities subsequently to the assignment ot the Concession to the Russian Government be recognized as valid, as that would create a danperous precedent, and might lead later on to difficulty with other persons, who could easily procure from the Chinese authorities analogous titles for the same lots and even bearing an earlier date " «(V.) In practice, having regard to the general inaccuracy of the documents and registers of the Chinese authorities^ would seen, to be mdispensable that m all cases in which the adjudication of a certain lot to a private person of foreign nationality does not injure the rights and legitimate interests of other private persons, the ques- tion shoulu be treated »,th the greatest indulgence and liberality, in order, as far as is possible, to avoid any cause for accuMng the Russian Government of having dispossessed the foreign owners of lots which they had Ion- ago ho, est y aequ.ml, and wh.ch they had hitherto enjoyed uncontested, merely because they had bad the imprudent not to fulfil in time certain legal formalities. J r 103 dans les registres du Consulat d'Angleterre. Lj Consul de Russie 6tait toutefois d'avis que les preuves produites par la maison pre*citee a l'appui de sa reclamation ne sont pas BufRsamment fondees. II est n^cessaire de remarquer tout d'abord que l'enregistrement au Consulat d'Angleterre des huit lots de terrain en question ne saurait aucune:nent etre une preuve irrefutable du droit de propriete de MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. dans les limites de la Concession Russe. Cet enregistresnent n'aurait eu la valeurd'un titre de propriety que si seuls les contrats de vente dilment legalises au prealable par les autorites Chinoises et ayant par consequent force legale etaient enregistres au Consulat qui alors se porterait par \k meme garant de !eur validite. Tel n'est cependant pas le cas. De l'aveu du Consul d'Angleterre lui-meme le Consulat enregistrait tout document de ce genre qui lui etait piesente sans s'assurer s'il etait regulier et valable. Ce sont done uniquement les contrats de vente legalises par les autorite"s Chinoises competentes qui peuvent constituer une preuve incontestable et definitive de l'acquisition de terrains dans les limites de la Concession Russe a Hankow anteVieurement a l'octroi de cette Concession par le Gouvernement Chinois, II est aussi naturellement necessaire que les contrats de vente correspondent a la situation et aux dimensions des terrains auxquels ils sont censes se rapporter. Or, un examen approfondi et minutieux des droits que pourraient avoir MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. sur les terrains en litige et des documents presentes par eux, amene aux conclusions suivantes : — La maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. n'a en sa possession qu'un seul coutrat de vente en regie, et cela pour le lot enregistre sub No. 215. Mais ce document indique que le terrain en question se trouve pres du Temple Tsi-in-sou. Or ce temple, qui n'existe plus, etait jadis situe sur le terrain occupe par la fabrique de the de M. Panoflf, e'est-a-dire dans un tout autre endroit que le lot reclame aujourd'hui. Les contrats de vente pour les lots Nos. 298, 300, et 301 se trouvent etre sans valeur legale, n'etant pas legalises par les autorites Chinoises, ainsi que cela serait necessaire pour lenr validite. De plus, les limites de ces terrains mentionnees dans les contrats de vente ne correspondent pas a celles qui sont indiquees par MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie., et auraient dil englober d'autres lots dont les proprietaires, desquels se trouve le sujet Anglais, Mr. Stephens, sont munis de documents parfaitement en regie. En outre, tous ces quatre lots Nos. 215, 298, 300, et 301 n'ont de fait jamais ete en possession de MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie., quine payaient pas pour eux au Gouverne- ment Chinois la rente habituelle, et de leur c6t6, ne recevaient aussi aucune redevance des Chinois etabiis sur ces terrains, dont quelques-uns sont munis de titres de propriete confirmes par les autorites Chinoises. Pour les lots 162 et 494 il n'existe aucun titre de propriete. Les terrains mentionnes sous ces numeros dans le registre du Consulat d'Angleterre se trouvent dans d'autres endroits que celui indique par MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. et dont l'un est meme situe hors de la ville ; ils ne sont par consequent pas contigus comme le pretend cette maison de commerce et sont, en outre, trois fois plus grand que les lots reclames actuellement sous ces numeros. Knfin, les lots 299 et 281 se trouvent de fait dans la Dossession de ia maison .angiaise en question, mais la legalisation des autorites Chinoises manque a leurs contrats de vente; de plus, la forme et les dimensions du lot No. 281 ne correspondent pas aux indications du document Chinois. Ainsi done, de tous les titres de propriete produits par MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie., a l'appui de leurs reclamations, il n'y en a qu'un seul, celui du lot No. 215, qui ait une valeur legale, mais ce document ne se rapporte evidemment pas au terrain reclame" par eux. Dans ces conditions le refus du Consul de Russie a Hankow de reconnaltre les droits de p.ropriet6 de MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. sur les huit lots en question se trouve etre parfaitement Justine. " L'imperfection " des titres de propriete de MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. a ete parfaitement reconnue en son temps par Mr. Warren, Consul d'Angleterre, qui a propose asoncollegue Russe, M. Vahovitch, par une lettre datee du 29 Fevrier, 1898, de demander aux autorites Chinoises, ou bien de rectifier les irregularites de ces documents, ou bien de lesremplacer par de nouveaux titres en regie. Cette proposition ne saurait en aucun cas etre acceptee par la Legation de Russie en vue des considerations enoncees dans les instructions envoyees le 17 (29) Avril, 1898, a M. Vahovitch par le Charge d'Affaires de Russie a Pekin, et dont le quatrieme paragraphe etait ainsi concu : — " On ne peut sous aucun pretexte reconnaltre comme valables les documents qui 101 auraient ete issus ou legalises par les autorites Chinoises ulterieurement au tait de- l'assignation de la Concession au Gouvernement Russe a la demande des pre"tendus pro- prie'taires on de leurs Consul? dans !e but de les substituer aux titres insuffisants presentc- ment produits par les pr&endus proprie"taires, et cela meme si les autorites Chinoises etaient disposers de le faire de leur bon gre, car un pareil proce'de' creerait un precedent dangereux, et pourrait amener plus tard de graves difficultes avec d'autres personnes qui pourront facilement se procurer des autorites Chinoises des titres analogues portant une date anterieure." Ces instructions ont et£ communiques au mois de Mai 1898 par M. Pavloff k son Excellence Sir Claude MacDonald, qui a exprime' son eutiere approbation des considerations contenues dans le paragraphe pr6cit<5, en les qualifiant dans sa lettre en- date du 28 Mai, 1898, de "excellent and sensible suggestions." Pekin, le 4 (16) Mars, 1899. (Translation.) MESSES. JARDINE, MATHESON, and Co. claim as their property eight lots of land situated in the Eussian Concession at Hankow, which are all inscribed in their names in the registers of the British Consulate. The Russian Consul was, however, of opinion that the proofs produced by the above-mentioned firm in support of their claim are not sufficiently well founded. First of all, it is necessary to observe that the registration at the British Consulate 1 of the eight lots of land in question cannot by any means form an indisputable proof of the right of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to property within f the limits of the Eussian Concession. This registration would only have had (he value of a title-deed if the contracts of sale duly legalized beforehand by the Chinese authorities and having in consequence legal force had been registered at the Consulate, which would then, by that fact, insure their validity. Such, however, is not the case. On the admission of the British Consul himself, the Consulate registered every document of this kind presented to it, without satisfying itself that it was in order and valid. It is, therefore, only contracts of sale legalized by the competent Chinese authorities that can form an incontestable and definite proof of the purchase of lots within the limits of the Russian Concession at Hankow previously to the grant of this Concession by the Chinese Government. It is also naturally necessary for the contracts of sale to correspond to the situation and dimensions of the lots to which they purport to refer. Now a thorough and minute examination of the rights which Messrs. Jardine,. Mathe«on, and Co. might have to the lots in dispute, and of the documents presented by them, leads to the following conclusions : — The firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Co. has in its possession only one contract of sale which is in order, namely, the one for the lot registered under No. 215. But this- document states that the lot in question is near the Tsi-in-sou Temple. Now this temple, which no longer exists, was formerly situated on the land occupied by M. Panoff's tea factory, that is to say, in quite a different place to the lot claimed' to-day. The contracts of sale for lots Nos. 298, 300, and 301 are without legal value, not being legalized by the Chinese authorities, as would be necessary for their validity. Further, the boundaries of those lots mentioned in the contracts of sale do not corre- spond to those indicated by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., and would include other- lots whose owners— among whom is the British subject, Mr. Stephens— are provided with documents quite in order. Besides, all these four lots— Nos. 215, 298, 300, and 301— have, in fact, never been in the possession of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., who did not pay the usual rent for them to the Chinese Government, and who, on their side, were not in receipt of any payments from the Chinese established on these lots, some of whom' are provided with title-deeds confirmed by the Chinese authorities. There exists no title-deed to lots 162 and 494. The lots mentioned under these numbers m the register of the British Consulate are in other places than that stated by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.— and one of them is even situated outoide- the town; they are, consequently, not contiguous, as this firm asserts, and are, moreover, three times as large as the lots now claimed under these numbers- Lastly, lots 299 and 281 are actually in the possession of the English firm in ques- tion, but the legalization of the Chinese authorities is wanting in their contracts of sale ; further the shape and dimensions of lot No. 281 do not correspond with those set forth in the Chinese document. 105 Thus, of all the title-deeds produced by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, aud Co., in support of their claims, there is only a single one, that of lot No. 215, which has legal value, but this document evidently does not refer to the lot claimed by them. This being so, the refusal of the Russian Consul at Hankow to recognize the right of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to the eight lots in question is found to be perfectly justified. The " imperfect " character of the title-deeds of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. has been completely recognized by Mr. Warren, British Consul, who proposed to his Eussian colleague, M. Yahovitch, in a letter dated the ^9th February, 189S, to ask the Chinese authorities either to rectify the irregularities of the documents, or else to replace them by fresh titles in proper order. This proposal could in no case be accepted by the Eussian Legation in view of the considerations set forth in the instructions sent on the 17th (29th) April, 1898, to M. Yahovitch by the Eussian Charge d'Affaires at Peking, the fourth paragraph of which runs as follows : — " It is impossible under any pretext to recognize as valid documents which may have been issued or legalized by the Chinese authorities subsequently to the assignment of the Concession to the Eussian Government on the demand of persons claiming ownership or of their Consuls, with the object of substituting them for the insufficient deeds now produced by the claimants, even if the Chinese authorities were disposed to do so of their own accord, as such a proceeding would create a dangerous precedent, and might lead later on to gi'ave difficulties with other persons who .could easily procure from the Chinese authorities analogous titles bearing an earlier date." These instructions were communicated in the month of May 1898 by M. Pavloff to his Excellency Sir Claude MacPonald, who expressed his entire approval of the con- siderations contained in the above-quoted paragraph, describing them in his letter of the 28th May, 1898, as " excellent and sensible suggestions." Peking, March 4 (16), 1899. Inclosure 3 in ISTo, 110. Sir C. MacDonald to M. de Giers. My dear Colleague, Peking, March 20, 1899. AS promised in my interview with you on the 18th instant, I forward herewith a pro- memorid which I have had drawn up in answer to the one you were kind enough to send me on the 16th instant. You will see I do not say that the entry of a title-deed in the register of any Consulate is absolute evidence of its validity : but I am strongly of opinion that such an entry should be treated as very serious evidence in favour of such validity. Count Cassini was evidently of the same opinion, for, in a Memorandum furnished to me on the 12th June, 1896, he states, " Les titres de propriete enregistres dans les Consulats etrangers seront considered comme reguliers et valables." 1 notice that you say the pro-memorid you sent on the 16th instant is for my information " toute personnelle ; " but I would point out that the question regarding the rights of British property-holders in the Russian Concession at Hankow has become one of very great importance, and it has already formed the subject of considerable discussion in the House of Commons, and will, I am afraid, give rise to much further discussion. 1 would add that M.. Pavloff's instructions to M. Yahovitch of April 1898 I still consider very sensible and fair, and I could wish for nothing better than that they be carried out. I hope to leave in a few days for Hankow, and will examine closely into the matter on the spot. I am sure, my dear colleague, that you will have no objection to instructing M. Vahovitch to give me every assistance in his power in endeavouring to arrive at a solution of the question. [ have &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. [1019] 100 Tnclosure 4 in No. 110. Observations on the Prc-memorid inclosed in M. de Giers Private Letter of March 16, 1899, with reference to Land claimed by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and,- Co., ut Hankow. • ■■•■, ,t IT has not been suggested , that the registrations of the eight lots at. the British, Consulate are an irrefutable proof of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s titles. It is maintained that they are evidence in support of the titles, and evidence of an unimpeach- able character, and it is suggested that, as against Chinese claimants, and in view, o£ the, known facility with which Chinese deeds can be fabricated whenever there is. sufficient inducement, that this evidence should carry greater -weight than has apparently been given to it. The avowal of Her Majesty's Consul, stated in paragraph 2, is unknown to Sir Claude MacDonald, and will be referred to Mr. Warren for explanation. For the present, Sir C. MacDonald will only repeat that, according to the established practice at Treaty ports, land deeds are not officially registered in a British Consulate until they are properly verified. The objections to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claims, detailed in para^ graphs 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and ,10, will be referred to Her Majesty's Consul. In the meantime, Sir C. MacDonald wishes to point out that, according to all his information, it woul,d be,, an impossibility, from the nature of the land in question, to expect the boundaries of lots' bought in 1862 to 1864- to correspond exactly with the conditions, physical,, and otherwise, of the land as it exists at present. ., , . The point urged with regard to the "Temple Tsi-in-sou " is not understood. . ,.,. The , question seems to turn on the construction to be placed on the word. " near " ("pr&s").. Thirty years ago, when the port was in its infancy, and most of the land in and around the Concessions at Hankow was unoccupied, it would naturally bear an interpretation different from that which might be assigned to it to-day. Sir C. MacDonald has no reason to depart from his opinion of the instructions sent to M. Vahovitch on the 17th April, 1898; but he desires to say that in his view the rectification by the Chinese authorities of irregularities in title-deeds held by foreign merchants, in order to meet the requirements of His Imperial Russian Majesty's Consulate, is not excluded by those instructions. The foregoing observations are not intended to be exhaustive. Sir C. MacDonald hopes soon to examine the whole matter at Hankow in person. His desire in approaching M, de Giers was to secure for Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claims a broad and equitable consideration, free from the difficulties which have sprung up around them at Hankow, and without that minute insistence on legal details and formalities which the circumstances seem to him to forbid. No. 111. Sir F. Lascellcs to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 1 .) My Lord, Berlin, April 25, 1899. UPON the receipt of your Lordship's despatch of the 5th instant, I made inquiry of the German Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs as to whether any further ■negotiations had taken place between the German and Chinese Governments for the regulation of the Customs; frontier and mode of collecting dues in connection with the Kiao-chau Treaty of the 6th March, 1898. I am now informed by the Department of State for Foreign Affairs that the Imperial -Government has recently been informed by their Representative at Pekin°- that an arrangement has been come to with the Chinese Government for the establishment of a Chinese Maritime Customs Office at Tsintau, to become operative on the 1st July ;jriext. I have, &c. (Signed) FRANK C. LASCELLES. 107 No. 112. Sir F. Plunkett to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 1.) M y L °rd, Brussels, April 30, 1899. I HAVE the honour to forward herewith four copies of the prospectus* issued here about a month ago by the Belgian Syndicate for the Peking-Hankow Railway Loan, and which at the time was circulated freely in Brussels and elsewhere. On inquiry yesterday at the bank here principally concerned in this affair, I have been kindly supplied with the inclosed Memorandum giving the information required as to the result of the issue, also other particulars, which will he interesting to Her Majesty's Government. Your Lordship will notice that by far the larger portion of this loan has been* subscribed in France. I have, &c. ' (Signed) F. B, PLUNKETT. Inclosure in No. 112. Memorandum. L'EMPRUNT pour le Chemin de Fer Hankow-Pekin a ete emis en France, en Belgique, en Hollande, et en Suisse, conformement au prospectus ci-joint. On a s user it: — En France, 100,000,000 fr. En Belgique, 25,000,000 fr. En Hollande, 5,000,000 fr. II y a done eu reduction et les souscripteurs n'ont obtenu que 45 pour cent de lenr souscription. Le Syndicat avait pris ferme 78,000 obligations de 500 fr. et le solde en> option. Le produit de la souscription sera depose dans les banques et ne sera delivre a la Societe de Chemins de Fer en Chine qu'au fur et a mesure de Pavancement des- travaux. L'Administration de la Societe" Beige pour 1'etude de Chemins de Fer en Chine se compose moitie de Beiges et moitie de Francais. Le personnel pour la construction et les commandes industrielles est partage- par moiti£ entre les deux pays, tandis que l'argent pret6 est de 3/5 par les Francais et 2/5 par les Beiges. (Translation.) THE Peking-Hankow Bailway Loan has been issued in France, Belgium, Holland, and Switzerland, in accordance with the annexed prospectus. The amounts subscribed are as follows : — In France, 100,000,000 fr. In Belgium, 25,000,000 fr. In Holland, 5,000,000 fr. So that there has been a reduction, and the subscribers have only received '15 per cent, of their applications. The Syndicate had taken firm 78,000 bonds of 500 fr. with the right of option ira regard to the remainder. The produce of the subscription will be deposited in the banks, and will only be- paid over to the Chinese Railways Company gradually as the works progress. The Board of the " Society Beige pour l'Etude de Chemins de Fer en Chine " is- composed half of Belgians and half of Frenchmen. The two countries will ; each supply half the employes for the construction of the line and will share the orders in connection with it equally, while of the money lent^ |ths is supplied by the French and fths by the Belgians. * Not printed. [1049] P 2 108 No. 113. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — {Received May 2.) gi r> Admiralty, April 29, 1899. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to request you will inform the Secretary of State that, in accordance with his suggestion, copies of the inclosures to Foreign Office letter of the 24th instant, relative to the increase of piracy in Chinese waters near Hong Kong, hare been sent to the Commander-in-chief on the China Station. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. No. 114. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 8.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 3, 1899. BELGIAN Loan prospectus : reversion of Hankow-Canton Railway Concession. The comparison of texts — which I mentioned in my telegram of the 30th April would be made — has not revealed any differences of importance. No. 115. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-lronside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, May 3, 1899. NORTHERN Railways Contract. I am informed by Corporation that except that interest for March has been paid there is no change as regards matters complained of. We cannot allow the formal undertakings of the Chinese Government to Her Majesty's Government in the matter to remain unfulfilled indefinitely. No. 116. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 4.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 4, 1899. FLEMING murder. The conduct of the Governor of Kueichou has been unsatisfactory right through the case. See Sir Claude MacDonald's despatches of the 28th January and 15th March. I would suggest that the Chinese Government be informed that the Governor must be dismissed, failing the arrest of the Headman by a certain date. I have received a telegram from Mr. Litton, who is at Eueiyang, stating that the Governor has admitted that the Headman was in the vicinity of his native village up to the month of February, and reporting that he escaped into Hunan about the middle of March. No. 117. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-lronside. graphic.) Foreign Office, May 4, 1899. WITH reference to your telegram of 3rd May, you should obtain from the Tsung-li Yamen a written denial of the alleged preferential right of Belgian Syndicate to reversion of Hankow-Canton line. 109 No. 118. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, May 5, 1899. MURDER of Mr. Fleming. I concur in course proposed in your telegram of 4th May. No. 119. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, May 5, 1899. EXTENSION of foreign settlement at Shanghae. How does matter now stand, and is question being pressed ? No. 120. Colonial Office to Foreign Office. — (Received May 6.) Sir, Downing Street, May 5, 1899. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 21st ultimo, and inclosures, relative to the increase of piracy in the Chinese waters near Hong Kong; and I am to request you to inform the Marquess of Salisbury that Mr. Chamberlain has noted with satisfaction the forcible terms in which Sir C. MaeDonald has addressed his protest on this subject to the Tsung-li Yamen. I am, &c. (Signed) C. P. LUCAS. No. 121. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 6.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 6, 1899. JARDINE, MATHESON, and Co.'s land in Russian Concession at Hankow. With reference to my telegram of the 26th April, unless the present instructions to- the Russian Minister are countermanded, the Russian authorities at Hankow will decline to recognize the claims of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to their lots in the Russian Concession at that port. It is only at my urgent request that M. de Giers has postponed action until the 15th instant. I have reason for believing that he would be quite willing, if possible, to have the matter settled between London and St. Petersburgh. 1 — ■ No. 122. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, May 6, 1899. NORTHERN railways. I think it would be well to inform the Chinese Government that we know that the state of things complained of can be remedied by them, and that we must conclude that they are responsible for the proceedings of the Railway Board, and that we must take action accordingly, unless within a short time they carry out their promises to us with regard to the observance of the terms < of the contract in an effective manner. 110 No. 123. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 7.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 7, 1899. THE signature of the Agreement for the Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway •will probably take place on the 10th May. The negotiations have terminated successfully. No. 124. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 7.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 7, 1899. SHANGHAE Settlement extension. In reply to the question in your Lordship's telegram of the 5th May, negotiations are still going on between the Consuls of Great Britain, United States, and Japan, and the Viceroy of the two Chiang provinces. Her Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae informs me that he is awaiting a despatch from the Viceroy confirmatory of the latter's consent to grant the entire extension demanded, with the exception of the portion included in the Paoshan district. No. 125. Sir F. Plunkett to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 8.) M> Lord, Brussels, May 6, 1899. THE language held by the Belgian Minister at St. Petersburgh, reported in Sir Charles Scott's despatch of the 23rd March, relating to the Belgian Concession for the Peking-Hankow Railway (forwarded to me by your Lordship), is identical with that generally held to me here. Whenever questioned, the Belgian Government authorities all unite in repeating that the money and interests engaged in that Concession are mainly bond fide Belgian" and that the reason why the promoters of this concern had employed the Russo-Chmese Bank was solely because that institution met them in a more friendly spirit than did the English local banks and commercial magnates, who (they say) sought to exclude the Belgians from participation in the distribution of Chinese Concessions: I have, &c. (Signed) E. R. PLUNKETT, No. 126. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. Scott. Sir ' Foreign Office, May 8 1899 I TRANSMIT to your Excellency a copy of Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 20th March, inclosing the correspondence which passed between the British and Russian Legations previously to his departure from Peking, with regard to Messrs Jardine Matheson, and Co.'s land in the Concession recently granted to the Russian Government at Hankow.* , # A full statement of the case on behalf of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co , is g,ven in the Memorandum (Inclosure No. 2) which Sir Claude MacDonald communicated to M. Pavloff on the 9th March. The Russian Consul at Hankow has hitherto refused to accept the registration of the land at the British Consulate as having any validity or force whatever, although Count Ca^sini stated in a Memorandum delivered to Her Majesty's Legation on the 12th June, 1896 that inform you that, at an interview .which. I ,had yesterdav with' the [1049] Q 2 "- 116 Tsung-li Yainen, I informed the Ministers that 1 had received an application through you from the Peking Syndicate, asking for the right to construct a railway from the Province of Honan, through the Province of Anhui, to Nanking. Their Excellencies refused my request on the ground that, as you are aware, an Imperial Edict had heen lately issued to the eifect that no further Eailway Concessions would be granted for the present, by the Imperial Chinese Government. The Tsung-li Yamen added that the question was one which, in their opinion, was not open to discussion. I am, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-1RONSIDE. No. 140. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 15.) My Lord, Berlin, May 12, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that an article appeared in the " Cologne Gazette " of the 10th instant, which deals with the arrangement come to for the construction of the Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway. The Agreement arrived at is most satisfactory, the writer says, for two reasons : firstly, because the English and German banks have now arranged to work together instead of, as heretofore, opposing each other ; and secondly, because the way chosen of concentrating all the interests concerned is especially happy and promising. That the line is to be a State line will enlist Chinese sympathies, the article continues, in favour of its speedy construction, whilst English and German rights will be securely safeguarded. It is of especial interest to Germany that the line, by traversing Shantung, will free the German spheres of interest from the danger of separation, and will further give her access by land to the important commercial centres, with which hitherto she was only connected by sea. The German Company will now, the article states in conclusion, at once set to work on the line from Tsintau to Tsinan, in order to exploit the great coal and mineral riches of the country. I have, &c. (Signed) FRANK C. LASCELLES. No. 141. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, May 17, 1899. RUSSIAN railway to Peking : Your telegram of the 13th May. The proposed Russian line to Peking, according to telegrams published in the newspapers, is to start from Newchwang,"or some other point on the Trans-Manchurian Railway " between Mukden and Port Arthur, and to run direct to the capital vi& Shanhaikuan. It is further stated that it is to be constructed under similar conditions to, and to be of the same nature as, the Trans-Manchurian Railway, and that it is to connect Port Arthur and Peking. What are the facts ? Telegraph full report. No. 142. Memorandum by Mr. Cockburn. I AM in general agreement with the China Association as to the abstract desira- bility of the adoption of a code of mercantile law in China, applicable to disputes between foreign and native merchants. Under present circumstances very few cases of any importance where the defendant is Chinese, are left to the unfettered decision of |a Native Court. The foreign plaintiff's Consul is almost invariably obliged to 117 interfere on his behalf, and the matter is often settled without coming into Court at all, or if it does come to a hearing the Judgment is not treated as final unless the Consul is satisfied of its substantial justice. This is not the procedure contemplated by the Treaties ; but the alternative of accepting the Judgments of Chinese Courts is equivalent to removing the foreign plaintiff's chance of obtaining justice. He cannot, like his native opponent, bribe the Judge, nor has he at his back the political and social influence a Chinese defendant of any standing can bring to bear. The balance must be redressed by the official influence of his Consul ; it is the latter's duty to see that it is not more than redressed, but kept as level as may be. But granting the desirability of a change, I cannot share the China Association's belief in the possibility of establishing International Tribunals. It is difficult for any one acquainted with the jealousies of foreign Powers to feel much hope that the organization of such Courts would not be blocked ; but even if this difficulty were surmounted, it would not, in my belief, be possible to obtain the co-operation of the Chinese Government. Chaotic as Chinese procedure seems to be, under the distracting influences affecting it where foreigner and native meet, it is not without its own measure of suitability to the native who has evolved it, and a change would be strongly opposed. Moreover, though the machine of Chinese internal government still creaks on somehow in its accustomed groove, no Chinese official in the higher ranks shows any sign of constructive ability, and the Government as a whole is incapable of even seriously approaching, much less solving, far simpler problems than this, as witness their lethargy with regard to Tariff revision. If the Chinese Government will not co-operate, I do not see how the establish- ment of International Courts can be forced upon them. Were a single foreign Power concerned, it might conceivably compel the establishment of Courts and enforce execution of their Judgments, but I cannot imagine all the Powers represented at Peking actuated by sufficient unity of purpose to take similar action. Within a definite sphere of influence something might be done by setting up Courts administering the law of the "influencing " Power, but a sphere of influence would under those conditions be hardly distinguishable from a protected State. I am sorry not to be able to take a more optimistic view of the Association's proposals. I take, however, a more cheerful view of the practical working of the present system. (Signed) HENRY COCKBURN. May 18, 1899. No. 143. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 18.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 18, 1899. SUPPOSITION is the only ground for the press reports referred to in jour Lord- ship's telegram of the 17th May; ali the reliable information obtainable having been given in ray previous telegrams to your Lordship. No. 144. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 18.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 18, 1899. 1 AM informed by the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank agent that the instalments ■of interest on the Railway Loan due for the months of April and May have not been paid. He asks that the Chinese Government should again be applied to for payment, and further states that the bank is only receiving approximately half of the earnings of tli3 railway. 118 No. 145. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received May 19.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 19, 1899. TIEN-TSIN-CHINKIANG Railway. The preliminary Agreement for this railway was signed on the evening of the 18th May. No. 146. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, May 20, 1899 NORTHER N~ Railways Contract : You should make a communication to the Chinese Government in the sense of my telegram of the 6th May. You should remind them that, in case of deficiency in the payments by the- Railway Board, they have guaranteed the interest on the loan as it falls due. No. 147. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 22.) My Lord, St. Peter sburgh, May 14, 1899. 1 HAVE the honour to report that, on receipt of your Lordship's tele°ram of the 8th instant, communicating to me a telegram received from Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Peking* from which it appeared that the Russian Minister had not yet received authority to postpone definitive action with regard to the titles of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to lots in the Russian Concession at Hankow, 1 at once addressed a private letter to Count Mouravieff begging his Excellency to enable me to assure your Lordship that the "desired instructions had been sent, and that no action would be taken prejudicial to the British titles until Sir C. MacDonald's promised Report on this question has been received and considered by your Lordship. I did not conceal from his Excellency that any premature action bv the Russian authorities would be certain to cause a strong outburst of feeling in the English community in China, and I said that in view of the recent assurances which we°had exchanged, he would no doubt be as anxious as I was that no pretext should be o-iven for doubting the sincerity of the expressed desire of both our Governments to avoid all cause of conflict on questions of their interests in China. J added that I was expecting by, post instructions on the subject of these British titles to lots in the Russian Concession. Count Mouravieff at once replied to me that I might assure your Lordship that he had telegraphed to M. de Giers instructions that no action was to be taken in regard to these claims until he received further orders from St. Petersbur°-h. ° When I called upon his Excellency the following day he repeated this assurance to me, and said that he was but imperfectly acquainted with the details of this question but that when I was in a position to communicate Sir Claude MacDonald's Report to him he would go into the matter thoroughly, and see whether it could not be satisfactorily settled! as M. de Giers seems to think, by discussion between London and St Petersburg Having now received your Lordship's despatch of the 8th instant, I have addressed a note to Count Mouraveff, copy of which 1 have the honour to inclose, communicating the contents of Sir C MacDonald s despa ch of the 20th March, with the correspondence .inclosed in it and acquainting his Excellency with the views formed bv your Lordship on receipt of a telegraphic summary of Sir C MacDonald's Report of his personal investigation of the case during his recent visit to Hankow., 8 I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES S. SCOTT. * Fo. 121. 119 Inclosure in No. 117. Sir C. Scott to Count Mouravieff. M. le Ministre, St. Petersburgh, May 13, 1899. IN the Memorandum which I had the honour to present to your Excellency on tbe t 2nd instant, respecting the claims of the British firm, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., to certain lots included in the new Russian Concession at Hankow, mention was road© of the fact that a despatch containing a full report hy Sir Claude MacDonald upon this •question was then on its way to England. This despatch has now reached Her Majesty's Government, and I have the honour .to inclose herewith a copy, with' its inclosures, for your Excellency's information. A full statement of the case on hehalf of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. is given in the Memorandum which Sir.C. MacDonald communicated to M. Pavloff on the .9th March. The Russian Consul at Hankow has hitherto refused to accept the registration of the land at the British Consulate as having any validity or force whatever, although Count Cassini stated in a Memorandum delivered to Her Majesty's Legation in Peking on the; 12th June, 189(i, that ''les titr.es de proprietes enregistrees' dans les Gonsulats Strangers seront considered comme reguliers et valables." M. Pavloff promised Sir C. MacDonald in March 1888 that he would recommend M. Vahovitch to register the lots in question if the Chinese authorities would make out new leases for them in accordance with the register in the British Consulate, but it does not appear that any steps were taken at Hankow to oarry out that recom* tnendation. The instructions which M. Pavloff sent subsequently on the 1 7th April, and of which a summary was given to Sir C. MacDonald, contained specific rules to the effect that no documents issued or legalized by the Chinese authorities after the grant of the, concession should on any account be recognized as valid, and that in view of the inaccuracy' of the Chinese documents and registers, the greatest indulgence and liberality should be shown to foreigners who had not fulfilled all the legal formalities. Nevertheless, new title-deeds have been put forward by Chinese claimants, which are preferred to those of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. s because they correspond exactly with the boundaries and are in order. This fact, far from affording good evidence of the validity of these new deeds, renders the claims of the Chinese open to grave suspicion, as the limits given in old title-deeds do not, in the experience of Her Majesty's Consuls, usually correspond with the actual boundaries. The land in the neighbourhood of the foreign concessions at Hankow is particularly liable to floods, and the boundaries are consequently subject to alterations. The fact that the new claims in opposition to those of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. have now been put forward for the first time is in need of explanation, as were the new Chinese titles genuine, it is hardly conceivable that the British firm should have been left in undisputed possession for so many years. The conclusions arrived at by Sir C. MacDonald after careful personal investigation during his recent visit to Hankow are set forth in a telegram from him of the 9th April,* of which I have the honour to inclose a copy herewith. In these conclusions Her Majesty's Government, after careful consideration of the correspondence inclosed in his despatch, are disposed to concur. Your Excellency has already given me verbal assurances that telegraphic instructions have been sent to .VJ. de Giers, instructing him to defer the definitive settlement of this matter. These assurances I have not failed to transmit to Her Majesty's Government, who have instructed me to express their hope and trust that, in view of the circumstances reported by Sir C. MacDonald, your Excellency may be disposed to deal with the dispute in accordance with the reasonable and conciliatory line of action proposed by Count Cassini and M. Pavloff, and to accept the title-deeds in the possession of the British firm, unless better ones can be produced. I avail, &c. (Signed) CHARLES S. SCOTT. * See Inclosure 2 in No. 154, infra. 120 No. 148. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received May 22.) My Lord, St. Petersburgh, May 17, 1899. I REFERRED, in conversation with Count Mouravieff to-day, to the comments of the public press on our recent Agreement in regard to railways in China, and remarked that neither the Russian nor the English press appeared to have expressed great enthusiasm over its terms, although according its conclusion a sympathetic reception. His Excellency replied that he regarded this as a good sign, showing that the compromise had been a fair one, in which neither country had infringed the material interests of the other, but both had displayed a sincere desire to develop their aims in a spirit of friendly understanding. He had not thought it necessary to publish officially in Russia the text of the notes exchanged between us, as the Russian press had reproduced them from the English newspapers. He had received, he said, from the Chinese Government an acknowledgment of the communication of these notes in terms identic with those used in the reply to Her Majesty's Charge d* Affaires at Peking, but he did not regard the Agreement as one which necessarily invited any criticism on the part of the Chinese Government. I then mentioned the report telegraphed to the English press from Peking of a demand made by the Russo-Chinese Bank, with the support of M. de Giers, for a railway Concession from Newchwang or some other point on the Russo-Manchurian line to Peking, and the impression which this report had evidently made in the English press, as indicating a design hostile to the construction of the line in which the British public had invested so large a sum of money. Count Mouravieff said that this was an entirely mistaken impression ; all that the Russian Government had asked was that the Chinese Government should consent in principle to grant, in case the Russian Government thought it expedient to ask for, concessions to Russian subjects or establishments for lines starting from some point of the Manchurian line in a south-westerly direction, and which might traverse the same region as the line which China was going to construct, terminating at Sinminting and Newchwang; the exact terms used in the last paragraph of the additional notes exchanged between us, and to the insertion of which M. Witte had attached importance. I understood him to say that no special line has as yet been asked for, nor is there any intention, so far as he was aware, of seeking a Concession for a railway to injure or run parallel with the line for the construction of which the British loan had been subscribed. I expressed my relief at hearing this explanation of the report, and said that I could not disguise from him that the possibility of any further disagreement between the two countries on the subject of this northern extension line had been causing me very grave uneasiness, and I ventured to express a very strong personal opinion that what was most wanted now to make the recent Agreement perfectly satisfactory was to instil the spirit in which both Governments had sincerely concluded it, into the minds of the Directors of the respective Banks and Companies, with whose interests we had been dealing, and to endeavour to satisfy them that these interests could be reconciled without giving occasion for mutual distrust and ruinous rivalry. Count Mouravieff said that this was a desire which he heartily shared, and an aim most deserving of earnest endeavours to attain. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES S. SCOTT. No. 149. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 22.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 22, 1S99. THE alleged breach of faith by China in concluding the Agreement for the Newchwang Railway with the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank formed, so I ani'told by the Tsurig-li Yamen, the basis of the Russian Minister's demand for a railway to Peking. 121 No. 150. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, May 23, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 29th March relative to Sir John Lister Kaye's project for the improvement of the navigation of the River Yang-tsze. I approve the language which you held to Sir J. Lister Kaye, as reported in your despatch. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 151. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 24.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, May 24, 1S99. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship, with reference to my despatch of the 14th instant, that Count Mouravieff, hefore forming an opinion on the pro- posal for the settlement of the question of the contested land-titles in the Russian Concession at Hankow, is awaiting a Report which the Russian Minister at Peking has been instructed to furnish on the case. Meanwhile, no definite action with regard to the lots claimed is to he taken. No. 152. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 25.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, May 25, 1899. TIEN-TSIN-CHINKIANG Railway. I was yesterday informed officially by the Yamen that the Preliminary Agreement, mentioned in my telegram of the 19th May, had been ratified by an Imperial Decree, dated the 22nd instant. No. 153. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. Scott. gi^ Foreign Office, May 25, 1899. I HAVE received your Excellency's despatch of the 14th instant relative to the claim of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to certain lots in the Russian Con- cession at Hankow. I approve your proceedings in the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 154. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 29.) My Lord, Peking, April 11, 1899. IN continuation of Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 20th March, 1 have the honour to inclose, for your Lordship's information, copies of further correspondence referring to the refusal of the Russian authorities to recognize Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s title to certain lots of land included in the new Russian Concession at Hankow. My note of the 10th instant to M. de Giers is based on a telegram received from Sir Claude MacDonald, who has made a personal inquiry into the circumstances on the spot. Mr Warren's despatch of the 23rd March deals specially with the claims of the squatter* [1049] E 122 -whose titles are preferred by the Russian- "Consul, and is in reply to a telegram sent by Sir Claude MacDonald a few days before his departure from Peking. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 154. Consul Warren to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Hankow, March 23, 1899. 1 HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram of the 17th instant with reference to the property of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., on the Russian Concession. I now beg to forward copies of deeds and registrations for Lots 215, 298, 300, 301, 299 and 281, and of registrations of Lots 162 and 494. The deeds for these two last- named lots have been lost ; but I think there is no doubt that Mr. Consul Gardner clearly •established the title of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. in the course of the inquiry made by him in 1886. The argument as to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. never having been in possession is unsound. They have been in possession, and it does not follow that, because tne Chinese authorities did not eject squatters when requested to do so, Messrs, Jardine, Matheson> and Co. thereby forfeited their title. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. have collected rent from some of the fairly well-to-do squatters for many years ; this can be proved by their books, which I have examined. The argument as to non-payment of land-tax is plausible, but weak. It has not been the custom in Hankow that foreign owners of property should pay land-tax until called upon to do so : it is the duty of the district Magistrate to collect it, and his failure to levy it does not prejudice the title of the foreign owner. In the case of the Chinese land-owners land-tax is called for by proclamation twice a-year, and they are ordered to pay to certain collectors. Neglect to pay is followed by a visit from the police, and payment is enforced. In the case of a squatter coming forward and offering to pay land-tax, it is not likely that the collector would refuse it, more especially as the collector very often larms the tax ; but the receipt for the tax paid is no proof of tjtle, (hough, no doubt, the squatter hopes to found a title on the payment. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. have received rents regularly from ' certain Chinese squatters, they have received rent from the Hankow Race Club, they have received rent from the Golf Club, they have received a nominal rent from, the Hankow Municipal Council, and they are at the present moment receiving a nominal rent from a Russian subject whom they have permitted to occupy a portion of their ground. Their title-deeds are not absolutely in order — few, if any, in Hankow for land outside the Concession are in order — but there is no doubt- that they are the owners of the ground shown bv their boundary stones, and of even more of which they have been gradually dispossessed." 1 am informed that, since it has become known that the Russian Consul refuses to recognize Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s title, Chinese claimants to nearly all the ground in question have come forward. It was probable that this would be the result of M. Vahovitch's delay in dealing with Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claims. These people can only have acquired a title by squatting, for it is notorious that in 1864 all the ground in that neighbourhood was foreign owned; and it can scarcely be seriously urged that the Chinese Government have the right to grant a title to squatters, which has only been acquired through the neglect of the Chinese authorities to enforce the removal of these squatters when called upon by the rightful owners to do so. I have, &c. (Signed) PELHAM WARREN. Inclosure 2 in No. 154. Mr. Bax-Ironside to M. de Giers. M. le Ministre, Peking, April 10, 1899. c- A H , A \? ^ ?, n0U l toinform y°" r Excellency that I have received a telegram frqm Sir Claude MacDonald, who is now at Hankow, requesting me to let vou know that the question of the ownership of the land in the Russian Concession at Hankow claimed by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. has been carefully investigated qu the spot bv him Sir Claude MacDonald's inquiry has established the following facts :— 123 Lots 281 and 299 are in the actual possession of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Ca.y as is also Lot 494, which was further identified in 1886 by our then Consul, Mr. Gardner. Moreover, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. are now receiving rents for portions of Lot 494. Lot 215 is situated exactly as claimed by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., and their deed is quite in order. Lot 162: Although Mr. Consul Gardner established their title to it, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. are ready to resign their claim to this lot, as the ground is no longer occupied by them. Lots 298, 300, and 301 : The deeds in Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s posses- sion for these lots are not absolutely in order, but in default of the production of better ones are good. Sir Claude MacDonald suggests that better titles, if there are any, should be produced ; otherwise the question should be settled by arbitration. Sir Claude MacDonald has reported the result of his inquiry direct to Her Majestv's Government. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 155. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 29.) My Lord, Peking, April 12, 1899. ' I HAVE the honour to submit, for your Lordship's approval, copy of three addi- tional Land Regulations for the general foreign Settlement at Shanghae. These Regulations have been passed by the ratepayers and the Consular Body, and approved by the Representatives of the Treaty Powers at Peking. I have given my provisional sanction to the same under Article 9 of the China and Japan Order in Council of 1881, and have declared them urgent under Article 11 of the same Order. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Jnclosure in No. 155. Three new Land Regulations for General Foreign Settlement at Shanghae. Regulation VI a. Land for Public Roads. — It being expedient that the ratepayers should have fuller power than they at present possess for acquiring land for new roads, extension and widening of existing roads, extension of lands already occupied by public works and for purposes of sanitation, it is hereby agreed that they shall have the following powers in addition to, and not in substitution for, those possessed by them under Regulation VI, and the powers shall be exercised in the manner following : — In case the land required for such public purposes shall have been acquired by oreign renters before the publication of Notice that the plan referred to in that Regulation is open to inspection or shall remain in the hands of the native owners, the proprietors shall for three months after the publication of such Notice have the right to protest in writing, and, in person or by proxy, to appear and to bring evidence before the Municipal Council to show cause why such proposed roads extension and widening of roads or extension of the public works or establishment of sanitary buildings or works should not be made or undertaken, and the Council shall hear and decide the matter. After the said period of three months from such publication, and in case such protest be overruled, and in case such foreign renters or native owners, as the case may Dej are ' unwilling to surrender to such public uses the land so required, then the Municipal Council may, after the expiry of four months and within one year from the publication of Notice of such plan, apply to the Land Commissioners, to be appointed as hereinafter mentioned, and the said Land Commissioners shall, after hearing the parties and calling for evidence, determine the compensation (if any) to be paid or given for the. land so required and for the buildings (if any) thereon, and in respect of any tenancy of [1049] R 2 124 the said land and buildings respectively, taking into account the increase or decrease in value of the remainder of the property and surrender of the land (notwithstanding the restrictive words contained in Regulation VI) on the terms of the Award and finding of the Land Commissioners, shall in case of need be enforced by the Court or Courts having jurisdiction over the owners and occupiers of the land. The Land Commissioners shall be three in number, and shall be appointed — one by the Council not later than the 1 5th January in each year, and one by the registered owners of land in the Settlement who pay taxes of 10 taels per annum or upwards, and who shall vote by ballot at the Council Office on the same days as those appointed for the election of members of Council, any two land-owners qualified to vote being entitled to nominate candidates for the position by sending the names to the Council one week before the election takes place, and the Council shall cause the names of all such nominees to be exhibited in the office on the day of the poll. If only one name be suggested, then that person shall be the Commissioner without a poll. The third Commissioner shall be elected by Resolution of a meeting of ratepayers, any two ratepayers qualified to vote being entitled to nominate candidates for the position by sending in the names to the Council one week before any meeting of rate- payers ; and the Council shall cause the names of all such candidates to be published, with the notices of motions for the meeting. Should no name be duly sent in, any qualified candidate may be proposed, seconded, and elected at the meeting. All three Commissioners shall go into office on the day after the annual meeting of ratepayers, and go out of office on the day after the next annual meeting, except as to matters then pending before them, which they shall have power to complete. No one who is a salaried official of the Council shall be eligible as a Com- missioner. Vacancies occurring during the year shall be filled by appointment or election by the party who appointed the Commissioner whose place shall have become vacant — a special meeting of ratepayers being called if necessary. The Commissioners shall make their Award within a month from the time they are applied to, or within such time as they or a majority of them may extend it to. The expenses of the Land Commissioners shall be defrayed out of the public funds, the fees of the Commissioners being either regulated by the Municipal Council in accordance with the time engaged on the duties, or fixed beforehand. Regulation VI b. Railways. — In the event of the Imperial Railway Administration or any other duly authorized person or Corporation desiring to acquire land by compulsory purchase in the Settlement for the purpose of constructing a railway, the said Administration, person, or Corporation shall deliver to the Municipal Council a plan of the line showing the land required, and showing the manner in which public roads are to be dealt with, and whether they are to be crossed by bridges or on the level, and giving such other informa- tion as will enable the Council to see how public rights will be affected ; and if the Municipal Council signify their approval of the scheme, the said Administration, person, or Corporation shall be entitled to acquire the land in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as those under which the Municipal Council acquire land for public purposes. Provided that the compensation awarded shall be the fair market value of the property acquired to be ascertained by the Land Commissioners with an addition of 25 per cent, for compulsory sale and such further sums as the Court may determine to be the amount of damage (if any) caused to the remainder of the property by severance or otherwise, and the amount of the damage (if any) sustained by the owner or occupier for loss of business, expenses of removal, or other like causes. Regulation XXX. Buildings.— The Council may from time to time make Rules with respect to the structure of walls, foundations, roofs, and chimneys of new buildings for seem-in^ stability and the prevention of fires and for purposes of health, with respect to the sufficiency of the space about buildings to secure a free circulation of air and with respect to the ventilation of buildings, with respect to the drainage of buildings, to water-closets, earth closets, privies, ashpits, and cesspools in connection with buildings and to the temporary or permanent closing of buildings or parts of buildin«s unfit for 125 .human habitation, and to prohibition of their use for habitation. And they may further provide for the observance of such Eules by enacting therein provisions as to notices, as to the deposit of plans and sections by persons intending to construct buildings, and as to inspection by the Council ; and the Council may remove, alter, or pull down any work begun or done in contravention of such Rules or of any bye-law of the Council. Provided always that no such Rules shall come into operation until they have been submitted to the Land Commissioners for their opinion, though they shall not be subject to their veto, and until six months after publication. No. 156. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 29.) My Lord, Peking, April 13, 1S99. I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith to your Lordship copy of a despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Samshui, inclosing correspondence with the provincial authorities regarding the presence of Her Majesty's ship " Sandpiper" in the West River. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 156. Acting Consul Fox to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Samshui, March 24, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose translation and copy of a despatch, addressed to me by the Viceroy and Governor at Canton, on the subject of the presence of Her "Majesty's ship "Sandpiper" on the West River, together with copy and translation of my reply. I have, &c. (Signed) HARRY H. FOX. Inclosure 2 in No. 156. Viceroy Tan and Governor Lu to Acting Consul Fox. '(Translation.) March 10, 1899. WE beg to state that the Samshui District Magistrate yesterday reported to us that he had received a visit from the Commander of a small gun -boat, who stated that "he had received orders from the British Admiral in Hong Kong to patrol the West River. We are aware that the Kuantung province is infested by robbers, and that piracies on its waters are of frequent occurrence, and the naval authorities on the seaboard and inland waterways have been repeatedly instructed to use every effort to repress these disorders. Wherever Chinese or foreign merchant-vessels have been attacked, the authorities concerned have promptly arrested and punished the offenders. Thus, for example, on the 19th December, 1897, a despatch was received from the Consul, stating that the Hong Kong steamer " Chia Hsiin," having a native boat in tow, was, at a place called Sha Chiao, in Hsinan district (Sunon), attacked by pirates, who plundered the native boat of all its cargo. The Hsinan Magistrate captured the robbers, and a certain Chen Chieh Tsai, mentioned in the Consul's despatch, suffered the penalty of decapitation. Again, on the 30th June, 1898, the steam-launch " Kuang-fu " was pirated at Chii Tou Shan, in Hsinhui (Sunoi) district, and further, on the 3 1st October, 1S98, a steam-launch, belonging to the Kuang Yiln Company, was robbed at Ma-an-Shau between Hsinhui and Shunte districts. In both these cases the local, civil, and military authorities reported that they had -captured the culprits and punished them. Whenever British steamers have been attacked, stringent orders have in every case, 126 on receipt- of a despatch from the Consul, been issued to the officials concerned, to make- prompt arrests. In the matter of protecting foreign merchant-vessels, action has always promptly been taken in accordance with Treaty. The robbers of this province are of a violent disposition, and they continually come^ in conflict with the officials, in the course of which encounters people have been killed and wounded on both sides. Bow that the Admiral has sent up a man-of-war to afford protection to British interests, this vessel will doubtless be quite capable of coping with the robbers. Hereafter, should a British man-of-war come into conflict with pirates on the inland* waters and people be wounded in the encounter, China cannot be held responsible, nor can China be blamed if, owing to remissness, the British war-ship is not able to protect itself. Having regard to the friendly relations which exist between our two countries, we feel bound to explain matters beforehand so as to avoid future complications. If British men-of-war cease to come (up the West River), China will afford protections as before. We have, therefore, the honour to address you this despatch, with a request that you will make known its contents to the Admiral in Hong Kong. (Seals of Viceroy and Governor.) Inclosure 3 in No. 156. Acting Consul Fox to Viceroy Tan and Governor Lu. Your Excellencies, March 20, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your despatch, dated the 10th instant, referring to the presence of a British gun-boat on the West River. (Follows quotation from Viceroy and Governor's despatch.) I hare, as requested, forwarded a copy of your despatch to his Excellency ther British Admiral in Hong Kong. In this connection, I have to observe that the responsibility of China for the control of her inland waterways and the protection of commerce, both native and foreign, is not a question the discussion of which properly falls within my province. It is an international matter, which has long since been amicably settled between our respective- Governments. I content myself with pointing out to your Excellencies that the sending of a British gun-boat up the West River differs in no respect from the custom which has prevailed for many years on the Yang-tsze Kiang, where, although its peaceful state is in striking contrast to the present disturbed condition of the West River, the war-ships of all nations come and go constantly. Regarding the fears you express as to the safety of the British gun-boat, I am in a position to state that you need have no anxiety on that point, the gun-boat being very well able to defend itself should it be attacked by pirates. With reference to the cases of piracy mentioned in your despatch as having been settled satisfactorily, 1 observe that one case occurred in December 1897, considerably over a year ago, and the others date from July and October 1898 respectively. They can therefore hardly be quoted as applicable to the present state of affairs. I would, however, point out that the cases referred to in my despatch of the 25th January last, namely, the piracies of two steamers flying the British flag, the steam-ship " Tungkong" in November 1898, and the steam-ship " Kongsoo " on the 24th January, 1899, still remain unsettled, none of the offenders, as far as I am aware, havin°- been arrested, nor any of the stolen property recovered. The statement therefore, m your Excellencies' despatch, to the effect that "whenever Chinese or foreign vessels have been attacked, the authorities concerned have promptly arrested and punished the offenders," does not seem at the present time to be borne out by-facts. As in your former despatch you stated that the local, civil, and military officials had been ordered to settle the " Kongsoo case" within a given time, I beg that you will be good enough to direct the officials in question, should they be unable to discover the pirates or recover any of the stolen property, to compensate the owners of the " Kongsoo " in proportion to their losses. (Signed) HARRY H. FOX. ' 127 -•' • : ■• No. 157. :-: ', ' • ■" ' Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury.*— (Received May 29.) My Lord, Peking, April 13, 1899. IN continuation of Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the loth March on the subject of the murder of the missionary Fleming, I have the honour to report that On the 17th March the Tsung-li Yam en sent the Legation a copy of the Governor ot Kueichow's Memorial to the Throne on the case. The account of the murder given in the Memorial agrees in the essential particulars with that inclosed in Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 28th January, and the settlement proposed is in accordance with the Agreement signed by Mr. Litton and the Governor, copy of which was inclosed in despatch of the 15th March addressed to your Lordship. The Tsung-li Yamen further stated that the Imperial Rescript was given on the 6th March, " Let it be as proposed, and let the Yamen con- cerned take note." Hearing from Mr. Litton that the fugitive Headman had not been caught, Sir Claude MacDonald spoke strongly to the Ministers of the Yamen on the 1 2th March as to the necessity of his capture before the case could be considered closed. Their Excellencies were warned that Mr. Litton would be again sent to Kueiyang to stimulate the Governor unless the man was speedily brought to justice. The Minister added that it might be necessary for him to denounce the Governor's conduct in the matter. On the 24th March Mr. M. F. "A. Fraser, who had taken over charge of the Chungking Consulate from Mr. Litton, telegraphed that the Headman had not been arrested, and that Mr. Litton was ready to start for Kueiyang. I replied by telegraph that Mr. Litton should start at once, and informed the Tsung-li Yamen of his mission. Mr. Litton's orders from Sir Claude MacDonald, sent by telegraph on the 7th March, were that he should proceed to Kueiyang, see the Governor, and insist on the arrest of the Headman. He was told that he might visit Chung-an-Chiang (the scene of the murder and the residence of the Headman) if necessary, but that he must not leave Kueiyang finally until he had received permission from Her Majesty's Legation. On the 4th April the Tsung-li Yamen wrote, at the request of the Governor of" Kueichow, asking that Mr. Litton be not sent to Kueiyang at present, as the Governor was doing all he could to effect the arrest of the Headman. I replied that Mr. Litton had already left Chungking on the 30th March. On the 6th April a letter was received from Mr. Litton, dated the 15th March, copy of which 1 have the honour t?) inclose, giving the latest news as to the steps taken to secure the Headman's arrest. On tbe 9th April Mr. Litton telegraphed from Kueiyang reporting arrival, and adding : "Have seen Governor; insisted on arrest. He asserted that the Headman fled last year, but I have obtained letter sent by Headman 13th February proving that he was then in hiding near. This letter is believed by the Chinese to be thoroughly trustworthy. We are unanimously of opinion that the officials have no intention of giving serious attention to mere remonstrances. Presenting ultimatum to Governor seems to be the only chance. I proceed at once to Chung-an to inquire and report result." I am pressing the case with the Ministers of the Yamen. 1 have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONS1DE. Inclosure in No. 157. Acting Consul Litton to Sir C. MacDonald. gj r Chungking, March 15, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that I have now received the following messages from the Mission at Kueijang :— 1. March 9th (received 12th): "Adam returned; Proclamations generally published; reward tor Tan made public, and Proclamation about Tan's property being confiscated." I am at present, and until I receive further news, unable to reconcile this ..message 128 with the telegram to which I had the honour to draw your attention in my letter of the 8th instant. I can only suopose that the previous message was based on unverified reports. 2. March 6th (also received 12th) : " We have a letter written by Tan, the 13th February, telling his hiding place ; fear officials in league ; advise us." The nature of the letter referred to or how it came into the possession of Mr. Windsor ig not stated. I received so many threatening letters, false documents, &c., while I was at Kueiyang, that I do not quite know how much confidence to place in the letter, referred to by the missionaries. I requested Mr. Windsor to inform the Governor. I also informed him myself, as I had occasion to telegraph to him on another matter. Soon after the murder the Governor, if he had chosen, could have easily arrested Tan ; he did not choose. But the man has so many friends, and has been so much on the alert since my arrival in Kueiyang, that I fear the arrest will be a very difficult matter now. It must be remembered that the orders of an official like the Governor are by no- means always obeyed, when the underlings do not wish to obey them. 1 have, &c. (Signed) G. LITTON. No. 158. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — -(Received May 29.) My Lord, Peking, April 15. 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 11th instant on the subject of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claims to certain lots in the new Russian Conces- sion at Hankow, I have the honour to inclose copy of a letter received by me from M. de Giers, and the reply which I returned to the Russian Minister's communication. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 158. M. de Giers to Mr. Bax-Ironside. M. le Charge d' Affaires, Legation de Russie, Pe'kin, le 11 Avril, 1899. . J'AI eu l'honneur de recevoir votre lettre en date du 10 Avril courant par laquelle vous avez bien voulu m'informer de l'opinion emise par son Excellence Sir Claude MacDonald au sujet des pretentions elevees par la maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. sur certains terrains situes dans les limites de la Concession Russe a Hankow. Comme cependant les donnees sur lesquelles est basee la conclusion du Ministre de Sa Majeste Britannique dont vous me faites part ne sont pas mentionnSes dans la lettre precitee, je regrette de ne pouvoir exprimer, avant de les connaitre, aucun jugement d<§finitif au sujet des suggestions que vous a communiquees par telegraphe Sir Claude MacDonald, et me vois oblige de m'en tenir au point de vue expose dans ma lettre du 16 Mars dernier et le pro-memorid qui y etait joint. Veuillez, &c. (Signe) MICHEL DE GIERS. (Translation.) M. le Charge^ dAffaires, Russian Legation, Peking, April 11, 1899. I HAD the honour to receive your letter of the 10th April, in which you were °-ood enough to inform me of the opinion pronounced by Sir Claude MacDonald on^thei subject of the claims raised by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to certain lota situated within the limits of the Russian Concession at Hankow. As however the data upon which is based the conclusion arrived at by Her Britannic Majesty's Minister, of which you inform me, are not mentioned in the letter above referred to, I regret that I am unable, before being acquainted with them, to express- any definitive opinion with regard to the suggestion communicated to you by telegraph 129 by Sir Claude MacDonald, and I find myself obliged to adhere to the view expressed in my letter of the 16th March last and the pro-memorid inclosed in it. I avail, &c. (Signed) MICHEL DE GIERS, Inclosure 2 in No. 158. Mr. Bax-Ironside to M. de Giers. M. le Ministre, Peking, April 12, 1899. IN reply to your Excellency's note of yesterday I have the honour to state that Sir Claude MacDonald makes no mention in his telegram of the data on which he based the conclusions he arrived at with regard to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s titles. Those conclusions were no doubt formed after a personal investigation into all the local circumstances, and must, so far as I am concerned, remain authoritative until the instruc- tions of Her Hritannic Majesty's Government, to whom the matter has now been referred, are received. I trust, M. lc Ministre, that in the meantime nothing will be done by the Eussian authorities at Hankow to add to the difficulties of the situation, or to interfere with the rights claimed or exercised by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 159. Mr. Bax-Irons'de to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received May 29.) My Lord, Peking, April 17, 1899. THERE has been no change of importance to note in the political situation. The tendency to replace Chinese by Manchus in the important political posits of the Empire is increasing. There are sixty two Viceroys, Governors, Treasurers, and Judges of the eighteen provinces and the New Dominion. Twenty-four of these posts are now held by Manchus, whereas before the coup d'^Etat only thirteen of them were so occupied. So large a percentage of Manchus in the highest positions tends to indicate a retrograde administration, as the Manchus are, as a race, very inferior to the Chinese in intelligence and capacity, and their appointment to important positions is viewed with disfavour by the Chinese themselves. The Dowager-Empress has sent special instructions both to Moukden and Kirin to raise the present standard of the Manchu schools in those towns to that existing in the ordinary schools in Peking. I have, &c, (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE, No. 160. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 2.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 2, 1899. RUSSIAN railway to Peking. It is reported here, with some confidence, that the demand has been withdrawn by Russia on the following conditions : — That should China wish to construct a line north from Peking, and require the aid of foreign skill and capital for the purpose, she will appeal to Russia for the same, and that no other foreign Power shall be permitted to construct such a railway. I have not yet been able to obtain from the Tsung-li Yamen any confirmation of the above. [1049] S 130 No. 161. Peking Syndicate to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 3.) My Lord, 110, Cannon Street, London, June 2, 1899. BY recent' reports received from the Syndicate's Surveyor-in-chief in China, it appears that the Han River, which was selected as the outlet southward for the product of the Shansi mines, has been found not to be navigable for any practical purposes, and my Directors have had under serious consideration the necessity of finding an access to the Tang-tsze, which by clause 17 of their Contract they are entitled to have at some other point. Although the surveys are not yet complete, my Directors are advised by Mr. Glass tfaa| a line from the " mines via Kaifeng and main road to Pukou opposite Nanking is the best route to follow. This Syndicate is therefore instructing its agent to proceed to Peking and put himself in communication with the Chinese officials with a view of negotiating an arrangement for the construction of such a line of railway in lieu of the line to Siang^ yang. He is also instructed to endeavour to obtain for such a line the right to carry general traffic, inasmuch as having regard to the length of the line and the general nature of the country through which it would pass, such right would not only be of immense benefit to the inhabitants, hut would contribute materially to the success of the undertaking, and it is hoped that the Chinese Government, having a 25 per cent, interest in the net profits accruing from the Shansi Concession, will see their way to accepting the proposal. At the same time, having regard to the difficulties which Sir Claude MacDonald encountered last year in getting for the Syndicate the right to run a railway to the Han River, my Directors fear that without the strenuous assistance of Her Majesty's Government they may find it no easy matter to come to a satisfactory arrangement. The selection of the, Han River at Siang-yang as the outlet to the Yang-tsze would appear to have been the result of a compromise at Peking, and to have been based upon the assumption that it was sufficiently navigable for the Syndicate's purposes. £jut however that may be» my Directors are now satisfied that, in order to. provide an effective outlet for their mineral traffic southwards, it is necessary that they should h^ve a, railwav to some other spot, and they earnestly beg the support of Her Majesty's Government iq obtaining this object, I have, &c. (Signed), THO. GILBERT, Secretary, No. 162. Mr. BaX'Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 3.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 3, 1899. • PROHIBITION of rice export. In reply to representations which* J m#de to them on 30th May, the Tsung-li Yamen replied yesterday, explaining that the prohibition was rendered absolutely necessary by great dearth in Anhui and Kiangsu Provinces. The Viceroy has, however, been directed to allow rice purchased before the date of prohibition to be exported. No. 163. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received June 3). (Telegraphic.) Pekina, June 3,1899. CANTON. Parm of tax on petroleum. Above has been re-established by a Proclamation issued by the Canton Vioeroy. ^jM-j'J 1 ' ■ "' I 1 rW..UH i ■ ,.l.yR..n,BJJH l PJll, i . l LJlWJ.WngL.J 1 ,Ji | )j i | i U^ i M. » 181 No. 164. Consul- General Brenan to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 5.) My Lord, Shanghai, May 1, 1899. 1 HAVE the honour to forward you herewith a copy of a despatch sent by me to Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Peking, with reference to the Ningpo joss-house case and the cosmopolitan settlement in Shanghae. 1 have, &c. (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. Inclosure in No. 16-1. Consul-General Brenan to Mr. Bax-Ironside* Sir, Shanghae, April 28, 1899. IT is probable that in a few days the negotiations between the local Chinese authorities and the French Consul-General for the settlement of the Ningpo joss-house difficulty will be resumed. I have reason to believe that the terms which the Chinese will offer and the French will accept are as follows : — The French will renounce all claim to the cemetery ; the Chinese will cease to use it as a cemetery ; a small addition will be made to the French Concession so as to include the insanitary quarter known as Pasinjow and neighbourhood. The Chinese autho- rities are now quite willing to place this area under the administrative control of the French Municipal Council, arid thus dispose Of the troublesome Ningpo joss-house case; and I do not believe that any objection will be raised by foreigners of other nationalities. The opposition, to w 7 hich expression was given at a meeting of foreign residents held last December, has died away, and locally the proposed arrangement between the French and the Chinese will be carried out without attracting attention. The negotiations which have been going on for some months between the British^ American, arid German Consuls oii one side arid the Chinese authorities on the other, for the extension of the cosmopolitan settlement, seem likely to result in a fairly satis- factory arrangement within the next few days, and as soon as this question is settled the Chinese authorities will make certain proposals to the French Consul in the sense I have already indicated. As I have already stated on previous occasions I do not think that locally any practical inconvenience will result from giving the French this small extension to their existing settlement ; but Her Majesty's Government may continue to see objections in China giving to France any exclusive control over even such a small area as the Pasinjow district. The Nanking Viceroy was very desirous that the extension of the cosmopolitan settlement and of the French Concession should be disposed of at the same time, but I and my German and Anierican colleagues have required that the two questions should be kept separate. If foreign Powers intend to offer any opposition to the extension of the French Concession, it is very undesirable that the fate of the cosmopolitan settlement should await the solution of that difficulty, for the Chinese Government would then make use of the dissension amongst the Powers to postpone the settlement extension indefinitely. At the present moment on the side of the Chinese officials the negotiations for the extension of the cosmopolitan settlement are proceeding on the assumption that they will later on be left free to settle their dispute with the French as seems best to them \ and 1 am hoping that they shall be allowed to remain in that frame of mind until our reason- able demands have been granted. I have, &c (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. T i ill 'iH\\ [1049] S 2 132 No. 165. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 5, 1899. I AM informed by Peking Syndicate that, under clause 17 of their Contract, they wish to obtain a line from their mines via Kaifeng and main road to Pukou, opposite Nanking. They wish this line to be instead of the one obtained last year to Siang Yang, and are anxious to obtain the right to carry general traffic, as well as minerals, over the line. They have instructed their agent to proceed to Peking and communicate with you, and, if you see no objection, you should give him what assistance you can in the matter. No. 166. Foreign Office to Peking Syndicate. Sir, Foreign Office, June 7, 1899. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2nd instant, requesting the support of Her Majesty's Government on the arrangement which the agent of the Peking Syndicate has been instructed to nego- tiate for the construction of and right to carry general traffic on a line from the mines via Kaifeng and main road to Pukou opposite Nanking in lieu of the line to Siang Yong, the right to construct which was obtained by the Syndicate last year. I am to inform you that Her Majesty's Charge" d'Affaires at Peking has been instructed by telegraph to do what he can to assist Mr. Glass in his negotiations should he see no objection to doing so. I am, &c. (Signed) ERANCIS BERTIE. No. 167. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, June 7, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 15th ultimo, inclosing copies of your correspondence with the Russian Minister at Peking on the subject of Messrs. Jardiue, Matheson, and Co.'s claim to certain lots in the new Russian Concession at Hankow. I approve the terms of your reply to M. de Giers. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 168. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received June 8.) (Telegraphic.) Pekin June 8 1899 . RUSSIAN Railway to Peking. At the Tsung-li Yamen to-day Ministers stated that the Chinese Government had decided to firmly repeat their refusal of the Russian demand, should it be renewed. Thd Russian Minister had not, however, again pressed the matter. They expressed an opinion that Great Britain ought also to object, since such a railway as that desired by Russia would be greatly to the detriment of the Newchwang line, and of the present railway to the capital, via, Tien-tsin, connecting therewith. _ Aii erroneous impression prevails as to the Supplementary Agreement with Russia, and in view of this I have the honour to request your Lordship's permission to, at once, communicate the substance of it to the Tsung-li Yamen. 133 No. 169. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 8.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 8, 1899. PRITCHARD-MORGAN'S Szechuan Mining Contract. I have received information from Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking that mining rights for six districts in Szechuan have been obtained by the French Consul. Mr. Hay, Pritchard-Morgan's partner at Peking, protests that the terms on which these rights have been obtained are opposed to the provisions of Pritchard-Morgan's Szechuan Mining Contract. At an interview with the Tsung-li Yarnen to-day, I mentioned the matter to the Ministers, but they disclaimed any knowledge of such a grant. They said, however, that any grant that had been made to the French Consul must have emanated from the Szechuan Mining Bureau, as the negotiations were being carried on at the pro- vincial capital. One of the members of the said bureau had also acted as sub- Commissioner in the negotiation of Morgan's Mining Contract. The Ministers informed me that this man was now at the provincial capital, and it would naturally be to his interest to protect his own rights and those of Mr. Pritchard-Morgan. No. 170. Mr. Bax'Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 9.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 9, 1899. FLEMING murder. Your Lordship's telegram of the 5th May. I have now demanded from the Chinese Government the dismissal of the Governor of Kueichou, as the latter has failed to arrest the headman within the extra month allowed for his capture. No. 171. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 9, 1899. RUSSIAN railway to Peking : Your telegram of 8th June. Your suggestion as to communicating substance of Anglo-Russian Supplementary Agreement to Yamen is approved. Inform Russian Minister of your intention. No. 172. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 12.) My Lord, Peking, April 19, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose, for your Lordship's information, an extract from the last Amoy Intelligence Report (March quarter, 1899), describing the progress of the local traffic under the Inland Navigation Rules. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 172. Extract from Amoy Intelligence Report for March Quarter, 1899. Inland Navigation.— The traffic inland has already assumed considerable pro- portions. Five steamers began running in July, and during the first six months some 200,000 passengers were carried. There are at present fifteen steamers plying — nine being British, five Chinese, and one Japanese. The points to which they run are Choupei, Anhai, and Tungan. Choupei, or Shihma, is about three hours' run from Amoy, and three or four steamers run thither every day. It is connected with Changchow, a town of some 60,(300 inhabitants, by a broad swift river much encumbered by sand, up which boats cati only go at flood tide. Anhai is about four hours' run from this port, and some 16 miles by land from ChinchSn, a town with an estimated population of 200,000. Five to six steamers run daily to Anhai, and the traffic between it and Amoy is so considerable that on one occasion there were 1,000 people en route, and an equal number who were unable to get a passage. It is proposed to build a railway between Anhai and Chinchen, Avhich, jf constructed, would be of the utmost service in developing trade. Anhai and Choupei are bpth reached by skirting the coast. Tungan is situated on an estuary of the sea, about two hours by steamer from Amoy, and two or three launches run thither daily. The fate to Tungan is 10 cents, and to Choupei and Anhai 20 cents, which is about the same as charged by native junks, but the steamers, of course, offer the advantage of greater rapidity. The steamers now plyirtg are 30 to 50 tons, and have a carrying capacity varying from 80 to 200 passengers. Besides carrying passengers they also tow passenger junks, and in this way one steamer is able to convey 400 people. At this rate, I am told the traffic would yield a handsome return. The vessels at present running are not very suitable, and I am informed a British Company is going to order steamers in England specially adapted to the traffic, with a capacity to carry 400 to 500 passengers. There has been some little friction with an English Company as to the number of passengers to be carried, the present Customs Regulations being based oh the Hong Kong Ordinance which allows seven square feet for every passenger. The Inland Navigation Rules do not appear to make any provision for such cases as this, and it is, to say the least, doubtful whether the Customs have the power to withdraw a steamer's licence for failing to comply with the rule, as they have threatened to do. It is clear a British Consul has no authority or control over his nationals for breach of the Regulation, and overloading might take place with impunity, unless perhaps the owners and master, in cases where the steamers go along the coast, could be brought under the section of the Act which makes sending 3 ship to sea in an unseaworthy condition a criminal offence. Owing to the delay of the Chinese authorities in appointing an officer to super- intend the collection of duty, no cargo except opium has hitherto been carried, although there appears to be a elear right to carry cargo which cannot be taken away by the dilatoriness of the local authorities. An officer has recently been appointed, but the arrangements and regulations are still incomplete. There are, therefore, no data Upon which to calculate the effect inland navigation is likely to have upon the general trade of the district, but it is pretty safe to predict thai by offering greater facilities of travel and thus promoting intercourse between different parts of the country it will give commercial development a considerable impetus. No. 173. Mr. Base-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received Jane 12.) My feki- Peking, April U, 1899. WITH reference to Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 9th December, 1898, on the subject of Mi'. Pritchard-Morgan's Agreement for mines in Szechuan, I had the honour to report by telegraph on the 20th instant that the final Agreement had been ratified by Imperial Decree* On the 22nd instant, I received an official despatch from the Tsung-li Yamen con- firming their verbal statement to the above effect, I inclose a translation of this despatch, and a printed copy of the English version of the Agreement sent to me by Mr Hay, the agent of Mr. Pritchard-Morgan, on the 20th March. Your Lordship will observe that the final Agreement is made by the Hua Yi Company established by the Szechuan Mining Bureau and the Hui Tung Company. This Hui Tung Company takes the place of the Pritchard-Morgan Company of the preliminary Agreement. The Agreement is worded so as to avoid any appearance of a m6nopoly. 1 have reason to believe that the form of the final Agreement was adopted at the wish of the Tsung-li Yamem l 135 I have mentioned tlxis Agreement at several interviews with the Ministers during the past month with a view of facilitating its ratification. The Ministers have more than once assured me that there would be np difficulty as to its sanction. They mentioned at the interview which I had with them oh the 2Qth instant that the French Minister had formally protested against the grant of any monopoly, but that they had replied that the terms of the Agreement involved np monopoly of any kind. I have, &c, (Signed) H. O. BAX-IBONSIDE, Inclosure 1 in No. 173. The Tsung-li Yamen to Mr. Bax-Jronside. (Translation.) Sir, Peking, April 22, 1899. WITH, regard to the Agreement made between the Hua Yi Company (to invite the co-operation of merchants and arrange for opening mines in the Province of Szechuan) and the Hui Tung Company, we have the honour to inform you that the Yamen has approved the terms of the Contract. On the 14th April, the Yam3n memorialized the Throne and received the same day the Imperial Rescript. " Let it he as proposed." We have the honour to reverently transcribe the words of the Imperial Rescript for your Excellency's information. We have, &c. (Seal of Yamen.) Inclosure 2 in No, 173. Regulations for the Working of Mines in Szechuan, under Chinese and Foreign Direction, by the Hua Yi Company, established for the purpose by the Szechuan Mining Bureau and the Hui Tung Company acting in co-operation. 1. THE Szechuan Mining Bureau establishes the Hua Yi Company, by whom an Agreement is drawn up with the Hui Tung Company that the work is to be done by Chinese and foreigners conjointly to their mutual benefit. Profits are tp be divided proportionately, so as to avoid trouble and disputes. ' Both Companies shall obey all the Regulations mentioned in the Agreement and the existing Rules memorialized and adopted by the head office. 2. The Hua Yi Company is to subscribe a sum of 1,000,000 taels for the purchase of land. This must be Chinese and not foreign money. This Company is to buy and own all mining lands and carry out all negotiations. The Hui Tung Company have no interest in the prices of land, whether dear or cheap, nor with the amount of capital spent or reserved. When the Hua Yi Company h'tjg bought the land and obtained the right to open mines, the same is Jo be handed over to the Hui Tung Company for working. In the Hui Tung Company there are foreign merchants ; they are not to be allowed to buy mining property from any other Chinese, sp as to avoid all complications. 3. The Hui Tung Cqmpany, with a Chinese Managing Director and a foreign Assistant Director, is to prepare a working capital of 10,000,000 taels, to be formed first of 50 per cent, Chinese shares and next 50 per cent, of foreign shares. Shareholders of all nationalities are allowed to take shares out of the 50 per cent, allotted to foreigners. There can be no monopoly for any one country. Now Mr. Morgan, an English merchant, has taken shares, and undertakes to assist in carryin 01 out the work. Shareholders of all other nationalities who should hereafter take shares will be supplied with share certificates, paid dividends, and refunded capital according to the number of shares they take. Should any other country also start a Company on the same lines, with both Chinese and foreign shareholders^ the min.es of 136 the one Company will have to be kept distinct from those of the other. Different" Prefectures and districts will be granted to each Company to work in, and their proceedings should be regularly reported to the head office, but the Rules and Regula-, tions of this Agreement must, however, be complied with by all to prevent any unfairness. Any Company composed of foreign shareholders only and no Chinese shareholders shall not be allowed to work any mines. 4. The Hui Tung Company is to send out mining engineers to find out what mines are worth opening. This Company is then to consult with the Hua Yi Company to make maps and insert explanations, and submit the same to the Mining Bureau of Szechuan. If these mines are not already being worked by officials, gentry, or merchants, and if they are not injurious to the place, land is to be at once bought ; such land is only to be enough for the shafts and the necessary buildings. If the lands belong to the people, the lease or purchase shall be made by the Hua Yi Company by arrangement with the owners for a reasonable price. It can also be taken as a subscription of capital, and a proportionate value of shares granted to the owner. If it be public property, such as a monastery, temple, &c, the owners have the option of leasing it, renting it, or subscribing it as capital. The Hui Tung Company must wait till land is properly purchased before starting work, and no compulsory purchase or seizure of the land will be allowed. 5. After each mining property is bought by the Hua Yi Company, it is to be handed over to the Hui Tung Company for working. From the mines worked by the Hui Tung Company, such as coal, iron, petroleum, &c, the Hua Yi Company is allowed to collect rent at the rate of 5 per cent, on the value of the output, no matter whether such mines make money or not. To reckon the producing capacity and the prices of products, whether dear or cheap, the rent is to be paid on the real price at which the Hui Tung Company sells the products. The value must not be under estimated, and any undue advantage gained. With regard to gold sand obtained from gold mines, a rent of 5 per cent, wijl be charged on the pure gold obtained after the gold sand has been thoroughly washed, but not on the sand before it has been washed. 6. Of the mines worked by the Hui Tung Company, such as coal, iron, petroleum, &c, there shall be paid to the Chinese Government, as producer's tax, 5 per cent, on the value of the output of the mines. Export duty shall be paid according to the existing Eules now in force. The Szechuan Mining Bureau shall authorize the Hua Yi Company to collect the producer's tax and to compare the same with the rent, and thus there will be no difference or shortage. No officer shall be deputed for this purpose, so as to save unnecessary expense. The export duty is to be collected by the custom- house, and after the export duty is paid, no inland li-kin dues will be required. As regards the taxes to be charged on precious metals of all kinds, they are to be decided by the Board of Revenue. 7. The Hui Tung Company is to send engineers to find out all the mines that are to be opened and to consult with the Hua Yi Company, which submits the same for the approval of the Mining Bureau. Should a mine be found in a Government hill, the opening of which will not be injurious to the place, permission will be granted to open it. The ordinary land tax on such land would, however, be too small a sum for the Company to pay the Government for its use. In the case of Government land, therefore, the 5 per cent, rent and the 5 per cent, producer's tax are to be collected at the same time, and both paid to the Chinese Government ; but 10 per cent, of the rent is to be reserved to pay the expenses of the Mining Bureau and the Hua Yi Company. The Hui Tung Company is to pay the export duty. 8. The area of Szechuan is very extensive, and all sorts of mines exist. Chinese who work on their own property are only required to obtain the necessary permission, pay the necessary taxes, according to the Rules in force, and they are in no way restrained. But if foreign merchants undertake to work the mines, their operations must be limited in some way or other. They must confine themselves to certain intendancies, prefectures, or districts, and not take the whole province as their sphere of work. Now work must be started in the interior first, and at the boundaries afterwards. The Hui Tung Company sball then send engineers to find out first where are mines to be opened and what mines they are : if the same be in districts apportioned to savages, the Hui Tung Company must wait till, they find out whether the advantage will be greater than the injury, and devise other means to open them. The Hui Tung Company in such event cannot compel the Hua Yi Company to buy the land quickly and hand it over for working. Any possible cause of disturbance must be avoided. 9. When prospecting for mines, if any boring or sinking of shafts be necessary to examine mineral deposits, an arrangement should first be made by the Hua Yi Company 137 with the land-owner for the Hui Tung Company to compensate him according to market prices for any crops, &c, injured. After the mines are opened, should there be any damage to life or buildings caused by land-slips or subsidence in the mines, the Hui Tung Company shall make charitable compensation. If after mines are opened cemeteries or mortuary shrines are met with, some plan must be devised to avoid them if the owners do not like to remove them for money given ; no excavation will be allowed. In excavating, as long as the galleries dug below the ground are not injurious to the soil above, rascals are not to be allowed to obstruct the work on the grounds that it is injurious to " Feng Shui." Local authorities must be applied to for protection. The Hui Tung Company is not, however, allowed to claim compensation on these grounds in case it cannot succeed. 10. Whenever it may be necessary to make roads, build bridges, open or deepen rivers, erect sheds, make tools, or other necessaries for mining purposes, and land is required for such purposes, the Hua Yi Company is to buy the land and the Hui Tung Company to pay for it. If water power is required for machinery, and enormous work is done on it, no other person is allowed to make use of it. If branch railways have to be constructed in order to connect the mines with the usual trade routes, a thorough survey must be made of the proposed lines and maps drawn with explanations attached. These must be submitted to the Mining Bureau, which will forward them to the Szechuan Viceroy and head office at Peking for record and sanction. Nothing of the kind should be undertaken without such sanction. If telegraphs and telephones are wanted for connecting the various mines, the same are to be submitted to the Mining Bureau for approval. 11. The Hua Yi Company is to deal with all matters of negotiation, and the collection of rent and taxes ; the Hui Tung Company to superintend and work all mines. Each has its own sphere of work, but each Company may inquire into the others affairs. A Chinese Manager and a foreign Manager should be appointed for each mining work, whose salaries shall be paid by the Hui Tung Company. The majority of the overseers should be Chinese, and all the miners natives of the province. All are to receive adequate wages, and further Rules must be made on this subject by the Hua Yi and Hui Tung Companies. Later on, the Mining Bureau should instruct the Company to select for important positions any Chinese who may have become proficient in mining engineering. They are to be treated the same as foreigners, to encourage improvement. 12. On opening the mines, the Hui Tung Company shall establish a School of Mining and Railway Engineering in some locality convenient to the mines, and there shall be selected twenty or thirty promising youths by the local officials and gentry to study in this school, under foreign instructors, and be thus prepared for future employ- ment on railways and in mines. 13. At places where mines are opened, the Mining Bureau should apply to the local authorities for protection. Such mines should also obey their rules, and enrol volunteers to guard against thieves, &c. If the natives should enrol themselves as volunteers of their own accord to protect the localities, the Hui Tung Company should also subscribe towards their expenses. 14. The Mining Bureau, acting as intermediary between the superiors and subordinates, is to attend to all negotiations between natives and foreigners and matters of protection. The work involved, as well as the expenses, will be great. The Hui Tung Company should therefore start work within three months after the signing of this Agreement, and pay the Mining Bureau the sum of 100 taels per month for its working expenses for each mine, reckoning from the day when work is started. There will be no other charges besides this. If work be not started after six months this Agreement is considered cancelled, and the Hua Yi Company will be at liberty to invite other merchants to take up the work. It will be no concern of the Hui Tung Company. 15. The Hui Tung Company shall work all the mines according to the existing Rules adopted by the head office. After paying the producer's tax and the export duty, if there should be a profit by the annual accounts, there shall first be paid (J per cent, interest on the capital employed, next 10 per cent, of the remainder of the profit shall be set aside as a sinking fund for the yearly repayment of capital and consequent reduction of interest, payments to sinking fund ceasing when the invested capital is wholly repaid, and from the remaining net profit 25 per cent, shall be paid to the Chinese Government, and the remainder shall go to the Hui Tung Company for its own disposition. 16. The Hui Tung Company is to open not one mine, but a large number. The accounts and profits of each mine must be kept distinct from the others ; the gains of [1049] T 138 one mine should not- be made to offset the losses of anqther, and sq cause the Government income to suffer reduction. }7. At the end of every year, the Hui Tung Company sha]} make up distjnqt accounts of the different mines, whether profitable or not, and the same must he audited by the foreign and Chinese Managers, and when found correct, a printed account of profit and loss shall be rendered by each mine to the Mining Bureau for approval. A general account of profit and loss for all the mines shall then be prepared and submitted to the head office at Peking, the Board of Revenue, and the "Viceroy qf Szechuan for audit. Payments due to the government shall be remitted at the same ihne. The report shall show the real amount of money due to the Government in order to avoid all discrepancies in the accounts. The Chinese Government and the Hu,a Ti Company are not to be held responsible in case of loss. 13- The Hui Tung Company is tq have control of all the mines opened by them for a period of fifty years, reckoning from the date on which eacj} mine is opened, on expiration of which term all the mines, whether profitable or not, shall, with all plant, machinery ? materials, buildings, roads, and all property acquired by {he capital of the mines, be handed oyer gratis to the Chinese, Government without asking for compensa- tion, anfi in due time the Mining Bureau of Szechuan shall report to the head office at Peking, and the Viceroy of Szechuan shall send Deputies to take delivery pf the same. The land rented by the JJua Yj. Company shall be hapdpd b,ack tQ £he orjgjnal owners. 19. The Hui Tung Company being formed of Chinese and foreign shares shall, at its own choice, sell and buy its shares according to the fluctuation of the market raf;es. If the Hua Yi Company, or any Chinese gentry or merchants, shall, within ttie said term of. fifty years, acquire threp-fourths of all the shares in tjie Hui Tung Company, tlie mines may then be taken over from the Hui Tung Company, and t/he Mining Bureau shall report upon the samp and direct fhe' said shareholders (merchants) to take charge of the niines. 20. Should any mines opened on land bought by the Hua Yi Company, and hapded over to the Hui Tung Company, be stopped on account of no profits being made, and the rent cease to bp paid, then the JJua Yi Company has the option of adopting other means to open such mines, or use thp land for any other business. This, of course, is to prevent the rnpney spent on the Jand from being wasted, and, con- sequently, has ppthipg po do wit.h the Hui Tung Company. ' 21. If the Hui Tung Company sends out pngineers who discover certain mine? in certain places, and report the same to be rich, but cannot guarantee the same, and it is excepdingly difficult to purchase the necessary land for working such mines, the fjui Tung Company should in such cases pay the purchase-inpney for the land to the Sua Yi Company, who shall have |he said lan4 purchased and handed over fpr working. This will prevent the purchase-money being wastpd. If a mine is discovered in the land purchased, the price paid for the land will be repaid to the HuJ. Tung Company by deducting the rent of 5 per cent, until the whole purchase-money is paid off, when the Hua Yi Company shall again collect the rent of 5 per cent, as usual. Should there be no mine in the land purchased, no rept shall be payable fo the Hua Yi Company, and the Hui Tung Company, being unable to recover the purchase-money, shall not deduct the same, with interest, from any other mine. This is agreed fo by both parties, and' a further guarantee will be given at thp time. 22. A1J machinery, materials, and supplies needed for the mines opened by the Hui Tung Company shall, on importation, be subject to the Rules in force for the Kaiping and other Mining Companies, and pay one full duty and one-half duty fo the Maritime Customs, and shall be exempt from all inland M-kin dues. 23. These mines being under the sovpreignty of China, should Chipa ever be at war with another country, the said Company shall obey the orders pf the Chinese Govern- ment, and grant no aid to the enemy. 24 The Hua Yi Company and the Hui Tung Company shall obey all Rules and Regulations adopted and memorialized by the head office, even if the same be not stipulated_in this Agreempnt. ide out both in Ching, of the Hua T ,, , ; , i and Chinese Assistant Director Liu Hsio Shun, of the Hui Tung Company, and to be sealed by the seal of the Mining Bureau of Szechuan One copy each of this Agreement is to be sept to the Mining ana Railway Board at Peking, the Tsung-li Yamen, the Board of Revenue, the Viceroy of Szechuan, and the Treasurer of Szechuan, for reference. Of the remaining three copies, 139 the Szechuan Mining Bureau, the Hua Yi Company, and the Hui Tung Company are to keep one each as proof. If there be any mistakes in the translation, the Chinese text shall hold good. Signed this day of , 1899. No. 174. Mr. Bax-tronside to the Marquess of Salisbury, — (Received June 12.) My Lord, Peking, April 24, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that on the 15th instant I received a letter from Messrs Jardine, Matheson, and Co., requesting me to apply to the Chinese Government for permission for Sheng Ta-j6n, the Director-General of Southern Railways, to arrange with them for the construction of a railway from Hangchow to Kuangsin, in Kiangsi. On the 17th instant I addressed the Tsung-li Yamen in support of Messrs, Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s request, and on the 23rd instant received a reply to the effect that the question of any farther extensions must await the completion of" the railways now in hand. I inclose copies of the correspondence. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE* Inclosure 1 in No. 174. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to Mr. Bav-Ironside. Sir, Tientsin, April 15, 1899. IN confirmation of the writer's verbal communication of yesterday, we have the honour to inform you that, under date of the 7th instant, our Shanghae office writes as follows :— " Soochow-Hangchow Line : Extension to Kuangsin (Kiangsi). " Inclosed, we hand you copy of a preliminary Agreement for this proposed exten- sion of our Soochow-Hangchow line, which we have recently placed in Sbeng's hands, but which he hesitates to sign without instructions from the Tsung-li Yamen. " This proposed extension is through one of the most highly productive parts of the Empire, and the American-China Development Company have, we understand, applied for a branch to run from the Hankow-Canton line from a point south of Changsha, in Hunan, direct east to Kuangsin. "If these projects be carried out, they will provide a route from Shanghae via Soochow, Hangchow, and Kuangsin, to the Hankow-Canton line, and thus south to Canton itself. " Our main object in wishing to now enter into a preliminary Agreement for this extension is to prevent interference from others, as we have good reason to believe that there are several parties who have designs on this particular route, and who are now actively engaged in examining the districts through which this line would pass. " We shall feel obliged if you will take an early opportunity of placing this pre- liminary Contract in Mr. Bax-Ironside's hands, and ask him to be good enough to lay the matter before the Tsung-li Yainfen." The above, iri conjunction" with the copy of the proposed preliminary Agreement, and letter to Sherig Ta-jen, &c, will place you au courant of the position, and we have only to ask the favour of your kind offices in the direction indicated. We have, &c. (Signed) JARDINE, MATHESON, and Co. (Per Ed. Cousins,} [1049] T2 140 " ; Inclosure 2 in No. 174. Mr. Bax'Ironside to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, April 17, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform your Highness and your Excellencies that I have received a letter from Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., to the following effect: — " On the 15th October, 1898, we signed, with Sheng Ta-jen, Director-General of Southern Railways, a preliminary Contract for the railway from Soochow to Hangchow. This Contract adopted as a basis a previous Agreement, signed by us and Sheng Ta-jen on the 13th May, 1898, for the Shanghae-lSangking line. The 22nd clause of the latter Agreement provides for desired extensions of the lines. We now find that it would be greatly to the advantage of trade and business to construct a branch line from Hangchow to Kwangsin ; and we are requesting Sh&ng Ta-j£n to enter into a preliminary Contract for this purpose. Sheng Ta-jen has informed us that he does not feel at liberty to sign such a Contract without the permission of the Tsung-li Yamen. "We beg your Excellency to apply to the Tsung-li Yam£n for the necessary permission." I have the honour to recommend this application to the favourable consideration, and to beg that you will authorize Sheng Ta-jen to enter into the desired Contract with Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., for a railway from Hangchow to Kwangsin. I avail, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 3 in No. 174. The Tsung-li Yamen to Mr. Sax-Ironside, (Translation.) Sir, Peking, April 23, 1899. ON the 17th April we had the honour to receive your despatch applying, on behalf of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., for permission to be given to Sheng Ta-jen to enter into a Contract with them for a railway from Hangchow to Kuangsin. We find that the 22nd clause of the Agreement for the Shanghae-Nangking Railway reads : " If hereafter branch lines in connection with the railway lines specified in this Agreement are to be built, the Syndicate will have the first claim to a Contract on the same terms as those of this Agreement ; but the General Railway Administration in conjunction with the provincial Government must, before any definite arrangement to this effect is made, memorialize and receive the sanction of the Throne." Again, on the 13th December, 1898, the Tsung-li Yamen, in conjunction with the General Board of Mines and Railways, memorialized the Throne, submitting a general plan as regards the construction of railways, and the order in which they should be built in accordance with their degree of urgency. In this Memorial they requested that the speedy and satisfactory completion of all the lines at present in hand should be awaited, and that the question of their gradual extension should then be considered. They suggested that, from the time of the Memorial forward, setting aside the lines which had already been decided upon with foreign countries, no application made by any merchant to construct a branch line should be granted for the present. The Imperial consent was given to this proposal, and on the 20th December a despatch was sent to Sir C. MacDonald to this effect. The question of the advisability of building a line from Hangchow to Kuangsin must await the gradual completion of all the lines at present in hand. When the general railway Administration has then, in conjunction with the provincial Government, memorialized and received the sanction of the Throne, the matter may be arranged. It is not advisable to enter into any premature negotiations at the present time We have the honour to inform your Excellency accordingly, and to request you to notify Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. ^ We have, &c, (Seal of Yamen,) ^-^.v.^ r 141 No. 175. Mr. Bax-Ironsidc to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 12.) M 7 L <>rd, Peking, April 25, 1899. _ ON the 12th instant I received a telegram from Her Majesty's Consul at Hankow, stating that the question had arisen as to whether the Viceroy's Proclamation for- bidding the sale of land along the line of the proposed railway from Peking to Hankow was binding on foreigners who had acquired a good title to land in the latter place previous to the issue of the Proclamation. Mr. Warren added that the French Consul, M. Dautrenter, had asked his opinion, and he had replied that he did not consider that the Proclamation affected foreigners who had previously acquired a good title. 1 replied to the effect that Mr. Warren's opinion seemed a correct one, provided that the purchasers had Treaty rights to buy Jand in the locality, but I requested a written report from him in order to enable me to form a decided opinion. On the 22nd instant I received a despatch from Mr. Warren, copy of which I have the honour to inclose. This despatch, confirming the telegram sent on the previous day, points out that most of the land in question is claimed by French subjects, and it appears that the Chinese authorities dispute their titles on the ground that the deeds on which they claim are antedated, and were actually made out after the issue of the Viceroy's Proclamation. In view of the large number of Railway Concessions which have been granted by the Imperial Chinese Government in various parts of the Empire, the question as to the ownership of land along the lines is likely to become of importance at no far distant date. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 175. Consul Warren to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Hankow, April 13, 1899. I YESTERDAY telegraphed to you with reference to certain land in the vicinity of the proposed line of railway from Hankow to Peking which is claimed by foreigners, who are demanding considerable sums for expropriation. On the 11th instant M. Dautremer, Consul for Prance, called at this Consulate and asked my opinion as to the effect of the Proclamation issued by the Viceroy some two years ago, prohibiting the sale or transfer of land in the immediate neighbourhood of the proposed line of railway. I told M. Dautremer that, in my opinion, foreigners could not acquire a legal title to land in that neighbourhood subsequent to the issue of the Viceroy's Proclamation, but that the Proclamation did not affect titles previously acquired. Most Gf the land in question is claimed by French subjects, and I under- stand that the Chinese authorities dispute their titles on the ground that the deeds on which they claim are antedated, and were actually made out after the issue of the Viceroy's Proclamation. I have, &c. (Signed) PELHAM L. WARRENJ No. 176. Mr. Bax*lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 12.) My Lord, Peking, April 27, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose translation of a Memorial to the Throne, presented by the Tsung-li Yamen on the 15th March last. This Memorial lays down rules for official intercourse between the Bishops and priests of the Roman Catholic Missions in China and the local Chinese authorities. Such intercourse has, of course, existed in past years, but the present formal 142 recognition of the status of Bishops and priests and of their right to treat officially and on terms of equality with the Chinese officials of corresponding rank, is likely to' add greatly to their influence in Chinese affairs. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. B AX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 176. Memorial by Tsung-li Yamen as to Official intercourse between Chinese Local Authorities and Roman Catholic Missionaries, March 15, 1899. (Translation.) CHINA has long ago given her consent to the establishment of Mission stations of the Roman- Catholic religion in the various provinces, With the desire of maintaining peaceful relations between ordinary Chinese subjects and the converts, and of facilitating protective measures, the following proposals as to the reception of missionaries by local officials are submitted : — 1. To define the various ranks of missionaries. Bishops rank with Governors-General and Governors. They Mfiy ask for interviews with these officers. If a Bishop returns to his country or vacates his post ori account of sickness, the priest who acts f Or him can also ask for interviews with the Governor- General and Governor. Ffotocaires and Head Priests c'stn ask for interviews with Treasurers, Judges, arid Taotais. Other priests can ask for interviews with Prefects and Magistrates. The Chinese officials of all ranks above mentioned will return the courtesy in accordance with the rank of the priest. 2. Bishops must furnish the provincial authorities with a list giving the names of the priests deputed to transact international business with the Chinese officials, and of the places where missions are established, so that the provincial authorities can instruct their subordinates to treat with such priests according to these regulations. All those priests who ask for interviews, and those specially deputed to transact such business, must be Westerners, but in cases in which the "Western Priest cannot speak Chinese, a Chinese priest may interpret. 3. In cases in which the Bishop lives away from the provincial capital, he need not naturally go to the said capital to ask for an interview with the Governor-General or Governor without cause. On occasions of a change of Governors of Bishops, of of New Year's congratulations, the Bishop may write to the provincial authorities or send his card as a matter of courtesy, and the provincial authorities will reciprocate. In cases of change of priests, the newcomer must have a lettef from the Bishopi before he can ask for interviews with the Chinese officials as above. 4. In grave cases connected with the mission, Bishops and priests must request the Minister of the nation specially intrusted by the Pope with the protection of Roman Catholic missionaries or the Consul of that nation to arrange the affairs with the Tsung-li Yamen or the local officials. They may also discuss and arrange the matter in the first instance with the local officials, so as to avoid complications. The local officials, when applied to in such cases, must at once discuss and arrange the affair in an equitable and friendly manner. 5. The local officials must, as occasion arises, exhort and constrain the ordinary Chinese to look upon the converts as comrades, and not to pick quarrels with them. The Bishops and priests on their side must instruct their converts to lead blameless lives, and so preserve the good name of the religion and the respect and goodwill of the non-converts. Should lawsuits arise between converts and others, the local authorities must decide the same With impartiality. The priests must not interfere or favour then- people. Thus it may be hoped that converts and people will live together on friendly terms. The same day the Imperial assent was given, i 148 No. 177. Mr. Baxrfrqnside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 12.) My Lord, Peking, 4pril 29, }.899. REFERRING to my despatch, of the 15th April, I have the honour to inclose copies of two further letters received from M. de Giers on the subject of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s lots jn the. Russian Cpncession at Hankow, and of the replies I returned tp them. The sentence in M. de Giers' letter of the 23rd April to the effect that he was sending certain instructions to M. Vahovitch, the Russian Consul at Hankow, appeared to me to foreshadow immediate action, and I accordingly asked frim whether I could rely on the quiescence of the Russian authorities at Hankow until your Lordship was in a position t.o examine the correspondence. The substance of his reply, and of my objections to it, was tejegraphed fo your Lordship on the 26th instant. I Mfl Vf* (k f* (Signed) JL Q. BAX-JRQNSIDE. Inplosurp 1 in No. 177. M. de Giers to Mr. BaX'Jronside. M, le Charge d' Affaires, Pe'kin, le 23 Avril, 1899. POUR faire suite a ma lettre en date du 11 Avril pourant, j'ai 1'honneur de vpus informer que je viens 4e recevoir du Consul de Russie a Hankow dps renseignpments detajlles au sujet tie I'affaire des terrains reclames par la maison Jardine, Matheson, et pie. Je regrette vivement que l'etat de sa sante n'a pas permi a, son Excellence Sir Claude MacDonald d'etudier cette question d'une maniere approfondie de concert avec M. Vahovitch, comme il m'en avait tpntoigne l'lntention, et je suis persuade" qu'un examen scrupuleux 4 e t° us les documents qui y sent relatifs n'aurait pu que lui prouver l'insuffisance des titres produits par MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. a l'appui de leurs 4s*nandps. En faisant part a M. Vahovitch. de l'opinion emise par le Ministre de Sa Majeste' Britannique et de la suggestion faite par lui de s'adresser a un arbitrage, Mr. "Warren n'a cependant produit aucun argument nouveau en favour des reclamations de la maison susmentionne'e. Je ne crois par consequent pas pouvoir modifier mon juge- ment dans cette question et me vois oblige de maintenir la decision dont j'ai deja fait part a la Legation Britannique par ma lettre en date du 16 Mars dernier. L'opinion de Sir Claude MacDonald que les. titres de MM. Jardine et Matheson, tout en n'etant pas absolumcnt reguliers, sont toutefois bons a defaut d'autres titres, meilleurs que les leurs ? ne me semble pas acceptable. En effet, ou bien les titres sont reguliers et Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. ont droit atix terrains qu'ils recbament, ou bien ces litres ne peuvent pas etre consideres comme valables, et la reclamation elle-memp se trouve alors sans fondenient, independamment de l'existence ou de la non-existence d'autres titres stir ces terrains. Co n'est en tout cas pas au Consul de Russie a prouver a MM. Jardine et Matheson qu'un terrain quelconque appartient a, tel ou tel autre proprietaire, mais e'est bien a eux de presenter au Consul des preuves suffisantes de leur droit de propriety sur les terrains reclames par eux. Pour ce qui est du recours a une sentence arbitrale, propose par son Excellence Sir Claude MacDonald, line pareille solution ne me parait pas necessitee par les circon- stances, la jurjxlictipn fonciere dans les limites dp la Concession Russp revpnant de droit a l'autorite Consulaire Russe. Tout ce que je crois possible de faire, e'est de tacher, ainsi que je l'ai promis a Sir Claude MacDonald, de faire conserver a MM. Jardine et Matheson les lots Nos. 299 et 281 qui sont actuellement en leur possession, mais a la condition expresse que cette concession ne puisse pas servir de precedent pour d'autres demandes du meme genre. J'envoie aujourd'hui par telegraphe des instructions en ce sens a M. Vahovitch. Veuillez, &c. (Signe) MICHEL DE GIERS. 144, '~~ -*; (Translation.) M. le Charge d' Affaires, Peking, April 23, 1899. IK continuation of my letter dated the 11th instant, I have the honour to inform you that I have just received from the Russian Consul at Hankow some particulars respecting the question of the lands claimed by the firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Co. I much regret that the state of his health did not permit his Excellency Sir. Claude MacDonald to make a thorough study of this question in concert with M. Vahovitch, as he had given me to understand was his intention, and I am convinced that a minute examination of all the documents relating thereto would have only proved to him the defective character of the titles produced by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. in support of their demands. In communicating to M. Vahovitch the opinion expressed by Her Britannic Majesty's Minister, as well as the latter's suggestion that recourse should be had to arbitration, Mr. Warren has not produced any new argument in favour of the claims of the above- mentioned firm. Consequently, I do not think I can modify my decision in this question, and I find myself compelled to maintain the decision which I have already communicated to the British Legation in my letter of the 16th ultimo. Sir C. MacDonald's opinion that Messrs. Jardine and Matheson's titles, though not absolutely regular, are yet valid in default of other and better titles, does not appear to me to be acceptable. In fact either the titles are in order, and Jardine, Matheson, and Co. have a right to the lands which they claim, or else these titles cannot be considered valid, in which case the claim itself has no foundation independently of the existence or non-existence of other titles to these lands. Anyhow, it is not the Russian Consul's business to prove to Messrs. Jardine and Matheson that a particular lot belongs to this or that other owner, while it certainly is theirs to provide the Consul with sufficient proofs of their right of ownership over the lands claimed by them. As to the question of having recourse to arbitration, proposed by his Excellency Sir Claude MacDonald, such a solution does not seem to me to be required by the circumstances, as the jurisdiction over real property within the limits of the Russian Concession belongs of right to the Russian Consular authority. All I can possibly do is, I think, to try, as I promised Sir C. MacDonald, to preserve for Messrs. Jardine and Matheson the lots Nos. 299 and 281, which are actually in their possession, but on the express condition that this concession should not be used as a precedent for other similar demands. I am sending telegraphic instructions in this sense to M. Vahovitch to-day. I avail, &c. (Signed) MICHEL DE GIERS. Inclosure 2 in No. 177. Mr. Bax-Ironside to M. de Giers. M -kMinistre Peking, April 24>, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's note of yesterday, in which you inform me that you cannot modify the opinion previously expressed by you with regard to the validity of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co *s titles to certain lots in the Russian Concession at Hankow, and that you have issued certain instructions to M. Vahovitch. The contents of the note under acknowledgment will be communicated to Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State by the first opportunity I beg however to remind your Excellency that, in my letter of the 12th April, I expressed a hope that, pending the result of the reference which had been made to Her Majesty s Government nothing would be done by the Russian authorities at Hankow to add to the difficulties of the situation, or to interfere with the rights claimed or exercised by Messrs Jardme Matheson, and Co. I shall be very much ^to^ B S& wU1 klndly mfom mG whether » » ot 1 ™ ** - «* I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE, H5 Inelosure 3 in No. 177. M. de Giers to Mr. Bax-Ironside. M. le Charge d' Affaires, Ptkin, le 23 Avril, 1899. , - J'AI eu l'honneur de recevoir votre lettre en date d'hier par laquelle vous me demandez si vous pouvez avoir 1'assurance que les autorites Busses de Hankow ne prendront aucune mesure relative aux terrains reclames par la maison Jardine, Mathespn, et Cie., avant que vous n'obteniez les instructions que vous avez sollicit^es a ce sujet du Gouvernement de Sa Majeste Britannique. Je me permettrais de vous rappeler a ce propos, M. le Charge d' Affaires, que les reclamations de MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. ont deja ete l'objet de pourparlers entre la Legation Imperiale et celle de Sa Majesty Britannique depuis pres d'un an. Les motifs qui ont amene* le Consulat de Eussie a Hatikow a ne pas reconnaitre la validity des titres de propriete de la maison pr^cit^e ont ete, a plus d'une reprise, communiques a Sir Claude MacDonald. Lors du depart du Ministre de Sa Majeste Britannique pour Hankow, desirant mettre son Excellence dans la possibility de se renseigner pleinement sur tous les arguments sur lesquels etait base le jugement du Consulat et de la Legation de Bussie, j'ai prescrit a M. Vahovitch de se mettre a la disposition de Sir Claude MacDonald et de lui donner toutes les explications qui lui seraient demandees. Je regrette vivement, M. le Charge d' Affaires, que le sejour de Sir C. MacDonald a Hankow n'ait pas abonti au resultat auquel j'esp^rais pouvoir m'attendre, mais je ne me considere plus en droit de retarder davantage l'organisation definitive de la Con- cession et de differer au dela du 15 Mai les dispositions que les autorites Busses de Hankow seraient dans le cas de prendre par rapport aux terrains sur lesquels MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. avaient avance" des reclamations. Je crois devoir aj outer que je n'ai pas manque* d'informer mon Gouvernement de l'etat actuel de la question. Veuillez, &c. (Signe) MICHEL DE GIEBS. (Translation.) M. le Charge d' Affaires, Peking, April 23, 1899. I HAD the honour to receive your letter of yesterday's date, in which you request an assurance that the Russian authorities at Hankow will not take any measure in respect to the lands claimed by the firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Co. before you have received the instructions which you have requested on the subject from Her Britannic Majesty's Government. In connection with this question permit me to remind you that the claims of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. have already formed the subject of negotiations between the Imperial Legation and that of Her Britannic Majesty for nearly a year. The motives for the non-recognition by the "Russian Consulate at Hankow of the validity of the titles of ownership of the firm above referred to have been more than once communicated to Sir C. MacDonald. At the time of the departure of Her Britannic Majesty's Minister for Hankow, wishing 1 to give his Excellency the opportunity of gaining full information as to all the arguments on which the decision of the Russian Consulate and Legation were based, I instructed M. Vahovitch to place himself at Sir C. MacDonald's disposal, and to furnish him with whatever explanations he might want. [ much regret that Sir C. MacDonald's stay at Hankow did not have the result which I hoped for. But I do not consider that I am justified in delaying any longer the definitive organization of the Concession, or to put off beyond the L5th May any measures which the Russian authorities at Hankow might consider desirable in regard to the lands claimed by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. 1 must add that I have not failed to inform my Government of the present state of the question. I avail, &c. ' ~ *• < (Signed) MICHEL DE GIERS; L-J.1 -[1019] ""- : •"-' " " ~ '■"" ; '"' " - - - ■■ " : '• J : - ' • " J -~- U Inclosure 4 in No. 177'. Mr.'Bax-Ironside to M. de Giers.- M v le Ministry Peking, April 26, 1899. I, HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's note of yesterday, in which you inform me that you do not consider yourself justified in' postponing, heyond the 15th May, the action which the Russian authorities at Hankow may he in a position to take with regard to the lots claimed by Messrs. Jardine; Matheson, and Co. I hope your Excellency will agree with me in thinking that it is important at this stage not to obscure the main points of the case. These are that Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claims to the lots are more than thirty years old, and that they are supported by entries in the British Consulate Land Register, by boundary stones, and by the exercise of the usual rights of possession from the date of purchase. No- question as to the validity of these claims appears to have been raised until the Russian Concession was formed. The Russian authorities in charge of that Concession now hold that those claims are, with slight exception, illusory ; Sir Claude MacDonald, supporting the British authorities at Hankow, is of opinion that they are, in the main, yalid. The divergence of views is so strong that I feel no good purpose can be served by further discussion here, and the whole correspondence has accordingly been referred to the consideration of Her Majesty's Government. In addition, Sir C. MacDonald has made personal inquiries at HankOw, the result of which he will communicate to Her Majesty's Government on his arrival in England. Your Excellency has also, as you stated in your letter of yesterday, kept your Government informed. It appears to me, therefore, thai, under the circumstances and in view of the probability that the whole question will form the subject of correspondence between, our two Governments, the fixing of any date such as that stated by your Excellency is to be deprecated. I avail, &c. (Signed) H. O. B AX-IRON SIDE. No. 178. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 12.) My Lord, Berlin, June 6, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that the negotiations between the Shantung Syndicate and the German Government respecting railway and mining operations in the Province : of Shantung have recently been brought to a satisfactory conclusion. The various groups of capitalists have been induced to combine, and thus united and systematic action has been secured. The Imperial Government has obtained for itself a considerable share of the profits of the Syndicate, as a compensation for the expenses, to which it has been put by the construction of the harbour at Kiao-chau and the general costs of administration. The concessions to the Syndicate are as follows : The construction of a railway from Tsintau via Weilisien to Tsinanfu, with a branch line to Poshan. This line must be completed within five years, and the first portion, from Tsintau to Weilisien, in three years' time. The Syndicate are further given the option, until the end of the year 1908, of constructing the lines from Tsinanfu to Ichowfu and from Tsintau to IchowfuJ It is, however, believed that the Syndicate will not avail themselves of the former offer, which has been rendered unnecessary by the line from Tien-tsin to Chinkiang, respecting which a satisfactory Anglo-German Agreement has been concluded The Syndicate are granted the exclusive right of searching for minerals, coal, and petroleum, within a zone of 30 li (9^ miles) along on both sides of the lines of the railway, and of applying for claims there. This right is, however, limited to five years, after which the Government are at liberty to dispose of the claims to private individuals.^ The vessels of the Imperial Navy are to be supplied with coal at pre- ferential prices. r By the Treaty of the 6th March, ]898, the construction and maintenance of railways must be carried out by a German-Chinese Company. Such a Company is now to be formed as a Joint-Stock Company, with the title of « Shantung Eisenbalm 147 Gesellschaft," and with its seat at Berlin. After the Concession has been granted the seat of the Company will be transferred to Tsintau. The capital is to be fixed at 54,000,000 marks, in shares- of 1,000 marks ; and Chinese subjects may also parti- cipate in the purchase of shares, which will be issued to the public at the principal •commercial centres in the Par East. I have, &c 4 (Signed) PRANK C. LASCELLES. No. 179. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 12.) TMy Lord, Berlin, June 10, 1899. THE " Kolnische Zeitung " states that a German firm, Arnhold, Karberg, and •Co., are about to place steamers on the Y ang-tsze, to commence running in October of this year. They are to ply between Shanghae and the German Settlement at Hankow. The Bremen firm of Melchurs and Co, have also given an order for lour steamers, which are to be ready by March next year, and are stated to be intended for regular traffic from Shanghae to Hankow and Ichang. I have, &c. (Signed) FRANK C. LASCELLES. No. 180. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 15.) ^Telegraphic.) Peking, June 15, 1899. FLEMING murder : My telegram of the 9th June. The Tsung-li Yamen continue to maintain that there is no fault to be found with the Governor's conduct of this case ; he is, they state, endeavouring to secure the •capture of the Headman, but to effect this object more time is necessary. The Ministers have returned a refusal to my demand that they should memorialize the 'Throne for the Governor's dismissal, and pressure will be needed to induce them to comply with your Lordship's requirements. I fear that the prospects of the Headman's arrest are very slight, although •renewed orders on this point have been sent to the Governor by the Yamen. No. 181. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 17.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 17, 1899. I AM informed by telegraph from Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow that a riot took place on the 15th instant at Kienning, when property of Mission was burnt. Consul hopes that all foreigners are safe, but two converts were killed. No. 182. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 17.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 17, 1899. I WAS recently asked by French Minister to inquire of your Lordship by telegraph if Her Majesty's Government had any objection to the proposed French extension at Shanghae. On the 20th March, suggestion was made to French Minister by Chairman of Municipal Council, who had come to Peking, that opposition to extensions should be mutually withdrawn. fl049] U 2 148 No. 183. -■■.-■- _r - Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 17.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 17, 1899. CHINESE Government have made Reuter's Telegraphic Agenuy their official mouth-piece. • No. 184. Mr. C. Hardinge to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 19.) My Lord, St. Petersburgh, June 7, 1899. WITH reference to Sir Charles Scott's despatch of the 14th ultimo, I have the honour to report to your Lordship that I inquired to-day of Count Mouravieff whether any decision had' yet been arrived at by the Imperial Government for the settlement of the British claims in connection with the new Russian Concession at Hankow. His Excellency stated in reply that it would be difficult to accept the solution suggested by Sir Claude MacDonald in his telegram of the 9th April, since the Concession was in the hands of the Russian Government, and their views of the case .appeared to be diametrically opposed to those held by Her Majesty's Minister. M. de Giers had understood that Sir Claude MacDonald would prosecute his inquiries at Hankow in conjunction with the British and Russian Consuls, but that, owing to Sir Claude falling ill in Hankow, he had not seen the Russian Consul, and therefore only knew the British, and not the Russian, side of the question. His Excellency added that he intended to send M. de Giers' correspondence on this question to M. Lessar, with instructions to lay it before your Lordship. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES HARDINGE. No. 185. Viscount Gough to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 19.) My Lord, . Btirlin, June 17, 1899. WITH reference to Sir E. Lascelles' despatch of the 6th instant, I have the honour to report that the Shantung Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft therein mentioned was founded here on the 15th instant with a capital of 54,000,000 marks. It is stated that the Company have decided, as Sir E. Lascelles supposed in his despatch, not to avail themselves of the right of constructing the branch railway line from Tsinanfu to Ichowfu or another point on the southern boundary of Shantung. The Chairman of the Board of Control of the new Company is Privy Councillor von Hansemann, the Vice-Chairman Privy Councillor Erentzel. The Committee is composed of Wirklicher Geheimrath Eischer as Chairman, and Chief Engineer Gadertz and Director Erich. Two working managers will live in Tsintau, Messrs. Hildebrandt and Karl Schmidt. I have, &c. (Signed) GOUGH. No. 186. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 20, 1899. ERENCH Settlement at Shanghae. , Your telegram of the 17th June. Please give by telegraph a precise account of the British-owned lots, and also state the exact limits and area of the present French demand. 149 No. 187. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 20, 1S99. I AM informed by the British and Chinese Corporation "that one month's interest on the Northern Railways Loan is outstanding- which must be provided by the 16th July, with a further month's interest, in order that they may meet the first coupon which is due on the 1st August. You should press the Chinese Government officially to make good the balance required in pursuance of the guai-antee given by them. At the same time you may intimate to the Chinese Government that the regard paid by them to our representations in the question of the Northern Railways and other matters, recently the subjects of discussion with them, will greatly affect our attitude in regard to the territory now held by us outside the Conventional extension of Hong Kong. No. 188. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, June 20, 1899. I HAVE had under my consideration the Memorial presented to the Throne by the Tsung-li Yamen on the 15th March last, of which a translation was inclosed in your despatch of the 27th April. It is laid down in clause 4 of the proposals submitted in the Memorial that, in grave cases connected with Roman Catholic Missions, Bishops and Priests must request the Minister of the nation specially intrusted by the Pope with the protection of missionaries, or the Consul of that nation, to arrange the affairs with the Tsung-li Yamen or the local officials. I should wish you to inform the Chinese Government with reference to that clause that, where Bishops and Priests of British nationality are concerned, Her Majesty's Government cannot allow their affairs to be subject to the intervention of" the officials of any Government other than the British Government, unless with the- consent of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Representative in special cases. I am, &c (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 189. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, June 20, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 29th April, inclosing copies of further correspondence with the Russian Minister on the subject of the new Russian Conces- sion at Hankow. I approve the notes which you addressed to M. de Giers on the 24th and 26th April. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 190. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, June 20, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 25th April, inclosing a copy of a despatch from Her Majesty's Consul at Hankow with regard to the sale of land along the line of the railway to be constructed between Hankow and Peking. 350 I concur in Mr. Warren's view that foreigners could not acquire a legal title to such land after the issue of the Viceroy's Proclamation prohibiting sales or transfers, but that the Proclamation does not affect titles previously acquired ; and I approve your having informed him that his opinion seemed to be correct, provided that the purchasers, who acquired titles before the Proclamation was issued, had Treaty rights to buy land in the locality in question. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 191. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received June 23.) Sir, Admiralty, June 21, 1899. WITH reference to former correspondence on the question of the navigation of the Yang-tsze River, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to request you ■will inform the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs that 4he Commander-in-chief on the ' China Station, in a letter dated the 2nd May, reports that " Lieutenant and Commander Watson left the 'Woodcock' at Ichang on the 23rd April, and has gone up in a junk to the first rapid between that place and Chungking to inquire as to the practicability of taking up the 'Woodcock 5 and ' Woodlark ' in the autumn." I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. No. 192. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 24.) ■'(Telegraphic.) Peking, June 24, 1899. WITH reference to your Lordship's telegram of the 20th June, I have received the following telegram from Her Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae : — " Preneh demand has no actual limit. Chinese are just now willing to give land round foreign cemetery at Pasinjow to extent of half a square mile. No survey has as yet been made of locality, and it is impossible to give off-hand exact position or number of British lots." No. 193. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 26.) My Lord, Peking, May 11, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 13th April on the Fleming murder case, I have the honour to report that on the 4th instant. I received a telegram from Mr. Litton from Kuei Tang. Mr. Litton had interviewed the Governor of Kueichow, and had visited Chung-an Chiang, the scene of the murder. He stated that he had ample evidence that the Headman fled to the Province of Hunan in the middle of March, and that the Governor admitted that the Headman was in the neighbourhood of his home •until February. As it was evident that there had been great neglect of duty on the part of the Governor and his subordinates in not effecting the arrest of the Headman, I telegraphed to your Lordship on the 4th instant, suggesting that a limit of time be fixed within which the Governor should be required to have the Headman arrested, and that if the arrest was not made within that period the dismissal of the Governor should be demanded. On the 5th instant your Lordship replied by telegraph approving my suggestion, and on the 9th instant I addressed a letter to the Tsung-li Yamen. in the above sense, giving the period of one month to effect the arrest. I inclose a copy of this letter. I have, &c. i (Signed) • H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. 151 Inclosure in No. 193. Mr. Bax-tronside to the Tsung-li Yamin. MM. les Ministres, • Peking, May 9, 1899. WITH regard to the case of the murder of the missionary Fleming at Ch'iing-an Chiang in Kueichow, Sir Claude MacDonald at repeated interviews impressed upon your Highness and your Excellencies the necessity of this arrest and punishment of the Headman, T'an Tzii Ch'eng, the instigator of the crime, and the most culpable of the criminals. He informed you that the case would not be regarded as settled until this. man had been executed, and that failing his arrest he would have to accuse the Governor of gross neglect of duty. On the 28th January Acting Consul Litton arid the Governor of Kueichow,. Wang, signed a document dealing with the case, one of the conditions of which was that T'an Tzii Ch'eng was to be arrested and punished. Relying on the Governor's promise Mr. Litton left Kuei Yang on the 29th January, and returned to Chungking. T'an Tzu Ch'eng was not captured, and on the. 25th March I wrote to your Highness and your Excellencies that I was again sending Mr. Litton to Kuei Tang to press the Governor to arrest the Headman. < Mr, Litton has now reported by telegraph the result of his visit to Kuei Yang and to Ch'iing-an Chiang. He finds that T'an Tzii Ch'eng was in the neighbourhood of the village till February, and the Governor admits this fact. T'an did not flee far away till March. That is, for four months after the, murder he was near his homeland was not arrested. The conduct of the local officials and the Governor in this case has been most unsatisfactory. The Governor, attempted at first to pass off a false version of the murder, telegraphing to the Yamen that the missionary had been killed by mistake by villagers who were pursuing rebels, and it was only by the strongest pressure on the part of the Consul that he dealt with the case. I have now received the instructions of Her Majesty's Government to inform your Highness and your Excellencies that if the criminal T'an* Tzu Ch'eng be not arrested by the 8th June, I shall demand that the (Governor of. Kueichow be dismissed from his post as a punishment for his neglect of duty. I have the honour to request your Highness and your Excellencies to send instruc- tions in this sense by telegraph to the Governor. (Signed) H. 0; B AX-IRONSIDE. So. 194.. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 26.) My Lord, Peking, May 13, 1899. ON the 2nd August last year Sir Claude MacDonald addressed a note to the Tsung-li Yamen, drawing the attention of the Chinese Government to the lawless condition of Central Ssu-ch'uan, and later, at interviews, he impressed upon the Ministers the necessity of taking energetic steps to arrest the anti-Christian outrages, and to bring the region under proper administrative control. The disturbances, in so far as they concerned foreigners, began with attacks on missionaries and mission stations in June last, the most serious being at Yung Ch'ang Hsien, when a Roman Catholic chapel was looted, two native Christians killed, 10,000 taels of silver stolen, and a French priest seized and held to ransom. The inclosed summary, extracted from Chungking intelligence reports and despatches, will be sufficient to enable your Lordship to follow the course of events. The final result is that the band of brigands, -which formed the nucleus of what almost approached the dimensions of an insurrection, has at last been dispersed, the leaders killed or captured, and the French priest, Pere Fleury, restored to liberty. Hearing that . the French Minister was making heavy demands on the Chinese Government over and above the usual monetary compensation, I made inquiries of the Ministers at an interview on Monday, the 8th instant. Their Excellencies were not very communicative. They said that. M. Eichon had not asked for anything except money, 152 the amount being 1,200,000 taels (150,000/.), according to my information, but that he had made objections to the pardoning of Yii Mau-tzii, the brigand leader. L helve &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 194. Summary of Reports on the Yii Mau-tzii Outbreak. THE inception of the revolt, headed by Yii Mau-tzii, is referred to in Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 3rd August, 189S, to the Foreign Office* In July (according to Mr. Litton's Intelligence Eeport, dated the 30th July, 1898), the outbreak assumed alarming proportions. After the sacking of the Tung Ch'ang Mission, Yii Mau-tzii camped at TaTsu Hsien and his following increased. Uniforms were assumed and magazine rifles were obtained which could have come only from Ch'eng-tu. The great majority of the country people were in favour of Tii, who promised not to molest them. fhe action of the Provincial Government was paralysed by the fact that Father Fleury was still in Yii's hands, and would be killed if a move was made against the brigands. On the other side the Viceroy was informed by M. Haas, the French Consul, that if anything happened to the Father the consequences to China would be disagreeable. The Taotai was in consequence making efforts to secure the release of the prisoners by paying blackmail. On the 1st September, 1898, Mr. Litton reported that Yii Mau-tzii was levying taxes in the district of Ta Tsti Hsien, but that the Provincial Government, which was partly disorganized by the sudden demise of the Viceroy, was doing nothing to quell the outbreak. A new and energetic treasurer, Wang Chih-chun, was expected. A turn for the worse was announced in Mr. Litton's despatch to Sir Claude MacDonald of the 18th September. Father Fleury was still in captivity. Yii's power was increasing, his emissaries were scattered about in places beyond his immediate sphere of influence, and were attempting to stir up Secret Societies, and he had issued a manifesto. A riot took place at Ho Choii, 60 miles north of Chungking, on the 14th September, the American mission hospital being partially looted and a Roman Catholic establishment destroyed by fire. The Provincial Government was acting weakly and unprofitably. Mr. Litton next reported, on the 27th September, that the Taotai Wii, who had been sent from Ch'eng-tu to settle the Fleury case with Yii Mau-tzti had taken flight and bolted. Three more Catholic chapels had been destroyed. Towards the end of September Yii marched with about 2,000 uniformed men and took up a position on the Ch'eng-tu road ; thence he moved east to Tiing-Liang, pillaging and burning the houses of Christians, and levying contributions on the rich. The Viceroy, at the request of the Consuls, was said to have sent 4,000 troops from Ch'eng-tu, Lu-chou, and Ho-chiang to converge on Chungking. Twelve of the rebels, who had been seized at a place only 30 mjles south of the port, were publicly executed with torture in Chungking on tfre 30th September; this seems to have restored confidence, and to have had a deterrent effect on the brigands, who retreated to Ja-tsu. Again, in October (the 14th), Mr. Litton reported that fresh troops were arriving, and were taking up positions along the Ch'6ng-tii road, and the passes north of Chung- king. Further executions had taken place, including that of a man who attempted to raise a riot in Chungking. The Procureur of the French Mission estimated that up to date the total damage done by Yii Mau-tzu was twenty persons killed, the houses of ■6,000 Christians burned and their property stolen, and twelve Missions destroyed. Mr. Litton's Intelligence Eeport of the 1st Eovember announced an alarming extension of the rebellion. Flourishing communities of Christians in four districts were destroyed, and heavy contributions were laid on non-Christians. The continued inac- tivity of the Government troops was chiefly attributable to orders from the Yamen to the effect that the first and foremost consideration was the rescue of Pere Fleury. Negotiations were being carried on by the Chungking Taotai and the Chinese Generals for the Father's release ; a ransom of 100,000 taels was offered, presents were sent to Yii and his mother, and he and his lieutenants were given buttons of the third rank. " A despatch from Mr. Lilton of the 23rd December reported some forward mover ments of troops .consequent on the arrival of the new Viceroy and Treasurer. The, latter ..;- - ■ j. ■ ',. : *-v. : '- [ * £*e «< China. No. I (1199)," p.:C49« ' ; V, ' ,< ' r - '..;'.. -;.aO'J 153 complained that his hands were tied by the Yamen's instructions, which urged him to come to terms with Yii ; 3,000 men had left Ch'eng-tii, under Taotai Wang, for the disturbed districts. An Intelligence Eeport of the 14th February stated that towards the end of December the Provincial Treasurer was at last given permission to fight the rebels. The Treasurer, on arriving in face of Yii Mau-tzu found that the troops who had been stationed there previously were quite untrustworthy, and that the Generals and local officials were all more or less in league with the rebels. However, as soon as it was learnt that the Treasurer meant business, a number of the rebels dispersed. The main band, under Yii Mau-tzii, about 6,000 in number, was then surrounded in Ta Tsu Hsien, after a preliminary encounter in which the rebels lost some 100 men. By the 19th January, a Maxim was brought to bear on Yii's camp, and the rebels fled like rabbits. Yii begged Pere Fleury to save his life, and next day released the Father, who found his way to the Treasurer, after some narrow escapes. Yii then surrendered. Mr. Litton'slast despatch on the subject, dated the 11th March, stated that the flying bands of rebels were being kept perpetually on the move, and that the pacification of the country was progressing satisfactorily. Executions of the minor Chiefs of the insurrection had taken place, but Yii Mau-tzii was apparently to be pardoned, and was merely kept under surveillance. No. 195. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received June 26.) My Lord, Peking, May 15, 1899. I HAVE the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship an interesting report by Mr. Hosie, at present acting as Her Majesty's Consul at Newchwang, on the present position and progress of the Great Eastern Railway across Manchuria. I trust soon to be in a position to supply your Lordship with a map of the whole route. It i s confidently anticipated in Newchwang that the line from Port Arthur to Moukden will be completed by the beginning of November, and that the entire railway across Manchuria from Port Arthur and Vladivostock to Stretensk will be established within four years. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 195. Consul Hosie to Mr. Bax-lronside. ; Sir, Newchwang, May 8, 1899. I HAVE the honour to transmit to you the following information which I have collected since my arrival here regarding the present position and anticipated progress of the Great Eastern Railway across Manchuria from Port Arthur and Vladivostock- to Stretensk. Ta Kuan T'un, a village on the left bank of the Liao River, some 3 miles north by east of this port, was selected in the spring of last year as a suitable place for landing railway material for the southern section of the main trunk line from Port Arthur to K'uan Ch'eng Tsu, 80 miles west by north of Kirin, and steamers from Japan, the United States, and Russia, by way of Port Arthur, have been , pouring in sleepers, rails, cement, locomotives, and other railway plant till the whole place is littered with them. Up to the bth instant the Russian engineers were for the most part dependent on ponies for hauling the laden trolleys along the line, which has been completed between Ta Kuan T'un and Ta Shih Ch'iao, situated some 17 miles to the east of the port and on the trunk line. On the afternoon of that date, however, the first American locomotive made a trial trip from Ta Kuan T'un towards Ta Shih Ch'iao; but, owing to the greasy nature of the water employed and slight defects incident to a trial trip, she made only a few miles, and after considerable delay came back under her own steam. It is expected that this [1049J X 154 locomotive— a small one — will ultimately develop a speed of 35 miles an hour. The rails on this branch line are laid on sleepers sometimes only about 18 inches apart and raised not more than a foot above the flat plain. There are altogether twenty-nine American locomotives here, and I am informed that they are being put togther at the rate of one every five days. The fact that cuttings some 8 feet deep through granite and basalt are being made over the low hills in the south of the Liao Tung Peninsula may account for the selection of this place for the landing of the railway material instead of Port Arthur. From Ta Shih Ch'iao northwards to the left bank of the stream which flows west along- the south wall of Hai Ch'eng the line is completed, an embankment 5 to 6 feet high having been built against flooding during the rains. A temporary wooden bridge is being thrown across the stream at Hai Ch'eng. The line is also being pushed southwards from Ta Shih Ch'iao towards Kai Chou, but I am not yet in possession of information how much has been built in that direction. From the right bank of the stream at Hai Ch'eng the line will run west of that city, the site for the station being 2 li north-west of the town, and then northwards to Liao Yang, passing through An Shan Chan, where a bridge 164 feet long is now being constructed. The embankment has been built between Hai Ch'eng and Liao Yang r and the rails will belaid in a few days. The line passes to the west of Liao Yang,., and a temporary bridge is now being built across the T'ai-tzu., which flows west under the northern wall of that city. The station will be 1 li to the north-west of the town. From Liao Yang it was originally planned that the line should run north < by east to within 30 li of Moukden, when it would take a semi-circular sweep west of the city to avoid the Fu-ling or Imperial tombs, but negotiations are now proceeding to run it direct northwards outside the west wall. Piles had already been driven for the bridge across the Hun-ho in accordance with the original plan. From Moukden northwards it will pass the cities of T'ieh Ling and K'ai Yuan to the northern end of the southern section of the trunk line at Ch'ang Ch'un Fu or K'uan Ch'eng-tzu. I am told that the country between K'uan Ch'eng-tzii and Kirin has been surveyed, but that sanction to connect these two cities by rail has- not yet been obtained. I come now to the northern section between K'uan Ch'eng-tzii and Stretensk. 20 li south of the Sungari, and in a direct line between Hulan and A-Shih-ho, a Russian town called Ha-erh-pin or Ha-mo has sprung up round what was originally a solitary Chinese house. In the spring of 1898 some Russian officials ascended the Sungari and appeared there, and they were quickly followed by railway material,., and their numbers were augmented by this route, but principally from Vladivostock by way of Hun-ch'un and Kirin, and I am assured by a missionary who visited the place during the present year that it had then a population of about 2,000 Russians, mostly connected with the railway. He also told me that the town is to be removed to the south bank of the Sungari later. Ha-erh-pin is the point of junction of the Port Arthur and Vladivostock lines, but I shall refer to the latter hereafter. The line has been built and is in full working order between the Sungari and Ha-erh-pin, and the embankment from the latter now being constructed in a south-westerlv direction follows the winter road to K'uan Ch'eng-tzu, passing 25 li to the west of" Shuang Ch'eng T'ing. From Ha-erh-pin north-east to Hulan, Tsitsihar, and Stretensk. two serious difficulties have to be overcome. The first is the bridging of the Sungari, which, owing to its extended breadth in summer, wilt require a bridge some 2,800 feet in length. The second is the passage of the Hsing-an ranoe, which' will necessitate in many places cuttings 80 feet deep and of considerable length, but no tunnelling. With regard to the eastern section, from the south bank of the Sungari to Vladivostock, I have already said that it joins the Port Arthur-Stretensk trunk line at Ha-erh-pin, whence it goes south by east, passing to the east of A-Shih-ho. In March last the line was completed from the Sungari to 100 li east by south of A-Shih-ho, a total distance of about 80 miles, and was being pushed on east by south to Yi-mien-p'o, which is 100 li due south of Ma-yi-ho. From that point it will pass 40 li north of Ninguta, and, after skirting the northern base of a mountain range running east and west, turn south by east to the frontier at San-eh'a k'ou,. cross it to Poltafskaya, and join the Khabarovsk-Vladivostock line. The line from Ya-mien-p £ o to the north of Ninguta will be exceedingly difficult of construction, for the intervening country consists of a mass of mountain ranges, having no defined- system or trend. I have as yet no information how far the line has been constructed, east by north of San-ch'a k'ou. 155 It is confidently anticipated here that the line from Port Arthur to Moukden will be completed in the end of October or the beginning of November, and that the entire connection with Stretensk will be established wilhin four years. T hope soon to be able to furnish a map of the whole route. I have, &c. (Signed) ALEX. HOSIE. No. 196. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 26.) (Extract.) Peking, May 15, 1899. I HAD the honour to receive a telegram from your Lordship on the 28th ultimo, informing me that the prospectus issued by the Belgian Syndicate for the Peking- Hankow Railway Loan states that the Syndicate have a preferential right to the Hankow-Canton line in the event of the Contract with the American Syndicate not being finally arranged. Your Lordship also inquired whether the Chinese Government had ever com- municated the text of the Peking-Hankow Agreement in accordance with an under- taking which they had previously given us. At an interview which had already been arranged for the following day with the Tsung-li Yamen, I took the opportunity to inquire whether the statement issued in the Belgian prospectus was a correct one. The Ministers had no knowledge of any such arrangement. I pointed out that, according to published reports, the American Syndicate had a preferential right to the Peking-Hankow line if negotiations with the Belgian Syndicate fell through. The Ministers expressed themselves equally ignorant of this arrangement. On the following day I sent two members of the staff to carefully compare our copy of the Chinese text with the original one in the possession of the Tsung-li Yamen, with the result that the comparison showed no material difference. The Secretaries of the Yamen stated that they had no copy of the French text which is the standard in case of dispute. On the 6th instant I addressed an official note to the Tsung-li Yamen requesting to be informed whether such an arrangement as stated in the prospectus had been made, and their Excellencies replied in the negative. Copy of my note, together with the reply thereto, are herewith inclosed. Inclosure 1 in No. 196. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Tsung-li Yamen. IMM. les Ministres, Peking, May 6, 1899. ON the 29th April I called at the Yam£n and referred to the Agreement made on the 26th June last year with the Belgian Syndicate for the Peking-Hankow Railway. I mentioned that in the prospectus issued by the Belgian Syndicate it was stated that China had promised that if the American Agreement for the Hankow- - Canton line fell through, the Belgian Syndicate would be intrusted with the construc- tion of that line. Your Excellencies informed me that there was no such stipulation in the Agree- ment of twenty-nine Articles, or the Supplementary Agreement often Articles made with the Belgian Syndicate for the Peking-Hankow line. I have heard, however, that the promise referred to was given subsequently to the settlement of the aforesaid Agreements, and I have the honour to request your Highness and your Excellencies to inform me whether such an Agreement has been «made. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. [1049] X 2 156 Inclosure 2 in No. 196. The Tsung-li Yamen to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Translation.) Sir, Peking, May 10,. 1899. ON the 6th instant we received your letter to the effect that in the prospectus- issued by the Belgian Syndicate it is stated that China has promised that in the event of the abandonment of the American Contract for the Hankow-Canton Railway the Belgian Syndicate will be intrusted with the construction of that line. You added that you had heard that this promise was given subsequently to the settle- ment of the Belgian Agreement, and you inquired whether such an arrangement had been made. We have the honour to inform you that neither the Belgian Agreement in twenty -nine clauses nor the Supplementary Agreement in ten clauses contains any such stipulation, and that there has been no subsequent arrangement of any kind. We have, &c. (Cards of their Excellencies the Ministers inclosed.) No. 197. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 26.) My Lord, Peking, May 15, 1899. WITH reference to the question of the extension of the General Foreign- Settlement at Shanghae, Sir Claude MacDonald, in his despatch of the 9th January last, narrated the steps taken by him to prevent the grant of an extension to the French Settlement which would have included certain British-owned property. T e Chinese Government refused the French demands. The negotiations between some of the Treaty Power Consuls and the Taotai of Shanghae for an extension of the General Foreign Settlement then proceeded. The Taotai raised many objections to the Consuls' proposals. On the 16th March the French Minister addressed a letter to the doyen of the Diplomatic Body, Peking, copy of which I have the honour to inclose, protesting against the proposed extension on the ground that it included land assigned by an. arrangement made in 1896 by the foreign Representatives in Peking, to an extension of the French Settlement. On the 17th March your Lordship telegraphed that the French Ambassador in London had made a similar statement to your Lordship.* It happened that at this time Mr. Fearon, Chairman of the Municipal Council of the General Foreign Settlement of Shanghae, was in Peking with a view of explaining matters in connection with the extension, and he was able to state the exact wishes of the Muncipal Body in this respect. Her Majesty's Consul-Ueneral at Shanghae was also referred to by telegraph. In Legation telegram of the 22nd March it was reported to your Lordship that the land demanded did not include any ground asked for by the French in 1896, and that the French Minister had no desire under these circumstances to oppose the extension. It was then arranged that an identic note should be sent to the Tsung-li Yamen by the British, American, and German Ministers, to ur.°-e the Chinese Government to instruct the Governor-General of Nanking to o- ra nt the extension asked for by the Consuls. I inclose copy of this note. On the 13th April the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen informed me verbalh that they had written to the Governor-General of Nanking in accordance with the request conveyed in the identic note. Negotiations subsequently proceeded at Shangnae. Upon receipt of your Lordship's telegram of the 5th May, inquiring as to the state of affairs, I referred to Mr. Brenan by telegraph, and was able to report to your Lordship in my telegrams of the 7th and 9th May, that the extension requested by the Consuls had been granled by the Governor-General, with the exception of that portion situated in the Pao Shan district. * See No. 45. 157 On the 11th May I telegraphed, in answer to your Lordship's inquiries as to the land in the Pao Shan district, that the Governor-General had refused to include it in the extension on account of the presence therein of the Shanghae Railway Station of the Shanghae-Woosung line. I added that it would have been advan- tageous to have had this land, both on sanitary grounds and in order to break through an arbitrarily imposed limit, but that the Consuls had not pledged them- selves to accept the present offer as a final settlement. On the 12th May your Lordship telegraphed that the extension given might be accepted, but that no pledge should be given as to refraining from demanding further extension in future in any direction. I have instructed Her Majesty's Consul-General in this sense. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IEONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 197. Sir C. MacDonald to the Tsung-li YamSn. MM. les Ministres, Peking, March 22, 1899. YOUE Highness and your Excellencies are aware that negotiations have lately been held at Shanghae between the Consuls-General for Great Britain, the United States, and Germany, and the Taotai, as to an extension of the area of the General Foreign Settlement at that port. I now hear from Her Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae that the Taotai has expressed himself willing to agree to an extension, but wishes to include therein certain land at Pa Hsien Jao. This land has not been asked for and is not required by the General Foreign Settlement. The extension now requested is moderate in area and is urgently required for! the accommodation of the largely increased population of the Settlement. The request of the Consuls is approved by the Eepresentatives of all the Treaty Powers, and I earnestly beg your Highness and your Excellencies to telegraph to the Governor-General of Nanking to instruct his Delegate to arrange the matter at once in accordance with the Consul- General's proposals. I avail, &c. (Signed) CLAUDE M. MacDONALD. Inclosure 2 in No. 197. M. Pichon to M. de Cologan. M. le Ministre et cher Doyen, Pe'kin, le 16 Mars, 1899. EN presence des pourparlers qui se poursuivent a Shang-Hal pour l'extension de la Concession Internationale, je crois devoir me referer aux decisions prises en 1896 par le Corps Diplomatique relativement a cette question. Ces resolutions portaient, comme en temoignent les proces-verbaux des reunions tenues sous la presidence de M. le Colonel Denby, les 16 Mars et 16 Novembre de l'annee precitee, que les demandes de la Colonie Frangaise et de la Municipalite Inter- nationale seraient presentees ensemble au Tsnng-ii Yamen et que les Ministres des differentes Puissances se reserveraient de les soutenir, soit individuellement, soit en corps. Les desiderata de la Colonie avaient, d'autre part, ete formulas dans une lettre de M. Gerard adressee au Ministre des Etats-Unis dAmerique, doyen du Corps Diplomatique, qui a bien voulu les soumettre au Tsung-li Yamen le 15 Mars, 1896, dans rare c£peche qui figure aux archives du decanat. Je joins a la presente lettre une copie de celle de M Gerard, qui figure egalement aux dites archives. Je m'appuie sur ces documents, comme sur les deliberations auxquelles ils se rapportent, pour declarer pue je ne pourrais, daDs l'etat actuel, donner mon approbation a une extension de la Concession Internationale qui aurait une direction difterente de celle qui lui a ete assignee il y a trois ans. Je ne pourrais, en particulier, donner mon assentiment a un arrangement qui comprendrait dans la future Concession Internationale l'aggrandissement reserve a la Concession Francaise par la de'peche envoyee au Tsung-li 158 Yamen au nom de tous les Representants des Puissances accreditees a Pekin. Vous m'obligerez, M. le Ministre et cher doyen, en fai3ant connattre cette declaration a MM. les Ministres du Corps Diplomatique. Veuillez, &c. (SignS) S. PICHON. (Translation.) M. le Ministre et cher Doyen, Peking, March 16, 1899. IN view of the negotiations taking place at Shanghae for the extension of the International Concession, I think it ray duty to refer to the decisions come to in 1896 by the Corps Diplomatique with regard to this question. These resolutions, as shown by the records of the meetings held under the presidency of Colonel Denby, on the 16th March and on the 16th November of the above-mentioned year, were to the effect that the demands of the French Colony and of the International Municipality should be presented together to the Tsung-li Tamen, and that the Ministers of the different Powers should reserve to themselves the right to support them either individually or in concert. The requirements of the Colony had, on the other hand, been formulated in a letter from M. Gerard to the United States' Minister, doyen of the Diplomatic Body, who was good enough to submit them to the Tsung-li Yamen on the 15th March, 1896, in a despatch whicb will be found in the doyen's archives. I inclose in this letter a copy of M. Gerard's letter, which will also be found in the archives referred to. I rely on these documents, as also on the deliberations to which they refer, in declaring that in the present state of the case I could not give my approval to an extension of the International Concession, which would have a different direction to that which was assigned to it three years ago. I could not, in particular, give my assent to an arrangement which would include in the future international extension the addition reserved for the French Concession by the despatch addressed to the Tsung-li Yamen in the name of all the Eepresentatives of the Powers accredited at Peking. I shall be obliged if you will make known this declaration to the Ministers of the Diplomatic Body. I avail, &c. (Signed) S. PICHON. No. 198. Consul Bourne to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 26.) My Lord, Shanghae, May 19, 1899. I YESTERDAY received a telegram from Her Majesty's Charge" d' Affaires at Peking instructing me to forward to your Lordship copy of a despatch I addressed to him on the 9th instant in regard to the extension of the cosmopolitan Settlement at this port. I have now the honour to inclose copy of that despatch with its inclosure, and also of a subsequent despatch addressed to Her Majesty's Charg6 d' Affaires on the 16th instant on the same subject. I have, &c. (For Consul- General, absent on short leave), (Signed) F. S. A. BOURNE. Inclosure 1 in No. 198. Acting Consul- General Brenan to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir ' t riATri? *u u , , Shanghae, May 9, 1899. 1 , AVE J, Ur t0 report that the negotiations for the extension of the cosmopolitan Settlement, which have occupied me and my American and German colleagues for the last few months, have come to a fairly satisfactory conclusion. With the disappearance of Tsai Taotai from the scene all difficulty seems to have been removed. His successor arrived here with instructions to meet our wishes- and at oar first meeting with him he agreed to give the extension asked for with the 159 exception of such portion as fell within the adjoining district of Paoshan. The reason given by the Viceroy for excluding every portion of the Paoshan district from the area under the control of the foreign Municipal Council does not seem very cogent ; it is that the railway station is situated therein, and that it is undesirable to give foreigners any pretext for interfering with the administration of the railway. A corner of the Paoshan district runs as a wedge into the thickly-populated part of the suburbs of Shanghae, and it would have been a great gain if we could have obtained control over that quarter ; but after weighing all the chances, it was deemed the wiser course to accept at once what was offered to us. The prospects of being successful in avoiding the Viceroy's objections seemed too shadowy to justify us in continuing negotiations, which had already been unreasonably protracted. As the necessity for securing municipal control of the Shanghae suburbs lying in the Poashan district forces itself upon the foreign community, a further attempt to extend our Settlement in that direction can be made. The Agreement with the Chinese authorities regarding the extension takes the form of a Proclamation issued to the Chinese population, and of a despatch addressed to the Treaty Consuls inclosing a copy of that Proclamation. 1 have the honour to inclose a copy of these documents. The next step now is to get the extension accepted by the ratepayers ; and as this extension is practically an alteration in the Land Regulations, it will have to be accepted first by the Consular Body, and then by the foreign Representatives in Peking; after which the new territory will come under the operation of the existing Land Regulations. In order to enable you to understand what is the extent of the territory added, I proceed to delineate it on the map of Shanghae, of which you have a copy. At the top of the map from the plague station in a straight line to the point where the present boundary meets the Paoshan boundary-line; following the Paoshan boundary to the end of the small creek where the Paoshan boundary-line turns north ; from this point the Soochow Creek, which will form the boundary as far as the feather-cleaning factory ; then to tiie R in Jessfield Road ; on to the foreign cemetery and along the great western road, taking in only the portion painted green. I shall send a correct plan of the new Settlement as soon as it has been prepared by the Municipal Council. I have, &c. (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. Inclosure 2 in No. 198. Li Taotai to Acting ConsuUGeneral Brenan. gjj Shanghae, May 8, 1899. I HAVE had the honour, in conjunction with his Excellency the Viceroy's two deputies, Messrs. Eerguson and Yu, to be instructed by his Excellency to carry out the extension of the Settlement. His Excellency having now approved the boundaries suggested for this extension, and having directed me to proceed with its completion, I have issued a Proclamation on this subject, copy of which I now have the honour to inclose. I beg further to inform you that I have called upon the Shanghae District Magis- trate to loin with Messrs. Eerguson and Yii in co-operating with the Municipal Council, in preparing a map in accordance with the extension of the General Settlement, which has been determined on, and in erecting the necessary boundary stones. ....... In bringing this to your notice I am, at the same time, communicating similarly with the Consuls of the other Powers here represented. (Seal of Li Taotai.) Taotai s Proclamation determining the Extension of the General Settlement. 1. Preamble detailing previous Extension of the Settlement (not translated). 2. Present Extension. Whereas, on the 2nd March, the late Taotai, Tsai, received a despatch from the senior Consul of that date, namely, Dr. Stuebel, His Imperial German Majesty's 160 Consul-General, requesting an extension of the Settlement, and at the same time was notified by his Excellency the Viceroy that the Consul-General for Great Britain, Byron Brenan, Esquire, and the Deputy Consul-General for the United States, had addressed his Excellency, pointing out that, owing to the increase of trade at Shanghae, the Settlement had become quite insufficient in area, and that they therefore requested an extension. They in no way desired to encroach upon the powers of the Chinese authorities, and any Regulations affecting Chinese should be first approved by the local authorities before being put into effect ; while the boundaries of the extension would also be deliberated upon by the local authorities. And whereas Tsai Taotai on receipt of this notification from his Excellency the Viceroy, communicated with the Senior Consul, His Portuguese Majesty's Consul- General Valdez, on this subject of extending the boundaries of the General Settle- ment, but was unable to bring the matter to a conclusion, and received orders to vacate his office. And whereas on my appointment to this office I had the honour to receive his Excellency's instructions to carry out this extension in conjunction with his Excellency's deputies, Messrs. Eerguson and Yu, it has now been my duty, in view of the increase of trade at Shanghae, which has rendered the present area of the Settlement insuffi- cient to negotiate for its extension as a General Settlement ; and I have, therefore, with the assistance of Messrs. Eerguson and Yu, carried out the negotiations satisfac- torily with the Consuls of Powers here represented. It has accordingly been determined that all the Eegulations shall operate in this extension both as originally framed and as subsequently added to ; and that protection shall thus be afforded to all Chinese houses, property, and graves, together with all creeks, and other rights and privileges mentioned in the Eegulations, and which have been already published by the Municipal Council and exhibited at their office and other public places for the information of all. Having directed the District Magistrate of Shanghae to join Messrs. Eerguson and Yu in co-operating with the Municipal Council's representatives for Public Works in preparing a map and erecting the boundary stones of the General Settlement as it has been determined to extend it, and having communicated with all the Consuls of all the Powers here represented : Let all men know by these presents that subsequent to the issue of this Proclamation, the entire area of the General Settlement shall be within municipal control, excepting temples founded by Imperial sanction and sites employed for official purposes by the Chinese Government. With these exceptions the existing Eegulations shall operate, and let all obey this special Proclamation. Four Boundaries of the Extension of the General Settlement. East. — Erom the Zangtzepoo Bridge in the American Settlement to Chou Chia Tsui. West.— Erom the Loongfei Bridge to the village at the Bubbling Well, and from the village by a line drawn to Sinza on the south bank of the Soochow Creek. South.— From Pa Hsien Bridge in the Erench Settlement to the villae-'e at Hip Bubbling Well. 8 North— Erom the fifth boundary stone of the Hankow Settlement to the northern boundary of the Shanghae district (i.e., the boundary between Paoshan and Shanghae districts, a straight line being drawn on this from Chou Chia Tsui. Tnclosure 3 in No. 198. Consul Bourne to Mr. Bax-Ironside. -.al 1 ? A 7 E T ihe ^l n0UT . t0 f pledge the receipt of 7our ' telegrlm Tthe 13th instant. I would beg, m reply, to refer you to Consul-General Brenan's despatch of the 10th May and also to the translations of Mr. Brenan's replies to the V?ceoy at Nanking, and to the Shanghae Taotai, herewith inclosed. 101 You will seo from these that no such pledges as those referred to in your telegram in regard to the possible future limits of the Settlement have been given. I have, &c. (For Consul-G-eneral, absent on leave), (Signed) F, S. A. BOURNE. Inclosure 1 in No. 198. Acting Consul-Genera!, Brennn to the Viceroy. Your Excellency, Shanghae, May 10, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform your Excellency that Li Ta'otai lias brought to a conclusion the negotiations concerning the Settlement extension. On the 8th May T had the honour to receive his despatch, inclosing copy of the Proclamation he has prepared, and I beg to express my thanks to your Excellency for the satisfactory issue to which the negotiations have been brought.' (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. Inclosure 5 in No. 198. Acting Consul-General Brenan to Li Taotai. Sir, Shanghue, May 10, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your despatch of the 8th May regarding the extension of the Settlement, and inclosing copy of your Proclamation on the subject. I beg to express my thanks to you for the satisfactory issue to which these negotiations have been brought. (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. No. 199. Sir Chih Chen Lo Fing huh to the. Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June '26.) My Lord, Chinese Legation, June 24, 1899. WITH reference to the case of the Rev. Mr. Fleming, the missionary who was lately murdered at Tsung Ngan Kiang, in the Province of Quei Chau, I have the honour to state that I have received a telegram from the Tsung-li Yamen informing me that Mr. Bax-Ironside, Her Britannic Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Peking, had presented a demand for the deposition of the Governor of Quei Chau, because of his having failed to arrest and punish a man named Tang Tzse Chen, one of the persons accused of having been concerned as principals in the committal of the murder. With regard to this demand I am instructed by the Yamen to state that, after a searching and minute inquiry into the conduct of the Governor, the Imperial Govern- ment fail to discover any evidence which would justify them in removing him from his post. He does not appear to have been either remiss in the discharge of his duties antecedent to the murder, or lacking in energy in the pursuit of the criminals after it had taken place. Two out of three of the murderers have been apprehended, tried, and condemned to death, and the sentence has been carried into effect, whilst three of the local authorities who were specially reponsible for the safety of the missionary have been divested of rank and office and sent into exile. In view of these proofs of the Governor's activity, and solicitude to bring the murderers to justice, the Yamen hope that his removal will not be insisted on. It is true that Tang Tsze Chen, the third man concerned in the murder, has not yet been apprehended, but he is being diligently searched for in Quei Chau and the adjacent Province of Hunan, and his ultimate capture seems to be certain and only a matter of time, the Imperial Government having given orders not to relax the efforts that are being made for his arrest until they shall have been crowned with success. I have, &c. (Signed) LO FF.NG LUH. '[1049] 162 No. 200. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 27, 1899. FRENCH Settlement at Shanghae. A telegram has been received from French Minister at Peking by French Minister for Foreign Affairs to the effect that an understanding for the extension of the French Settlement has been arrived at by the French Consul- General at Shanghae with the Municipality of the International Concession and the Chinese authorities, and that French Minister had spoken to you on the subject, and that you saw no objection, on the conditions made, to the proposed extension, but that you were awaiting instructions in the matter. Please report. No. 201. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 27, 1899. FRENCH Settlement at Shanghae. We still require information as to number and area of the British lots included in the present French demand, and as to its exact area and locality of extension demanded No. 202. Church Missionary Society to the Marquess of Salisbury .—(Received June '18.) Church Missionary Society, Salisbury Square, London, My Lord Marquess, June 27, 1899. I HAV^E the honour to inform you that we yesterday received from Archdeacon Wolfe (the Secretary of our Conference at Foochow) the following cablegram respecting the Kienning riot : — " Kienning. Urgent strong measures necessary, Conference. — Wolfe." It is evident that our local Conference are deeply impressed with the importance of steps being taken without delay to bring home to the authorities at Kienning the wickedness of the late attack on our Mission station, which nearly resulted in the murder of our missionaries there, and we fear has caused the death of some Chinese Christians. Unfortunately, the news published to-day in the public press under Reuter's name, viz., that placards offering rewards of 1,000 dollars for the heads of missionaries had been posted in Kienning, seems to corroborate the feeling of our missionaries at Foochow that prompt action to check what seems to be a rising danger is imperatively demanded. There has also been a considerable loss to the property both of the Mission station and of the missionaries. On the occasion of the Ku-cheng massacre in 1895 the Society declined to seek compensation for loss of life ; but there seems no reason for abstaining from a demand for compensation for loss of property, should such a claim be deemed by your Lordship to be suitable under the circumstances The Committee have perfect confidence that in the hands of your Lordship the right action will be taken, and we venture to hope at once, such action as will show to the Chinese authorities that attacks of this character cannot be made with impunity and as will conduce to greater protection to the lives and properties of British subiects in the interior of China. J I am, &c. (Signed) D. MARSHALL LANG, Lay Secretary, Church Missionary Society. 163 No. 203. Mr. Bru-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received .June 28.) (•Telegraphic.) Peking, June 28, 1899. FRENCH Consulate destroyed and Chinese Customs burnt by tin miners excited by French Railway Survey at Mongtze in Yunnan. All Europeans safe. No. 204. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received June 28.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 28, 1899. WITH reference to your Lordship's telegram of the 27th June : My telegram of the 17th June contains report on action of Municipal Council, and French demand has been neither granted nor refused by Chinese authorities. French Minister has been informed by me that 1 would refer to your Lordship as to whether there was any objection to proposed extension on the part of Her Majesty's Government. His Excellency, though pressed by me, was unable to give exact size of extension. 1 have telegraphed again to Her Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae respecting area of British-owned lots and exact area and locality of present French demand. . I will also endeavour to obtain further information from the French Secretary of Legation, the Minister being absent from Peking. " : No. 205. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, June 28, 1899. RIOT at Kienning : Your telegram of. the 17th June. A Reuter telegram states that placards have been posted at Kienning offering a reward of 1,000 dollars for heads of missionaries. Have you taken any action to secure payment of indemnity for the property destroyed and punishment of the guilty parties ? No. 206. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury.— {Received June 29.) (Telegraphic.) { ' Peking, June 29, 1899. I SPOKE to the Yamen on the 2 1st instant with reference to your LordshipV telegram of yesterday, and was informed by Ministers that officers had been sent to investigate bpViceroy, with whom Her Majesty's Consul at Foochovv is now negotiating* From his telegrams 1 gather that, satisfactory progress is being made with settlement of ease. He informs me in his last telegram thai 'ladies have all arrived safely at Foochow, that the men are expected there and are safe, and that quiet' prevails in. the district. To-day, 1 have telegraphed again to Consul to ascertain truth as to rumour of placards, and latest state of negotiations with Viceroy. No. 207. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) " Foreign Office, June 29, 1899. MUEDERof Mr. Fleming. . I have been pressed by Chinese Minister to abandon our demand for the dismissal of the Governor of Kuei-chow. I told him it was impossible for us to do so, hut that ["10491 Y 2 161 we'will give the Governor a little time longer for the arrest of the third murderer, two of those implicated having been already apprehended and executed ; but that we shall persist in our demand for his removal unless the third man be found. No. 208. The]British and Chinese Corporation (Limited) to Foreign Office. — (Received June 30.) (Extract.) 3, Lombard Street, June 29, 1899. •%,WE desire to furnish you with the text of a telegram received to-daj from the Corporation's agents in China. From Peking the message runs : — " Are informed semi-officially, owing to action of British Legation, Tsung-li Yamen have stopped dismissal C. W. Kinder in the meantime." No. 209. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received June 30.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, June 30, 1899. WITH reference to your Lordship's telegram of the 27th June, I have received a telegram from Her Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae stating that the extension which the French demand has neither been surveyed nor measured ; it is somewhere under ^ square mile, in his opinion. It includes about three dozen British lots, and the area of these is about 20 acres. Location is south of Race-course and west of Shanghae city. Mr. Brenan adds that exact particulars cannot be ascertained as to British-owned lots without calling on all British owners by public advertisement to locate their lots and claim them. No. 210. Foreign Office to Church Missionary Society. ^Sir, Foreign Office, June 30. 1899. WITH reference to your letter of the 27th instant relative to the late attack on your Mission station at Kien King, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that a telegram has been received from Her Majesty's Charge d' Affaires at Peking, stating that Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow is negotiating a settlement with the Viceroy, and that, from his telegram, Mr. Bax-Ironside gathers that the case is being satisfactorily proceeded with ; that, in his last telegram, Her Majesty's Consul informed him that the ladies of the Mission had arrived safely at Foochow ; that the men were safe, and were expected there also, and that the district was quiet. Mr. Bax-Ironside adds that he has again telegraphed to Her Majesty's Consul to -ascertain the state of the negotiations, and to report on the rumoured posting of placards. The Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen informed Mr. Bax-Ironside on the 21st June that the Viceroy had sent officers to investigate the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) FBANCIS BERTIE. No. 211. Indo-China Steam Navigation Company to the Marquess of Salisbury. (Received July 1.) My] fT™ t* ♦• » i * + tu i^r>i 29) Cornhill > London, June 30, 1899. IN Mr. Bertie's letter of the 13th February we were informed that sufficient time had not elapsed tor the answer of the Chinese Government to vour Lordship's note of the 21st November, 1898, to be received, and that this answer must be awaited We are now at the end of June, and there has been abundant time for a reply but as no further communication has been addressed to us, wc infer either that the note 1G5 remains unanswered or that the answer is altogether of an unsatisfactory nature. I would earnestly beg, therefore, that steps may be taken to compel the immediate attention of the Chinese Government to the settlement of our just and moderate claim. It may appear a small matter to Her Majesty's Government, preoccupied as they are with larger questions, that we are kept out of our money for five years, but this is of much importance to the shareholders of this Company, and still more so to the poor people (or their relatives) who sustained loss and injury by the destruction of ihe "Kow-shing." Mr. Brodrick's answer to a question (which in no way emanated from our Board) in the House of Commons on the 21st April led us to expect confidently that the necessary steps to put an end to Chinese procrastination would at once be taken. I have, &c. (Signed) J. MACANDREW, Chairman. No. 212. Pro-memorid communicated by M. Lessar, July I, 1899. L'ORGANISATION definitive de la Concession Russe a Hankow est jusqu'a ce ^our retardee surtout par les reclamations de la maison Jardine, Matheson, and Co. Ce sujet a ete 1'objet de pourparlers entre la Legation Imperiale a Peltin et celle de •Sa Majesty Britannique depuis pres d'un an. Malheureusent l'etat de sante n'a pari pennis a Sir Claude MacDonald, lors de soi. sejour a Hankow, d'e'tudier, comme il avait exprime l'intention, cette question d'une maniere approfondie de concert avec le Consul de Russie. Un examen de tous les documents qui y sont relatifs n'aurait su que lui prouver I'insuffisance des titres produits par la maison Jardine, Matheson, and Co. a l'appui de leurs demandes. Le point de vue du Gouvernement Imperial a ete expose dans les pieces suivantes : — 1. Le pro-memoria de M. de Giers remis a Sir Claude MacDonald ce 16 Mars, 1899. 2. La lellre du Consul de Russie a son collegue Britannique en date du l er Mars, 1899. 3. La lettre de M. de Giers a M. le Charge d' Affaires Britannique a PeUin en date du 11 (23) Avril, 1899. 4. La lettre de M. de Giers a M. le Charge d'Affaires Britannique a Pekin en date du 13 (25) Avril, 1899. Les details complemenlaires a l'appui de ce point de vue sont contenus dans la notice explicative ci-pres annexee. Vu d'une part que le teleuratnme do Sir Claude MacDonald en date de Hankow le 9 Avril, 1899, adresse a la Legation de Sa Majeste Britannique a Pe"kin, ne eontenait pas de nouvelles donnees a l'appui des reclamations en question, et, d'autre part, vu les pertes occasionnees au commerce Russe par l'etat actuel des choses, M. de Giers dans sa lettre en date du 13 (25) Avril a avise son collegue Britannique qu'il ne se considerait plus en droit de retarder davantage l'organisation de la Concession et de differer au dela du 1 5 Mai les dispositions que les autontes Russes cie Hankow seraient dans le cas de prendre par rapport aux terrains reclames par la maison Jardine, Matheson, and Co. Neanmoins le Gouvernement Imperial, prenant en consideration les relations amicaies entre les deux pays, tient a donner une nouvelle preuve d'impartialite', et, conforme'ment a la promesse faite a son Excellence Sir Charles Scott, a instruit son Charge" dAtfaires a Londres d'entrer en pourparlers au sujet de la question avec le Ministere des Affaires Etrangeres de Sa Majeste Britannique et de sollicker son bienveillant concours a la prompte solution des difficultes actuelles. Le l er Juillet, 1899. (Translation.) THE definitive organization of the Russian Concession at Hankow is still delayed, especially by the claims of the firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Co. This matter has been the subject of negotiations between the Imperial Legation at Peking and that of Her Britannic Majesty for nearly a year. Unfortunately, the state of his health did not permit Sir Claude MacDonald while at Hankow to study this question, as he had expressed his intention of doing in a thorough manner in concert with the Russian Consul. An examination of all the documents referring to it would only have proved to him the insufficiency of the titles produced by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. in support of their demands. 106 ■ The views of the Imperial Government have been set forth in the following: PaPer iVThe pro-memorid. of M. de Giers given ■ to Sir Claude MacDonald on the- l6th 2. The'letter from the Eussian Consul to his British colleague, dated the 1st March; 39 3. The letter from M. de Giers to the British Charge d' Affaires at Peking, dated the llth (23rd) April, 1899. ,,,*«•• f d i •„ a * a 4. The letter from M. de Giers to the British Charge d' Affaires at Peking, dated the 13th (25th) April, 1899. . . . . . The further details in support of these views.are contained m the inclosed explanatory ""Sing that, on the one hand, the telegram from Sir Claude MacDonald dated Hankow, 9th April, 1899, and addressed to Her Britannic Majesty's Legation at Peking did not contain any new data in support of the claims in question, and, on the other hand, seeing- the losses caused to Russian commerce by the present state of things, Mde Giers, m his letter dated the 13th (i5th) April, informed his British colleague that he did not consider that he would be justified in further delaying the organization of the Concession, or in putting off beyond the 15th May the measures which the Eussian authorities at Hankow would have to take with regard to the lots claimed by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, Nevertheless, the Imperial Government, taking into consideration the friendly relations existing between the two countries, is anxious to give a fresh proof of impartiality and, in conformity with the promise made to his Excellency bir Charles- Scott has instructed its Charge d 'Affaires in London to enter into negotiations with regard to the question with Her Britannic Majesty's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and to. solicit its friendly aid for the prompt solution of the present difficulties. July 1, 1899. Inclosure in No. 212. Explanatory Memorandum. Ho. 162. II n'existe dans les registres du Consulat d'Angleterre ni la copie ni l'orisinai des contrats d'acquisition. La terre en question doit se trouver a Tugn- eouan-li-Sia, mais l'emplacement exact de cet endroit est inconnu et les autontes. Chinoises ne peuvent en dormer de renseignements positif's. Ce terrain aurait ete vendu par un Chinnis noinme Min-da-Sin a un Anglais Mr. Herbert Magniac, le 17 Aout,1862 ; il n'v a aucune indication au sujet de son acquisition par la maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. Sur le plan de ces derniers, ce terrain serait limite an nord-est par la proprie'te- McQueen, au sud-ouest par le terrain No. 494, tandis que dans la copie du registre les- frontie.res suivantes sont indiquees : au nord-est la propriete du Chinois Khouan, et au sud-ouest celle d'un autre Chinois Khe. Par contre, dans le contrat d'acquisition de- McQueen ce terrain aurait appartetiu auparavant au Chinois De-Khou-Tan, et serait limitrophe au sud-ouest a la propriete Tai-pin. D'apres la copie de i'enregistrement de la propriete voisine, .No. 494 (Toun-ji 2), le terrain en question appartiendrait non au Chinois Khe, mais aux Chinois Den-go-Tai et Den-au-Khoun. Done les frontieres du terrain No. 162 ne correspondent pas avec celles des proprie"tes voisines, lesquelles appar- tiendraient a des propiietaires differents. En outre,: d'apres la copie d'enregistrement le No. 162 divise en deux lots, aurait une superficie de 113,480 pieds car r6s. Anglais, tandis qu'en reality et d'apres les plans de la maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie., le meme terrain n'aurait que 52,330 pieds carres Anglais. Plan Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. Ojpie d'Enregistrement. i« Lot. 2* Lot. Coie nord 1 60 pieds Anglais. „ Sud .. •• ■• 162 n )) ,. est .. •• •• p!8 >. 51 ouest .. ■• ■• 86/ „ ,, o | > 262 pieds Anglais Ouest / d ' b " 7,455 pieds carres Anglais. 167 • • N ?" ?. 94 " Co f" e rf'enregwtremeut au Consulat d'Angleterre. II ne s'y trouve ni contrat original d acquisition, m copie. [.'emplacement du terrain est iudique a San-dzia-dian, endroit situe, d apres les renseignements founds par le Chef du district de Khanian, a une demi-verste an dela des portes de Toun-zi-mvn, en dehors des murs de la ville et main- tenant emporte par les eaux du Yanzvzian. ties frontieres n'en sont guere indiquees. l,e terrain a ete vendu la deuxiSme annee du Toun-dji par les Chinois Den-go-Tai et Uen.go-K.houn au sujet Anglais Mr. Herbert Magniac. II n'est pas question de 1'acquisi- tion de cette nropne'fe par la maison .lardine, Matheson, et Cie. D'apres la copie do I enregistrement, ce terrain aurait une longueur da 500 pieds Chinois— 587-5 pieds Anglais f U ,nV^ eUr d > e 44 ° P ' eds Chinois — 517 pieds Anglais, c'est-a-dire une snperficie de pres de 30_,o00 pieds cane's Anglais ; en realite, et d'apres les plans He la maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie., i! aurait au nord 280 pieds Anglais; est, 365 pieds Anglais; ouest, o23 p.ecls Anglais; et sud, en ligne brisde, 165 4- 138 = 303-3 pieds Anglais, done une superficie de pres de 122,000 pieds carres avec la route. .. Les deux terrains Nos. 162 et 494, d'apres la copie d'enregistreraent, devraient avoir une superficie de 419,790 pieds carres, tandis que d'apres les plans de MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie., leur superficie n'est que de 174,370 pieds Carre's Anglais, c'est-a-dire trois fois moins que la superficie qu'ils devraient avoir s'ils se trouvaient a I'endroit indique ■ct s'ils etaient limitrophes. MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. alleguent leur longue duree de possession et 1'existence de bornes, lesquelles out e'te placees par eux-memes et rem placees derniere- ment par de nouvelles. No. 301. Le contrat d 'acquisition, non legalise par les autorites Chinoises, n'est •enregistre" qu'au Consulat d'Angleterre. Le terrain se trouve dans un endroit nomme Fyn-zi-li-Sia-gouan Lao-khan. Les autorite's Chinoises ne connaissent pas l'emplace- ment de 1 endroit susnomrne. On peut conclure de renseignements prives que sous ee com etait autrefois connu le terrain le long de la c6te, comprenant une partie de la ville Chinoise, la concession Anglaise et les terres en dehors de cette concession. L'endroit indique par MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. s'appelle a. present Schi-da-dzia. Le terrain mentionne dans le contrat d'acquisition a ete vendu la premiere annee du Toun-dji par le Chinois Khouan, representant la maison Tsa'i-fou-tan, a un Anglais J. Innes. Ce •dernier a vendu ce terrain le 27 Aout, 1863, k Antrobus. On ne sait par quelles mains •cette propriere a passe plus tard, jusqu'au 20 Juillet, 1871, quand les tuteurs de la maison Lindsay et Cie. Pont vendu a la maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. Tant la vente originate de ce terrain par le Chinois Khouan a Mr. Innes que ses passages ulterieurs en differentes mains se sont effectues sans connaissance aucune ou registration de la part des autorites Chinoises. En realite, MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. n'ont jamais possede de terrains dans l'endroit indiqu£ par eux et sur leur plan le terrain y est incorrectement place, ne correspondant guere au contrat d'acquisition, d'apres lequel il aurait em pi ete sur la propriete Stephens, dont la possession indiscutable est basee sur des contrats d'acquisi- tion parfaitement en regie depuis 1885. Sur l'emplacement indique par MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. se trouvent des quantites de maisons Chinoises, qui n'ont jamais paye de fermage a cette Compagnie. Au contrat d'acquisition susmentionnee est annexe un ancien contrat, legalise par les autorites Chinoises, ayant trait a la vente de ce terrain par le Chinois Van-tzin-youn a son compatriote Khouan. ' No. 298. Le contrat d'acquisition n'est pas legalise par les autorites Chinoises. Le terrain se trouve clans le district de Fyn-tzi-li-sia-gouan Lao-khan. 11 a ete vendu la premiere annexe du Toun-dji par le Chinois Khouan-a-san (de la maison Tsai-fou-tan) au «ujet Anglais Innes. Ce dernier l'a revendu le 27 Aout, 1863, a Antrobus. Les ventes ulterieures de ce terrain a de differents proprietaires restent inconnues; le 20 Juillet, 1871, ce lot fut vendu par les tuteurs de la maison Lindsay et Cie. a !a maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. Les deux lots Sos. 301 et 298 se trouvent appartenir au m£me district, non loin Tun de l'autre ; ils sODt incorrectement d^signes sur les plans de la maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie., lesquels n'ont jamais possede et ne possedent pas les endroits indique's. Les Chinois qui s'y sont etablis n'ont jamais paye de fermages et plusieurs d'entr'eux ont leurs contrats d'acquisition legalises par les autorites Chinoises, quoiq-ue de provenance ulteneure. .No. 215. C'est le seul contrat d'acquisition legalise' par les autorites Chinoises et enregistre au Consulat d'Angleterre. La premiere annee du Toun-dji ce terrain a et6 vendu par le Chiiiois Tantzi-gou'i a un Anglais notnme Gordon; ce dernier l'a vendu le 3 Janvier, 1863, a Mr. Innes, qui l'a revendu le 27 Aout de la meme annee a Antrobus; les chan ,r ements ulterieurs de proprietaires restent inconnus jusqu'au 20 Juillet, 1871, ou ce terrain passa des mains des tuteurs de la maison Lindsay et Cie. a la maison Jardine, 168 Matheson, et Cie. Ce terrain est indique comme etant situe derriere le temple Tri-yn-sy, lequel, d'apres les renseignements obtenus et d'autres contrats, se trouvait autrefois sur V emplacement de la fabrique de ihe's de M. Panoff. Jusqu'a present la maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. ne possede pas ce terrain ; des maisons Chinoises ont 6te baties depute et plusieurs propri&aires sont en possession de leurs contrats d'achat dunoent legalises par les autorites Chinoises, quoique de date posterieure, et n'ont jamais paye - de fermage a la maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. II est evident que, si la maison Jardine, Matheson, st Cie. a le droit de posseder des terrains quelque part d'apres leurs contrats d'acquisition, ce ne seraitpas a I'endroit indique' par elle — endroitfort eloigne de l'ancien temple Tri-in-sy . ceci d'autant plus que les lots indiqu^s par MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. sous ks Nos. 298 et 300, se trouvent plus hai.it que le terrain dont il est question, et avec le -30 ] r qui est limitrophe, sont indiques comme appartenant au district de Fyn-tzi-H-sia-gouan- Lao-Khan, No. 300. Ce contrat d'achat n'est pas legalise par les autorites Chinoises et n'est enregistre qu'au Consulat d'Angleterre. Ce terrain a ete vendu par le Chinois Khouan 'de la maison Tsa'i-fou-tan) au sujet Anglais Innes, la premiere annee de Toun-dji, le quatrieme jour de la dixieme lune, et revendu ensuite par ce dernier le 27 Aout, 1863, a Antrobus; le 20 Juillet, 1871, cette propriete fut vendue par les tuteurs de la maison Lindsay et Cie. a. la maison Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. A ce contrat est annexe un ancien contrat d'acquisition, legalise* par les autorites Chinoises, ayant trait a la vente de ce lot par les Chinois Khe-kai-shan et Khe-kai-tchen au Chinois Khouan (de la maison Tsai-fou-tan). Son emplacement est dans le district de Fyn-tzi-li-Sia-gouan-Lao-Khan. Sur les plans de MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. ce lot est incorrectement indique et ne correspond guere aveo les limites et dimensions du contrat d'achat, empietant sur une partie de l'expropriete Price, maihtenant propriete Theodor et Cie., pour laquelle ceux-ci ont des documents legaux, ainsi que sur des proprietes de Chinois ayant egalement leurs contrats en ordre, quoique de date posterieure. Sur le plan la grande route est indiquee comme traversant la propriete, tandis que, d'apres le contrat, la grande route lui sert de. limite septentrionale. En re"alite MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. ri'onfc jamais ete en possession de I'endroit mentionne' et les Chinois qui y habitent ne leur ont jamais paye de fermages. No. 289. Le contrat d'achat n'est guere legalise par les autorites Chinoises et n'est enregistre' qu'au Consulat d'Angleterre. Ce lot se trouve dans le district de Fyn-tzi-li-sia- gouan-Lao-Khan. II fut vendu par le Chinois Khouan-a-San (de Ja maison Tsai-fou-tau) a PAnglais lnnes; ce dernier l'a revendu le 27 Aout, 1863, a Antrobus. Le passage ulterieur de ce terrain entre les mains de Lindsay et Cie. n'est pas enregistre; le 20 Juillet, 1871, la propriete fut vendue par les tuteurs de ces derniers a la maison Jardine, Matheson, ec Cie. A ce contrat est annexe un ancien contrat, aussi non- legalise par les autorites Chinoises, ayant trait a la vente de ce terrain par le Chinois Khe- kai-Shan au Chinois Khouan (de la maison Tsa'i-fou-tan). No. 281. Le contrat d'acquisition n'est pas legalise par les autorites Chinoises et n'est enregistre' qu'au Consulat d'Angleterre. 11 s'agit du temple Gou-tsi-tcha-an et du terrain lui appartenant. Ce temple fut vendu avec le terrain par trente-quatre Chinois a Mr. V. King. Ensuite, d'apres le dessin annexe au contrat, la moitie* sud-ouest fut revendue par King le 16 Avril, 1863, a lnnes, et l'autre moitie nord-est avec le temple a H. Magniac. Innes vendit sa moitie le 27 Aout, 1863, a Antrobus. Puis, le 20 Juillet, 1871, cette moitie fut vendue par les tuteurs de la maison Lindsay et Cie. a MM. Jardiue, Matheson, et Cie. 11 est fort difficile de decider si le terrain dont il est question se trouve en effet appartenir a la propriete Jardine, Matheson, et Cie., pour les deux raisons suivactes: les dimensions et la forme du terrain indique dans le contrat et en possession de MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie., ne correspondent guere a la superficie et aux contours du lot No. '281, dont ces messieurs se disent proprietaires ; le triangle indique au contrat est infiniment plus petit que le carre occup6 par ces derniers. La seconde moitie de ce terrain fut vendue, ensemble avec le temple, a H. Magniac; en realite le terrain de MM. Jardine, Matheson, et Cie. est limitrophe avec celui de Mr. Theodor, dont il n'est separe' que par une etroite ruelle. Theodor l'acheta a Brown, Brown k Price, auquel le terrain fut vendu par le Chinois Min-da-Sin d'apres un contrat legalise par les autorite's Chinoises. 11 n'y a point de contrats ante'rieurs ; le temple de Gou- tsi-tcha-an n'existe plus, et il parait impossible de se rendre compte de son emplacement primitif. (Translation.) No. 162. Neither the copy nor the original of the contract of purchase exists in the registers of the British Consulate. The land in question must be at Tugn-gouan-li Sia, 169 but the exact situation of this place is unknown, and the Chinese authorities cannot give positive information about it. This lot is said to have been sold by a Chinaman named Min-da-Sin to an Englishman, Mr. Herbert Magniac, on the 17th August, 1862 ; there is no indication on the subject of its purchase by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. On the plan of the latter this lot appears to be bounded on the north-east by the McQueen property, on the south-west by lot No. 494, while in the copy of the register the following boundaries are indicated : on the north-east the property of the Chinaman Khouan, and on the south-west that of another Chinaman, Khe. On the other hand, in McQueen's contract of purchase this lot appears to have before belonged to the Chinaman De-Khou-Tan, and to be conterminous on the south-west with the Tai-pin property. According to the copy of the registration of the neighbouring property, No. 494 (Toun-ji 2) the lot in question belongs, not to the Chinaman Khe, but to the Chinamen Den-go-Ta'i and Den-go-Khoun. Therefore, the boundaries of lot No. 162 do not correspond with those of the neighbouring properties, which belong to different owners. Further, according to the copy of the registration, No. Ifi2, divided into two lots, has an area of 113.4S0 English square feet, whereas, in reality, and according to the plans of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., the same lot has "an area of only 52,330 English square feet. Plan of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson. and Co. North side . . South „ . . East „ . . West „ . . 160 English feet. 152 318 367 North South East West Copy of Registration. 1st Lot. i 282 English feet. .'376 2nd Lot. 7,455 English square feet. No. 494. Copy of registration at British Consulate. Neither original contract of purcbase nor copy is to be found there. The situation of the lot is indicated at San- dzia-dian, a place situated, according to the information supplied by the Chief of the district of Khanian, half a verst beyond the gates of Toun-zi-myn, outside the walls of the town and now carried away by the waters of the Yangtzekiang. Its boundaries are hardly indicated. This lot was sold the second year of Toun-dji by the Chinamen Den-go-Tal and Den-go-Khoun to the British subject, Mr. Herbert Magniac. There is no question of the purchase of this property by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. According to the copy of the registration, this lot has a length of 500 Chinese feet — 587-5 English feet and a width of 440 Chinese feet— 517 English feet, that is to say, an area of nearly 302,300 English square feet. In reality, and according to the plans of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., it measures on the north 280 English feet; on the east 365 English feet ; on the west 523 English feet ; on the south, in a broken line 165 + 138 = 303-3 English feet, that is an area of nearly 122,000 square feet with the road. The two lots Nos. 162 and 494, according to the copy of the registration, should have an area of 419,790 square feet, whereas according to the plans of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. their area is only 174,370 English square feet, that is to say, a third of the area which they should have if they were in the place indicated and if they were conterminous. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. ailege their long-standing possession and the existence of boundary marks, which were placed by themselves and lately replaced by new ones. . .... No. 301. The contract of purchase, not legalized by the Chinese authorities, is registered only at the British Consulate. The lot is in a place called Fyn-zi-li-Sia- gouan Lao-khan. The Chinese authorities do not kuow the situation of the above- named place. It appears from private information that under this name was formerly known the strip of land along the bank, taking in a part of the Chinese town, the English concession and the lands outside that concession. The place indicated by Messrs. Jardine Matheson, and Co. is at present called Schi-da-dzia. The lot mentioned in the contract of purchase was sold the first year of Toun-dji by the Chinaman Khouan, representing the firm of Tsaii-fou-tan, to an Englishman, J. Innes. The latter sold this lot on the 27th August, 1863, to Antrobus. It is not known through what hands this Droperty passed later, until the 20th July, 1871, when the trustees of the .firm ot V [104:9] Z 170 , Lindsay and , pp. sold it to the firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Go. Both the original sale oi' this lot by the Chinaman Khouan to Mr. Innes and its subsequent transfers to different hands yyere effected without any knowledge or registration on the part of the Chinese authorities! In reality, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. have never possessed lots in the place indicatpd by them, and on their plan the lot is incorrectly placed, not corresponding with the contract of purchase, according to which it has encroached on the Stephens property, the indisputable possession of which is based on contracts of purchase perfectly in order since 1885. On the site indicated by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. are numbers of Chinese houses, which have never paid rents to this Company. To the above-mentioned contract of purchase is annexed an old con- tract legalized by the Chinese authorities, referring to the sale of this lot by the Chinaman Van-tzin-youn to his compatriot, Khouan. No. 298. The contract of purchase is not legalized by the Chinese authorities. The lot is in the district of Fyn-tzi-li-sia-gouan Lao-khan. It was sold the first year of Toun-dji by the Chinaman fchouan-a-san (of the firm of Tsai-fou-tan) to the British subject, Innes. The latter resold it on the 27th August, i8b3, to Antrobus. The sub- sequent sales of this lot to different owners remain unknown. On the 20th July, 1871, this lot was sold by the trustees of the firm of Lindsay and Co. to the firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Co. The two lots Nos. 301 and 298 belong to the same district, not far from one' another. They are incorrectly designated on the plans of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., who have never possessed and do not possess the places indicated. The Chinese who are established there have never paid rents, and several of them have their contracts of purbhase legalized by the Chinese authorities, although at a later date. No. 2lo. This is the only contract of purchase legalized by the Chinese authorities and registered at the British Consulate. The first year of Toun-dji this land was sold by the Chinaman Tfantzi-goui to an Englishman called Gordon ; the latter sold it on the 3rd January, 1863, to Mr. Innes, who resold it on the 27th August of the same year to Antrobus; the subsequent changes of ownership are unknown, until the 20th July, 1871, "when this land passed from the hands of the trustees of the firm of Lindsay and Co. to the firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Co. The piece of land is described as situated behind the Tri-yn-sy temple, which, according to particulars obtained and other conttacts, was formerly on the site of M. Panoff's tea factory. Until now the firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Co. has not been in possession of this piece of land ; Chinese houses have been built since, and several owners are in possession of their contracts of purchase duly legalized by the Chinese authorities, though on a later date, and have never paid any rent to the firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Co. It is clear that if Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. have the right, according to the terms of their contract of purchase, to own lands somewhere, it would not be at the spot specified by them — a spot very distant from the old Tri-yn-sy temple ; the more so, as the lots specified^ by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. as being Nos. 29S and 300 are situated higher up than the piece of land in question, and are, together with the adjoining No. 301, specified as belonging to the district of Fyn-tzi-li-sia-gouan Lao-khan. No. 300. This contract of purchase is not legalized by the Chinese authorities and is registered at the British Consulate only. This piece of land was sold by the Chinaman Khouan (of the firm of Tsai-fou-tan) to the British subject Innes, the first year of Toun-dji, the 4th day of the 10th moon, and afterwards resold by Innes on the 27th August, 1863, to Antrobus; on the 20th July, 1871, this property was sold by the trustees of the firm of Lindsay and Co. to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. To this contract is annexed a former contract of purchase, legalized by the Chinese authorities, referring to the sale of this lot by the Chimamen Khe-kai-shan and Khe- ka'i-tchen to the Chinaman Khouan (of the firm of Tsai-fou-tan). Its site is in the district of Fyn-tzi-li-sia-gouan Lao-khan. On Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s plans this lot is incorrectly marked and does not correspond with the boundaries and dimensions of the contract of purchase, encroaching on the property formerly belonging to Price, but now to Theodor and Co., for which the latter can show legal documents, as well as on the properties of Chinese whose contracts are also in order, though of a later date. On the plan the high road is put down as crossing the property, whereas, according to the contract, the high road forms its northern boundary. In reality Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. have never been in possession of the above spot and the Chinamen who live there have never paid them rent. No. 289. The contract of purchase is not legalized by the Chinese authorities, and is registered at the British Consulate only. This lot is situated in the district of Fyn-tzi-li« sia-gouan Lao r khan. It was sold by the Chinaman Khouan-a-San (of the firm of 171 Tsai-fou-tan) to the Englishman, Innes; the latter resold it on the 27th August, 1863, to Antrobus. The subsequent transfer of this piece of land into the hands of Liindsay and Co. is not registered; on the 20th July, 1871, the property was sold by the trustees of the latter to the firm of Jardine, Matheson, and Co. To this contract is annexed a former contract, also not legalized by the Chinese authorities, referring to the sale of this piece of land by the Chinaman KhVkai-Shan to the Chinaman Khouan (of the firm of Tsai-fou-tan). No. 281. The contract of purchase is not legalized by the Chines^ authorities, and is r '9^ tere dat the British Consulate only. The lot consists of the Gou-tsi-tcha-an temple + ° tw v v- beion S in g to ifc - This temple was sold with the land by thirty-four Chinamen to Air. V. King. Later on, according to the sketch annexed to the contract, the south- west halt was resold by King on the 1 6th April, 1863, to Innes, and the other north-east naif with the temple to H. Magniac. Innes sold his half on the 27th August, 1863, to Antrobus. Then, on the 20th July, 1871, this half was sold by the trustees of the firm ot Lindsay and Co. to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. It is very difficult to decide ' whether the piece of land in question really does belong to the property of Jardine, Matheson, and Co., for the two following reasons : the dimensions and shape" of the piece ot land indicated in the contract and in possession of Messrs. Jardine/ Matheson, and Co. do not correspond with the area and outline of lot No. 281,' of which these gentlemen claim to be owners ; the triangle indicated in the contract & much smaller than the square occupied by the firm. The second half of the lot was sold, together with the temple, to H. Magniac; in reality the land belonging to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. adjoins that of Mr. Theodor, from which it is only separated by a. narrow lane. Theodor bought it from Brown, Brown from Price, to whom the land was sold by the Chinaman Min-da-Sin according to a contract legalized by the Chinese authorities. There are no previous contracts; the Gou-tsi-tcha-an temple no longer exists, and it would seem impossible to ascertain its original site; No. 213. Mr: Bax- Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 2.) (Telegraphic.) ^ Peking, July 2, 1899. WITH reference to my telegram of the 29th ultimo to your Lordship, the Viceroy was interviewed on the 30th ultimo hy Her Majesty's Consul at Eoochow, and his Excellency stated that 250 soldiers had been sent to Yeng-ping and 500 to Kienning. Deputies and local authorities have been ordered by his Excellency to arrest ring- leaders, and these will be brought for trial to Eoochow, while local authorities will pay compensation for destruction of property. At Kienning placards against missionaries were posted, but no offer of a reward for their heads was contained. Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow is forwarding me copy of placard. Before submitting to your Lordship proposals for suitable reparation, I am awaiting result of investigation. No. 214. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — [Received July 2.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, July 2, 1899. KIENNING riot. Telegram received from Her Majesty's Consul at Eoochow reports that rumours of an inflammatory nature as to extraction of eyes, brains, &c,, by missionaries are current in that city, as in 1891 in the Valley of the Yang-tsze. Viceroy has been urged by him to forbid, by proclamation, such rumours being spread. I am to-day urging Tsung-li Yamen in same sense. [1049| Z2 172 No. 215. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, July 3, 1899. MURDER of Mr. Fleming. Please report whether Mr. Fleming's representatives at Shanghae have received payment of the indemnity. No. 216. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, July 3, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 11th May, reporting what has recently passed on the subject of the murder of Mr. Fleming, and inclosing a copy of the note which you addressed to the Tsung-li Yamen by my instruction with respect to the conduct of the Governor of Kuei-chou. T approve the terms of your note. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 217. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, July 3, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 13th May respecting the recent disturbances in Central Szechuen and the demands which the French Minister is making for compensation for the capture of a French priest and the looting of a Roman Catholic chapel. I approve the action taken by you as reported in your despatch. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 218. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. C. Lo Feng huh. Sir, Foreign Office, July 3, 1899. I HAD the honour to receive your note of the 24th ultimo, expressing the hope of the Tsung-li Yamen that Her Majesty's Government will not insist on the removal of the Governor of Kuei-chou for his conduct in regard to the murder of Mr. Fleming. The reports which have reached Her Majesty's Government show that there was great neglect of duty on the part of the Governor and his subordinates in not effecting the arrest of the Headman T'an Tzu Ch'eng, who was the instigator of the crime and was the chief offender. For four months after the murder this man remained near his home and yet was not captured. The conduct of the local officials and of the Governor has throughout been extremely unsatisfactory. The Governor at first telegraphed a false report on the case and said that the missionary had been murdered by mistake by villagers who were in pursuit of rebels. As two of the criminals have been caught and executed there is no objection on the part of Her Majesty's Government to a short extension of the period previously named by Mr. Bax-Ironside for the apprehension of the Headman ; but, as I informed you on the 28th ultimo, they will maintain their demand for the Governor's dismissal unless the culprit be arrested and punished. I have &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. 173 No. 219. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 7.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, July 7, 1899. FLEMING murder. With reference to telegram of the 3rd instant from your Lordship, I am informed by Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking that indemnity has been paid, and that according to arrangement money has been sent to the Mission at Shanghae. No. 220. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. C. Lo Feng Luh. Sir, Foreign Office, July 7, 1899. WITH reference to the claim of the owners of the " Kow-shing " against the Chinese Government, I have the honour to inquire whether you are now in a position to com- municate the reply of your Government to the proposal that the claim for compensation should be referred to arbitration. I must point out to you that more than sufficient time has elapsed for a due consideration of the proposal by the Tsnng-li Yamen, and that Her Majesty's Govern- ment cannot consent to the indefinite postponement of a settlement. I have, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 221. Foreign Office to Indo-Ohma Steam Navigation Company. Sir, Foreign Office, July 1, 1899. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th ultimo relative to your claim for compensation against the Chinese Government for the loss of the "Kow-shing." I am to state, in reply, that no answer has been received respecting the proposa to refer the claim to arbitration, but that a communication is now being made to Lo Feng Luh again pressing for a reply. I am, &c. (Signed) T. H. SANDERSON. No. 222. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Heceived July 10.) My Lord, Peking, May 18, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith an extract from an Intelligence Report which I have received from Her Majesty's Acting Consul at Wuchow regarding the prospects of a renewal of the rebellion in Kuangsi. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 222. Extract from Wuchow Intelligence Report for Period January 1, to April 30, 1899. Political Summary: Prospects op Renewed Outbreak op Rebellion. THERE are rumours afloat that the rebellion in this province has broken ou again, and that it will this year assume more formidable proportions than last. It is said that the rebels are now well armed, and certainly the large quantities of arms and ammunition that have lately been imported into Wuchow under official sanction will, 174 should they fall into the rebels' hands, materially assist them in their resistance to the authorities. Since the beginning of the year, 3,707 rifles (of various patterns, chiefly Winchester), 368 revolvers, 145,600 cartridges, 6,290 boxes of caps, together with large quantities of sulphur and saltpetre, have been imported by British firms hereon behalf of various \traiu-bands and volunteer associations in the province. The Prefect informs me that these warlike materials are in all cases in safe keeping and strictly guarded. There is no doubt, however, that numbers eventually come into the rebels' possession. Thus, for instance, a robbery of some 500 chests of native opium valued at 70,000 dollars [?] recently occurred on the river just above banning. A force of 400 soldiers were sent up to capture the robbers, but their pay being some months in arrear, they judged it expedient to join forces with the enemy, and are now reported to be "out" some 1,500 strong, in the district around Nanning. (Signed) HARRY H. FOX, Acting Consul. Wuchow, May 1, 1899. No. 223. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 10.) My Lord, Peking, May 19, 1899. WITH reference to Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 15th February last, I have the honour to inclose herewitli an extract from an Intelligence Report which I have received from Her Majesty's Acting Consul at Wuchow with regard. to Nanning and the West River generally. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. i , , Inclosure in No. 223. Extract from Wuchow Intelligence Report for the period from January 1 to April 30, 1899.: Notes on Nanning and West River. — The following notes on Nanning and the Upper West River are Compiled largely from information supplied to me by Captain McRay (7th Bengal Infantry), who has just arrived in Wuchow, having descended the West River from Lungchow, whither he had travelled overland from Hanoi, via Langson. Seven French engineers are now resident at Lungchow, engaged in the con- struction of the railway line from Langson. So far, however, only houses for their accommodation have been built, and work on the line has not yet commenced, as the preliminary arrangements with the Chinese authorities are still under discussion. My informant heard no mention of the proposed continuation to Nanning, and considers it quite unlikely that the line will be built for some time to come. The trade of Lungchow and French Indo-China, never very flourishing, has been seriously affected by the opening of the West River. Goods are now brought down to Wuchow under outward transit pass from the Lungchow district, a distance of some 325 miles, although the distance from Lungchow to Langson (where the railway to Haiphong begins) is not more than 40 miles. The protective duties on the French frontier are maiaiy responsible for the deflection of this trade down the West River, which has the further advantage of the important distributing market of Hong Kong at its mouth. Nanning is situated in a plain, and occupies, with its suburbs, both sides ot the river, which is there about 150 yards wide. The city has a prosperous appearance, and the harbour is crowded with shipping. There seemed to be a general desire among the Chinese to know when the port was to be opened, and whether foreigners would be likely to reside there. (Signed) HARRY* H. FOX, ; Acting Consul. Wuchow, May 1, 1 899. 175 No. 224. Mr. Baoc-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 10.) ^y Lord, Peking, May 20, 1899.. I HA/VE the honour to inclose herewith an extract from an Intelligence Report which I have received from Her Majesty's Acting Consul at Wuchow with regard to the navigability of the West River. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 224. , Extract from Wuchow Intelligence Report for the period from January 1 to April 30, 1899 Navigability of West River. — The West River is navigated by large cargo boats, drawing from 2 to 4 feet, up to Nanning, and by smaller boats as far as Lungchow on the main river, and Pose, an important productive district town 230 miles beyond Nanning up the Pose River. Steamer communication as far as Hsiinchow presents few difficulties for light draught boats. Hstinchow is situated at the junction of the two branches of the West Eiver, tbe northern and longer branch, styled Wukiang — usually marked in maps as the main branch — and the southern, the Yukiang, or Nanning branch, which competent authorities now pronounce to be the West River proper. From Hsiinchow, I am informed, steamers drawing 2| to 3 feet, could proceed without much difficulty, the only serious obstacle being the so-called "10-mile rapid," about 1 50 miles this side of Nanning. This rapid is upwards of 3 miles long^ studded with dangerous rocks, most of which are covered in summer. As, however, heavily-laden cargo boats constantly negotiate it, there would seem to be no reason why a strongly built and powerful steamer should not do the same. (Signed) HARRY H. FOX, Wuchow, May 1, 1899. Acting Vpnsul. No. 225. Mr. Bax- Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 10.) My Lord, Peking, May 24, 1899. I HAVE the honour to forward herewith for your Lordship copy of the Pieliminary Agreement relating to the construction of a railway between Tien-tsin and Chinkiang. The Agreement is made between their Excellencies Hsu and Chang Yi, called the Imperial Directors, duly authorized to act on behalf of the Imperial Government of China, on the one part ; and (a.) The Deutsch-Asiatische Bank ; (6.) The Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation for themselves aqd on behalf of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., as Joint Agents for the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited) on the other part. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-1RQNSIDE. Inclosure in No. 225. Preliminary Agreement. THIS Preliminary Agreement relating to the construction of railways between Tien-tsin and Chinkiang is made between their Excellencies Hsu and Chang, duly authorized to act on behalf of the Imperial Government of China, hereinafter called "the 176 Imperial Directors," of the one part ; and (a) the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank ; (b) the Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation for themselves and on behalf of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., as Joint Agents for the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited), hereinafter called "the Syndicate," of the other part. 1. The Imperial Government of China authorizes the Syndicate to issue an Imperial Government 5 per cent, gold loan for an amount of about 7,400,000?., this amount being subject to modification later after the completion of survey. 2. The loan is designed to provide the capital for the construction of Government railway lines from a point at or near Tien-tsin, through Titchow and Tsinanfu to Thsien near the southern frontier of Shangtung, hereinafter known as the northern part of the Tien-tsin-Chinkiang railway lines, and from Thsien to Kuachao (Chinkiang) on the Yang-tsze Kiang, hereinafter known as the southern part of the Tien-tsin-Chinkiang railway lines, the total length of these lines being about 982 kilom., equal to about 1,800 Chinese li. 3. The capital so provided will include the funds required for rolling stock and other equipment and for working the lines together with interest on the loan during the period of construction, which is estimated to occupy about five years from the date of the loan, but which will finally be fixed after survey. 4. The rate of interest for the loan shall be 5 percent, per annum on the nominal principal and shall be paid during the time to be fixed for the construction out of the proceeds of the loan, and afterwards out of the revenue of the lines named, in half-yearly instalments, according to the amounts and dates of a Schedule which will be attached to the Final Agreement. 5. The term of the loan shall be fifty years. Repayment of principal shall commence in the eleventh year from the date of the loan, and shall be made by a yearly sinking fund in shares to be determined in the Pinal Agreement to the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank, and the Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation in yearly instalments out of the revenue of the lines according to the amounts and dates of the Schedule to be attached to the Final Agreement. 6. In the event of the Imperial Government of China wishing to redeem, after the lapse of thirty years from the date of the loan, the outstanding amount of the loan, or any portion of it not yet due, from funds bond fide belonging to the Chinese Government or subscribed by Chinese merchants, the conditions for such redemption must first be arranged with the Syndicate when the time arrives. 7. The yearly payments due for amortization and the half-yearly payments due for interest, except as otherwise provided in clause 4, shall be made in accordance with the amounts and dates of a Schedule to be attached to the Final Agreement, in shares to be determined by the Final Agreement, out of the joint net revenues of the railway lines to the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank and the Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation by the Boards of Commissioners hereinafter mentioned, who shall hand to those banks, at their branches in Shanghae, twenty-one days before the due date named in the Schedule funds in Shanghae Sycee, sufficient to meet such payment in sterling in Europe, the rate of exchange for which shall be settled with those two banks on the same day on a fair basis. In reimbursement of expenses connected with the service of interest and principal of the loan, the two banks will receive a commission of one-quarter per cent, on the annuaL loan service. 8. The Imperial Government of China hereby engages that the interest and principal of this loan shall duly be paid in full, and should the revenues of the railways not be sufficient to provide for the due and full payment of interest and repayment of principal of this loan, the Imperial Directors must memorialize the Throne, and the Imperial Govern- ment of China will thereupon make arrangements to insure that the amount of deficiency shall be met from other sources and handed over to the banks twenty-one days before the due date of the funds required to complete full payment of interest and repayment of principal. This clause to be open to reconsideration in the Final Agreement. 9. This entire loan shall be secured by a first mortgage on the permanent way rolling stock and entire property together with the revenue of the lines named in clause 2. Kb further loan, charge or mortgage, shall be charged on this security, except with the written consent of the two banks, until the present loan is returned. In the event of default in payment of interest or repayment of principal of this loan on due date the railway lines and property so mortgaged shall be handed over to the Syndicate to be dealt with in such a manner as may be legal and necessary for the full and effective protection of the bond- holders. When the loan is completely redeemed, clause 29 of this Agreement shall take- effect. 177 10. The Syndicate will be authorized to issue to the subscribers to the loan, bonds for the total amount of the loan in pounds sterling in such form, in such languages, and for such amounts as shall appear advisable to the Syndicate, and these bonds shall be sealed in China by the Imperial Directors and in Europe by the Minister for China, in Berlin or London as evidence that the Imperial Government of China is bound thereby as debtor of the loan. Provision will be made in the Final Agreement for the case of bonds lost, stolen, or destroyed. 11. All bonds and coupons and payments made and received in connection with the service of this loan shall be exempt from all Chinese taxes and imports for ever. 12. All details necessary for the prospectus and connected with the service of the interest and repayment of the principal of this loan, not explicitly provided for by the Final Agreement, shall be left to the arrangement of the Syndicate who will be authorized to issue a prospectus of the loan as soon as possible after the signing of the Final Agreement. The Imperial Government of China will instruct the Chinese Ministers in Berlin and London to co-operate with the representatives of the Syndicate in any matters requiring conjoint action, and the Chinese Minister in Berlin will sign the prospectus of the loan as required by the Rules of the Berlin Stock Exchange. 13. The loan shall be floated in one or more series at the discretion of the Syndicate. due regard being had to the interest of China ; but the floating of the loan shall not be delayed more than necessary, subscriptions being invited by the Syndicate in Eui'ope and in China from both European and Chinese on equal conditions. 14. The price of the loan shall be 90 per cent, net on the nominal principal to the Chinese Government. The proceeds of the loan shall be paid to the credit of a Tien-tsin- Chinkiang Imperial Government railway account with the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank, Berlin, and to the credit of a Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Imperial Government railway account with the Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation, London. The payment into the credit of these accounts shall be made in such instalments and on such dates as the conditions allowed to the subscribers to the loan shall admit. Interest at a rate to be arranged from time to time shall be granted on the credit balance of the railway accounts. After deduction of the funds required for the service of interest and for commission on this service during the time of construction, the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank will hold the proceeds with accrued interest to the order of the Board of Commissioners appointed for the northern part of the Tein-tsin-Chinkiang Railway Jines, and the Hong Kong and and Shanghae Banking Corporation will hold the proceeds with accrued interest to the order of the Board of Commissioners appointed for the southern part of the Tien-tsin- Chinkiang Railway line. The Commissioners, in drawing the sums necessary for the construction, shall give notice to the banks fourteen days before the day oa which they are required. 15. If during the time of construction the whole amount of the instalments with accrued interest to be paid by the Syndicate should, after deduction of the suns necessary for the service of interest on the loan, not be sufficient for the construction of the railway lines, the amount of deficiency shall be provided by a supplementary loan to be issued by the Syndicate, the interest and other conditions of which are to be the same as in this Agreement, but the price must be arranged when the time arrives. If after the completion of the lines there should be a balance at credit of the Tien-tsin- Chinkiang Railway account, the Syndicate shall transfer such unused balance to the credit of the loan service reserve fund, hereinafter mentioned as a provision for payments to which the Government is bound by clause 8 of this Agreement. 16. If before the publication of the prospectus for the issue of the loan any political or financial crisis should take place in Europe or elsewhere, by which the markets and the prices of existing Chinese Government stocks are so affected as to render the successful issue of the loan impossible on the terms herein-named, the Syndicate shall be granted such extension of time for the performance of their contract as the circumstances demand, or shall have the right to withdraw from their contract with the Chinese Imperial Government, which shall in that case become null and void. 17 The Deutsch-Asiatische Bank on the one side, and the Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation for themselves and on behalf of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co as joint agents for the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited), on the other side, shall take the loan in shares to be agreed upon by the Syndicate, and without resoansibility for each other. 18 The northern part of the railwav lines shall be constructed, equipped, and worked on behalf of the Imperial Chinese Government by tbe Deutsch-Asiatische Bank, and the [1049] ' 2 A 178 southern part of the railway lines shall be constructed, equipped, and worked on behalf of the Imperial Chinese Government by the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited), under conditions as follows :— For each of these parts a Board of Commissioners shall be appointed to superintend the construction, equipment and working of the railway lines in accordance with regulations to be arranged between the Imperial Directors and the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank and the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited). 1 9. An office shall be provided for the Imperial Directorate, and a head office shall be established for each Board of Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners for the northern and southern parts of the lines respectively appointed to superintend the con- struction and administration shall each consist of five members: two Chinese managers representing the Imperial Directors and nominated by them, and three European members, namely, a representative of the Bank concerned, the Manager and the Chief Engineer, lo be nominated by the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank, and the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited). In case any foreign or Chinese members of the Boards of Commissioners do not work well together, it shall be open to the Imperial Directors, the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank, and the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited), to mutually discuss means to arrange and deal with the matter. The foreign and Chinese railway staff, including a T'i-tiao, shall be appointed by the Boards of Commissioners, who will report the appointment to the Imperial Directors. In the event of an important appointment the two Chinese members of the Boards may first consult the Imperial Directors. The principal members of the railway staff shall be capable and experienced Europeans, but Chinese with sufficient experience in engineering or traffic may also be appointed. Foreign and Chinese members of the railway staff shall, in the event of incapacity or misconduct, be dismissed by the Boards of Commissioners, who will inform the Imperial Directors of the same. The salaries of the five members of each Board of Commissioners and of the foreign and Chinese railway staff shall be arranged by the Deutsch-Asiatsche Bank, the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited), and the Imperial Directors, and paid by the head office of their respective sections. 20. The plans, estimates and all matters relating to survey must be submitted for approbation to the Board of Commissioners. The Chief Engineer shall indicate to the Chinese Commissioners the land which it is necessary to purchase, and which must be sufficient for the construction of a permanent way with double lines and dependencies, and the Chinese Commissioners shall thereupon effect such purchases at a price to be based on a scale to be arranged after survey. In the event of the route proposed by the Chief Engineer passing through towns, villages, graveyards, or other points, where much obstruction is encountered, the Chief Engineer will, together with the Board of Commissioners, consider means of diverting the proposed railway route in order to avoid difficulties. 21. Alter completion of the survey and due inquiry as to the prevailing provincial li-kin and customs dues, the Imperial Directors will arrange with the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank and the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited), regulations for the payment of li-kin and duty upon merchandize and live-stock in transit over the railway lines. 2'2. All materials necessary for the construction and working of the lines obtained either from foreign countries or from other provinces of China and the revenues derived from the railway shall be exempt from duty or taxation of all kinds, and the Imperial Government of China will instruct the customs and li-kin authorities accordingly. All material, plant and goods, shall be ordered from the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank and the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited), on conditions to be arranged in the Final Agreement. The plans, estimates and requisitions for materials shall be submitted to the Board of Commissioners by the Chief Engineer for reference at their discretion to the Imperial Directors, and the same shall be furnished by the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank and the British and Chinese Corporation on the best possible terms. Due consideration will be extended to materials from the Hanyang Iron Works, if available when required and of a quality satisfactory to the Chief Engineers of the Syndicate. 23. The Deutsch-Asiatische Bank and the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited), shall during the working of the lines maintain the railway?, buildings, works, rolling stock and dependencies in good order and condition. 21. Branch lines or extensions in connection with the Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway 179 lines that mav appear profitable or necessarv later on shall be the subject of negotiations between the fmperial Directors and the Syndicate. j 5 ' ^ e ta "? to ^ e i ntr °duced by the European Manager shall be approved by the Hoards of Commissioners who will take into consideration the tariffs of other existing railway lines in China, while keeping in view the necessity for attracting traffic. The European Manager may also be instructed so enter into arrangements for tariffs on through traffic over connecting lines. In case of war, foreign or internal, the railway lines shall be reserved in the first instance for the transport of^Chinese troops, commissariat and munitions of war under the order of Imperial Directors and at half the ordinary tariff rates, and the railways shall not engage in any service injurious to China. In case of famine, grain will also be transported over the lines at half the ordinary tariff rate under order- of the Imperial Directors. 26. All payments made and received in connection with the railway lines will be subject to the control of the Boards of Commissioners, and after the line is working estimates of receipts and expenditure shall be similarly submitted to the Boards. Regular accounts shall he furnished through the Imperial Directors to the Railway and Mining Bureau of the Tsung-li Yamen and the Board of Revenue, Peking. All payments made must be represented by Chinese or foreign vouchers, as the case may be. 27. The profits from working completed sections of the railways during the time of construction shall be credited to railway construction account. 28. Should any traffic business be apparent later on as likely to benefit the Imperial Government of China and increase the earning power of the railway lines, the Deutsch- Asiatische Bank and the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited) shall represent the same to the Imperial Directors, and request them to obtain the necessary authority to arrange the business. 29. The Deutsch-Asiatische Bank and the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited) shall work the lines on behalf of the Imperial Government of China until the present loan is redeemed. As soon as the loan has been completely redeemed, this Agreement shall become null and void, and the railway lines and property named in this Agreement shall be handed over to the absolute disposal of the Chinese Government. 30. The annual net revenue is understood to be that resulting from the gross receipts of the passengers and goods traffic and the income from other sources, after deducting all working expenses, including maintenance of the permanent way, repairs and renovation of machinery and rolling stock, and all expenses of administration, besides deducting an amount to be determined by the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank and the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited) as sufficient for accumulating a reserve fund for extraordinary improvements or repairs. Of the surplus of the joint net annual revenue of the northern and southern railway lines, after payment of interest and repayment of principal of the loan, first, a participation of 20 per cent, will be granted to the Syndicate in remuneration for their management of the construction and the working of the railway lines ; secondly, an amount equal to 10 per cent, of the gross earnings will be transferred to a loan service reserve fund, deposited with the two Banks, and the remainder will be at the disposal of the Imperial Government of China. An account of the said loan service reserve fund will be rendered yearly to the Railway and Mining Bureau of the Tsung-li Yamen and to the Board of Revenue, and the fund will be drawn upon only in the case of the revenue of the railway lines being insufficient to meet the service of interest and principal of the loan. On redemption of the loan being completed, the balance of this fund will revert to the Chinese Government. 31. The powers and authority given and delegated to the Imperial Directors by the Imperial Government of* China shall, in the case of their promotion or removal, be transferred to their successors, and the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank, the Bong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., and the British and Chinese Corporation (Limited) may, subject to all their obligations, transfer or delegate all or any of their rights, powers, and discretions to any German or English Company, Directors, or agents with or without power of further transfer and sub-delegation. 32. Differences arising between the Imperial Directors and the Syndicate will be taken up and decided with equity and justice by the Tsung-li Yamen on the one side, and the Minister for Germany and "the Minister for Great Britain in China on the other side. 33. As soon as possible after the signature of this Agreement the Engineers of the Syndicate will be authorized by the Imperial Chinese Government to survey and report upon the proposed railway lines, when, subject to such report being satisfactory to the Syndicate, this Preliminary Agreement will be ratified bv the Syndicate and replaced by a [lu49j 2 A 2 180 Final Agreement containing all necessary details. Modifications in the conditions of this Preliminary Agreement may be made subject to the consent of both parties. 34. The provisions of this Preliminary Agreement shall, immediately after signature, be ratified by an Imperial Edict, which shall be communicated by the Tsung-li Yamen to the Ministers for Germany and Great Britain in Peking. 35. Five sets of this Agreement are executed in English and Chinese, one set to be retained by the Tsung-li Yamen, one by the Railway and Mining Bureau, and one by each Contracting Party. In the event of any doubt arising regarding the interpretation of the Contract, the English text shall rule. No. 226. Mr. Bax-Ironside Lo the Marquess of Salisbury- — (Received July 10.) (Extract.) Peking, May 25, 1899. ON the 10th instant I was informed that M. de Giers had that afternoon stated to the Ministers that the Russian Government intended to construct a railway to Peking, and that the Tsung-li Yamen were very much disturbed and excited. I pressed my informant as to whether the Russian Minister had made any mention as to the proposed starting point of the line, or what route it would take. He asserted, and maintained his assertion, that no route or definite place had been mentioned, merely a railway to Peking - . From information conveyed to ine by the Ministers themselves, at a later date, I gathered that they at once refused the demand, so that M. de Giers would scarcely have been able to define the proposed route to them. I discovered that about two months ago the Russo-Chinese Bank had made an application to construct a railway from an undefined point north of Moukden direct to Peking. This line was to be a Eussian gauge railway, a branch of the Manchurian system. The application, when made, was promptly refused by the Chinese Govern- ment, but it was brought forward and strongly supported by M. de Giers on the 10th instant, i.e., two da)s after the presentation of our identic notes communi- cating the general agreement. 1 had the honour to communicate the gist of the above information to your Lordship on the 10th and 13th instant, and on the 18th instant 1 received a telegram from your Lordship, dated the 17th instant, and stating that telegrams had been published in the newspapers that the proposed Russian line to Peking- was to start from Newchwang, or some other point on the Trans-Manchurian Railway, between Moukden and Port Arthur, and lo run via Shanhaikuan direct to the capital. Your Lordship added that it was further said that it is to connect Port Arthur and Peking, and to be of the same nature as, and to be constructed under similar conditions to the Trans-Manchurian Railway. Your Lordship requested me to telegraph the facts fully, and, as the result of information which had reached me from several quarters in the course of the preceding week, I had the honour to report, on the 18th instant, that the newspaper reports were founded on surmise, and that my previous telegrams had contained all the certain information procurable. On the 19th instant I discussed the whole circumstances connected with'the demand with the Tsung-li Yam6n, but there were no new facts to be o-leaned. The Russian demand, which had again been mentioned by M? de Giers at a further interview, which he had held on the J 7th instant, had ao-ain been refused, the Ministers having pointed out that all the railways directly touching Pekiti"' were being, or to be, constructed by China herself out of her own resources Their Excellencies mentioned the lines from Peking to Paotin°-fu, and from the capital to Tien-tsin. M. de Giers had also been referred to the announcement made by the Railway Board some time previously, that no more important railways would be granted until China saw hov\ existing Concessions would turn out. 181 No. 227. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 10.) My Lord, Peking, May 25, 1899. I HAVE the honour to forward to your Lordship herewith copies of correspondenc which has passed between this Legation, certain British shipping firms in Hong Kong, Her Majesty's Consul at Canton, and the Inspector- General of Chinese Maritime Customs with reference to the working of the Regulations and Rules for inland steam navigation on the West River of Canton. The principal complaint of the shipping firms is that interport trading-steamers are not allowed to be registered for the inland trade. The Inspector- General of Customs contends that this provision is necessary in order to protect and keep separate the Imperial Maritime and the provincial inland revenues. I am of opinion that sufficient time has not elapsed to afford a true test of the working of the Regulations. The task of initiating the new system, infringing as it does upon large provincial revenue interests, is necessarily one of some difficulty. At the same time, there is a natural desire upon the part of merchants to interpret the Regulations in a much wider sense than was originally intended. I have &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 227. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., and others to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Hong Kong, March 28, 1899 W E have the honour to inclose copies of certain correspondence relating to the opening of the inland waters of China to steam navigation, from which it will be seen that, in addition to an evasive policy with regard to the publication of the Rules to be in force at the various li-kin barriers promised in clause 8 of the Supplementary Rules, the Chinese Government seek to impose such restrictions on the opening of these waters as will render the whole Concession valueless. Before any advantage can be taken of the opening of these waters by foreign steamers we are of the unanimous opinion that — 1. The prompt publication of the Rules and Regulations promised in Rule 7 of the Inland Regulations and clause of the Supplementary Rules, and also the appointment of the Provincial Officer referred to in clause 9 of the latter. 2. The rescinding of the Inspector-General's decision that inter-Treaty port steamers shall not also be registered for inland navigation. 3. The strict enforcement of clause 5 of the Supplementary Rules must be insisted on. As explanatory of this letter, we attach a Memorandum dealing fully with the subject. We have, &c. (Signed) JARDINE, MATHESON, and Co., General Manager*, Indo-China Steam Navigation Company (Limited). BUTTERFIELD and SWIRE, Agents, China Navigation Company (Limited). THO. ARNOLD, Secretary, Hong Kong, Canton, and yjacao Steam-boat Company (Limited). Inclosure 2 in No. 227. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to Commissioner of Customs, Samshui. •gj r Wuchow, September 30, 1898. AS joint charterers with Messrs. Butterlielcl and Swire, and the Hong Kong, Canton, and Macao Steam-boat Company of the British steamer " Kongpak," trading between Kono- Kons; and the Treaty port of Wuchow, we are anxious to register this vessel at 182 your port for inland navigation, and shall be glad to learn whether, under the Provisional Regulations, it would be permitted. The vessel would, on entering the river, land no cargo at any place below Samshui, although the loading of it and of passengers destined for other up-river ports would be desirable. Any imports she might have on board for places above Samshui would, of course, be declared both at the entrance and also at Samshui, where Tariff duty would be paid on it, as is now done with goods imported from Hotig Kong to the two ports of call, Takhing and Shuihing. On the return journey from Wuchow to Hong Kong she would take no cargo for export below Samshui, although, as on the upward journey, she might engage in the coast trade (one Chinese place to another) between two places lying, one above Samshui and the other below it. The inland water pass could be surrendered each trip at either the Wangmoon or Mongchao Customs stations on the vessel leaving the river. Or, if the above be not permissible, she might be allowed to trade above Samshui only, getting and also surrendering her inland water pass at that place each voyage. In the event of either of the above being permitted, we would desire to know whether the payment of the fee provided, viz., 10 taels, would cover the issue of the necessary papers for more than one voyage ? In conclusion, we might add that, although we are not authorized to negotiate anything of that nature, we anticipate that there would be no objection — provided the above privileges be granted — on the part of the Companies named to give a bond to the Customs for due fulfilment of the conditions above. \Ve have &c. (Signed) ' JARDINE, MATHESON, and Co. Tnclosure 3 in No. 227. Commissioner of Customs, Samshui, to Messrs. Jar dine, Matheson, and Co. Sirs, Samshui, November 3, 1898. ADVERTING to your letter of the 30th September, 1898, requesting to know whether your Hong Kong- Wuchow stean-ship " Kongpak " would be allowed to register at this office, and take out a licence to ply in inland waters, and to my repby of the 5tli ultimo informing you that your request had been referred to the Inspector-General, I now beg to communicate to you the Inspector-General's reply : — " That vessels engaged in inter-Treaty port trade or in trade with ports outside Chinese jurisdiction cannot also be registered for inland, i.e., non-Treaty port, trade. The vessels registered under the Inland Waters Steam Navigation Rules must be confined to trade between Treaty ports and inland places or between inland places." I beg, &c. [Not Signed.] inclosure 4 in No. 227. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to Commissioner of Customs, Wuchow. Sir, Wuchow, February 15, 1899. REFERRING to clause 8 of the Supplementary Rules under Inland Steam Naviga- tion Regulations, we should be glad to learn whether the Rules, &c, in force at the several places where dues and duties are payable, have yet been published, and, if not, will you kindly inform us on what date the issue of them may be looked for? "We have, &c. (Signed) JARDINE, MATHESON, and Co. Inclosure 5 in No. 227. Commissioner of Customs, Wuchow, to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. Gentlemen, Wuchow, February 28, 1899. 1 HAVE duly received your letter of the 1 5th instant asking when the Rules regarding dues and duties inland will be published. 183 In reply, I beg to state that I have not jet received any copies of these, and that I do not yet know when they will be issued. I have, &c. [Not Signed.] Inclosure b' in 'So. 227. i Memorandum re Inland Navigation. IN order that the nature and meaning of these restrictions may be fully understood, it is necessary to enter into somewhat lengthy details, but the importance of the stake at issue will, we think, form ample apology for doing so. At the opening of the West River to foreign trade two lines of steamers were started by us to engage in the carrying trade of it— one for the direct trade between Hong Kong and Wuchow via Samshui and the "ports of call," the other between Canton and "Wuchow, also via Samshui and the " ports of call." On the direct route the advantage accruing to merchants from the payment of a fixed sum for import duty and transit dues which franked their goods through to the remote parts of Yunnan and Kuei-chow caused a considerable rush of imports to find their way in from Hong Kong by water carriage instead of via the Pakhoi overland route, &c, which they had followed previous to the opening of the river. The li-kin authorities have from time to time held out threats of reducing their import duty on goods, thus diverting them from foreign to native craft ; but although the Canton provincial authorities have adopted these tactics with the success which usually characterizes their actions of this sort, there has been, up to date, no systematic attempt to extend them throughout the length of the West River, so that, to a large extent, the competition we encounter, although keen, is but the natural result of rivalry in trade. When the inland waters of China were first declared to be open, a good deal of doubt existed as to the conditions under which the navigation of them would be allowed, and, with a view to gaining information on this important point — important to us not only from the expansion of trade that would result, but also that it might seriously modify the plans of vessels we were then contracting to have built — we applied to the Imperial Maritime Customs at Samshui to register the steam-ship " Kongpak" for inland navigation. After reference to Peking, this was refused by the Inspector-General of Customs, whose decision on the matter is given in the Samshui Commissioner's letter, copy of which is attached. While we still think that the privileges asked for might be accorded without danger to the safety of the levenue of China, we must at the same time admit that there are considerable difficulties in the way, and that, probably, the only effective way of meeting them would be to open Kongmoon, or some other place situated at the mouth of the river, as a Treaty port, whence, and also from Samshui and Wuchow, after payment of duties, goods would be free to find their way inland, carried either by the importing or other steamer as was found most convenient. So far we have only dealt with the effect the opening of waters has had on the direct trade with Hong Kong, the craft engaged in which come under the heading of vessels engaged in trade with ports outside Chinese jurisdiction, and are, therefore, excluded from any direct participation in the benefits which should result therefrom. There still, however, remains the Canton- Wuchow trade, the steamers on which, being vessels engaged in inter-Treaty port trade, are also, by the Inspector-General's ruling, debarred from inland water privileges. It is to this decision, as affecting this class of vessel, that we would beg your most earnest attention, as we are of the unanimous opinion that, if enforced, it will, as we have already stated, render the whole Concession valueless. From the beginning our vessels on the Canton-Wuchow line have been subjected to such restrictions that it seemed quite hopeless for them to attempt to compete with their more favoured Chinese rivals, who, by means of specially constructed lighters, towed by steam-launches, secure the great bulk of the cargo, and, until recently, of the passengers. The system adopted at the Treaty ports is for these lighters and their cargoes to come under the li-kin administration, and the steam-launch, which is merely the means of propulsion, and carries no cargo, comes under the Imperial Maritime Customs, a dual system of control, which gives the advantage of the quickness of steam transit and an elastic tariff for the payment of duty on the cargo carried in the lighters. Nor is it so much the fact that the li-kin collected on this cargo is less than the one and a-half duty which would be levied by the Imperial Maritime Customs if it were carried in our 184 steamers, as it is that, if so carried, li-kin taxes before shipment and after discharge would be payable in addition to the customs duty and a-half. The foregoing are only too well known, and have been frequently commented on, notably by Her Britannic Majesty's Consul in his Trade Report for 1897 ; but if further proof be needed, it is abundantly supplied by the fact that the only domestic trade of which we secure the carriage is a few piculs of goods between Samshui and Wuchow, whereas the merchants refuse to ship the same goods by our vessels between Wuchow and Canton, even although the freight charged be the same in both cases. That is to say, taxation and cost of transport being equal for both distances, they will ship by our vessels over the shorter one, but steadily refuse to do so over the longer one. The explanation of this is simple. At Samshui, by vigorous protests made at the opening of the port, the native goods carried in foreign vessels are, to a certain extent, exempt from li-kin taxes before ship- ment and after discharge, while at Canton the reverse is the case, and as the bulk of the domestic trade of the West River districts is destined for, or comes from, Canton, as being the great centre or mart of trade, the natural result of this differential taxation is that our Chinese rivals secure the carriage of the whole of it. ISov does the evil stop at this, for knowing that our earnings must be made out of the carriage of foreign goods— into which, as far as the carrying in steamers between Treaty ports goes, the question of taxation does not enter — they can either conform to our rates of freight and compete against us, or by lowering them slightly, get the monopoly of the carriage of these as they do of the domestic trade. Although the subject of this representation is the disadvantages under which we suffer as British Shipping Companies engaged in the carrying trade of China, we will, for the moment, waive this question and look at it from the broader standpoint of trade in general. From the foregoing it might be argued that, although we as individual concerns suffer, the great circulation of goods is facilitated by steam traffic ; were such the case we might well find compensation for our losses in the general prosperity that would result ; but it is only to the privileged few that permission is given to run this class of vessels, and any attempt to encroach on the monopoly thus secured, either on the part of Chinese or foreign steamers, is rendered nugatory by differential duties in the manner we have shown. Again, with the passenger traffic, the Chinese vessels had the option of using all routes connecting Canton with the West River, whereas we were confined to one only, laid down by the Customs, entailing an increase in the distance traversed of some 30 miles. They were also privileged to stop at any and all places en route for the embarking and disembarking of passengers or cargo, while we were confined to the four ports of call (see Cantiai Commissioner's Trade Report, 18!)7, 4 and 7). The question of opening the shorter routes to foreign vessels was made the subject of representation to Her Majesty's Consul at Canton, but so scandalous had the disabilities under which we laboured become, and so heavy the losses incurred in running steamers practically empty, that the question of withdrawing them altogether from the trade was being seriously considered when the throwing open of the inland waters gave the Imperial Maritime Customs the chance, of which they gladly availed themselves, of attempting to place us on terms of equality with our opponents. This equality in respect to the carriage of passengers we now enjoy, and we were not without hopes that by clause 5 of the Supplementary Rules under Inland Steam Navigation Regulations, goods carried in native boats towed by steamers would come under the same rules for duty payment as goods carried in' our vessel?, but up to date there is no sign of any attempt being made to bring this about, and, moreover, by the Inspector-General's decision it would appear that, instead of a further step being- taken to secure equality of taxation tor all goods, no matter how carried, a retrograde movement is contemplated which will place us in the disastrous position we occupied at the opening of the trade. If this decision hold good the utter impossibility of any steamer securing the carriage of goods under inland navigation rules can perhaps be best shown by an ilfustration. Certain foreign goods are imported into Samshui where they pay import duty and transit dues, being destined for some place (not a " port of call ") situated between Samshui and Canton. We, as British Shipping Companies, compete with the Chinese Companies referred to throughout this Memorandum, for the carriage of them. If we wish to secure them we must provide a special steamer to run from Samshui to the place in question, although our inter-Treaty port steamers pass it en route every day, and are, for the reasons already given, practically empty. The Chinese Companies not being under any such restrictions will be at liberty to carry them in their lighters, which are also free to engage in inter-Treaty port trade. We have endeavoured to show that as lono- as the 185 tax of one duty and a-half on cargo carried in steamers between two Treaty ports is enforced, while it is permitted to other craft coming under the native administration to compound for a less sum, the domestic trade will surely be diverted to vessels so privileged, and that the monopoly so gained can be, and will he used to secure the carriage of foreign goods from one port to the other, or to any points lying between them. So hy an analogous reasoning it can be shown that in the event of our attempting to start any steamers under inland navigation rules to run beyond the precincts of the last Treaty port, so surely will this differential treatment be extended to the goods carried in them. We are only too well aware that nothing short of the abolition of this dual system of custom-houses in vogue in China will provide an effectual rerhedy for the evils we complain of. We are not so sanguine as to entertain the belief that a workable tariff will ever be published by the provincial officials, but by insisting on the measures suggested in our covering letter the hand of the Chinese Government will be so forced that it must ultimately result in the Imperial Maritime Customs being called upon to undertake the compilation of a General Tariff applicable to the whole of the internal taxation of China, the maximum basis of which might be the 7^ per cent, (duty and a-half) now charged on goods steamer -borne between two Treaty ports, and which it is evident that the Inspector-General's ruling is intended to protect. (Signed) JARDINE, MATHESON, and Co., General Managers, Indo— China Steam Navigation Company (Limited). BUTTEEFIELD and SWIRE, Agents, China Navigation Company {Limited). THO. ARNOLD, Secretary, Hong Kong, Canton, and Macao -Steam-boat Company (Limited). Hong Kong, March 28, 1 S99. Inclosure 7 in No. 227. Consul Mansfield to Mr. Bax-Ironside. gu- Canton, April 11, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose a joint communication addressed to me under flying seal by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., Messrs. Butterfield and Swire, and the Secretary of the Hong Kong, Canton, and Macao Steam-boat Company (Limited), on the subject of the opening of the inland waters of China to steam navigation. The writers requested me to add my own comments, which I proceed to do briefly. They ask for : — . . " 1. The prompt publication of the Rules and Regulations promised m Rule 7 of the Inland Regulations and clause 8 of the Supplementary Rules, and also the appoint- ment of the Provincial Officer referred to in clause 9 of the latter." I have been informed by the Commissioner of Customs that these Rules and Regu- lations with a list of li-kin stations, li-kin tariff, list of articles subject to tso-li and rates charged, and list of articles subject to ching-fei (" battery tax ") and rate charged, attached, have already been drafted, and will very shortly be published. A Provincial Officer has also been nominated, who will have a floating office on the Honam shore opposite the custom-house. I have, &c. (Signed) R. W. MANSFIELD. Inclosure 8 in No. 227. Mr. Bax-Ironside to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. and others. Gentlemen Pekin 9> Ma V l7 ' 1899 " IN continuation of my letter to you of the 27th April, I beg to inform you that I have been in communication with the Inspector-General of Maritime Customs with reference to the observations on the Rules and Kegulations for inland steam navigation in China' made by you in your letter to this Legation of the 28th March. Sir Robert Hart was intrusted by the Chinese Government with the task of drawing un these Rules and Regulations, and his views on the subject are, therefore, of con- "[:0i9] 2 B 186 iderable importance. He has written tome a reply dated the 12th instant, copy of which I inclose for your information. The system is, of course, upon its trial, and is being watched carefully and reported upon by Her Majesty's Consuls in all parts of China. It should be given due time to afford a fair test of its merits. Your remarks as to the West River trade will be borne in mind in case revision prove to be necessary. 1 am, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-LRONSIDE. Inclosure 9 in No. 227. Sir R. Hart to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Inspectorate-General of Customs, Peking, Sh, May 12, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge yonr communication of the 27th April concern- ing steam navigation inland. 2. When the Ministers of the Yamen originally decided to memorialize for authority to open the inland waters to steam, the idea was simply to permit steamers to do what junks and boats do subject to the same inland charges, but when the privilege was extended to include foreign flag steamers some modifications were introduced in the Rules first drafted; while the object of these modifications was to secure for the foreigners concerned the benefit of certain Treaty stipulations therewith connected, their effect has been to create difficulty for the scheme generally, for, whereas, the original plan was to apply inland local Regulations in all their integrity to steamers as well as junks, and, by thus protecting the revenue, insure the support of the provincial officials, the introduction of the Treaty element necessitates an exceptional procedure which interferes with former practice, makes taxation more difficult, tempts Chinese owners to buy foreign flags, and alarms and alienates both the inland authorities respon- sible for, and the inland administration dependent on, inland revenue. The very sanction- ing of the modification referred to created a necessity for strictness in interpreting the other parts of the inland steam privilege, and accordingly, in order both to protect and keep separate the Imperial Maritime and the Provincial Inland Revenues, the open- ing of the inland waters to steam has had to be defined as forbidding licensed vessels to quit Chinese waters, and as excluding vessels that trade between Treaty ports. 3. What precedes will suffice without further detail to suggest explanations of, and reasons for, the restrictions foreign merchants now complain about, but in point of fact there is no differential treatment ; whatever licensed Chinese steamers can do inland, foreign flag licensed steamers can do also, and whatever interport foreign steamers cannot do inland, interport Chinese steamers are likewise forbidden to do; but, just as Chinese waters and foreign waters are two different things, so interport trading and inland trading are also two different things, and belonging to two different fiscal systems, the Imperial and the Provincial, must be differently treated. The hybrid character of the West River has, of course, its inconveniences ; from one point of view it is a continuation of the sea and a highway leading to the two open ports of Samshui and Wuchowfoo, while from another it is an inland water ; to one set of eyes it is, notwith- standing its double character, one and the same thing, while to another it possesses, while one and the same thing, a double entity ; the interport owner wonders why his interport steamer cannot do what he sees done by inland steamers passed here and there, while the responsible revenue officials require the two trades and the two vessels to he kept separate ; while the apparent anomaly of two treatments existing side by side on the same stream is a puzzle to one party, there is the further fact that at its mouth are the foreign waters and the foreign Colonies of Hong Kong and Macao, and for the other party— the revenue officials— this fact opens up possibilities which render it all the more necessary to distinguish between the two trades and act accordingly. Treaties, Conventions, and Rules being what they are on one side, and fiscal responsibilities being what they are on the other, the principle of the present treatment— distinction between inland and interport trader— seems both logical and necessary, and any revision which ignores that distinction will be but a one-sided and, therefore, unpalatable remedy. It is not for a moment to be supposed that the Inland Steam Navigation Concession was intended to either abolish provincial taxation or kill native trade, and it is not unreasonable to ask for a recognition of provincial conditions and assent to provincial requirements; the 187 expectations that heralded the opening of the West River were somewhat sanguine, but, even granting they could ever be realized, it is not the distinction between inland and interport trade that is either postponing - or impeding that realization. The Concession was launched without sufficient consideration or preparation, and, as it now is, it does not satisfy either side. The foreign trader fears that the restrictions which provincial officials call for will thwart development, and the provincial official fears that the development which the foreigner aims at will destroy revenue ; but both the«)ne and the other are alarmed, and perhaps unnecessarily before the event, and plead from fears rather than from facts. If steam navigation inland is to work quietly and be a benefit, it will be necessary to legislate locally at many different points and in accordance with many different sets of circumstances, conditions, and requirements ; it will only be when that is done that regulations and procedure will be suitable, and also contain in the eyes of both sides the proper proportion of support and control. 4. As regards the Rules and Regulations promised in Rule 7 of the Regulations, and clause 8 of the Supplementary Rules, there has been much consultation and much passing and repassing of draft rules for consideration, but up to the present none have been issued for publication ; and as for the appointment of the Provincial Officers referred to in clause 9 of the Rules, such appointments are to follow publication and have not yet been announced. It is hardly likely that this delay has caused either inconvenience or damage, seeing that it has not taken from or interferred with the enjoyment of any existing rights, and that foreign capital is neither known nor expected to be invested — at least to any con- siderable extent — in the petty craft to which the depth and width of inland water channels necessarily confine the steam navigation privilege, and this privilege itself, whether rightly or wrongly thought valuable, will require years of patient nursing before it can possibly answer any expectations. I have &c. (Signed) ROBERT HART, Inspector-General of Customs. No. 228. ■tMr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 10.) My Lord, Peking, May 25, 1899. IN his despatch of the 1st August, 1898,* Sir Claude MacDonald informed your Lordship that the amended Regulations for Inland Navigation had been sent by the Tsung-li Yamen to the Superintendents of Trade. Supplementary Rules, explanatory of the mode of procedure as regards collection of duties, were afterwards drawn up by the Inspector-General of Customs, and communi- cated to the Legation by the Tsung ; li Yamen. I have the honour to inclose a printed copy of the Regulations and Rules as issued by the Chinese Customs. The Regulations are practically the same as those sent to your Lordship in Legation despatch of the 11th June, 1 898, t but your Lordship will observe that in Regulation I, these words are added : — " They may proceed to and fro at will under the following Regulations, but they must confine their trade to the inland waters, and must not proceed to places out of Chinese territory." In Regulation IT, the words " not being vessels of sea-going type," are added in reference to steamers to be registered under these Regulations. In sending the Supplementary Rules to Her Majesty's Consuls, Sir C. MacDonald instructed them that he had not given his assent thereto, as he regarded the Rules as merely explanatory of the actual Regulations, lie added that if Her Majesty's Consuls found in practice that the Rules came into conflict in any way with Treaty rights, or with the Regulations in question, they should report to him upon the subject. With regard to the additions to the Regulations, it was considered by Her Majesty's Minister thatTthe confinement of the range of trade in Regulation I was only reasonable. The Chinese authorities also contended that some definition of the type of steamer seemed necessary, not for the purely inland navigation, but to prevent the undue exten- * See " China No. 1 (1899)," p 246. t Ibid., p. 174 11049] 2 B 2 188 sion of what was intended to be " inland trade " to distant places along the coast, not opened to international trade. The words " not being vessels of sea-going type," tt were accordingly added to Regulation II. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX- IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 228. Steam Navigation Inland. Regulations (Amended), 1898. (A.) — Registration. 1. THE inland waters of China are hereby opened to all such steamers, native or foreign, as are specially registered for that trade at the Treaty ports. They may proceed to and fro at will under the following Regulations, but they must confine their trade to the inland waters and must not proceed to places out of Chinese territory. The expression " inland waters " is used with similar meaning to that given for places in the interior (nei-ti) in the IVth .Article of the Chefoo Convention. 2. Trading steamers, native or foreign, not being vessels of sea-going type, whether plying only in the waters of a Treaty port or going thence inland, are to be registered at the Custom-house and there take out papers — showing respectively the owner's name and residence, name and type of steamer, number of crew, &c. — in addition to what- ever national papers they are allowed or required by law to carry ; such Customs papers are to be renewed annually, and are to be surrendered on change of ownership or when the vessel ceases to ply. The fee for the first issue of Customs papers will be 10 taels, and for each renewal 2 taels. 3. Such registered steamers may ply freely within the waters of the port without reporting their movements to the Customs, but if they go inland they must report both departure and return. No unregistered steamer will be allowed to ply inland. 4. As regards exhibition of lights, prevention of collision, shipping of crews, and inspection of boilers and machinery, &c, all such steamers are to observe the Rules in force at the port they belong to. These Rules will be published by the Customs and printed on the vessel's Customs papers. (B.) — Revenue. 5. Dutiable cargo shipped under these Regulations at any Treaty port on a registered steamer for conveyance to the interior must be declared nt the custom-house and°pay on export such duties as the Customs decide to be leviable. Dutiable (cargo brought from inland to a Treaty port is to be in like manner dealt with by the custom-house there. As to the duties to be paid by vessels belonging to foreign merchants, they are to be in accordance with the Treaty Tariff. 0. Cargo landed or shipped inland is to pay at the place of landing or shipment whatever duty and li-kin local Regulations call for. In dealing with the vessels of foreign merchants, a procedure analogous to what the Treaty Tariff calls for is to be followed. 7. If such steamers have vessels in tow, they must bring-to, at whatever li-kin stations the vessels towed are required to stop at, for inspection and for the resDective cargoes of both vessels to be dealt with as local Rules prescribe. The Rules* to be enforced on foreign merchants must be in accordance with Treaty provisions, and as well be published in full by the Customs. Steamers which have not special Customs papers are not permitted to tow vessels on the Yang-tsze. 8. Offences inland, whether against revenue laws or affecting person or property, are to be dealt with by the local authorities of the district in the same way as if they were committed by their own people; but if the vessel concerned is foreign-owned or the Chinese implicated is a Chinese employed on board such foreign-owned vessel the local authorities are to communicate with the nearest Commissioner of Customs' and the Commissioner, in turn, with the Consul, who may send a deputy to watch the 189 proceedings. If the offender claims the status of a foreigner, he is to be treated in the manner prescribed in the Treaties where foreigners without passports are arrested, and sent to the proper Consul through the Commissioner of Customs at the nearest port. 9. If any such steamer passes any inland station or li-kin barrier that ought to be stopped at without stopping, or if any of the passengers, crew, &c, create trouble inland, the vessel may be fined or punished according to the station Regulations, and the Customs may cancel the vessel's papers and refuse permission for her to trade inland again. Tn cases where foreign-owned vessels are concerned, the merchant interested may elect to bring the whole ease and the question of fine before a Joint Investigation Court, to be dealt with according to the Regulations for cases of fine and confiscation pro- mulgated in the year 1868. The above Rules are for the inauguration of steam traffic and suffice for the time being ; if hereafter it is found that changes are necessary, they can be made from time to time as required. Peking, July 28, 1898. Supplementary Rules under Inland Steam Navigation Regulations. 1 . Foreign goods going inland on steamers can either be taken with transit passes or by payment of dues and duties at the several stations passed en route, at the merchant's option. The vessels are not to be held in any way responsible for the terminal duties on cargo, but it must not be landed clandestinely. 2. Native goods leaving a Treaty port for the interior in a steamer must be declared at the proper custom-house, and pay export duty according to the Regulation for outgoing cargo shipped in native vessels. They will pay inland whatever dues and duties are payable by similar goods carried in native vessels. If the goods declared are native re-exports which have originally paid export duty at another port, they may be shipped free of export duty, but as regards inland clues and duties, are on the same footing as ordinary exports. The responsibility for any duties payable on goods at place of destina- tion, no matter where the vessel comes from, attaches to the cargo, and not to the vessel ; but the cargo must not be landed clandestinely. 3. Native goods once regularly shipped on board a steamer in the interior are not later required to produce proof of payment of such local duties as were leviable there before shipment, but they are liable for en route duties. On arrival at a Treaty port they will, if for local native consumption, pay to the proper office the duties paid on similar cargo carjied in native vessels. Outside this duty, the steamer is not to be held responsible for any duty, li-kin, contribution, or charge. If the native produce is intended for export, it may be brought from the interior either under a transit certificate issued on deposit of bond, according to what are known as the Chinkiang Rules, or by paying dues and duties in accordance with Regulation en route, at the option of the merchant concerned, whether a Chinese or a foreigner. Goods brought from the interior merely for transhipment into a sea-going or river steamer are not liable to any duty at the port except the Treaty Tariff export duties. 4. All inland-going steamers are to pay tonnage dues once in four months, at the Treaty Tariff rate, at the port where registered. Towed native boats are liable to such "Ch'uanliao " as the Regulations provide for. 5. Cargo shipped on native boats to be towed by steamers is to be on the same footing as regards duty payment as steamers' cargo. 6. Steamers are not allowed to land cargo except at places ordinarily recognized as places of trade for native vessels ; in the eveiit of their violating this rule, they will be dealt with as the Treaties provide in the case of vessels frequenting places not open to trade. Similarly, vessels on the registers for inland waters' trade carrying goods out of Chinese territory or jurisdiction will be liable to a fine not exceeding 200 taels for the first offence; for the second, the penalty will be abrogation of the right to carry on inland trade. 7. The Customs at the Treaty ports will give cargo certificates detailing all the cargo shipped there under its cognizance. These, certificates will form the basis of duty pay- 190 ment at way stations, and the vessels concerned, unless there is reason to suspect them of smuggling, will not be detained for rigid examination at each place, but will be released on payment of proper duty. Manifests of all cargo to be landed are to be handed in at the landing places (in, Chinese if the places are away from the Treaty ports). 8. As regards the publication of the Rules and Regulations in force at the several places where dues and duties are payable, referred to in Rule 7, it is understood that the- publication is to take place before the end of this Chinese year. In the meantime, if vessels do not stop at stations, they will not be liable to any penalty for passing them, unless they are hailed to bring-to by the station or one of its boats, and disregard the- Simmons. 9. After the Regulations have been notified, the provincial authorities will appoint at each Treaty port a responsible officer, who will collect, on provincial account, the dues and duties prescribed in Articles 2 and 3 on goods going to or coming from inland waters, and report the collection at stated intervals to his superiors. He will receive in one lump sum all the dues and duties a vessel lading for a certain destination is bound to pay at the various stations she will pass on the way. The officer will give a certificate of receipt, presentation of which at the stations will exempt the goods from levy of duty or vexatious examination. The officer appointed will have an office in the vicinity of the custom-house, and will work in concert with and under the guidance of the Commissioner. In case any question or difficulty arises, the Commissioner and the Superintendent of Customs will arrange it amicably ; when a foreigner is concerned, he has the option of having it dealt with under the Joint Investigation Rules. ' These Supplementary Rules, like the Rules to which they are appended, are pro- visional, and liable to change as required. September 1898. No. 229. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 1 0.) My Lord, Peking, May 26, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 24th instant, I have the honour to report that under date of the 24th instant I received a despatch from the Tsung-li Yamen,. informing me that the Imperial ratification had been given to the Preliminary Agree- ment for the Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Railway, in accordance with the provisions of Article 34 of the said Agreement. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 230. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 10.) (Extract.) Peking, May 29, 1899. I HAVE the honour to state, for your Lordship's information, that I made another strong complaint at the Yamen in an interview on the 19th on the subject of the Northern Railways. Hsu Ta-jen expressed surprise. The Bank had made no fresh complaint to him, and he was under the impression, since the appointment of the new Superintendent, that things were going on smoothly. I pointed out that, in the opinion of the Bank, there had been no real improvement in the situation ; and, to place the irregularities in the payment of interest formally on record, I wrote their Excellencies a note next day, applying for the payment of the two instalments due on the 15th April and the 15th May, which were still outstanding. In fulfilment of the instructions conveyed in your Lordship's telegram of the 20th May, I addressed the Prince and Ministers a note on the 22nd May warning them that, unless the promises repeatedly given to remedy the existing state of ° affairs were rapidly fulfilled, Her Majesty's Government would be compelled to take action.- I 191 the course of an inquiry which he held into the matter in 1886. The firm has been in actual possession of three of the lots (Nos. 281, 29t> and 494), and with regard to the others, it does not follow that because the Chinese authorities did not evict squatters when requested to do so, that Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. thereby forfeited their title. They have received rent regularly from certain of the squatters, from the Hankow Race Club, and others, and they are at present receiving a nominal rent from a Russian subject whom they have permitted to occupy a portion of their ground. To one lot (No. 162) Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. are ready to resign their claim, as the ground is no longer occupied by them, while with respect to lot 215, Sir C. MacDonald found that the title-deeds of the firm were qr.ite in order, and that the position of the land is correctly given in the official documents. As regards the argument adduced in the explanatory Memorandum from the non-payment of land tax by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., I am informed that it has not been the custom in Hankow that foreign owners of property should pay land tax until called upon to do so; it is the duty of the District Magistrate to collect it, and his failure to levy it does not prejudice the title of the foreign owner. In the case of Chinese land-owners, land tax is called for by Proclama- tion twice a-year, and they are ordered to pay to certain collectors. Neglect to pay is followed by a visit from the police, and payment is enforced. In the case of a squatter coming forward and offering to pay land-tax, it is not likely that the collector would refuse it, more especially as the collector very often farms the tax; bat the receipt for the tax paid is no conclusive proof of title, though the squatter may hope to found a title on the payment. It is not denied that Messrs. Jardine, Matheson and Co.'s titles to lots 298, 300, and 301, are not absolutely in order, but Her Majesty's Consul states that few, if any, titles to land in Hankuw outside the Concession limits are in order, and that there is no doubt that they are the owners of the ground shown by their boundary stones, and of even more of which they have been gradually dispossessed. Owing to the nature of the land in question, situated on the bank of a river which every year floods its banks, and which during the past thirty years has altered its course in no small degree, it is impossible to expect that the boun- daries of lots purchased in 1862-64 should correspond exactly with the conditions of the land as it exists at present. For these reasons Her Majesty's Government hold that the case is not one that can be dealt with by legal technicalities, and that Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claims must be considered from the broader standpoint of justice and equity. This view would appear to have been previously held by the late Russian Charge d' Affaires at Peking, from the instructions sent by him in April of last year to the Russian Consul at Hankow, paragraph 5 of which was wordea as follows : — "5. En pratique, vu l'inexactitude gengrale des documents et des registres des autorites Chinoises il semblerait indispensable que, dans les cas ou l'adjudication d'un terrain quelconque a un particulier de nationality etrangere ne porte pas dommage aux droits et aux inte'rets legitimes d'autres particuliers, la question soit traite'e avec la plus grande indulgence et liberalite afin d'eviter, dans la mesure du possible, tout motif pour accuser le Gouvernement Russe d'avoir de'possede' les proprietaires etrangers des terrains qu'ils avaient depuis longtemps honnetement acquis et dont ils avaient joui jusqu'ici d'une facon incontestable, pour la seule raison qu'ils avaient eu l'imprudence de ne pas accomplir a temps certaines for- malins legales."* This was also the view held by Count Cassini, late Russian Minister in Peking, for in a Memorandum drawn up by himself in June 1896, and handed to * Translation.— "5. In practice, in view of the general inaccuracj of the documents and registers of the Chinese authorities, it would appear to be absolutely necessary that, in cases where the assignment of a piece of land to a private person of foreign nationality does not injure the rights and legitimate interests of other private persons, the quest.on should be treated with the greatest indulgence and liberality, in order, as far as possible, to avoid giving; any ground for accusing the Russian Government of having dispossessed foreign owners of land which they had acquired honestly long before, and of which they had been in undisputed occupation, merely because they had been so imprudent as not to comply «ith certain legal formalities at the proper time " 193 the Ministers of the various Powers concerned at Peking, and to the Consuls of those Powers at Hankow he states that "les titres de propriete eniegistres dans les Consulats etrangers seront considered com me reguliers et valables." This Memorandum was written in answer to the representations made at the time by Sir C. MacDonald, with regard to the claims and protests of British lot- holders, whose land had been included in the new Russian Concession without their consent having been asked. In addition to the Memorandum, which was an official document, Count Cassini assured Sir C. MacDonald, both verbally and in a private letter, that the rights of British lot-holders would be duly safe - guarded, and that such claims as they had to the lots would be treated with the greatest indulgence and liberality. M. Cassini further expressed his unqualified approval of a Memorandum drawn up by the British and Russian Consuls at Hankow at a meeting held on the 24th May, 1896 with regard to the treatment of British subjects holding property in the Russian Concession, paragraph 2 of which reads as follows : — " The titles of property registered in the British Consulate would be accepted as regular." I entirely concur in the view expressed by M. Pavloff. The question appears to me to be one that should be decided according to Chinese law and custom prevalent in such matters at Hankow, and there would seem to be no reason why such a matter should not form the basis of a reference to arbitration. Owing to the difficulties which have arisen in this and other similar cases, Her Majesty's Government have been compelled to inform the Chinese Government that they will not in future allow the property of British subjects to be included in any Concession granted to a foreign Power, unless with the consent of the owners ; and although Her Majesty's Government are ready, out of friendly regard for the Russian Government, to submit the question of the owership of these lands to arbitration, they cannot admit, unless and until the case has been decided against them by some impartial authority, that the property should be dealt with in any way except by British authorities. I have, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 233. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 17.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, July 17, 1899. SHANGHAE General Extension : My telegram of the 9th May. In order to make the Regulations applicable to the Extension, it will be necessary to alter them, as explained in Mr. Brenan's despatch of the 9th May to me.* Alteration has received the sanction of the Shanghae Consular Body, and the foreign Representatives in the capital have all concurred in the Circular issued upon the subject by the doyen, except the Russian and Erench Ministers. The latter decline to consent unless all the Powers accept the Arrangement of 1896 respecting Erench Settlement extension. In order to make these amended Land Regulations binding at once on British and German subjects, my German colleague and I have given our provisional sanction to them. This measure was necessary, as the Municipal Council had already taken over the new territory, and a deadlock would have occurred. The American authorities have not yet complied with the request made to them to grant similar sanction. No. 234. The Marquess of Salisbury to M. Cambon. Your Excellency, , „ . Forei 9 n °$ ce > Jul P l7 ' 18 ? 9 - ON the 17th March you made to me the following communication m accordance with instructions from the Erench Government :— According to information received from Peking by the French Government, the [1049] * Inclosurp 1 in No. 198, 2 C 194 British and American Consuls-General at Shanghae were negotiating directly with the local authorities for an extension of the International Settlement, which would include the two districts west and south-west of the French Concession, on the left bank of the "Wampou, which formed the subject of the Agreement recently concluded, but not ratified, between the French and Chinese Governments after the incident of the Ningpo joss-house. The effect of compliance with the demand of the British and American Consuls- General would be to make any future extension of the French Settlement impossible. It would, moreover, entail a violation of the Agreement arrived at in 1896 between the Municipal Councils of the French and International Settlements for joint action at Peking with a view to the extension of both of them. This Agreement took into account the special interests of each of the two Settlements, and contained a detailed plan for their extension, fixing the direction which it should take. It was approved by the Diplomatic Corps at Peking, and laid before the Chinese Government in 1897. The French Consul-General at Shanghae had respected the terms and spirit of this Agreement in his recent negotiations for the exchange of the land of the Ningpo joss-house for a small portion of the land already assigned to the French by the scheme referred to above, and it was in order to conform to the Agreement that the French Minister at Peking had kept Sir C. MacDonald informed of what he was doing. Under these circumstances, it was to be regretted that the British and American Consuls-General should have decided to break the Agreement of 1896, and take action injurious to the interests of the French Settlement. The French Government wished to suggest that the French and British Represen- tatives at Peking should be instructed to concert together with a view to making a fresh attempt in conjunction with their colleagues, to obtain the adhesion of the Chinese Government to the scheme mutually agreed upon by the Municipal Councils of the two Settlements in 1896. The above paragraphs contain the purport of the communication your Excellency made to me on that occasion. Immediately after this communication from your Excellency I requested Her Majesty's Minister at Peking by telegraph to report the facts of the case, and within the last few days I have had an opportunity of personally consulting Sir Claude MacDonald. Since your communication of the 17th March, your Excellency has on more than one occasion reverted to the subject, and on the 30th ultimo you stated that the French Settlement does not imply any special privileges to French citizens, and that all residents, of whatever nationality, have a voice in the management, and are eligible as members of the municipality. Until I saw Sir C. MacDonald I was not in possession of sufficient information to discuss the question with you. Now, however I have the information which I required, and I am able to state the decision at which Her Majesty's Government have arrived. Before doing so, however, I think it desirable to refer to the origin and present position of the Concessions and Settle- ments at Shanghae, and the negotiations which have taken place in regard to them. The British Settlement at Shanghae was granted in 1845. In 1849 a Settlement was set aside for the French, and in 1854 the Consuls of Great Britain, France, and the United States drew up a Joint Code of Regulations for an International Settlement; Great Britain and France then abandoned all exclusive rights and jurisdiction, the French and English Settlements being thus amalgamated. In 1862 the French withdrew from this arrangement, and resumed exclusive control within their own Settlement. In 1863 the American land-renters who had obtained a Settlement in 1S62, voluntarily amalgamated with the British under one municipality. In consequence of that Agreement, and owing to the subsequent increase in the number of Treaty Powers, the affairs of the International Settlement nronerlv Anglo-American are now 111 the hands of a Consular Body representing fourteen nationalities, including the French Consul, while in the French Settlement the French Consul acts as the sole authority Moreover, the senior Consul claims to act as the mouthpiece of the International Municipality, and on more than one occasion that position has been assumed by the French Consul. The outcome of these arrangements was that France asserted rights which were in excess of those claimed by any other Power, and in no way to be justified by Treaty stipulations, or by the extent of her political or commercial interests in China 195 On the 16th March, 1896, a meeting of the Diplomatic Body took place at Peking, where the extension of hoth the International and Preach Settlements was discussed. In the result, on the 22nd March, a note was addressed to the Yamen by the doyen, the American Minister, urging hoth extensions on the Chinese Government. Colonel Denby stated : — " The members of the Diplomatic Corps unanimously favour the extensions which have been suggested by the foreign municipalities. . . /. The foreign Concessions at Shanghae may be briefly described as the 'Anglo-American' and the 'French' Concessions, but it is believed that persons of nearly all nationalities reside in both." Both demands were, however, refused by the Chinese Government, and the matter remained in abeyance. When negotiations recommenced, they were no longer conducted in combination between the Prench Representative and his colleagues, but separately, and independently of the understanding in 1896. In consequence of the difficulties which have arisen in connection with the recognition of the titles of British subjects to lots held by them in the Prench and Russian Concessions at Hankow, Her Majesty's Government have informed the Chinese Government that they will not in future allow British-owned property to be included in any Concession granted to a foreign Power without the consent of the owners ; and, with regard to the extension of the Prench Concession at Shanghae, they have further pointed out that the proposal is at variance with the undertaking given by the Chinese Government to Great Britain in 1898 that no territory in the Tang-tsze region would be mortgaged, leased, or ceded to any other Power. Her Majesty's Government are still of opinion that the extension of the Inter- national Settlement would have secured to Prench citizens all that they could require for commercial purposes, and would have afforded the best solution. They recognize, however, the force of the argument adduced by your Excellency in the communication above referred to, founded on the Agreement arrived at in 1896 between the Municipal Councils of the International and Prench Settlements, with a view to the extension of both of them, which Agreement was anterior to the undertaking given by the Chinese Government to Great Britain in 1898 that no territory in the Yang-tsze region should be mortgaged, leased, or ceded to any other Power, and the question has been considered with the earnest desire of meeting the views of the Prench Government in the matter so far as is possible consistently with securing due protection of British interests. I am accordingly prepared to instruct Her Majesty's Charge d' Affaires at Peking to support an application by the Prench Minister on the following conditions, viz., that the extension of the Prench Settlement shall be confined to the Pasinjow district, comprised between the race-course, the boundary of the actual Prench Settlement, and the new cemetery, and that the following instructions, which the Prench Minister informed Sir C. MacDonald in December 1898 had been forwarded to the Prench Consul-General at Shanghae, shall be strictly observed, viz. :— 1. All deeds applying to British property to be registered in the British Consulate. 2. All Municipal Regulations to be submitted for the approval of Her Majesty's Minister before they can be enforced on British subjects. 3. All titles to British property which are declared in order by the British Consul- General are to be considered so by the Prench authorities. The same rules to apply as regards British-owned property in the Prench Concession at Hankow. I have, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 235. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-lronside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, My 21, 1899. PRENCH Concession at Shanghae. I addressed a note to the Prench Ambassador on the 17th instant, stating that, under certain conditions, having regard to the Agreement arrived at in 1896 and to the fact of its being anterior to the undertaking given to us by the Chinese Govern- ment as to the non-alienation of the Yang-tsze region, I will instruct you to support an application by the Prench Minister at Peking for an extension of the Prench Settlement. [1049J 2 C 2 196 The conditions are as follows : — 1. That the extension be confined to the Pasinjow district comprised between the new cemetery, the race-course, and the boundary of their actual Settlement. 2. That there be strict observance of the instructions reported by Sir C. Mac- Donald in his telegram of the 5th December* as having been sent to the French Consul- General at Shanghae with regard to the recognition of titles to British property and the application to British subjects of Municipal Regulations. 3. That as regards British-owned property in the French Concession at Hankow, the same rules be applied as at Shanghae. No. 236. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 23.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, July 23, 1899. HER Majesty's ship " Woodlark" was well received at all places on her cruise in the Tung-ting Lake. This cruise has now been completed. W— o— — ■— — — — ^ ^ — — — — — ■— ^— i^^^^^^^— ■ ii —i i ■ !-■ !■■ m i ii ■ ■ i ■ iii No. 237. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 24.) My Lord, Peking, June 1, 1899. REFERRING- to my despatch of the 11th ultimo, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copy of a further despatch, which I have received from Mr. Litton, respecting the murder of Mr. Fleming and the unsatisfactory conduct of the Governor of Kueichou and the local authorities. Mr. Litton's despatch contains a sketch map of the scene of the murder, which I also have the honour to inclose.f I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 237. Mr. Litton to Mr. Basclronside. (Extract.) Kuei Yang-fu, May 4, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that I have returned from a journey to Tsing Ping, Chungan, Huang Ping, and Panghai. At all these places I had interviews with the civil and military officials, with the gentry, and with private persons, including several of those who gave evidence respecting Mr. Fleming's murder. I can now report with some confidence on the facts relating to the escape of the Headman. Tsing Ping is a miserable place with probably not more than 700 inhabitants. The great road leads thence across a barren upland and then descends sharply through a valley whose slopes are cultivated by Chinese. The boundary between Tsing Ping Hsien and Huang Ping Chou (and therefore between .Tu Yun and Chen Yuan Prefectures) is passed, and about 300 yards beyond the frontier the descent ends at a flat hollow where the murder took place; just beyond this hollow is a wooded hill on which T'an's house stands. On the left of the road is the river; following this for 150 yards the traveller arrives at the ferry opposite Chungan. Chungan consists of a short street of wooden houses containing about 1,000 persons. From Chungan the main road leads across a desolate height by crossing which the traveller reaches Huang Ping city, 15 miles. This citv contains about the same population as Chungan. The track to Panghai leads down the river through a country entirely populated by Miao. Now, on the main road, there is practically no traffic but officials and soldiers. The population is not only scanty, but the people are as quiet and timid as so many * See " China No. 1 (1899),?' p. 312. t Not printed. 197 sheep. The conditions are totally different from those obtaining at big towns on the Yang-tsze, where a mob can be got together at any time. I utterly decline to believe that the Chungan folk are capable of planning such a crime. There are four families of gentry : Huang's, friendly to us ; Han's, one degraded ; Hsu's, one degraded and one executed ; and the T'ans. Members of all these families, except the Huang's, were employed in the Yamen s at the time of the murder. T'an, as head of militia, was the Representative of the Government at Chungan, and though he was probably more powerful than the Huang Ping and Tsing Ping officials put together, the Provincial Government is responsible for his acts. So confident was T'an of his position that it is a fact admitted even by the military officer Wang, who has succeeded Liu Fu Li (dismissed), that he actually remaiued at his house for more than two months after the murder. The Governor could at any time during that period have arrested him with the greatest ease. Had I started for Kuei Yang at once on receiving the news of the murder, and had the Governor at the same time been told that he must arrest the chief men or lose his office, there can be no reasonable doubt that T'an would have been caught without any difficulty. It is true that I demanded the arrest by telegram from Chungking, and the missionaries by repeated letters to the Kuei Yang officials pointed out the importance of this man's capture ; when I arrived two months after the event, I again, and in the strongest manner, made the same demand. I received the approval of his Excellency the Minister to this, but to all these various remonstrances the Governor paid the same amount of attention, and that was absolutely no attention whatever. Even after my arrival and after the dispatch of my telegram to his Excellency the Minister asking for the Governor's dismissal, late in the day though it was, I think that the arrest might have been affected had the Yamen at once told the Governor that his office was in great danger. But so far as I can find out the Yamen did nothing of the kind; the Governor to make "look see" sent a high military official down to Chungan. This man sat down at the Chungan rest-house for two days, and came back without attempting to do anything serious at all. Of course by this time T'an and his friends had become alarmed. There is the strongest evidence that he was kept informed of what was going on. He would, therefore, know that the murderers had in their confession accused him, that the Governor had admitted his guilt, that the weapons he had given to the murderers were in my hands, and that I was strongly pressing for his arrest. Towards the end of January the Governor got frightened, and consented to a settlement which, if honestly carried out, would be fairly satisfactory, but by the time (end of January) the' Prefect Liu had reached Chungan to confiscate the property, and the new local officials had taken over charge, the Headman had gone into hiding. . , , . ,, Mr. Adam Avas told by all his informants that T'an was simply concealed in the hills near, a theory which is confirmed by the fact that all this time T'an's family attempted' to open negotiations with the Mission school teacher at Panghai for his pardon. Finally, in my interview of yesterday's date with the Governor his Excel- lency actually admitted that T'an had been in the neighbourhood till the middle of February. , When I arrived at Chungan the 12th April, the same independent persons who had given Mr. Adam's information in February informed me that T'an had left the neighbourhood some time in the middle of March, and that he had gone to Hunan. There is water communication with Chungan. T'an was originally a Hunan man, and had trade relations with that province. One witness stated positively that T'an shaved his beard, adopted his wife's surname (Chang) and went down to Yuan Chou. The view that T'an has now really fled away is' confirmed by unmistakable signs that about the middle of March the Governor was for a short time galvanized into energetic action, presumably by the Central Government. All the local officials told me that at that time they received secret instructions to capture T'an at all costs, dead or alive. Proclamations dated the 15th, 30th, March, much stronger than those which I had dictated, are out in Ching Ping and Huang Ping ; the amount of the reward has been increased. T'an's family has disappeared from Chungan. The house is now sealed up, and the land is at least nominally confiscated. This I can state positively, as I went over the house and grounds myself. The above, I believed on leaving Panghai, to be the true account ot 1 an s escape. 198 My view is now confirmed. One of our chief witnesses, Liu Wu Tso, had, I found, been locked up in the Huang Ping Yamen, for giving evidence which is now admitted to be true. I insisted on his immediate release, and gave him money to escape to Kuei Yang. I had no chance of examining him at Huang Ping, but on my return to Kuei Yang he came before me and stated positively that T'an finally bolted in the middle of March together with Hsu Kang Tsing (a graduate whom I had caused to be imprisoned and degraded), and under protection of the Yamen underlings. He left by a hill path, and lower down river embarked on a Hunan opium boat. This, says, Liu, was perfectly well known and discussed in the Yamen. The timid and friendly character of the people, the manner in which the official underlings by their violence drove Mr. Fleming out of Panghai into the hands of the murderers who were waiting for him at Ohungan ; the fact that the murder was followed by the deliberate looting of our Mission by Government troops ; the total failure of the authorities to take any steps whatever till I arrived in Kuei Yang, form a chain of circumstances which, I submit, bind the responsibility fast to the Provincial Government. In any case, the patent fact remains that an Englishman was murdered by the militia on the high road, an English Mission was looted by a military officer and his troops, and six months after the event the chief culprit is not arrested, but has been protected by the officials, and the Governor, the really responsible official, has not been punished. It is at least satisfactory that a clean sweep has been made, for the time at least, of the local officials concerned. Their successors, especially General "Wang, seem to be desirous of doing their duty. I returned from Panghai by a circuitous route through the south-west of the province. Erom my notes and those of Mr. Adam, I submit the report that: (1) Proclamation has been generally posted in north, south, east Kueichou, but not, as Captain Pottinger tells me, in the west ; (2) the rewards have been put up in the " hsiens," between Kuei Yang and Huang Ping, including Ching Ping, but not elsewhere. Yesterday I had an interview of two hours with the Governor. He admitted that T'an had been at or near Chungan till the China New Year. There is now no doubt of the genuineness of the letter I submitted in my last Report. No. 238. Mr. Uax-Jfonside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 24.) My Lord, Peking, June 2, 1899. WITH reference to my telegram of the 15th April, I have the honour to inclose translation of a despatch, dated the 1st June, addressed to me bv the Tsung-li Yamen, informing me that the Imperial Maritime Custom-house at Nanking, on the River Yang-teze, was opened on tne 1st May last to facilitate international trade in accordance with the Treaties. Nanking, which was nominally opened as a Treaty port by Article VI of the French Treaty of 1858, may now be regarded as effectively opened. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 238. The Tsung~U Yamlin to Mr. Bane-Ironside. (Translation.) Sir, Peking) June 1, 1899. WITH regard to international trade and the establishment of a custom-house for the levy of duties, in accordance with Treaties at Chiang Ning (Nanking), the Tsung-li Yamen some time since fixed the date of the 1st April for the commencement of work. The Yamen also received a communication from the Southern Superintendent of Trade* and memorialized the Throne, requesting that a Taotai be commissioned to combine witli his other duties the functions of Customs Superintendent. The Imperial assent was given. Subsequently, as the date fixed for the opening of the custom-house was so near 199 at hand that arrangements could not be made in time, a telegram was received from the Southern Superintendent of Trade to alter the date of opening to the 1st May. The Yamen has instructed the Inspector- General of Customs to take the necessary- steps, and have the honour to communicate the matter to your Excellency. (Seal of Yamem) No. 239. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 24.) My Lord, Peking, June 5, 1899. AT an interview on the 19th ultimo, I informed the Yamen that I had heard that the French Minister was pressing for large Mining Concessions in Szechuan. The Ministers replied that M. Pichon had made no special demands up to the present time. He had, indeed, taken advantage of the pending missionary case to revive an old request for a Mining Concession, but the whole question was still in suspense. The French Minister had objected that Mr. Pritchard-Morgan's Concession was in the nature of a monopoly ; but the Yamen had assured him that it was nothing of the kind. I said that my object in referring to this subject was to put the Yamen on their guard against doing anything at variance with the terms of Mr. Pritchard-Morgan's Agreement. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSI/DE. No. 240. Mr. Bax'Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 24.) My Lord, Peking, June 7, 1899. I HAVE the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship some interesting notes by Lieutenant-Colonel Browne, Military Attache at this Legation, on the Valley of the Yang-tsze Kiang River, and the several approaches thereto, from other parts of the Chinese Empire. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 240. Notes on the Boundaries, Area, and Trade of the Valley of the Yang-tsze Kiang. The Yang-tsze Kiang. — The river which is known to the civilized world as the Yang-tsze Kiang, enters China proper from Thibet under the name of the Kin-sha River, some few miles north of the frontier town of Batang. But the first 900 miles of its course through China it is not navigable; and it is not until it approaches Hsu-chou (locally known as Sui-fu) that boats begin to ply at the small town of Ping-shan, 1,800 miles from the mouth of the river. Names by which known. — The Kin-sha River from its junction with the Min River at Sui-fu to" the sea is known to the Chinese as the Kiang (the River), Chang Kians (the Long River), or more generally by boatmen as the Ta-kiang (the Great Uiver). The word Yang-tsze is said to be derived from Yang, the name of one of the nine provinces into which China was divided a thousand or more years before the Christian era. This name is still retained in the city of Yang-chou, situated in Klang-su, on the Imperial or Grand Canal, 200 This derivation is probably correct, for the Chinese character " Yang " is the same for the city and river, and is not otherwise employed in the Chinese language. As China at an early date in history had not absorbed the country to the west of Hankow, it is possible, as some allege, that the name Yang-tsze Kiang is strictly speaking applicable only to the river below that town ; but it is important to note that the world has not troubled itself with these niceties, but has followed the usual custom of considering the head-waters of a river to be at a point furthest from its mouth, and though accepting local names still regarding the river from its source in Thibet to its mouth as the Yang-tsze Kiang. Map 1. — On the sketch map accompanying these notes only important trade routes and navigable rivers are shown, and information as regards the depth, &c, of the latter marked on the plan to avoid undue expansion of the text. The towns printed in red ink are those drawing their supplies of" foreign goods from the Yang-tsze ports ; but it should be understood that no definite boundary to the trade area can be drawn, because in districts nearly equidistant from different centres of supply, goods are frequently obtained from more than one source. Valley of the Yang-tsze Kiang. — The geographical valley of the Yang-tsze and its affluents is clearly marked by the watershed until the river approaches the sea. For the last 200 miles of its course the river flows through a vast alluvial plain, broken here and there by isolated hills. The natural lie of the country is difficult to grasp, owing to the fact that for upwards of 2,200 years gigantic works undertaken to improve communica- tions, irrigate the land, and prevent the inroad of the sea. have completely changed the face of the country, obliterating or altering the course of the natural waterways, and creating large lakes in the low-lying lands. When it is remembered that until the year 1850, when the Huang-ho or Yellow River reached the sea in the Province of Kiang-su, the Imperial Canal was cut directly at a right angle to the drainage of one-third of China proper, it is not surprising that the history of this delta teems with accounts of disastrous floods, devastating sea waves, and the construction of huge works to mitigate these evils. Thus in the year 1071 the Yellow River bursting its banks changed its course from the Gulf of Pechihli to the south-east. Part of its waters took a direct course to the Yellow Sea, while the remainder entered the River Huai by one of the affluents of that river, flowing from the north-west. By this inroad of water the Hung-tse Lake was increased in size, and had to be embanked along its eastern shore to keep it within bounds ; but this did not serve to contain all the overflow, a part of which transformed the lakes of Pao-ying, Kao-yu, and Shao-pe into one long sheet of water. In 1850 the Yellow River again broke loose, and, returning to its ancient bed in the north, caused a modification in the hydrographical conditions of the Imperial Canal and River Huai. Imperial Canal. — Prior to the year 1851 the waters of the Yellow River kept the Imperial Canal, to the north of Ch'ing-kiang-p'u,* well supplied with water for a distance of 170 miles, thus allowing tribute rice junks of 55 to 75 tons burden to navigate it ; now in the most favourable seasons the limit is for boats carrying L3 to 26 tons. Even' these craft take six months reaching Peking, and then only by being literally dragged through the canal at an enormous waste of money, time, and labour. This applies especially to the section between Chi-ning and Lin-sing, between which places the canal crosses the Yellow River ; in fact, so great are the difficulties of navigation that this part of the canal is practically used only by boats carrying that portion of the tribute rice, which is not sent by sea to Tien-tsin. As a set-off to the loss of transit trade caused by the Tellow River chan<*inf its bed, disastrous floods are much less frequent than formerly in Kiang-su and Anwhei, " China's' sorrow " having transferred its powers of devastation to the Province of Shan-tun°\ River Huai (see map 2).— Before the year 1851 one branch of the River Huai' flowed into the Yellow River, while the other joined the Imperial Canal ; at the present time all its waters flow into the canal at two points : — 1. At the north-east corner of the Hung-tse Lake. 2. The remainder of the water leaves the Hung-tse Lake by the Shang-pa or Wu-pa (five weirs), and, passing through the lakes bordering the west bank of the canal flows into the latter at a point 2 miles south of Shao-pe and 16 miles north of the city of Yan<>- chou. This is the principal entrance, and here the water divides ; one stream follows the Yeng-ho or Salt C&nal, the other takes the channel of the Yun-liang-ho, or Imperial • This is an important trading centre on the Imperial Canal, and should not be contused with the Treatv port of Chinkiang on the Yang-tsze River, w *«wy f"* 201 Canal, to a point 5 miles south of Yang-chou, where the canal bifurcates, one branch reaching the Yang-tsze at Kao-chou nearly opposite Chin-kiang, and the other more, to the west near Ti-cheng. During the dry season this water scarcely suffices to irrigate the land and keep the canals navigable ; but during the rainy season embankments would be tarried away and the country flooded were not other outlets available. Description of Shang-ho and Hsia-ho Districts. — The country to the west of the •canal, as its name Shang-ho indicates, is at a higher level than the canal itself, while that •lying to the east is known as the Hsia-ho, meaning that it is lower than the canal. The difference in level between the Shang-ho and the canal is adjusted by four weirs at Matou and five at Shang.pa (or Wu-pa) ; but when floods occur it is clear that the Hsia-ho would be inundated were it not for an elaborate system of sluices, weirs, and subsidiary •canals to carry off the surplus water. The ^eastern embankment of the Imperial Canal is safeguarded by numerous "cha" and " pa." The " cha " is a movable dam in the embankment, which can be opened or shut or fixed at a given height at will by means of baulks.of timber which slip into stone ■sockets. The " pa " is a larger contrivance, and is made by constructing the embankment for a hundred or more feet of reeds and earth. This portion of the embankment rests on a sill of cut stone, stone being also used to protect its sides. To open the " pa " it is merely necessary to remove a few bundles of reeds from the centre, and the rush of water completes the work. Maritime Canal. — The surplus water thus thrown into the Hsia-ho is carried by numerous canals into the Ch'uan-ch'ang, or maritime canal, which, in its turn, has •eighteen weirs by which the floods escape to the sea. The maritime canal has at the present time two navigable outlets to the sea. By one, the town of Yen-ch'eng does business with neighbouring ports, but transhipment to smaller river boats takes place at the mouth of the stream ; by the other, the important city of Huai-an is in boat com- munication with the sea-coast. Running along the eastern bank of the maritime canal is the Fan-kung-ti, or maritime embankment, constructed to protect the Hsia-ho from tidal waves. The country to the east of this embankment is given up to the manufacture of salt. The three chief depots are at Hai-chou, whence the salt is dispatched by the River Huai to the Province of Honan and to the east, at Tung-chou and T'ai-chou, whence by the Salt and Imperial Canal it reaches the River Yang-tsze. River Huai not an affluent of the Yang-tsze-kiang. — From the foregoing description of the country it will be seen that though in the dry season the waters of the River Huai reach the Yang-tsze by artificial channels, during the rains these do not suffice to carry off the surplus water, which finds its way as of old into the Yellow Sea. In a work entitled " Le Canal Imperial," by Le Pere Domin Gandar, a number of ancient Chinese maps are reproduced, which show the River Huai flowing to the sea to the north of Huai-an, and in the text the author quotes from a work by Confucius (551-479 b.c.), in which it is stated that in 486 b.c. a canal was constructed to join the Rivers Huai and Yang-tsze. This work would not have been undertaken had there been any communica- tion between these rivers at the time. In short, there can be no reasonable doubt that the River Huai is, and always has been, geographically independent of the Yang-tsze. Boundary of the Yang-tsze-kiang Valley in Kiang-su. — As, however, there is no watershed between these rivers, the northern boundary of the Lower Yang-tsze Valley must be an arbitrarily drawn line. In the accompanying plan it is drawn from the hilly country south of the Hung-tsze Lake along the parallel of north latitude 33° 10' to the sea. Boundary of the Yang-tsze-kiang Valley in Chekiang. — A.s regards the boundary on the south bank of the Yang-tsze, the watershed passes through the southern quarter of the city of Hang-chou, that is, within about 2 miles of the River Tsien-tang. This may be tested by taking boat from Shanghae to Hang-chou, during which journey it will be observed that J during the rainy season, the current in the Imperial Canal will be against the traveller, dr that, in other words, the drainage of the country traversed flows north- wards. The terminus of the Imperial Canal is at a point 2 miles to the north of the north city wall of Hang-chou. The canals within the city walls, the West Lake, and the canals to the head of the Imperial Canal are all on a higher level than the latter into which their surplus waters .flow. To the north-east of Hang-chou the boundary of the Yang-tsze Valley must be arbitrarily drawn, for the country is perfectly flat. In the accompanying plan it is taken to the sea to the east of Hai-ning. Area of the Provinces of China. — It is difficult to make an accurate estimate of the extent of country, drawing its supplies of foreign -goods from the Yang-tsze ports because no two authorities agree as to the area of the Provinces of China. [1049] -" 2D 202 , .Given below are (a) the areas according to the ? Encyclopedia Britapnica," 1876; Q>) 'those obtained, by personal calculation, based on , the boundaries as shown on JBretschneider's Map of China, 1896 : — Name of Province. i .' : In Square Miles. <«.)'• • {>>■) Chihli . . . . . . Shantung ' :- Shansi . . Honan Kiangsu Anwhei Kiangsi , , , i Chekiang t . : . L Pukien Hupeh Hunan . . . . . „ Shensi . . . . , , , • ' . Kansu . . . . . . ' Ssuchuan '■■'■'■ ' Kuangtung r. ..; Kuangsi .. .» Kueiehou Yunnan 58,949 65,104 53,268 65,404 45,000 48,461 72,176 36,000 53,480 70,450 84,000 67,400 86,688 220,000 79,456 78.250 64,554 107,969 57,800 55,500 66,700 61,300 . 36,900 53,000 67,500 : 34,700 41,300 65,900 74,400 74,000 131.000 160,800 . 77,300 80,100 58,000 155.000 Excluding Formosa. Excluding Hainan. Total * 1,356,609 1,351,200 ' It will be observed that the total areas of the eighteen Provinces of China are practically the same in both estimates, though the discrepancies are considerable in the area of many provinces. The increase in the estimate of the area: of Shan-si and Shen-si is probably caused by. the territory outside the Great Wall, which is administered by the Provincial authorities, being included in the calculated area. In several other provinces the areas given in, the Encyclopaedia seem to be too great. ; Area of ike Geographical Valley of the Yang-tsze.-^—'B^sed on the figures given in (ft), the geographical valley of the Yang-tsze and its affluents covers an area of 550,000 square miles ; but the commercial area of country supplied by the Yangtze ports is considerably larger than the area of the valleys of the Yang-tsze and its affluents, for it includes the valley of the River Huai, and extends to the north-west to the great trade route from Si-ngan. to Lan-chou, and to the north-east to a line following the Wei and Yellow Eivers to the south of Shantung.* At a moderate computation this country lying without the Actual Valley of the Yang-tsze Kiang and its Affluents. Part of the Province of Kiangsu 99 99 Anwhei 99 99 Honan Province of Hupei ■ - ' - • „ Ssuchuan Part of the Province of Shensi >, >> Kansu Kueiehou J» 5J Kuangsi Province of Hunan • * „ Kiangsi t # Part of the Province of Yunnan Kq. miles. 17,000 24,000 11,000. 65,900 160,000 28,300 14,700 45,900 3,700 74,000 65,500 39,300 Total Commercial Area supplied by the Yang-tsze Ports. Geographical area as above . . Country lying without the basins of the Yang-tsze and its affluents :— Remainder of Province of Kiangsu . . . „ Part of Province of Shantung- „ „ Honan Remainder of Province of Anwhei Part of Province of Shensi „ „ Kansu .. .. ** Total 551,000 551,000 19,900 9,000 38,000 24,500 11,700 15,000 669,100 203 Yang-tsze Basin covers some 100,000 square miles, that is to sav, the portion of China supplied by the Yang-tsze ports is upwards of 669,000 square miles in area, or nearly •one-nalt of the area of the eighteen provinces. Foreign Imports of Yang-tsze Ports.-Whe Table (on p. 15) compiled from the Annual Keport of the Imperial Customs shows that the net total foreign imports of the Yang-tsze ports during 1897 amounted to 12,500,000*., against 16,000,000/. for the remainder of the Empire, which means that the imports of the Yang-tsze area fall short or one-half those of all China by nearly 2,000,000Z., or to be more exact, are 14-7 per cent, below the average. Comparing the same areas as regards the net ; value of trade, that of the Yang-tsze ports is 8 per cent, lower than the area of the country •warrants. , J At first sight this country appears to be poorer than the rest of China, but the exact opposite is the truth, for the land in the Yang-tsze basin is far richer than that of other parts of the Empire. The explanation of the proportionally lower imports lies in the fact that the Xang-tsze Valley, as geographically defined, includes a vast area in the west which has little or no commercial value. The wealth of Ssu-chuan is concentrated in the "Red Basin, which is watered by numerous navigable streams, the remainder of the province is mountainous and inaccessible, sparsely populated by wild tribes or by Chinese who are too poor to purchase foreign commodities. The same'applies in a lesser degree to South Kansu, .North Yunnan, and the Province of Kuei-chou. This region can scarcely be less than 150,000 square miles in extent, thus reducing the area of the country supplied by the Yang-tsze ports by one quarter to one-fifth to 500,000 square miles, so that far from this area being below the average of China in trade it is considerably above it. It should be understood when speaking bf these remote districts as being of no com- mercial value, reference is made to foreign imports only, for the extreme west bordering on Thibet, and Thibet itself supply much of the wool and a large quantity of the skins •exported from China ; but in exchange for these commodities as well as for musk and native medicines, which are the chief exports of this district, the imports are composed almost entirely ol tea and native cotton goods: Remarks on Table of Imports.— Amongst other points of interest which the Table of imports shows is the great commercial importance of North China. Omitting Newchwang, where British imports are small, the foreign imports of Tien-tsin and Chefoo amount in value to one-half those of the Yang-tsze portjs, though the net value of trade at these two northern ports is only one-third of the value pf that in the Yang-tsze basin. The ports grouped as south-east coast ports possess a Hinterland limited in extent, and from their position British interests can easily be safeguarded. Of the ports grouped as " West River and Pakhoi " Canton and Kowloon are of first importance. The trade by the Red River is at present insignificant, and 80 per cent, of it is transit trade, chiefly composed of exports from Hong Kong. Table showing net total Foreign Imports, and net value of Trade, at the Treaty Ports of China for the Year 1897. Manchuria. Name of Port. Net Total Foreign Imports. Net Value of Trade of Port. Newchuang . . .. 1,342,000 £ 3,934,000 Nobth China. Tien-tsin . . • . Chefoo . . • • • • • • • • 4,509,000 1,651,000 8,217,000 3,291,000 6,160,000 11,508,000 [1049] 2 D 2 201 Valley of the Kitbr Yang-tsze. Name of Port. Net Total Foreign . Imports. Net Value of Trade of Port; Shanghae Sooohou Chinkiang Wuhu Kiukiang Shasi Ichang Chungking Hangchou • • • • » • • £ 4,735,000 137,400 1,982,000 552,000 979,600 7,200 96,700 1,260,000 187,900 £ 15,198,000 218.000 3,603,000 1,326,000 2,221,000 47,200 267,800 2,682,000 1,144,000 12,540,800 34,127,000 South -East CoAsr Poets. Ningpo Wenchou Fooehou Amoy Swatow 1,341,000 107,700 760,000 1,087,000 1,440,000 2,394,000 187,000 2,023,000 1,936,000 4,328,000 4,735,700 10,868,000 West Rivek and Pakhoi. Canton 2,055,000 Wuchou and Samsui . . • • • • 213,480 Kowloon • • ■ 1,900,000 Lappa (Macao) . . 524,500 Pakhoi • • • 396,500 5,089,490 7,452,000 300,850 6,316,600 1,961,000 628,300 16,658,300 Tonkin (Red Riteb.). Mengtsz Northern Approaches to the Valley of the Yang-tsze Kiang. Tien-tsin-Chinkiang Road.— The cart road through Tsi-nan-fu to Ch'ing-kiano--p f u and thence by the Imperial Canal passes through Shantung, and is approximately the trace of the projected Anglo-German railway, designed to connect Tien-tsin and Chinkiang. This road is much used for the conveyance of goods from Chinkian^ to North Kiangsu and South Shantung. The construction of a railway along this road will probably have the effect of favouring Chinkiang and Shanghae at the expense of the trade of Tien-tsin, for goods which have hitherto awaited the opening of the Pei-ho River in early spring, can be brought south by rail during the winter. The construction of a German railway from Chiao-chou Bay to Tsi-nan will not, at any rate for many years, affect the area supplied from Chinkiang, though doubtless Tien-tsin will suffer to some extent, and Chefoo still more from the rival porf However, one great advantage attending the introduction of railways in' this part of China will be to reduce the h-kin, which is at present ruinously high. Barriers are set up when and where it pleases the officials. Mr. Consul Bourne, in his Report on the trade of Central and Southern China, states that there are twelve li-kin barriers in the 130 miles which separate Chinkiang from Huai-an, and thirtv-six Custom and li-kin- stations between Chinkiang and Tsi-ning, 205 Peking-Hankow Road. — The road from Peking through Kai-feng to Hankow is approximately the trace of the Lu-han Railway now under construction. The portion of this road to the north of the Yellow River is important, as it leads through Si-ngan-fu to the only road connecting Ssu-chuan with the north and east of China. At Cheng-ting it throws out an important branch to T'ai-yuan, which is the chief trade route into Shan-si. The Russo-Chinese Bank has signed a Contract to build a railway between these two cities. It is said that deposits of excellent coal are found in this neighbourhood, which, if accurate, justify on commercial grounds the construction of this railway. The Manchurian railway will traverse Inner Mongolia, that is, the territory north of the Great Wall and west of the palisade which divides it from Feng-tien or Shen-king, the southern Province of Manchuria. The principal inhabitants are the Ch'ahar Mongols, who are charged with the care of the Imperial herds and horses. The Government is administered by a Military Governor at Ch'eng-te (Jehol) and also, I believe, by one at Chang-chia-men (Kalgan). This government by military men points to the territory not having been incorporated into the Provinces of Chihli and Shan-si, at any rate on the ordinary lines of the Civil Government of the country, and it is probable that a part at least of the district which the railway will traverse remains under the jurisdiction of the Colonial Office which governs " external foreigners." However this may be, the country to the west of Mukden, on the other side of the palisade, is, in Manchuria, always regarded and spoken of as Mongolia. Peking-Hankow Road. — Returning to the Peking-Hankow road. This road is much used for the conveyance of goods from Hankow into Honan, chiefly by wheelbarrow ; but it is generally considered that the prospects of the Lu-han Railway, which will follow this road, are not so bright as those of the Tien-tsinrChinkiang line. Roads from Si-ngan-fu. — The next important communication with the Yang-tsze Valley is the cart road from Si-ngan along the valleys of the Wei and Yellow Rivers, and through Honan to the navigable head of the River Pai-ho at Nan-yang, or if the water is low, on to Fancheng on the River Han. The Han River may also be reached from Si-ngan by a mule track over the mountains, 6ix days to Lung-ku-chai, the navigable head of the River T'an in summer, or on to King- tsekuan in winter. The road from Si-ngan to Cheng-tu, the capital of Ssu-chuan, though it is merely a mule track where it crosses the head waters of the Rivers Han and Chia-ling, is of great- importance, as it is the only connection between Peking and Ssu-chuan. Southern Approaches to the Valley of the Yang-tsze Kiang. The passages across the watershed of the Yang-tsze Kiang in the Provinces of Chekiang and Kukien are numerous, but they are merely badly-paved footpaths carried straight over intervening hills by flights of steep steps. All transport is by coolie ; pack animals are rarely used. The affluents of the West River lead to several roads into the Yang-tsze basin. 1. By the Pei (North) River to Nan-hiung, and thence across the Mei-ling Pass (1,000 feet), and again by boat from Nan-an by the River Kan to the Po-yang Lake and the Yang-tsze. This is the ancient commercial and official route between Canton and Central China. 2. By the North River to Shau-chou, and thence across the Cheling Pass (950 feet) to Chen-chou by the Hsiang River to the Tung-ting Lake and Hankow. This is the trace the projected Hankow-Canton Railway will follow. General Parsons states that the country offers no engineering difficulties, but that some sections of the line will be costlv to construct. 3. By the Kuei-kiang to Kuei-Kn, and in high water through a boat canal into the Hsiang River, joining route 2 at Hengchou. 4. By the Liu-kiang to San-chuo (at high water) or Ku-chou (at low water) across the watershed to the Ching-shui River, navigable from Tu-yun in summer and from Rung-chiang-ssu in winter. . 5. The Hung-shui (Red Water) Kiang was generally thought to be unnavigable, but the Lyons Commission report that goods from Nanning-fu are conveyed by land to Chetang on that river, and are carried thence by water to Pei-tseng, five days' journey to An-shun. TT 6. An alternative route connects Po-se with the market town of Huang-ts ao-pa by water tp Lo-li, thence by land to the Hung-shui Kiang, and by water to Po-chia. 206 f' s ■,:• Communications with the Upper iFang-tszse vid Yiinnan-fu. The principal trade routes to Yiinnan-fu are three in number : — ■- ; H 1. By the West, River from Canton to Po-se (at high water to Pak-nai), and thencrit by mule track through Kuang r nan-fa, thirty to forty days by river and twenty by'land, fifty tosixty days' journey.; By striking the West River at Nanning-fu via Pakhoi this journey is reduced to forty-five days. ' ' , 2. Through Tonkin, sixteen days by steamer and boat to Manhoa on the Red River (425 miles), and twelve days by land (194 miles), in all twenty-eight days' journey. ; 3., By .Bhamo and Tali-fu twirty-one days' joUrney by land (515 miles). On cOm- paring these routes it is clear that the Red River route is the quickest, and, as the Lyons; Commission has shown, the most economical. Relative Cost of Transport by three Routes.— The following are the figures given by the Commission as the relative, cost of conveying a bale of cotton yarn weighing 400 lbs.. by these three routes to Yunnan-fii. Route. Transport.. Duty. Total. Via Haiphong and Red River „ Rangoon and Bhamo „ Pakhoi and Po-se Fr. c. 37 00 62 00 50 40 Fr. c. 26 55 28 00 31 80 Fr. c. 63 55 90 CO m ! 82 20 ' ■ Heavy Duties on Bhamo and. Pose Routes as compared with French' Route.— The transport has in all cases been charged at the rate of 20 tael cents a-day per horse, but it has been pointed out that transport is cheaper in the west of Yunnan than on the Mengrtsze-Yunuan-fu road, so that the charge for transport on the Bhamo-Tali road may be, reduced to 50 fr.. The Chinese duties on the French and Burmah routes are very unfavourable to the latter. The duties on the French route are made up as follows: 10 fr. 30 c. transit dues levied by the French in Tonkin, and 16 fr. 25 c. imposed by the •Chinese, while on the Bhamo-Talifu road the Chinese duties amount to 7 taels, or 28 ft. If the Chinese duties were equalized on these routes, the cost of conveying goods' to Yiinnan-fu by the Bhamo route would be only slightly in excess of that by tne Red River. The Pakhoi-Nanning Pose" route is also heavily taxed as compared with the French route: 31 fr. 80 c. against 16 fr. 25 c, but the opening of Nanning will doubtless improve matters by facilitating the issue of transit passes. From the above it will be seen that the question of routes turns in a great measure on the equalization of tariffs, though the Pose-Nanning route, as Mr. Consul Bourne points out, has an advantage over the Tonkin route, "because the exchange of products, and : therefore the course of trade, is between Yunnan and Kuang-si, Canton, and Hong Kong, and not between Yunnan and Tonkin." FVther, Tali-fu is the commercial centre of the Province of Yunnan, so thatieven under existing tariffs goods from Burmah ought to compete on at least equal terms with' those conveyed by the Toukin route. Looking at the trade of Southern Yunnan generally, it appears that though ; the Tonkin route can compete on very favourable terms with the rival routes in reaching Yunnan-fu, itstrade area is limited to a strip of territory between Laokai and Yunnan^V because the West River can supply the south-east of Yunnan, the Bhamo route, Tali-fu, and its neighbourhood the Kunlon Ferry route when completed, the country abou place, n an g d Puern M ° Ulmam - Zimm ^ route > *>ty <%s to Szemao, the country about that and thTyZt [TvifTt"^ Teg r. dS the P F °J ected French railwa 7 to Yunnan-fa ^^^ r from investin S capital in mining The continuation of this railway from Yunnan-fu to the navigable head of the »srs^So2rJr (48 , 2 mil s L hardiybe re ^ ded - a «s»: Sh°offS SnnJn? I J an investor. The intervening country is extremely poor. Mr. Consul SThTT^K wind-swept plateaux 7,000 feet above the sea-level ; children In the iLt ' rU "T g ab ° L Ut naked ' the a P ath ? and laziness of th e People, ill-clad and bv the nnirTV 8 ™ f § ? h0US6S ruined ' and the onl y well-cultivated land monopolized S.S; + r P f y " fiu n0t a countr y in which much local traffic can be expected to develop • dSusorv g traffiC ' by tappiQg the tmde ° f Ssu-chuan, ^11 probably prove" The freight from Shanghae to Chung-king by the Yang-tsze is about 4,1. 10s. a-ton a charge which will probably be reduced if the upper reaches of the river prove to be navigable by steamers. Assuming, at a moderate estimate, the distance by rail between Haiphong and Ping-shan to be 1,250 miles, goods would have to be conveyed at rather less than Id. a-ton per mile to compete on equal terms with the Yang-tsze route. This doubtless is a remunerative rate where a railway is kept fully employed and when it has' been constructed for a moderate sum, but the nature of the country in Yunnan will make railway construction a costly undertaking. The French railway must ascend 6,000 feet to gam the Yunnan Plateau from the valley of the Red River, and descend from this height between Yiinnan-fu and the Valley of the Yang-tsze, crossing en route three formidable and several minor ranges of hills, one of the former being nearly 10 000 feet above the sea-level. _ The freight on a railway in Ceylon, which is said to traverse country somewhat similar to that of the Yunnan Plateau, is 4d. a-ton per mile for rice and od. a-ton per mile for cotton goods, tobacco, and opium ; but this would be a prohibitive charge in Yunnan, where the ordinary transport of the country does not exceed an average of 1\d. a-ton per mile. The alternative scheme of reaching the Yang-tsze Valley from Yiinnan-fu via Kuei- yang, and presumably the extension of this line to Chen-yuan, which, by the Yuan River, is in communication with the Tung-ting Lake and the Yang-tsze, promises no better result as a commercial enterprise. Both the nature of the country and the great distance from the navigable head of the Yang-tsze to the sea at either Haiphong or Rangoon prohibit the trade of Ssu-chuan from being diverted from its natural course; at the same time, it should not be overlooked that this line will confer preponderating advantages both moral and political, on the nation willing to pay a heavy price for them. This, and this alone, it is submitted, would justify our entering into competition with France in the construction of railways in Western China. (Signed) G. F. BROWNE, Lieutenant- Colonel, Military Attache' in China. Hong Kong, May 15, 1899. No. 241. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 24s.) My Lord, Peking, June 9, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 1st June on the subject of the murder of the missionary Fleming in the Province of Kueichou, I have the honour to report that on the 19th May I received a despatch from the Tsung-li Yamen, communicating a telegram from the Governor of Kueichou, to the effect that he was taking active steps for the capture of the fugitive Headman. I inquired of Mr. Litton, who is still at Kueiyang, as to the accuracy of this statement. Mr. Litton replied on the 30th May, that formal instructions were issued by the Governor in the middle of May and also in March, after it was known that the Headman had fled. Mr. Litton regarded these instructions as a mere deception. 208 The period of a month having expired on the 7th June, I informed the Ministers of the Yamen verbally on the 8th June .that by the instructions of Her Majesty's Government I would send them next day a demand for the dismissal of the Governor of the province. — ~; I have the honour to inclose copy of the note in question, which I sent to the Yamen to-day. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 241. Mr. Box-Ironside to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, June 9, 1899. g.^-; ON the 9th May I had the honour to address your Highness and your Excellencies on the subject of the murder of the English missionary Fleming at Chung An Chiang ia the Province of Kueichou. I informed your Highness and your Excellencies that I had received a telegram from Her Majesty's Government to the effect that if the principal criminal T'an Tzu Ch'eng, who had fled from justice, were not captured during the fourth moon, Her Majesty's Government would call upon the Chinese Government to dismiss the Governor of Kueichou. The fourth moon has now passed and the criminal T'an has not been captured. It is my duty to request your Highness" and your Excellencies to carry out the provisions of the Imperial "Decrees of the loth January, 1898, and the 6th October, 1898, and in accordance with the terms of my preceding despatch denounce the Governor to the Throne, and request his dismissal from his post as a punishment for his neglect of duty and in order to effect a settlement of the case. I avail, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 242. {Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 24.) My Lord, Peking, June 10, 1899. I HAVE the honour to forward copy of a despatch from Her Majesty's Consul- General at Shanghae, inclosing copy of a scheme proposed by the Shanghae General Chamber of Commerce for the formation of a Conservancy Board for the water approaches to Shanghae. This scheme having been approved by the Consular body at Shanghae, and sub- mitted to the Diplomatic Body here, was discussed at a meeting of the Representatives held yesterday, and it was unanimously decided that we should refer the matter to our respective Governments for their consideration. Several of the Bepresentatives, while recognizing the benefits which would accrue under this scheme to the commerce of Shanghae, could not refrain from pointing out that it seemed to take a good deal of power out of the hands of the local authorities ; and I personally expressed the view that the Chinese Government were not likely, without considerable pressure, to agree to the contribution of the l'J0,000 taels con- templated in paragraph 5 of the proposed sources of revenue. In spite, however, of these difficulties in the way of the realization of the scheme, as it is proposed by the Chamber of Commerce in which British interests are paramount^ and as it is approved by Her Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae, I venture to submit it for your Lordship's favourable consideration. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. 209 Inclosure 1 in No. 242. Consul-General Brenan to Mr. Bax-Ironside. SlT ' r tiavtt Shanghae, May l 2Z, 1899. en, ^ tne nonou r to inclose a copy of a scheme which has been proposed by the Shanghae General Chamber of Commerce for the formation of a Conservancy Board for the water approaches to Shanghae. The scheme has been discussed and approved by the Consular Body here, and at the last meeting of that body it was resolved to submit it to the Diplomatic Body in Peking for their consideration. I have, &c. (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. Inclosure 2 in No. 242. Shanghae General Chamber oe Commerce. THE following is the letter that was addressed to the Senior Consul on the subject of a Conservancy Board, as noted in the Minutes of Committee meeting held on the 4th April, 1899 :— Shanghae General Chamber of Commerce, Shanghae, Sir, April 19, 1899. In reply to your letter of the 22nd February, I have the honour to, inform you that the Committee have since had under consideration the scheme for the constitution of a Conservancy Board embodying certain revisions as suggested by you, and I now submit same to you in its entirety as recommended by the Committee at their recent meeting. Composition of the Board. That the Board should consist of — Two representatives selected by the Consular Body from among the resident foreign merchants of Shanghae. The Commissioner of Customs or his nominee. Two representatives of the Chamber of Commerce to be nominated by the Com- imittee. Two representatives of the shipping interests to be nominated' by firms or persons whase entrances and clearances exceed 50,000 tons per annum. If considered desirable, the Board might still further be increased by a representa- tive of the Municipal Council and a representative of the French Municipal Council. The Board to elect their own Chairman and Vice-Chairman. A paid Secretary to be appointed. The Harbour-master and a body of water police and watchmen to be servants of the Conservancy Board. In the event of the river being conserved a competent engineer should be appointed, who will have supreme control (under the Board) of the entire work. Duties of the Board. 1. Regulation of Traffic. — To issue such Regulations as may be found necessary for the regulation of the traffic between the upper limit of the foreign Settlements to the red buoy in the Yang-tsze and over all waterways (such as the Sooehow and other creeks) within the area of the foreign Settlements at Shanghae and the Settlement -at Woosung. 2. Dredging and Bunding. — No dredging or bunding works to be carried out in this section of the river, or, in the above-mentioned creeks, without the permission of the Board. 3. Removal of Obstacles. — To have full power to remove all obstacles intthe river or [1049] '2 E 210 creeks, and, where necessary (as in the case of wrecks, for example), to recover the cost of so doing- from those responsible. 4. Control of Lights. — To have complete control of all floating lights, buoys, &c, in this section of the river, and of such marks on shore as may be necessary for the safe navigation of the river, with the exception of lighthouses, which will remain as provided for in clause 32 of the Treaty of 1858 between Great Britain and China. 5. To receive proportion of Tonnage .Dues. — The Board to receive a proportion of the tonnage pues paid to the Imperial Maritime Customs at Shanghae, Woosung, and any other port on the Whangpoo, sufficient to cover cost of such work or duties as would be carried out by the harbour authorities were the Board not in existence. 6. Control of Conservancy Works. — -In the event of its being decided (by the Board) to carry out the conservancy of the river, the whoie work of so doing to be under the control of the Board, even although this may entail work outside the proposed limit of their jurisdiction. 7. Collection and expenditure of Funds — The Board to have the collection and expenditure of all funds which may be raised for such works, and to have the power to enforce payment, once the levying of the tax has been agreed to, by the Joint Powers. 8. Police and Watchmen.- — The Board to have power to organize police and (or) watchmen to carry out their orders. 9. Control of Pilot Service. — The Board to control the Shanghae pilot service. No licences to be issued except by the Board, who will have power to deal with these licences. 10. Enforcement of Regulations. — With regard to enforcing observance of their Eegulations, the Conservancy Board being constituted in Concert between the Treaty Powers and the Chinese Government, will have the power to sue those who disregard the Regulations before their Consuls, and in the case of Chinese, before the Mixed Court Magistrate, in the presence of a foreign assessor. All suits against the Board shall be brought before the Court of Consuls in the name of the Secretary of the Board. Sources of Revenue. 1. A special annual charge on the assessed value of the property in the foreign settlements, which, even at one-tenth of 1 per cent., would produce some 33,000 taels per annum. 2. A similar charge on the property, with water frontage on both sides of the liver outside the foreign Settlements, but between them and the Yang-tsze. 3. A tax on all shipping entering or leaving the port of Shanghae, Woosung, or any other port on the Whangpoo, in the shape of a surtax on tonnage dues, to be ■collected at the same time as tonnage dues and by the same methods. This, at 5 candies per ton, making the total charge 45 candies instead of 40 candies, as fixed by Article XXIX of the Treaty between Great Britain and China of 1858, would give an income of 52,500 taels per annum. 4. A charge on all merchandize passed through the Customs at Shanghae, Woosung, and any other port on the Whangpoo in a similar manner to the present wharfage charges, giving at one-tenth of 1 per cent., say, 55,000 taels per annum. 5. An Imperial contribution from the Chinese Government, equal to three-tenths of the tonnage dues collected in Shanghae, would result in some 120,000 taels ; it being understood that this proportion of the tonnage dues has for many years past, and still is, diverted from the purpose implied by the Treaties, into alien channels. A similar contribution to be made on all tonnage dues which may be collected at Woosung or any •other port on the Whangpoo. 6. The aggregate of these annual receipts would probably be sufficient to enable a ■constituted authority to raise the necessary capital. 7. As already stated (Article II, section 7), this constituted authority would be the Conservancy Board. Should the annual revenue not be sufficient to provide interest and amortisation for the capital raised for the Conservancy works, the Board to have power to make such increase in the tax on shipping, property, and trade as may be necessary to produce the funds required. Three months' notice of such increase to be given to the Consular Body, who, in their turn, shall publicly notify this increase at least one month before it comes into operation. The Board shall, within six months of the close of their yearly accounts, furnish the Consular Body with a detailed statement giving full particulars of their management, 211 receipts, and expenditure during the past twelve months. This Report to be subsequently published for general information. The Committee of this Chamber trust that the above-suggested Eegulations for the constitution of a Conservancy Board will so far meet with the approval of the Consular Body, that they may be able to transmit them to Peking for the consideration of the foreign Representatives, with a strong recommendation for their adoption. I have, &c. (Signed*) WM. D. LITTLE, Acting Chairman. J. M. T. Valdez, Esq., Consul-General for Portugal and Senior Consul. No. 243. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 24.) My Lord, Peking, June 10, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose copies of correspondence respecting the opening of San-tu-ao in Samsah Bay as a trade mart. The Customs station was formally opened on the 8th May, and the Commissioner of Customs announced that, in addition to the Treaty Tariff duties, wharfage dues, at the rate of 2 per cent, on customs duties, would be collected for municipal purposes. In my despatch to Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow, of the 25th May, I informed him that I considered the proposed tax to be objectionable on principle, and at an interview which I had with the Tsung-li Yamen on the 8th instant, I took the oppor- tunity of pointing out to the Ministers that such an addition to the Tariff was unauthorized. The subject was brought up at a meeting of the foreign Representatives here yesterday, when I informed my colleagues of the objections I had raised at the Yamen. To allow the imposition of this tax, I said, would amount to the admission of the contention now being raised by the Chinese authorities, that to such ports as Woosung, Ch'in-wang-tao, and San-tu-ao, which have been voluntarily opened by China, the stipulations as to Treaty ports are not necessarily applicable, and this admission would but open the way for any further duties and taxes which the Chinese authorities at such ports might wish to impose on foreign commerce. A long conversation ensued, as the result of which all the foreign Representatives present, with the exception of the German Charge d' Affaires, expressed their general agreement with my views as to the illegality of the tax. No action was decided upon for the present, but a note of our objections was recorded by the doyen, with a view to a protest at a future date should circumstances make it advisable. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 243. Acting Consul Eraser to Mr. Bax-Ironside. „. Foochow, May 11, 1899. 1P ' i HAVE the honour to forward copies and translations of the Viceroy Hsu's despatch announcing the opening of San-tu, in Samsah Bay, on the 8th instant, and of my reply thereto, inquiring ab?ut the wharf tax mentioned by the Commissioner of US The Viceroy's reply will be forwarded as soon as received. Meanwhile, I under- stand though not from Mr. von Tanner himself, that the Imperial Maritime Customs hold that, San-tu being voluntarily opened to trade by ^f**^^?™?? are free to impose any conditions they please, irrespective of Treaty and that it is proposed to vest in a Chinese official and the Commissioner the control of the new nort to the exclusion of the Consuls of Treaty Powers. A - , ■ . P San-tu is the natural outlet for teas from the Paklum and Panyong districts, which have hitherto come to Foochow overland ; but the market for teas continuing to be this place, the sea route may not prove any less expensive than land carnage, for [1049] 2 * 2 212 the tea must 1 Be unloaded at Pagoda Anchorage and brought here in lighters, and th«« coast trade duty cannot be refunded until the tea is again exported •■ abroad. The Customs may, of course, allow the tea to be deposited in bond, bufy as much of it is mixed with other teas before export, that course would not be free from incon- venience. Of other trade the new port is, as far as I can ascertain, quite destitute, and it is not likely that foreign merchants will open houses there. One result of the opening of this new port, according to the Imperial Maritime Customs, is that steamers registered at Pooch ow for inland navigation will not be allowed to run to places on or north of Samsah Bay — a very serious inconvenience to that trade. I cannot find any ground for such restriction in the Regulations, and, as the local authorities are said to be about to publish the Pules, prior to the publication of which Mr. von Tanner will not register steamers to carry native produce, I have the honour to request your instructions on this point. I have, &e. (Signed) B^ H. ERASER. Inclosure 2 in No. 243. Viceroy Hsu to Acting Consul Fraser. (Translation.) Sir, May 8, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acquaint you with the following representation received from the Poochow Commissioner of Customs, Tanner, on the 4th May : — " The Commissioner has the honour to report that he proposes on the 6th instant, along with Colonel Ming and native and foreign officers and men, to proceed on board the steamer ' Ching-yuan ' to San-tu to see to everything requisite for the opening of the port. He hopes that clerks will be instructed beforehand to get despatches; about the opening ready to be issued to the various Consuls on the 8th, so as to give due weight to the official date of beginning business. " Purther, as regards the San-tu jetty contribution, the Commissioner proposes to levy a contribution, at the rate of 2 taels for every 100 taels of import or export duty paid, so as to provide funds for the erection of more jetties and stone-bunds ; but though these funds will be issued to the Office of Works when they are required, the deputy concerned must not issue them without the Commissioner's seating. "The Commissioner hopes that the Viceroy will be good enough to transmit orders to notify the Consuls on the due date." I am directing the Commissioners and Taotais of the International Trade Bureau to make the necessary communications, and to instruct the deputies at T'unc-Ch'ung and San-tu to take action accordingly. I have, &c. (Seal of Viceroy.) Inclosure 3 in No. 243. Acting Consul Fraser to Viceroy Hsu. Your Excellency, Foochow, May 9, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your despatch informing me that the Commissioner of Customs was to open San-tu yesterday. Her Majesty's Minister has not sent me any instructions on this matter, but I shall send him a copy of your despatch. I should feel obliged if your Excellency would furnish me with some particulars as to the wharf tax mentioned by Mr. von Tanner. Such a levy does not, so far as I am aware, exist at Treaty ports, and Her Majesty's Legation will doubtless require full information thereon. I have, &c. (Signed) E> H. ERASER. 213 Inclosure 4 in No. 243. Mr. Bar-Ironside to Acting Consul Fraser. Sir, Peking, May 25, 1899 : I BEG to acknowledge receipt of your despatch of the 11th instant on the subject of the opening of the port of San-tu. A similar contention has been raised by. the Chinese authorities with regard to the ports of Woosung and Ch'in Wang Tao, that is, that they have been opened voluntarily by China, and that some of the stipulations as to Treaty ports do not, therefore, apply to them. It is true that in the case of Woosung and Ch'in Wang Tao the Chinese have up to the present used this argument only in connection with the question of Settlements and Concessions, and the reservation of land for Chinese Government purposes, and the purchase of land by foreigners. This Legation has vigorously protested against this principle. I await further information from you as to the tax of 2 taels per cent, alluded to by you. Whether a municipal or Government tax it is equally objectionable. Tour questions as to steamers under the Inland Navigation Rules are practically answered, by my despatch of the 17th May. The Inland Navigation Regulations were never intended to cover coasting trade in sea-going steamers. I am, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIBE. Inclosure 5 in No. 243. « Acting Consul Fraser to Mr. Base- Ironside. Sir ; Foochow, May 18, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 11th instant, I have the honour to forward three copies of an " Express " announcing the opening of San-tu-ao as a trade mart. The Viceroy has not replied to my request for fuller information concerning the wharf tax. I have, &c. (Signed) % H. ERASER, Inclosure 6 in No. 243. Extract from the " Express " of May 1899. Customs Notification (No. 90). ACTING under instructions from the Inspector-General, I formally,, opened the new Customs station at San-tu-ao on the 8th May. , . 1. -r, i. San-tu-ao, opened by China as a trade mart, is under the control of the Jioocnpw Commissioner, its trade generally being regulated in accordance with tfte Treaty Tariff, in addition to which wharfage dues, at the rate of 2 per cent, on customs duties, import and export, will be collected for municipal purposes. r (Signed) P. von TANKER, Commissioner of Customs, Custom-house, Foochow, May 15, 1899. 214 No. 244. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 24.) (Extract.) Peking, June 10, 1899. IN my interview on the 8th instant Ministers informed me that the report which had been for some time current, that the Russian railway demand had been withdrawn by M. de Giers, was untrue, but since the Tsung-li Yamen had written refusing the application no action had been taken by the Russian Legation. Ministers made some inquiries with regard to the Russian Railway Loan, which, according to Reuter, was about to be floated in London. They expressed surprise at the smallness of the loan — the amount mentioned was 3,000,000/.— and they seemed surprised that Russia should stand in need of so comparatively small a sum. On the same day I had the honour to telegraph a resume of this conversation to your Lordship, and I expressed an opinion that, in view of the erroneous impression prevalent with regard to the supplementary note, it would be desirable to immediately communicate the substance of it to the Tsung-li Yamen, as already telegraphed to me by your Lordship. On the 10th instant I received a reply from your Lordship approving my suggestion, and instructing me to inform M. de Giers of my intended communication. On the same day I carried out your Lordship's instructions, and addressed a note to the Tsung-li Yamen and a letter to the Russian Minister ; copies of these com- munications are herewith inclosed. Inclosure 1 in No. 244. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Pekinq, June 10, 1?99. REFERRING to my despatch of the 8th ultimo, I am instructed by the Marquess of Salisbury, Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Eoreign Affairs, to inform your Highness and your Excellencies that, in addition to the general Agree- ment between Great Britain and Russia, which I have already had the honour to communicate to you, supplementary notes were also exchanged between Her Majesty's Ambassador' at St. Petersburgh and the Russian Minister for Eoreign Affairs with regard to railways in China. The above provided that the general Agreement, with which your Highness and your Excellencies are acquainted, is not to infringe in any way the rights acquired by the British and Chinese Corporation under their Loan Contract with regard to the Shanhaikuan-Newchwang line, and the Chinese Government may appoint an English engineer and an European accountant to supervise the construction of the line and the expenditure of the money appropriated to it. It remains understood that this fact does not constitute a right of property or foreign control, and that the line in question remains a Chinese line under Chinese control and cannot be alienated to a non-Chinese Company. "With regard to the extension to Sinminting, from the point where the line branches off to Newchwang, it is further agreed that it is to be constructed by China, who may permit European—not necessarily British— engineers to periodically inspect it and certify that the work is being properly executed. The present special agreement is naturally not to interfere in any way with the right of the Russian Government to support, if it thinks fit, applications of Russian subjects or establishments for Concessions for railways which, starting from the main Manchurian line in a south-westerly direction, would traverse the region in which the Chinese line terminating at Sinminting and Newchwang is to be constructed. I avail, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. 215 Inclosure 2 in No. 244. Mr. Bax-Ironside to M. de Giers. My dear Minister. Peking, June 10, 1899. IN accordance with instructions which I have received from my Government, I purpose to-day communicating the substance of the supplementary notes exchanged between the Governments of Great Britain and Russia with regard to railways in China on the 29th April last to the Cbinese Government. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 245. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbwy. — (Received July 24.) My Lord. Peking, June 11, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose, for your Lordship's information, copies of despatches from Her Majesty's Consul at Newchwang, with reference to the limits of the new British Concession on the north bank of the Liao River. Mr. Yano, the Japanese Minister, has approached me with a view to joint action in the matter, and as your Lordship will notice from the correspondence, Her Majesty's Consul has, under my instructions, been keeping in touch with his Japanese colleague. On the 8th June I was informed by a telegram from Mr. Hosie that the Japanese Consul agreed to the Japanese Concession as marked in the inclosed map, from the railway station, to outer harbour limits, and on the same afternoon I asked the Tsung-li Yamen in the course of an interview to sanction the arrangements which had been come to locally. The Ministers said that they must wait for the Taotai's Report, but they assured me that if, as Mr. Hosie stated, the railway authorities and the Japanese Consul were satisfied with the limits as shown on the map * (which I exhibited), they would raise no objection. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE, Inclosure 1 in No. 245. Consul Hosie to Mr. Bax-Ironside. §j r Newchivang, April 24, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt on the 22nd instant of your telegram of that date, directing me to report on the present position of the question of Concession extension on the north bank of the Liao River at this port, and to consult with my Japanese colleague on the subject. The request for a British Concession, or rather a second Concession, at this port — for four lots of the original British Concession on the left bank of the Liao still remain— was, so far as I can gather, due to the demand made last year by the Japanese Consul here for two Concessions on the north and south banks of the river respectively, the latter to extend westward from the west mud wall of the town to the neighbourhood of the fort. The authorities at Moukden declined to entertain the application for the latter on the plea that the ground was necessary for the defence of the town ; but the Tartar- General I-ko-tang-a (since deceased) added that he would grant another Concession if the Consul would find a place to which no objection could be raised. The Japanese Consul has since indicated two places, both on the right bank of the river— one to the west of the railhead, the other opposite the Russian settle- ment at Niu-chia-t'un, ,..,«, i i ■ * « T n i * When my predecessor heard of the first demand of the Japanese Consul for ■' N"t printed. 216 Concessions on the north and. south banks he addressed the Taotai, and requested,. in view of the fact that the greater part of the old British Concession had been washed away by the river, that a British Concession should be granted on the north or right bank. The Japanese Consul was naturally anxious to have the Japanese Con- cession to 1 the ' immediate east of the railhead, and being first in the field, had the choice of situation, and my predecessor agreed that the British Concession should be next to, and east of, the Japanese. Mr. Tanaba, the Japanese Consul, applied to the Taotai for a Concession to run east from the railhead for a distance of 600 or 700 chang,* to be bounded on the north by the river, which, as will be seen from the map at p. 16 of the decennial Report of Imperial Maritime Customs, ] 882-91, flows west to' east across the plains before reaching the port. Mr. Allen applied for a Concession about 500 chang to the immediate east of the Japanese, to be bounded on the north, as Well as the south," by the river. Concessions were assented to in principle by the Tartar General, the Northern Superintendent of Trade, and the Tsung-li Yamen, and the Taotai was directed to examine the proposed Concessions and see whether any objections existed to their being granted. The Taotai, Mr. Tanaba, and Mr. Allen visited the ground together, and the Taotai stated that the Railway Administration required 400 chang to the immediate east of the railhead for railway purposes, and that the Japanese and British Concessions must lie to the east of this. Mr. Tanaba and Mr. Allen objected to the size of the section to be set apart for railway purposes, and the Taotai objected to the size of the proposed Concessions as an interference with the vested interests of a number of families who pay taxes to the Government for the privilege of cutting the reeds which cover the land in summer and autumn, and with a few houses and a temple standing on the proposed Concessions. The' result was that the Taotai forwarded to the Tartar-General and < to the Northern Superintendent of Trade a map, in which he proposed that 200 chang east of the rail- head should be set apart for railway purposes, and that 600 chang to the east of that, with af' depth from north to south of 140 chang, should be equally divided between Japan and Great Britain. On the 17th instant the Taotai informed me that he had received a telegram from the Acting Tartar-General conveying the assent of the Tsung-li Yamen to the measure- ments and proposed division as given in his plan or map. , 1 have omitted to state that when Mr. Tanab& and Mr. Allen met the Taotai on the proposed Concessions they informed the latter that they considered that a section 130 chang east of the railhead sufficient for railway purposes, and Mr. Tanaba and I agreed that this section might be extended 20 chang in consideration of an extension of each of the two Concessions by 100 chang. We had a long interview with the Taotai yesterday afternoon, but he declared that as the Tsung-li Yamen had now fixed the boundaries of the Concessions, he was unable to do anything to meet our views, and was now awaiting the Ya men's instruc- tions. In view of the probability that other Powers will demand Concessions higher up the river, I consider it highly desirable that the waterway should form the northern as well as the southern boundary of the British Concession, and that the southern boundary should be extended for 100 chang, thus having a water frontage of 400 chang. Moreover, it will be necessary to raise the ground fronting the river on the south, and the higher land behind might be utilized for this purpose. 'Unwilling as one should be to restrict ground necessary for legitimate railway enterprise, there is an impression here that the section alleged to' be required for the railway east of railhead is to be retained for speculative purposes, and there can be no doubt that; owing to the greater depth of water to the west, the more west the Conces- sions can be pushed the more valuable they will be commercially. I propose to go over the ground, and will report to you further on the subject. I have, &c. (Signed) ALEX. HOSIE. i chang = II ft. 9 j n . -in Inclosure 2 in No. 245. Consul Hosie to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Newchwang, April 28, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 24th instant, I have the honour to report that I have gone ever the ground east of the Chinese railway terminus on the north hank of the line, which the Tsung-li Yamen have agreed to set apart for Japanese and British Concessions ; and I inclose a copy of the Taotai's plan on which the Yamen's decision is based. On that plan the blue-pencil line marks the eastern boundary of the railway, at each end of which boundary-stones have been erected, and to the east of which 200 chang are alleged to be required for railway purposes. The black lines to the east indicate the Concessions originally requested, and the red- pencil lines show the Concessions assented to. I am convinced that the land alleged to be required for the Railway Administration is intended to be used for speculative purposes ; and, as the water on the north bank of the river shoals to the eastward, it is very desirable in the interests of the British Concession that these requirements should he cut down to 150 or even to 100 chang. In my despatcb of the 24th instant I laid some stress on having a water frontage on the north as well as south of the Concession — the original request ; but, were the former granted, the British would be cut off from the railway by the Japanese Concession, which would not be at all desirable. An extension northwards, however, would, in my opinion, be of distinct advantage for purposes of recreation and for other reasons ; and I would venture to suggest that, in addition to the 140 chang assented to by tbe Yamen, another 10 chang should be requested. This would leave practically 89 yards to the south of the narrowest part of the neck of land which separates the windings of the river, and is 600 yards in width. With regard to the extension of the frontage of each of the Concessions by 100 chans, I have come to the conclusion that, if the Japanese Concession could be pushed westward 100 chang by reducing the railway demands by that amount, the western part of the British Concession would secure deeper water, which would be of more advantage to us commercially than an extension of the frontage. As matters now stand, the Japanese, by priority of request, have secured the deep water, and our aim should be to try and obtain a fair share of what is really valuable. A frontage of 300 chang (l,022f yards) is ample for the prospective needs of the British Concession, and coupled with sufficient depth of water, should leave little to be desired. 1 have, &c. (Signed) ALEX. HOSIE. Inclosure 3 in No. 245. Consul Hosie to Mr. Bax-Ironside. q. Newchwang, May 26, 1899. ' I HAVE the honour to inform you that I yesterday telegraphed to you, in cypher that I had arranged with Mr. Kinder to reduce the land required for railway purposes on the south frontage of the north bank of the river to 100 chang, which would enable us to have the outer harbour limit as the boundary of the British Concession on the west side. This is conditional on the Japanese accepting the part marked (A) on the inclosed plan, in satisfaction of their western boundary not being for a certain distance at right angles to their water frontage; but I do not think there can be any objection on their part to this arrangement, which makes them conterminous with the site of the railway station on its north and east sides I have marked on the plan what I consider should be the boundaries of the British Conces- sion • but obiection may be raised that there are houses on the ground so marked. The nouses however, are only four in number, are scattered about, and nowhere bear any resemblance to a village, or even a hamlet. They are moreover, mud-built, of little value, and any compensation if demanded would be trifling. Mr Kinder has requested the Taotai to arrange for the railway right of way [1049] 2 P 218 along the bunds of both Concessions — which was the very right I was anxious to secure should not be denied to us by the Japanese. I have, &c. (Signed) ALEX. HOSIE. No. 246. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 24.) (Extract.) Peking, June 12, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 3rd April last, I have the honour to report that I received a letter from Mr. Glass, agent for the Peking Syndicate, dated the 26th April, informing me of his return from a trip through Shan si and North Honan. Mr. Glass, who was accompanied by Major Brazier-Creagh and Captain Twiss, R.E., stated that his journey was performed without any difficulties other than those to be expected in travelling through a country where the roads are not all that could be wished for, and, in expressing his cordial acknowledgment for the ready help and hearty support accorded him by Her Majesty's Legation, he requested me to convey to the members of the Tsung-li Yamen his grateful thanks for the civility and attention which he and the members of his party had received on all occasions from the officials of Shansi and Honan. Mr. Glass also wrote expressing his regret that I had been unable to obtain from the Chinese Government an assurance that the Peking Syndicate would be allowed to construct a line of railway from the Province of Honan to IS anking. I had had the honour to acquaint your Lordship, in my despatch above alluded to, with the refusal of the Chinese Government to grant this line. Mr. Glass added that the issue of the Imperial Edict possibly rendered no other course open than that taken by the Tsung-li Yamen ; but the Syndicate's agent expressed a hope that when the time was ripe for consideration of further railway schemes in China, I would bear in mind that the Syndicate had applied for the right to construct this particular line, and that the support of Her Majesty's Legation would not be withheld. The construction of this line, he added, would have a very important bearing in the development of the mineral wealth of the provinces of Honan and Shansi, and it was important that it should form a part of the Peking Syndicate's railway system. On the 27th ultimo the acting agent of the Syndicate in Peking, M. Sabbione, wrote me a letter, copy of which I have the honour to inclose, requesting me to notify the Tsung-li Yamen of the Syndicate's intention to construct certain lines in Shansi, in accordance with the terms of clause 17 of the Shansi Contract. In the course of an interview which I had with Tsung-li Yamen on the 8th instant, I mentioned the subject of the Shansi Railways, and I informed the Ministers that I was waiting a favourable reply to my note of the 5th instant. Their Excellencies explained that the Governor of Shansi had to be consulted. They said that, in their view, the Agreement merely gave the Svndicate permission to build railways from mines to trunk lines, and the note which I had addressed to them asked for a series of railways of a character which was not contemplated when the Agreement was drawn up. One of the leading Ministers interjected a remark to the effect that the railways asked for could not be conceded until the main lines were constructed. I referred to the Syndicate's Agreement which made provision' for railways to earry the produce of the mines to markets. The Syndicate's surveyors had examined the country, and had come to the conclusion that the lines mentioned were absolutelv necessary for that purpose. Their Excellencies said they would consider the question. The fact was that, although the Governor of Shansi was in favour of railways, the people of Shansi were opposed to them, and there had been a considerable amount of trouble with the censors over the Syndicate Agreement. I urged the Ministers to return a favourable reply to my note This reply reached me on the 10th instant, and I have the "honour -to inclose a copy, together with a copy of my note to the Tsung-li Yamen of the 5th instant Your Lordship will note that the Ministers, after raising certain objections 'to my 219 proposals ask that the Syndicate should be told, in accordance with the original Agreement, to report m conjunction with the Boards of Commerce to the Governor of eacn province concerned, who will depute officials to investigate the proposals, and if possible, arrange satisfactorily. On the receipt of the replies to such reports further action may be taken. The Tsung-li Yamen add that they have communicated in this sense with the Governors of Shansi and Honan, and they beg me to instruct the Peking Syndicate agent; this course I have adopted, and have made M. Sabbione acquainted with the contents of the Yamen's reply. .Enclosure 1 in No. 246. The Agent, Peking Syndicate, to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Your Excellency, Peking, May 27, 1899. AS the Peking Syndicate have decided to open mines ir the districts of Yuhsien Luan-fu, Tsechou-fu, and Ping-Yang-fu, and to work petroleum in the district of Puchow in the Province of Shansi, they have, therefore, now completed their scheme for a system of railways connecting these various mines according to the terms of the Shansi Contract. The lines decided upon are as follows :— 1. From Yiihsien south to Taiyuan-fu (100 /{ beyond the proposed Russian line as per Agreement) then from Taiyuan-fu south to Ping-Yang-fu ; from Ping- Yang-fu south-west to the petroleum district of Puchow, and from Puchow to Tung- kuan on the Yello w Eiver. 2. Prom Ping-Ting-chow south to Luan-fu, Tsechou-fu, and Hwai-Ching-fu. 3. Prom Ping-Yang-fu south-east to Tsechou fu. I beg that your Excellency will be so good as to notify the Tsung-li Yamen of the decision of the Syndicate to construct the above system of railways in the Province of Shansi, and that the Tsung-li Yamen will communicate this information to the Imperial Bureau of Railways and Mines in Peking and also to the provincial authorities. On the 22nd instant I had the honour to hand to your Excellency a letter from Mr. Glass, in which he asks that you will kindly obtain from the Tsung-li Yamen protection for the survey party he is sending to locate a railway line from Honan-fu via Tung-kuan to Hsian-fu in Shensi. I trust that your Excellency will be able to act favourably in both these matters in order to secure for the British interests a through railway line to the capital of the important Province of Shensi, and anticipate action which may be taken at any moment by another nationality. I have, &c. (Signed) E. SABBIONE. Inclosure 2 in No. 246. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, June 5, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform your Highness and your Excellencies that I have received a notification from the agent of the Peking Syndicate to the effect that they have decided to open mines in the districts of Yuhsien, Luan-fu, Tsechou-fu, and Pingyang-fu, and to work petroleum in the district of Puchou, in the Province of Shansi. They have, therefore, now completed their scheme for a system of railways connecting these various mines according fco the terms of clause 17 of the Shansi Contract. The lines decided upon are as follows : — 1. Prom Yuhsien south to Taiyuan-fu (100 li beyond the proposed Russian line as per Agreement), then from Taiyuan-fu south to Pingyang-fu, from Pingyang-fu south-west to the petroleum district of Puchou, and from Puchou to Tungkuan, on the Yellow River. 2. Prom Pingting-chou south to Luan-fu, Tsechou-fu, and Hwaiching-fu. 3. Prom Pingyang-fu south-east to Tsechou-fu. [1049] 2 P 2 220 In notifying your Highness and your Excellencies of this decision of the Syndicate to construct the above-mentioned system of railways according to the Agreement, I have the honour to request that the Tsung-li Yamen will communicate this information to the Imperial Bureau of Railways and Mines in Peking, and also to the provincial authorities. I avail, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 3 in No. 246. The Tsung-li Yamen to Mr. Bax-lronside. (Translation.) Sir, Peking, June 9, 1899. WE have the honour to acknowledge the receipt on the 5th June of your despatch, informing us that you had received a notification from the Peking Syndicate to the effect that they had decided to open mines in certain districts and to work petroleum in a certain district in the Province of Shansi; that the Peking Syndicate had therefore now completed their scheme for a system of railways connecting these various mines according to the terms of clause 17 of the Shansi Contract; and that the lines decided upon were as follows : — [Mr. Bax-Ironside's despatch of the 5th June, 1899, quoted in full : see Inclosure 2 in No. 246.] You therefore requested us to communicate this information to the Imperial Bureau of Railways and Mines in Peking, and also to the provincial authorities. In reply, we beg to call your attention to the words of clause 17 of the Shansi and Honan Mining Contracts : — " To construct branch railways, to connect with main lines or water navigation, to facilitate transport of coal, iron, and all other mining products." It is also laid down that the Syndicate is to " report to the Governors of the two provinces," and that " Regulations for branch railways are to be made in due time." This means that the construction of branch railways is to begin from the mines, and such railways are to connect with main lines or to run to water ports, simply in order to insure adequate facilities for the transport of the products of the mines. It was for this reason that nothing was stipulated at the time as to the number of such lines, or where they were to begin or to end. After mining operations had actually commenced, the Syndicates were to report to the high provincial authorities, who would thoroughly investigate the circumstances of each case, and decide. in accordance with topographical requirements. The three railways which the Peking Syndicate now seek to make cover an area including territory belonging to the three Provinces of Shansi, Shensi, and Honan The starting points and termini of the various lines are utterly indefinite, and the Syndicate, instead of reporting to the Governors of the provinces concerned for their decision, have actually made their own plans, and now ask outright for permission to construct. In all these respects they have failed to comply with the original Agree- ment, and we are unable at once to authorize their proposal. The Syndicate should be told, in accordance with the original Agreement, to report, in conjunction with the Boards of Commerce, to the Governors of each province concerned, who will depute officials to investigate and arrange satisfactorily. On receipt of the replies to such reports, further action may be taken. "We have communicated in this sense with the Governors of Shansi and of Honan, and we would beg you to instruct the Peking Syndicate accordingly. We avail. &c. No. 247. Memorandum by Mr. Jamieson on River Conservancy at Shanghae. THE object aimed at by the establishment of a River Conservancy Board is a laudable one, viz., the improvement of water approaches to Shanghae, and in 221 particular the removal of the Woosung Bar. Eor many years the Chinese local authorities have been pressed to undertake this work, and it is their refusal or neglect that has prompted the present scheme. Primarily the cost of such work should fall on the Chinese Government, but the great expense and want of funds have been the pleas put forward for delay. The foreign Residents, while urging that the tonnage dues levied on foreign shipping, which were intended to meet work of this sort, would be amply sufficient if not frittered away on other objects, have nevertheless been willing to bear part of the cost by submitting to a voluntary tax on shipping and property provided the Chinese Government would undertake the work and defray the balance. Various proposals of this nature have been put forward, more or less informally, within the past few years, the offer of pecuniary aid, however, being not unnaturally accompanied by the condition that the contributors should be substantially represented in the control and management of the works. None of the proposals, however, ever came to anything, mainly in consequence of the indifference and inertia of the local authorities. The present proposal takes the control out of the hands of the local authorities altogether, except in so far as they may be deemed to be represented by the Commissioner of Customs. So far as efficiency of management goes, the scheme no doubt is better without them, but their exclusion, it may be feared, will not recommend the scheme to the Chinese authorities at the capital. Modifications can, of course, be admitted, and there probably would be no great objection to the local authorities being more fully represented on the Board so long as the substantial management was not taken out of the hands of the foreign members. One thing is certain — the work proposed is urgently required. The improvement that might be effected would remove what is now a serious tax on shipping, which means indirectly a tax on the general trade of the port, and it would enhance the value and importance of Shanghae as the commercial Metropolis of the Empire. And it may be added that the amount of British capital now engaged at Shanghae is such that it is no longer possible to suffer that it should be endangered by the silting up and deterioration of the waterways through sheer neglect. (Signed) G. JAMIESON. July 28, 1899. No. 248. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, July 28, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 10th ultimo relative to the opening of San-tu-ao, in Samsah Bay, as a trade mart. I approve the action which you took in regard to the proposal to levy wharfage dues at San-tu-ao, as reported in your despatch. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 249. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. _Si rj Foreign Office, July 28, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 9th ultimo relative to the murder of Mr. Fleming. I approve the terms of the note which you addressed to the Tsung-li Yamen .-demanding the dismissal of the Governor of Kueichow. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. 222 No. 250. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received July 31.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, July 31, 1899. PRITCHARD-MORGAN'S Mining Contract has been ratified by the Throne, and. is therefore complete and binding in accordance with the terms contained therein. I would venture to suggest that Mr. Pritchard-Morgan be recommended to pay special attention to clause No. 14 of the Contract. JSo. 25]. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, July 31, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 7th ultimo inclosing notes by Lieutenant- Colonel Browne on the Valley of the Yang-tsze Kiang and the approaches thereto. I request you to convey to Lieutenant-Colonel Browne my thanks for his interesting Report. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 252. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, August 2, 1899. WITH reference to previous correspondence in regard to our proposal to refer] to arbitration the claim of the Indo-China Steam-ship Navigation Company against the Chinese Government for damages for the loss of the " Kow-shing," I am informed by the Chinese Minister that he is still without instructions on the subject. I request that you will call the serious attention of the Chinese Government to the matter, and that you will inform them that Her Majesty*s Government must treat the claim as one to be otherwise compensated if they will not consent to refer it to arbi- tration. No. 253. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. Scott. Sir, Foreign Office, August 2, 1899. THE Russian Charge d' Affaires called on me to-day and referred to the claims of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to certain lands in the Russian Concession at Hankow, which formed the subject of my note to him of the 12th ultimo, a copy of which I transmitted to your Excellency. M. Lessar spoke at considerable length on the uncertain character of the evidence in support of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s claims in the case of some of the plots. 1 informed him that if there was disagreement between us as to fact or Chinese law, I should have no objection to the points in dispute being referred to the arbitration of some subject of another Power. M. Lessar expressed himself as strongly opposed to the idea of arbitration. I expressed my regret that M. Lessar should take this view, and stated that as Her Majesty's Government could certainly not abandon the rights of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co., arbitration appeared to me to be the only method of settling the dispute. I could only recommend him to discuss the natter with Sir C. MacDonald. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. 223 No. 254. Foreign Office to Indo-China Steam Navigation Company. :Sir > . Foreign Office, August 2, 1899. WITH reference to your letter of the 30th June relative to your claim for the loss of the " Kow-shing," I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to state that he has been informed by the Chinese Minister that although he has on several occasions brought this matter to the notice of the Tsung-li Yamgn, he is still without instructions in regard to the proposal that the claim should be referred to arbitration. Sir C. C. Lo Feng Luh states that he has within the iast few days addressed a further communication on the subject to his Government, and that he hopes to receive a reply at an early date. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BEllTIE. No. 255. Mr. Raikes to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 1.) My Lord, Brussels, August 3, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose an extract from the " Petit Bleu " of to-day's date, giving particulars of a Concession, granted to the representative of a Belgian Syndicate in China, of a railway connecting the mining regions of Shansi with the Peking- Hankow line. I have, &c. (Signed) ARTHUR S. RAIKES. Inclosure in No. 255. Extract from the " Petit Bleu " of August 3, 1899. UNE depeche de Shang-Hai arrivee ici signale un nouveau succes pour la Belgique en Chine. La Concession d'un chimin de fer de 700 kilom. environ, devant relier la region miniere du Chan- Si a la ligne de Pekin-Hankow, qu'il rejoindra a Ka'i-Foung, vient d'etre octroyee a M. l'lngenieur Rouffart, representant en Chine un groupe important de capitalistes Beiges. En raison de la richesse du sol de la Province Chan-Si, richesse que Ton ne peut tarder de mettre a. profit, Sexploitation de cette ligne nouvelle serait des plus remune- satrices. M. Kinder, le Directeur des Chemins de Fer du Nord, obtient deja une recette kilom^trique correspondant a 27,000 fr. par an. L'Acte de Concession, qui porte sur la contruction et l'exploitation de la ligne, et sur lequel l'accord est deflnitivement 6tabli, n'attend plus que la signature du Tsung-li Tamen. (Translation.) A TELEGRAM from Shanghae, which has arrived here, announces a fresh success for Belgium in China. The concession of a railway of about 700 kilom. intended to connect the mining district of Shan-si with the Peking-Hankow line, which it will join a 1 - Kai-feng, has just been granted to the engineer, M. Rouffart, who represents in China an important group of Belgian capitalists. Considering the fertility of the soil of the Province of Shan-si — a fertility which is likely to be turned promptly to account — the working of this new line should be most lucrative. Mr. Kinder, Director of the Northern Railways, already receives a return equal to 27,000 fr. per kilom. a-year. The Act of Concession dealing with the construction and working of the line, in regard to which a definite agreement has been arrived at, only awaits the signature of the Tsung-li Yamen. 224 No 256. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 6.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, August 6, 1899. FLEMING murder : Tour Lordship's telegram of the 29th June. I had an interview with the Tsung-li Yamen yesterday, when I inquired if they had any news respecting the capture of the Headman. Their answer was in the negative, and they added that the accused had fled to Hunan. I gathered from their remarks that they had given up hope of his arrest, and they tried to bring forward the argument that Her Majesty's Consul had accepted indemnity in place of the capture of the Headman, and had waived the question of his arrest. After pointing out how entirely fallacious this argument was, I warned the Ministers that Her Majesty's Government insisted on the culprit being captured, and were not prepared to wait for an indefinite period. No. 257. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 6.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, August 6, 1899. " KOW-SHING " case : Your Lordship's telegram of the 2nd August. Tsung-li Yamen informed me at interview yesterday, in answer to your Lordship's- communication, that they had not yet decided on their reply to the proposal, respecting- which they had recently received a telegram from Lo Feng Luh. In a few days, however, they promised to give me their answer. No. 258. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 7.) My Lord, Peking, June 14, 1899. IN his despatch of the 18th February last, Sir Claude MacDonald reported to- your Lordship the strong representations which he had been obliged to make to the Chinese Government owing to the continued increase of piracy in the Chinese waters adjacent to Hong Kong. A recent instance of piracy, where the victim was the British steam-launch " Wo-on " has been brought to my notice by Her Majesty's Consul officiating at Canton. The details of this case are reported in the despatch of which I have the honour to inclose a copy. Your Lordship will observe that Mr. Mansfield recommended that compensation should be exacted from the Chinese authorities for all the property looted from the launch. Before authorizing him to do this I telegraphed for further particulars, and ascertained that there was no European on board at the time, and that of the 7,000 dollars at which the stolen property was estimated 2,000 dollars was owned by the launch and 5,000 dollars by the Chinese passengers, seventy -four in number. I fail to see on what principle we could claim compensation for the losses of the- Chinese passengers, and in telegraphing to Mr. Mansfield on the 12th instant I authorized him to make a claim for the losses of the launch owners and employes onl) . In a telegram received yesterday Her Majesty's Consul at Canton informs me that piracy and robbery are still flourishing in the neighbourhood with absolute impunity, and that, in spite of the warnings repeatedly given to the Viceroy, no serious attempt has been made to put a stop to such outrages. I consider, therefore, that the time has come when it is mv duty to submit, for your Lordship's consideration, the advisability of Her Majesty's Government taking steps to protect British lives and property in the Canton waterways of the nature- 225 indicated in the warnings addressed "by Sir Claude MacDonald to the Chinese Government on the 18th February last. I have, &e. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 258. Consul Mansfield to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, • Canton, May 25, 1899. I HAD yesterday the honour to send you the following telegram in code : — " British vessel pirated West River. Will you give support to reasonable demnnd for compensation for loss sustained from Chinese authorities?" The details of the case, as reported to me yesterday, are as follows : The large steam-launch " Wo-on," owned by the British merchants Banker and Co., of Hong Kong and Canton, and plying under the Steam Navigation Inland Regulations, left this port at 8 a.m. on the 23rd instant foi the West River. At Kumchuk she took on board a number of passengers, twenty-four of whom, as the vessel came out of the creek into the West River, drew revolvers, and took posses- sion of the engine-room and wheel-house. They headed south, and steamed some 10 miles to a place called Ku Chen, near Kong-Mun, where they beached the 'Wo-on," and the loot from the Compradore's room and the passengers' luggage was taken ashore in four boats, which were awaiting their arrival. The vessel was then left, and, when the tide rose, proceeded on her journey. The stolen property is estimated at 7,000 dollars, but this, I believe, is somewhat exaggerated. On receiving the news yesterday I consulted with Commander Carr, of Her Majesty's ship ; ' Sandpiper," which was in port, and she left this morning with Mr. Higgs, of this office, who had my instructions to try and obtain some informa- tion from the local authorities as to the whereabouts of the band of robbers who had been concerned in the piracy. No active steps were, of course, to be taken, and the dispatch of the "Sandpiper" was more with a view to the moral effect on the Viceroy and the local authorities, to be caused by the arrival of one of Her Majesty's ships on the spot within forty-eight hours of the piracy. The presence of Her Majesty's ship "Sandpiper" on the West River has undoubtedly had a salutary effect and piracies have been much less numerous of late. Referring to the request conveyed in my telegram, I venture to suggest that if a firm attitude is taken and compensation exacted from the Chinese authorities for all property robbed from British ships, it will tend to force the hand of the Viceroy and oblige him to take stringent measures for the suppression of robbery and piracy, which are carried on to a scandalous extent. I have written strongly to the Viceroy, and have so worded my despatch that should you accede to my proposal, I can by-and-by put in a claim to be enforced in case the property is not recovered. I have, &c. (Signed) R. W. MANSFIELD.. No. 259. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received August 7.) My Lord, Peking, June '20, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 15th ultimo, I have the honour to forward, herewith, to your Lordship, copy of a despatch which I have received from Mr. Consul Hosie respecting the construction of the breakwater and other works connected with the projected commercial port at Talienwan. Mr. Hosie also gives a further description of the Manchurian Eailway line now under construction, and states that the telegraph line along the track of the railway [1019] 2 G 226 was joined to the Russian lines on the 31st ultimo, and on that date messages were transmitted direct from Port Arthur to St. Petersburgh. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 259. Consul Hosie to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Newchwang, June 12, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform you that the materials and plant for the construction of the breakwater and other works connected with the projected commercial port at Talienwan are now being landed there, that a commencement will be made in the autumn, and that, according'to the engineer-in-chief of the Russian Manchurian Railway, four or five years will be required to complete the undertaking. In my despatch of the 8th ultimo, I stated that the southern section of the Manchurian Railway extended from Port Arthur to Ch'ang Ch'un-fu or K'uan Ch'eng-tzu, and that the northern section would cross the Manchurian frontier and join the trans-Baikal section at Stretensk. Both these statements are slightly inaccurate — the northern terminus of the southern section is the district city of T'iehling, some 150 miles by road south by west of K'uan Ch'eng-tzu, and the point of the junction of the northern Manchurian and trans-Baikal sections will be Nerchinsk, not Stretensk, only a branch line connecting these two places. Owing to difficulties with Chinese contractors, and heavy rains in the interior, there has been considerable delay in the southern section : at the present moment rails, which are all being sent forward through this port, have been laid only to a point 10 miles north of Hai Ch'eng, and from Ta Shih Ch'iao southwards to a point midway between that place and Kai Chow (K'aip'ing Hsien), to the south of this port. The embankment is practically completed between Ta Shih Ch'iao and Port Arthur; but in order to acclerate the work, it has been found necessary to make a temporary deviation from the projected track in the south of the peninsula, until the rock ■cuttings mentioned in my despatch of the 8th ultimo are complete." I have already informed you that from T'iehling to K'uan Ch'eng-tzu, the line wall pass a f ew li to the west of K'aiyuan, and I have since ascertained that beyond that city it will run 20 and ,10 li to the east of the cities of Ch'ang-f u and Penghua Hsien (Mai-mai-kai) respectively. The whole line, so far as it has been constructed, is very roughly laid, and I am convinced that it will require to be properly ballasted before any heavy through traffic «an be attempted. . In this connection the waterways of Manchuria and their liability to annual floodings and consequent inundations will have to be carefully studied. Between this and the lines constructed under the superintendence of Mr. Kinder, no comparison can be drawn, the latter, I understand, being equal in workmanship to any English line. The American locomotives hitherto supplied are wood-burning, but I am informed that coal-burners have now been ordered. The telegraph line along the track of the Manchurian Bailway was joined to the Russian lines on the 31st May, and on that date messages were transmitted direct from Port Arthur to St. Petersburgh. I had hoped to be able to send you ere now a map, showing the whole route of the railway in Manchuria; but I have just been informed that it has been found jnecessary to write for copies to Vladivostock and St. Petersburgh. I have, &c. (Signed) A. HOSIE. No. 260. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury.— [Keceived August 7.) MyI i° r T T'..rn u x, r ]u ,, Peking, June 23, 1899. 1 HAVL the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copy of a despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Ichang reporting the cruise of Her Majesty's ship " Woodcock " up the Yang-tsze Gorges as far" as Lao Kuei Chou 227 Commander Watson, who was in charge of Her Majesty's ship " "Woodcock," gives it as his opinion that there is nothing to prevent a properly equipped steamer from reaching Chungking except, perhaps, at the time of the lmvest water, and the general impression conveyed by Mr. Holland's Report is that the difficulties of the navigation of the gorges have hitherto been somewhat exaggerated. 1 have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 260. Consul Holland to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir > , Ichang, May 28, 1899. ■ I HA\E the honour to report that at daybreak on the 1 7th instant Lieutenant- Commander Watson started from this port in Her Majesty's ship "Woodcock" for the first cruise up the Yang-tsze Gorges ever undertaken, as far as I know, by any vessel-of- war or any steam-ship of like size. The only other steam-ship that has ventured over the rapids was Mr. Archibald Little's steam-launch " Li Ch'uan, " of 7 and 29/100 tons, and 50 feet long, which left here on the 15th February of last year, and reached Chungking on the 8th March following. Commander Watson returned to his anchorage in this port in the afternoon of the 20th instant, having in that time safely taken his ship up to Lao Kuei Chou, a distance of from 45 to 47 miles, steaming over three rapids without assistance. He would have taken the ship further, but one of his petty officers was very ill with fever, resulting from a sunstroke, and Commander Watson found it necessary to return with the unfortunate- man, who died the day after the ship's return to Ichang. The sunstroke was contracted when in attendance on Commander Watson during a preliminary trip made in a native boat to the New Rapid, near Ytin Yang Hsien, about 150 miles up river. This rapid, . formed by a large land slide in the autumn of 1896, has been hitherto looked upon as- the most formidable of all, but I am glad to be able to report that, in the opinion of several experts who have, lately been passing up and down, the river appears to be gradually wearing away the obstruction, and it seems probable that in a few more years this rapid will cease to exist. It is Commander Watson's opinion that there is nothing to prevent a properly equipped steamer from reaching Chungking except, perhaps, at the time of lowest water, when some of the rapids might be difficult to get over. Whether such a steamer can carry cargo, or whether she should act as a tug to tow large lighters full of cargo, is a question which would be best settled by a Mixed Commission consisting, say, of a navali officer, an engineer, and a mercantile captain or mate. Such a Commission would: be able to give a skilled opinion, and decide the question, which is at present argued in different ways by different people. There is no doubt whatever as to the crying need for- steam traffic. Trade is increasing, and cargo for Szechuan is coming up faster than it can be sent on in the chartered junks. There is a greatly increased demand both for junks and trackers, and, owing to the latter having' demanded higher pay, the freight rates have been raised till the charges on a bale of cotton averaging 12 taels in value have risen to 8J taels from Shanghae to Chungking. Commander Watson aoes not propose to take the " Woodcock " up river again till he receives a repiy to his report to the Commander-in-chief. In conclusion, I may say that the Chinese local authorities, whilst not venturing on any obstruction, have done their best to impress on me the necessity for reporting to them whenever the " Woodcock " is about to leave for up river. Their excuse for this absurd request is the usual one : "the temper of the people is uncertain, and they fear disturbances arising," and so forth. 1 have replied that I do not see the necessity for reporting to them every movement of the "Woodcock," and that, if they fear disturbances, it is their business to issue such notice once for all to the districts along the river as shall prepare the natives for the sight of gun-boats, of which there will probably be more later on, the French Consul, M. Bons u'Anty, having informed me on: his way through to Chungking that his Government proposes to send a gun-boat up before long. I cannot close this Report without recording my conviction of the complete fitness of Commander Watson for the difficult task before him. Whilst possessing, as was to be expected of a British naval officer, the courage and nerve that are required ior such [1049J 2 G 2 228 a novel and perilous undertaking, his diplomatic tact in inducing the official at Lao Kuei Chou to call on him first, which was as it should be, and in returning the call in ceremony with an escort, was admirable, and will doubtless have excellent effect as regards future occasions. 1 have &c (Signed) W. HOLLAND.. No. 261. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 7.) (Extract.) Peking, June 24, 1899. IN obedience to the instructions contained in your Lordship's telegram of the 20th instant, I addressed to the Tsung-li Yamen on the 22nd instant the note of which I have the honour to inclose copy herewith, calling upon the Chinese Government in accordance with their guarantee, to make good the unpaid interest on the Northern Railway Loan. Inclosure in No. 261. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Tsung-li YamSn. MM. les Ministres, Peking, June 22, 1899. WITH regard to the loan for the Northern Railway of China, I have the honour to inform your Highness and your Excellencies that I have received a telegram from Her Majesty's Government to the following effect: — The British and Chinese Corporation have made complaint that the interest for the six months of the English calendar on the loan has not been paid. The interest for the seventh month falls due on the 15th July, and the amounts in question are required to complete the first half-year's interest on the loan, which must be paid to the shareholders on the 1st August. You should call upon the Chinese Government officially to make good the unpaid interest, in accordance with their guarantee contained in the 4th Article of the Agreement. I find that the outstanding interest for the sixth English month amounts to 9,583Z. 6s. 8d., and I have, in accordance with the above instructions, to urgently press your Highness and your Excellencies to pay this sum in conformity with the guarantee given in the Agreement. I avail, &c. (S ; gned) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 262. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 7.) xtra ct.) . . . Peking, June 26, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 12th instant, T have the honour to state that I forwarded a copy of the Tsung-li Yamen's replv to the note which I addressed to them on the 5th instant to the Acting Agent of the Peking Syndicate. This reply, of which a copy was forwarded to your Lordship in my above-mentioned despatch, may be taken as a refusal of the Chinese Government to permit the construc- tion of the lines in question. The Tsung-li Yamen, amongst other arguments, point out that the Peking Syndicate have not yet commenced mining operations, nor notified the Governors of Shansi and Honan of their intentions, and hence the notification about the intended railways is premature. The agent m his answer, copy of which I have the honour to inclose, requested me to point out to the Tsung-li Yamen that although mining operations have f «■ , . -o -- - — ~" -m*./ omuuugH iiiuiiu" oueraiions nave not yet commenced the necessary preliminary steps have already been taken, viz., the mining districts have been examined and reported upon by experts, surveys for the ... «-essarj railways have been made, and the capital needed for such works has been nated and is being procured. In my official reply, copy of which is inclosed, I informed the agent that I could 229 not again at so short a period of time put the matter again before the Yam6n in writing ; nut in an interview which I had with their Excellencies on the 21st instant. I used every argument to induce them to accept the notification. My efforts were without avail, and the Ministers maintained their previous opinion that the Syndicate's intentions as regards railways are far beyond the scope of Article 17 of their Agreement. Inolosure 1 in No. 262. Mr. Sahbioni to Mr. Bax-Ironside. 'Sir, Peking Syndicate (Limited), Peking, June 13, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 12th instant, inclosing copy of the Yamen's reply to your despatch notifying the Peking Syndicate's projected system of railways in the Province of Shansi under their Contract. The Yamen in their reply point out that the Peking Syndicate have not yet commenced mining operations nor notified the Governor of their intentions, and hence this notification to the Yamen about intended railways is premature. I should be exceedingly obliged if you would be so good as to reply to the Yamen for the Peking Syndicate, that though mining operations have not yet been commenced, the necessary preliminary steps have already been taken, namely, the mining districts have been examined and reported upon by experts, surveys for the necessary railways have been made, and the capital needed for such works has been estimated and is being procurred. We have also sent notices to the Governors of Shansi and Honan of the same tenour as the notice to the Tsung-li Yamen. We claim that all these proceedings are in accord with our Agreement. As the Yamen in their despatch say that the Peking Syndicate " have actually made their own plans and now ask outright for permission to construct," I would beg to suggest that in your reply to the Yamen you will kindly state that the object of the Syndicate in notifying the Yamen was not to ask for permission which has already been given by their Agreement, but to have their claim for certain railways in Shansi placed on official record in the Tsung-li Yamen and Railway Board, and this having now been done, the details of arrangement with the Provincial authorities will be carried out as the Agreement requires. As to " the starting-points and termini of the various lines," I do not think they are " utterly indefinite " as the Yamen say ; on the contrary, they are very clearly stated in the notification which the Yamen received on the 5th instant. I am sending copies of all these documents to the Directors of the Peking Syndicate, who will undoubtedly be grateful to you for the strong support you are constantly giving to all matters regarding their Syndicate, and thanking you very much for the kind interest you have taken in the matter, I have, &c. (Signed) E. SABBIONI. Inclosure 2 in No. 262. Mr. Bax-Ironside to Mr. Sabbioni. Si r> Peking, June 14, 1899. 1 AM in receipt of your letter of the 13th instant respecting your Syndicate's projected system of railways in the Province of Shansi. I am not prepared, at the present time, taking into consideration all the circum- stances of the case, to place your views again before the Yamen. I note with satisfaction that you have sent notices to the Governors of Shansi and Honan of the same tenour as the notice to the Tsung-li Yamen, and I would suggest your continuing to negotiate through the Shansi Bureau of Trade. I am, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. 230 ,- ;u> /..-Yr, , / ^o, =263. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 7.) My Lord, '' Peking, June 2Q, 1899. "'., WITH reference to your Lordship's despatch of the 20th April, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copies of despatches received at this Legation from the Consulate at Chinkiang on the subject of towing on the Yang-tsze. Mr. Scott, Her Majesty's Consul, had two further interviews with the Chinese- officials, at which the matter was furly discussed, and I instructed Mr. Wilkinson, Her Majesty's Acting Consul, to report on the present state of the question in the course of this month. Mr. Wilkinson reports that up to the present time no special permits to tow have 1 been applied for, but he hopes soon to have an opportunity of proving the sincerity of th'e ' officials, a£ Messrs: Schiele and Byrne propose 'to run a launch shortly between* Chinkiang and '-Nanking. r '-■• '"' ' *-*■-■ : , . .i j have, &c. '■« ■ •' " ■• ' (Signed) H. O. BAX-IEONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 263. Consul Scott to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Chinkiang, January 27, 1899. • WITH reference to my despatch of the 23rd instant regarding my visit to the Viceroy at Nanking on the subject of towing on the Yang-tsze, I now beg to further report that on the 24th instant I had an 'interview with the Superintendent of Provincial Li-kin, who had arrived from Nanking on the previous day under instructions from the Viceroy to meet me and the Chinkiang Taotai, and arrange matters. At this interview the Taotai wasunable to be present, but he was represented by his- deputy, an intelligent and obliging officer. ■ -The Superintendent of Li-kin reiterated the Viceroy's position and objections to the regulations ; the refrain of the whole of the ' discussion on his part, was the serious loss with which their provincial revenue was threatened. Transit passes, he said, would be taken out for all cargo, and the whole revenue would come under the control of the Maritime Customs. He declared that hq did not understand the Inland Navigation-! Eules, and talked of certain amendments. I listened patiently, allowing him to exhaust himself in explaining his case, and then recalled his attention to the real question under consideration, viz., the issue of special permits to enable vessels to tow on the river. I added that the Inland Navigation, Eules had been drawn up and promulgated by the high authorities of both Governments, and "that it Was impossible for me, a subordinate officer, to entertain any proposal as to their amendment. I explained that my instructions were to urge, in the friendliest manner possible, the immediate issue of towing permits as laid down in Article 7 of the Eegulations. The Superintendent expressed himself as considerably annoyed at my refusal to discuss the Eules generally, and spoke of returning at once to Nanking. But on my reminding him of the Viceroy's assurances, he requested me to allow him a couple of days to consider the matter. 'He next went on to complain that steam-launches persisted in refusing to stop at the " U-kin ^station's en route for examination ; and here the Taotai's deputy intervened with a similar complaint. I at once admitted that according to the Eegulafioris, launches were bound to stop if called upon to do so ; and I added that, so far as British' launches were concerned, they' were prepared tostop, but that it was not reasonable to Compel them to do so at barrier stations every other few miles during the journey. '' '-'•''■' After some discussian It was proposed, and I agreed, that launches bound tip north' on the Grand Canal, and W&f' afohg the Yang-tsze, should stop at Kueichou at the mouth 'of the canal for a short time for "examination, which would exempt them from further delay and examination en route. Similarly, launches going east towards Soochou were to stop at Ho-Hua. I knew that British subjects concerned in the island navigation were already prepared to accept some such arrangement. 231 On the 26th instant the interview was resumed, when there were present the Superintendent of Provincial Li-kin, the Head of the Chinkiang Li-kin, and the Taotai's Deputy. Much of the old ground was gone over, but, I am happy to add, in a far more friendly and agreeable spirit. From the first the officials assured me that towing under special permits would be granted, and that the arrangement would be a permit for each voyage, as had already been intimated by the Commissioner of Customs. When, however, the Superintendent went on to speak of levying a small fee for each permit, I ventured to express the hope that this was not seriously meant, and added that no fees except those provided for in the Rules could be charged. I pressed the officials to arrange for the immediate issue of special permits to tow. A long and desultory conversation ensued. Their desire was to delay and refer matters to Peking. I explained that I was unable to agree to such a proposal, and urged that permits be issued for not later than China New Year, that is, in two weeks' time ; but to this they declared themselves absolutely unable to agree. They offered, however, to issue permits in four weeks for certain, and from this stand I failed to move them either by argument or persuasion. I had to content myself with informing them that I would submit the question as to the date of issue of the permits to your determination. The Superintendent stated that the main reason for the delay, of four weeks was to enable the Li-kin authorities to complete their scheme for carrying out the provisions of Supplementary Rule 9, whereby on goods not covered by transit passes one combined charge should be levied, freeing merchants from all interference at the barrier stations en route. I have, &c. (Signed) JAMES SCOTT. Inclosure 2 in No. 263. Acting Consul Wilkinson to Mr. Base- Ironside. Sir. , Chinkiang, June 17, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your .despatch of the 7th instant, requesting me to report to you on the present state of the question of towage on the ¥ang-tsze. ._, I regret, to sajy that, since the assurances received by Mr. $cptt from the Nanking officials that special permits to tow in the terms of Article 7 of the Inland Navigation Rules would be issued, no applications for permits have been made to the Customs by either foreigners or Chinese. It has, therefore, been impossible to put the question to the test. The Commissioner of Customs informs me, however, that he is prepared to issue a special permit, available for a single voyage, to any person applying for one, for which permit, I understand, no fee will be charged. An opportunity of proving their sincerity will soon be given to the officials, as Messrs. Schiele and Byrne propose to run a launch in a few days between this port and Nanking. I have &c (Signed) R. WILKINSON. No. 264. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 7.) My Lord, Peking, June 26, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that another Chinese official, in the person of Wu T'ing-feng, has been added to the Tsung-li Yamen. Wu T'ing-feng was appointed to that body in 1895. His Excellency, who was also at one time Vice-Director of the Imperial Clan Court, retired into private life some three years ago. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE; 232 No. 265. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bux-Ironside, (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, August 7, 1899. MURDER of Mr. Fleming : Your telegram of yesterday. Keep me fully informed. No. 266. Consul-General Brenan to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received August S.) My Lord, Shanghae, June 30, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose, for your Lordship's information, a copy of a despatch which I have addressed to Her Majesty's Charge d' Affaires in Peking concerning the French Settlement extension in Shanghae. I have, &c. (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. Inclosure in No. 266. Consul- General Brenan to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Shanghae, June 30, 1899. YESTERDAY I had the honour to send you the following telegram : — " Your telegram 28th June received : French extension; please consult map. " The locality lies to the south of the race-course, west of the Shanghae city. It has neither been measured nor surveyed. In extent it is somewhat under half a square mile. It includes about thirty-six British lots, measuring some 20 acres. Without issuing public advertisement calling upon British owners to locate and claim their lots it is impossible to ascertain exact particulars." It is impossible to give the exact area of the proposed French extension, and it has not been surveyed. I can only judge of its extent by looking at a 'plan of Shanghae, which itself is not very accurate. There is also some difficulty in giving the number and area of British-owned lots within the proposed extension. Within the limits of the foreign Settlement there is no difficulty, for there is a cadastral plan on which all lots are laid down ; but it is not so for land lying outside the limits. Our land register merely shows 'that such and such a British subject is the owner of a lot measuring so many mow in such a district. The boundaries are given as a path on the north, a creek on the south &c and, unless the land is inclosed or is built over, or is occupied, no one but the owner knows the exact locality. Nearly the whole of the area now claimed by the French is open country, and there is nothing on the spot to show whether it is Chinese or foreign owned. When land is first bought by a British subject from a Chinese owner a clerk from our land office goes with a Chinese official to the spot and identifies the land This clerk has made out a list of forty-five lots, measuring in all 222 mow which arc situated in the vicinity of the proposed French extension, and judging from the position of the lots with regard to the new cemetery, he is satisfied that from thirty to forty lots, measuring about 150 mow, lie within the proposed French extension. I have, &c. (Signed) BYRON BRENAN. 233 No. 267. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 8.) My Lord, Berlin, August 5, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that the Prussian Minister of Finance has issued a Declaration as regards duties on imports from Kiaochau. By a decision of the Bundesrath of June 2, 1893, the Treaty Tariff was made applicable to the produce of German Colonies and Protectorates. The German leased territory of Kiaochau was declared, by an Imperial Ordinance of April 27, 1898, to be a Protectorate. The territory of Kiaochau is accordingly to be regarded as a German Protectorate in the sense of above-named Bundesrath decision, and its products on importation to Germany are to be charged duty under the Treaty Tariff. I have, &c. (Signed) PRANK 0. LASCELLES. No. 268. Memorandum by Mr. Jamieson on the West River Inland Navigation Regulations. IT seems to me that the permission applied for by the Shipping Companies might very well be granted so far as regards their Canto n-Wucbow steamers. Tbe difficulty from the Chinese point of view seems to consist in this : that they have two fiscal systems — the Imperial Maritime Customs which levies duties on steamers trading from one Treaty port to another, and the li-kin or Native Customs Administra- tion which levies duties on traffic carried on licensed steamers under the Inland Naviga- tion Rules ; and they do not see how the same steamer can be partly under the one system and partly under the other. Consequently they deny to inter-Treaty port steamers (say Canton to Wuchow) the rights which licensed steamers have of calling all the way up and down, and they deny t© licensed steamers the rights which inter-port steamers have of carrying cargo from one Treaty port to another. The former reckon solely with the Imperial Maritime Customs, and the latter with the provincial li-kin Administration. It thus comes about that we have on the West River two sets of steamers both running over exactly the same ground and both seemingly having a grievance —each complaining that they are debarred from certain trade which is open to the other. The foreign flag inter-port steamers have the further grievance that coming under the Treaty Tariff cargo shipped by them must pay 7J per cent, duty, whereas cargo shipped in the licensed steamers pays under the local Administration a sum varying with the distance, but which on such a short transit is much less than 7^ per cent. "Consequently, they say, but for the direct foreign trade with Hong Kong and passengers, their steamers run empty, as the local Tariff goes exclusively by the licensed boats so as to take advantage of the lighter Tariff. The remedy which I would venture to suggest, and which seems to be pointed out by the circumstances, is to make the locality and not the steamer the criterion of the dues to be paid. The inter-port Tariff of 7| per cent., commonly called the coast trade duty, while reasonable enough between distant places such as Canton to Tien-tsin or Newchwang, 1,500 miles apart, becomes unreasonable, and, indeed, prohibitive, when applied between ports in the same province, such as Canton to Samshui or Wuchow. It was never intended that it should be applied to such purely inland traffic as that on the West River or on the inland waters of Shanghae, which has always paid dues to the Provincial Administration, and experience has shown, both at Canton and Shanghae, that such traffic refuses to come under the inter-port Tariff. Mr. Hosie, for instance, Her Majesty's Consul at Wuchow, speaking in a recent Report of the satisfactory growth of revenue at that port, says : — " The trade of which this represents the revenue was nearly all with Hong Kong, for native exports and imports to and from Canton and Samshui are too heavily handi- capped by the coast trade duty to admit of their being carried by steamer." The suggestion, then, which I would make is, that all steamers running between Canton and Wuchow should be permitted to register under the Inland Navigation Regulations, and pay duties under the local Provincial Administration on all cargo that does not claim Treaty privileges; and conversely that the present licensed steamers [1049] 2 H 234 plying from Canton be at liberty to trade at all the Riverine Treaty Ports, so long in each case as they confine themselves to inland waters. The two sets of steamers would thus be put on identical terms, artificial restrictions would be removed, and trade would flow in the channel which best suited it. The publication of the Li-kin Tariff Eegulations asked for in the Shipping Com- panies' letter of the 28th March last, should, of course, be insisted on without delay ; but it would appear from Mr. Mansfield's comments that it is actually under way. Its promulgation will simplify matters, and it is to be hoped it will be as moderate and simple as possible. If it proves cumbersome and restrictive, we could press for its being replaced by a general inland Tariff, based on but not exceeding li-kin rates. In any case, the Treaty rights would subsist, and the present inter-port Tariff of 7| per cent, would operate as a maximum limit. This would leave the foreign trade of the West River and all existing Treaty rights as they now stand. The application of the Steamer Companies to have their Hong Kong-Wuchow boats also licensed for inland navigation trade was only put forward tentatively, and they admit there might be difficulties in the way. This point, I think, should at all events stand over for the present. If future experience shows it to be practicable, which I rather doubt, it could be raised hereafter ; meantime, the principal object of the Companies will be attained if inland trading privileges are granted to their Canton steamers. (Signed) G. JAMIESO^. August 8, 1899. No. 269. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 10.) {Telegraphic.) Peking, August 10, 1899. FLEMING murder. With reference to your Lordship's telegram of the 7th instant, a large reward was offered some time ago for capture of culprit by the Governor of Kueichou, but the Consul collected evidence which has convinced him and myself that the fugitive was in reality being screened by the Governor or his underlings. With your Lordship's approval I therefore informed the Chinese Government that Her Majesty's Government would demand the Governor's dismissal unless the man were captured within a reasonable time. No. 270. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. ■(Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, August 10, 1899. PEKING Syndicate's railways. You should give your support to the agents of the Syndicate in any negotiations with the Chinese Government to obtain facilities for the transport to market of the produce of their mines. No. 271. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. Scott. Sir, Foreign Office, August 10, 1899. THE Russian Charge d'Affaires came here yesterday and referred to his inter- view with me of the 2nd instant about the Hankow Settlement question. Mr. Bertie, who received M. Lessar in my absence, told him that I had discussed the question with Sir C. MacDonald as soon as he was well enough, and that the out- come of .the discussion was my note proposing arbitration. If that were not accepted I could not think of any other way of settling the dispute, as Her Majesty's Government could not abandon the rights of the British lot-owners. If my proposal was not acceptable, it seemed to be for the Russian 235 Government to suggest some other mode of proceeding. M. Lessar said that the British title-deeds were not valid. Mr. Bertie answered that that was the point in dispute. The Russian Consul held that they were not valid. We contended the contrary, and it was to settle this dispute that arbitration had been suggested. M. Lessar contended that the Russian Consul could not have his judicial decision set aside by arbitration. He had given his judgment in a matter affecting property in a Russian Concession. The only arbitration possible in the circumstances would be arbitration of some one on cases submitted by each Government, and that was too cumbrous for such a small question. Mr. Bertie reminded M. Lessar that it was not a question of Russian law as administered by the Russian Consul, or of English law as interpreted by the British Consul, but one of Chinese law and custom— whether the titles held by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. were such as had hitherto been accepted by the Chinese and British authorities as valid. M. Lessar argued that Russian law prevailed in the Russian Concession. Mr. Bertie replied that we did not admit the right of the Chinese Government to hand over to Russian jurisdiction the property of British subjects, and he asked him what the Russian Minister at Peking would have said to the Chinese Government if they had presumed to make a Concession to England containing Russian-owned lots. To this M. Lessar made no answer, but went back to the impossibility of accepting arbitration, and the question now going back to Peking to be there dealt with by M. de Giers. He said that he had no fresh proposals to make, and that he had no instructions except to "appuyer" on the arguments of M. de Giers. He would report to the Russian Government his opinion that there was nothing more to be done here. He regretted this, as he had hoped to effect a settlement, and the whole thing would now begin again at Peking. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No, 272. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, August 12, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 24th .Tune relative to the Northern Railway loan. I approve the note which you addressed to the Tsung-li Tamen on the 22nd June. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 273. Indo-China Steam Navigation Company to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 15.) My Lord, 29, Cornhill, London, August 14, 1899. MR.' BERTIE'S letter of the 2nd instant was duly received, but, unfortunately, it does riot bring us a step nearer to the settlement of the " Kow-shing " claim. I am, therefore, desired by the Board of Directors again to protest against the prolonged delay that is taking place in coming to a final understanding with the Chinese Government to the serious detriment of this Company and of the other interested parties. , Reference to the correspondence shows that the Law Officers of Her Ma]esty.s Government, both Liberal and Conservative, have given as their opinion that the Chinese Government, and not the Japanese, is liable, and we fail, therefore, to see where a question for arbitration arises. The Chinese Government chartered the steamer, and did not redeliver her in terms of the charter party, which expressly provided for such a case by specifying the value which was to be paid for her. There might perhaps be a case for arbitration in fixing the amount of compensation for those who lost their lives or their property in the destruction of the steamer ; but considering the very moderate " [1049J 2 H 2 236 amounts named in my letter of the 6th September, 1895, I should think this expedient would hardly be insisted upon. The Board desire to repeat their former objections to arbitration, and they cannot therefore accept as satisfying the merits of the case the answer given by the Under- Secretary of State in the House of Commons to a question put by the Member for Linlithgow apparently on behalf of some of the individual sufferers by the loss of the " Kow-shing." He certainly said that if the Chinese answer was still delayed "the claim would be treated as one which must be dealt with in some other way ; " and it is greatly to be regretted that these other measures have not long since been applied to obtain a satisfactory settlement. I may be permitted, however, to observe, with reference to arbitration, that if the decision should be in favour of the Chinese Government, Her Majesty's Government will be in this position, that they will have to present the claim to Japan, by whose officers the actual destruction of life and property was directly caused. It is not for a moment to be supposed that British subjects are not to be indemnified by either one or the other Government for their loss under a charter entered into in a time of peace and in perfect good faith, and inflicted through the agency either of the Chinese or of the Japanese officers, as may eventually be determined. A Court of Law would no doubt pronounce for payment of the claim under the charter ; but when foreign Governments are the defendants the claims of British subjects can only be upheld by the active assistance of Her Majesty's Government. I remain, &c. (Signed) J. MACANDREW, Chairman. No. 274. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, Foreign Office, August 15, 1899. WITH reference to my letter of the 24th April relative to the increase of piracy in the Chinese waters adjacent to Hong Kong, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you a copy of a despatch from Her Majesty's Charge - d'Affaires at Peking* reporting a further case where the victim was the British steam launch " Wo-on." Mr. Bax-fronside states that piracy and robbery still prevail in the neighbour- hood of Canton, and that in spite of the warnings repeatedly given to the Viceroy, no serious attempt has been made to put a stop to such outrages, and suggests that it would now be advisable for Her Majesty's Government to take steps to protect British lives and property in the Canton waterways of the nature indicated in the warnings addressed by Sir C. MacDonald to the Chinese Government in his note of the 18th February, which formed one of the inclosures in the letter from this Office above referred to. I am to request that you will move the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to obtain from the Commander-in-chief on the China Station his suggestions as to what he could do in the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 275. Foreign Office to Colonial Office. Sir > „ TTmTX r „ , Foreign Office, August 15, 1899. WITH reference to my letter of the 21st April, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you a copy of a further despatch which has been received from Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Peking relative to the increase of piracy in the Chinese waters adjacent to Hong Kong.* Mr. Bax- Ironside is of opinion that it would now be advisable for Her Majesty's Government to take steps for the protection of British lives and property in the Canton waterways of the nature indicated in the warnings addressed By * No. 258. 237 Sir C. MacDonald to the Chinese Government in his note of the 18th February, which formed one of the inclosures in the letter from this Office above referred to. I am also to inclose a copy of a letter which Lord Salisbury has caused to be addressed to the Admiralty, requesting that the Commander-in-chief on the China Station may be consulted as to what he can do in the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 276. London Chamber of Commerce to the Marquess of Salisbury.— {Received August 17.) My Lord, Botolph House, Eastcheap, London, August 16, 1899. THE Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong has forwarded to this Chamber a telegram pointing out that the present position of affairs in the Kwang provinces is very unsettled, that no reliance can be placed on the Viceroy of Canton, that piracy interferes very seriously with trade, and urging the necessity for more gun-boats to protect British interests in the "West River. In view of the very grave state of affairs indicated in this telegram, this Chamber supports the wish of the Hong Kong Chamber that special measures will be taken for the protection of British interests in the West River, and I am desired to express the hope that your Lordship will cause these representations to receive the serious attention locally of Her Majesty's Representatives in China. I am, &c. (Per C. E. Mttsgrave, Assistant Secretary), (Signed) KENRIC B. MURRAY, Secretary. No. 277. Foreign Office to Indo-China Steam Navigation Company. Sir, Foreign Office, August 17, 1899. WITH reference to your letter of the 14th instant relative to your claim for compensation for the loss of the " Kow-shing," I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that the Chinese Government intimated to Her Majesty's Charge d' Affaires at Peking on the 5th instant that they would shortly give their reply to the proposal of Her Majesty's Government to refer the matter to arbitration. I have, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 278. Board of Trade to Foreign Office. — (Received August 18.) gir < Board of Trade, August 17, 1899. ' WITH reference to Mr. Bax-Ironside's despatch of the 25th May relative to the working of the Regulations and Rules for inland steam navigation on the West River in China, which has been communicated to the Board of Trade, I am directed to state that, on the whole, they are disposed to concur in the opinion expressed by Mr. Bax-Ironside that sufficient time has hardly elapsed to afford a true test ot the working of the Regulations in question. . It appears to the Board that, so long as the dual system ot Imperial maritime and provincial Customs taxation exists in China, there is great force in the observa- tions contained in the letter of Sir Robert Hart which forms part of the printed correspondence inclosed in your letter. At the same time, however, I am directed to add that, in the opinion of the Board of Trade, no suitable opportunity should be lost for urging on the Chinese Government the desirability of putting an end to the present double system, which acts as a serious hindrance to the development of British trade. 238 I am also directed to acknowledge receipt of a Memorandum by Mr. Jamieson on the same subject. While Mr. Jamieson's suggestions deserve careful consideration, the Board are not quite clear that they afford a solution which would at once protect the Chinese Customs revenue and give satisfaction to British traders. The Board are fully aware of the difficulties attending any effort to procure an alteration in the existing state of things, but they fear that no really satisfactory arrangement for inland navigation in China will be found practicable until there is a uniform system of Customs and li-kin collection. I am, &c. (Signed) A. E. BATEMAN. No. 279. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 18.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, August 18, 1899. " KOW-SHING " case. With reference to my telegram of the 6th August to your Lordship, I was informed yesterday by the Yamen that the Chinese Minister in London has been instructed by telegraph to suggest and submit to the Ministers for approval a means of settlement. The Yam&n will then communicate with this Legation and with your Lordship through the Chinese Minister. No. 280. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, August 19, 1899. "KOW-SHING" case: Your telegram of the 18th instant. Chinese Minister informed me on the 18th July that he had brought the question before the Tsung-li Yaraen several times, but that he was without instructions in the matter. He also said that he had lately recommended compliance with the proposal to refer it to arbitration. The Chinese Government cannot shift the responsibility on to the Chinese Minister here, so far as Her Majesty's Government are concerned. No. 281. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, August 19, 1899. JARDINE'S lots in Bussian Cqncession at Hankow. Instructions were given to M. Lessar to discuss the matter here. 1 proposed on the 12th July to refer the matter to arbitration. You should address a warning to the Chinese Government against taking any steps to interfere with lots claimed by British subjects without first referring to Her Majesty's Government and obtaining their sanction. No. 282. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. —(Received August 21.) My Lord, Peking, June 27, 1899. WITH reference to the question of inland steam navigation in this Empire, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copy of a despatch which -I have 239 received from Her Majesty's Acting Consul at Chinkiang respecting an attack made on a British launch at Kuachou, and the satisfactory settlement of the claim by the provincial authorities. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 282. Acting Consul Wilkinson to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Stir * T Tii A re, , , Chinkiang, June 18, 1899. + i •? 7 m , P leasure ln reporting the satisfactory settlement by the local authorities ot a claim which I presented against them on the 18th ultimo for damages sustained by the " Huai-nan," a British launch, at the hands of Chinese soldiers. On the 10th April last, the " Huai-nan," which was running at the time between Lhmkiang and Yangchow, was attacked at Kuachou at the mouth of the Grand Canal by 200 or 300 soldiers from the native gun-boats stationed there, who collected on the banks of the stream and bombarded the launch with sticks and stones, with the result that her hull and engines were so damaged that she was unable to proceed on her journey. During the previous fortnight Mr. Scott, at the instance of Messrs. Schiele and Byrne, the owners of the launch, had written twice to the authorities coraplainiug of the conduct of these gun-boats, so that when the outrage was reported to him, he at once informed the Taotai that he would hold the Chinese officials responsible for any loss which the owners of the vessel might suffer in consequence. The Taotai, in reply, called upon Mr. Scott and offered to settle at once any reasonable claim which might be presented on condition that the matter was not reported to Her Majesty's Legation at Peking. To this Mr. Scott consented. As the launch, however, had to be sent to Shanghae to be repaired, it was not until after my arrival in Chinkiang that Messrs. Schiele and Byrne were able to send in their claim, which was as follows : — Taels. Cost of repairs and docking, as per Messrs. L. 0. Farnham and Co.'s account .. 1,481 Demurrage (10th April to 27th. May), forty-nine days, at 12 taels per diem . . 588 Engineers' surveying fee . . . . . . . . . . . , 30 Launch "Huaipei," cost of towage, 10 days, at 25 taels per diem . . . . 250 Travelling and general expenses .. .. .. .. .. 151 Total .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,500 The claim seemed to rne by no means excessive, but the Taotai was of a very different opinion, especially as Mr. Scott had hazarded a guess that it would not exceed 1,500 dollars. It was evident to me, however, froni the very commencement of the negotiations, that ihe claim would be settled without much difficulty, and when a dispute arose between the Taotai and the General at Kuachou as to who should pay the money, I agreed at once to a fortnight's delay to allow the question to be referred to the Viceroy at Nanking. The Taotai was ordered in the end to settle the matter himself, and after one or two fruitless attempts to reduce the amount, the claim was paid in full on the 13th instant. The behaviour of the officials in the matter has been excellent, and tbeir very evident anxiety to settle everything without reference to Peking, proves the beneficial effect of the vigorous action taken by Her Majesty's Minister in the question of Messrs. Starkey and Gregson's claims last autumn. The few launches now running meet with no trouble or serious detention of any kind on their trips. I have, &c. (Signed) E. WILKINSON. 240 .No. 283. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) My Lord, Peking, June 30, 1899. THE district of Urga in Northern Mongolia, adjoining the 'Russian frontier, is said to be rich in minerals, and a Concession has been granted by the Chinese Government to M. von Grot, a Russian, to work mines in that district. M. von Grot is well known in Peking, as he was for some years in the Imperial Chinese Customs, and according to the wording of the document, which I have the honour to inclose, and which contains an account of his scheme translated from the Chinese, appears to have attained to the dignity of a third class button, which places him on a footing of equality with the higher ranks of Mandarin. Your Lordship will note that the district in which mining rights have been granted to M. von Grot, and for which he has a monopoly, is a very large one, and if the affair is well managed, considerable profit may be extracted from the mines, although there are no exact data to go by as to the wealth of the territory in question. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 283. Proposals for Mining in the District of Urga. (Translation.) IT has been ascertained that the mineral resources of the district to the east of Urga, adjoining the Russian frontier, are exceedingly abundant. From time to time people of the vagabond class ot both nations engage in stealthy mining operations and come into conflict with each other. If then some suitable plan be not speedily devised, not only will the natural wealth of the country be diverted to a foreign nation, but there is reason to apprehend some great disturbance, and the management of the affair will become still more troublesome. It is humbly submitted that instead of permitting this bounteous gift of Heaven to be taken advantage of by the ne'er-do-wells of the two nations, it would be better for China to take it for herself to the benefit of her necessary national revenue. There is now the ex-Commissioner of Customs, von Grot, holder of the button of the third rank, who is thoroughly conversant with the written and spoken languages of China and Mongolia, who requests that he may be deputed to proceed to the district, engage mining engineers, raise a Company, establish a Bureau in a suitable place, and commence mining operations in favourable localities. The Chinese Political Agent at Urga would depute officers to live at the mines and watch and supervise the work. The boundaries and the district to be mined are as follows : — On the west, the great road from Urga to Kiachta. On the east, the Onon River. On the south, the great road from Onon River to Urga. On the north, the Russian frontier. There must be no mines opened in places in which mining would be to the detriment of the nomad shepherds. The term of the Concession would be fifty years from the day on which the Imperial Edict sanctioning the scheme is issued. The whole management of the affair will be intrusted to Von Grot. No other person may open mines. If. within this term anything happens to Von Grot, the Chinese Government will appoint another trustworthy officer to manage the affair in accordance with this arrangement and there will be no difference in the scheme. ' Out of the annual profits a fixed rate of interest of 6 per cent, will be paid to the shareholders, and the expenses of administration will be paid. The remainder will be divided into ten parts, of which three parts will go to the Board of Revenue, two parts to the Mongoi.an Nobles, and five parts will be distributed among the shareholders. Provided however, that the five parts allotted to the Board of Revenue and the Mon°-olian Nobles Von Grot Unt "* ^ ^"^^ t0 at leaSt 5 °' 000 tae,s ' an y deficiency being 5 made up by Before commencing operations Von Grot must deposit'with the Board of Revenue at Peking, as a security against deficiencies, a sum of 200,000 Treasury taels of pure silver so that as soon as there is any surplus it may be immediately paid out. 241 The smelted ores, when conveyed from the mines to their markets shall, as a special favour, be exempted from all other taxes of whatever nature. All losses incurred in, or troubles caused by, the mining operations, must be made good or settled by Von Grot himself; the Chinese Government have no responsibility in the matter. No. 284. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) My Lord. Peking, July 3, 1899. I INCLOSE an extract from the "North China Daily News" of the 12th June, giving the Chinese Customs Regulations and the German Harbour Regulations for the port of Kiaochow. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 284. Extract from the "North China Daily News" of June 12, 1899 Provisional Customs Regulations for the German Territory of Kiaochow. I. Import, Export, and Transit. (a.) THE import of goods into German territory is free, with the exception of opium' arms, and explosives, and the materials used in the manufacture thereof, which are subject to special Regulations (see § 2 and § 3). (b.) Foreign goods and Chinese commodities unaccompanied by duty-paid certificates imported from Chinese ports, must pay tariff import duty on exportation from German into Chinese territory. (c.) Chinese goods imported from native ports, accompanied by duty-paid certificate, must pay coast trade duty on exportation to the Chinese interior. (d.) Chinese goods arriving from the interior when exported pay tariff duty. The Treaty provisions for prohibited goods are not annulled by this paragraph. (e.) Produce from the German territory of Kiaochow, or goods manufactured there- from, or from any produce comiug by sea into German territory, if accompanied by an official certificate of origin, are not liable to export duty upon shipment from Tsingtao. (/.) Goods forwarded to or coming from the interior under transit pass must pay transit dues, in addition to the import or export tariff duty. (g.) Transit passes and all other Customs documents will be issued by the Commis- sioner of Customs at Tsingtao. (A.) The Treaty Tariff Rules are applicable to all goods carried by vessels of foreign type. The duties, taxes, or other charges collectable from Chinese-built vessels (junks), and the goods brought by them to Tsingtao, shall not be higher than those which have hitherto been, or which may hereafter be, levied in any port of the Kiaochow territory, or of the whole Shantung Province. II. Opium. Opium can only be imported in original chests, and must, on arrival, be reported without delay to the Customs, who will supervise its transportation to the Customs godown. Upon payment of duty and li-kin, opium may be exported under Customs seal and -control from German territory, but subject to special Regulations. III. Arms and Explosives, Sjc. The importation into German territory of arms and explosives, as well as materials used in the manufacture of the same, is subject to special Regulations.] [1049] 2 I 212 The export of the same from German into Chinese territory is prohibited except under special permit (Hu-chao), at the request of the Government, after furnishing a sufficient guarantee. IV. Import Manifest and Customs Supervision, Customs officers will board vessels on arrival. The mastere of vessels arriving at Tsingtao will hand to the Customs officers a manifest for the merchandize on board, and Customs papers, if coming from a Chinese port. The manifest must be a correct statement of the aforesaid merchandize, and, if called for, fuller particulars must, be supplied for statistical purposes. Through cargo, and cargo intended for re-export to other ports, must be entered a& such on the import manifest. Consignees of import cargo are requested to furnish the Customs within one week of landing, with full particulars as to denomination, value, weight, and quantity of their good's for statistical purposes, as far as may be considered necessary for completing the manifest. In case of non-compliance, they will be subject to a penalty not exceeding 25 dollars. V. Coast Trade Duty Privileges. Goods arriving from Chinese ports under duty-paid certificate are subject, on impor- tation to Customs inspection, under penalty of loss of coast trade duty privileges. VI. Export Manifest and Customs Supervision. (a.) A permit to ship will be issued by the Customs for goods to be exported after they have been examined and have paid the tariff duty. No cargo may be taken on board without such Customs permit or shipping, bearing the Customs seal, under penalty of confiscation. (&.) Duty-paid export cargo which cannot be received on board ought to be reported to the Customs before being relanded, in order to secure exemption from export duty when subsequently shipped. (c.) When the loading of a vessel is completed, a manifest of her outward cargo must be landed into the Customs by the master or agent. It must contain an exact account of the marks, numbers, contents, &c, of every package on board. For exhibiting a false manifest, the master is liable to a fine not exceeding 100 dollars. (d.) Goods are not to be transhipped from one vessel to another without Customs permission. (e.) When a vessel's clearance is applied for, her stamped permits and shipping orders are examined on board, and if they are found in order, and the Customs are satisfied of the correctness of the manifest, and that the whole of the export duties has been paid, the Customs clearance is handed to the captain, and the vessel is entitled to receive back her papers from the Harbour Department, and to leave the port. VII. Hours for Loading and Unloading Vessels. Vessels wishing to load or unload on Sundays and holidays, as well as between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., must take out a special permit from the Customs, which permit will be granted free of charge until further notice if applied for on workdays during office hours. Mail matter can be shipped and landed at any time without Customs permit. VIII. Office Hours. The Custom-house is open for the receipt and issue of all Customs papers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on all days, Sundays and holidays excepted. IX. Appeal. In case of appeal against confiscation and fines imposed by the Commissioner of Customs, the procedure will be conducted in accordance with the spirit of the "Rules lor joint investigation in cases of confiscation and fine, Peking, 31st May, 1868." > 243 Above Regulations apply to all merchant-vessels and junks, and will come in force on the 1st July, 1899. The Commissioner of Customs, (Signed) OHLMER. Agreed : The Imperial Governor, (Signed) Jaeschke. Tsintau, May 23, 1899. Special Regulations for the Importation and Control of Opium, Arms and Explosives, and Articles used in the Manufacture thereof. I. Opium. (a.) Import of Opium. — Opium can only be imported in original chests ; the importa- tion of smaller quantities is forbidden. All opium must, on arrival, be reported without delay to the Customs, who will supervise its transportation to the Customs godoWn. The Customs officials are entitled to stop all suspicious goods, and to search the ship, in which ease the captain is to render all possible assistance. In case of contravention of this Regulation, the opium will be confiscated, and the ship will be liable to a fine equal to five times the value of the opium, but not under 500 doliars. (b.) Consumption of Opium. — Opium for consumption in German territory must be prepared under the supervision of the Government and the Customs. When prepared, the opium is packed in tins containing 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 grammes, and each tin provided with a stamp corresponding to the selling price. It can only be sold by licensed dealers, and a charge will be made for the licence. All opium found in the possession of private individuals contrary to above Regulations will be confiscated, and the possessor will be fined five times the value of the opium, but not under 500 dollars. In case of non-payment, imprisonment up to three months will be inflicted. II. Arms and Explosives, 8fc. Arms and explosives, as well as materials used in the manufacture of the same, must at once be declared on arrival and discharged and stored in accordance with Harbour Regulations. Powder and other explosives, as well as materials used in their manufacture, must be stored in special godowns and cannot be delivered without permit from the Harbour Department. Storage will be charged for. Arms must be stored in the Customs godown and cannot be delivered without permit from the Harbour Department. A charge will be made for storage. Retail sale of arms and powder will only be permitted to licensed dealers under special conditions as specified on the licence itself, and a charge will be made for the licence. / Non-compliance with these Regulations make the arms, &c, liable to confiscation and the ship to a fine not exceeding 500 dollars. Small vessels found with arms or explosives on board, contrary to these Regulations, will be confiscated, and the crew in case of non-payment of fine punished with imprisonment up to three months. Tsintau Harbour Regulations. 1. The port of Kiaochow Bay consists of an outer and an inner harbour. The limits of the outer or Tsintau Bay lie between a line drawn from Pile Point to the East Point of Clara-Bay and a line connecting Cap Evelyn with Junuisan. The inner harbour begins with the line last mentioned and is limited on the north by a line drawn from Womans Island to the north Point of Huangtao. [104.9] 2 12 244 The anchorage for different vessels and boats is marked on the Harbour Map. 2. Masters of vessels entering the harbour shall, in mooring their ship, act in accordance with instructions received from the Harbour Captain or his officers. 3. Masters must report the arrival and departure of their vessel and deposit the ship's register at the Harbour Office. After receipt of the Customs clearance and payment of the harbour fee of 2^ cents, for each register ton, the ship's register will be returned. Masters of vessels are bound to deliver any mail matter on board to the German Post- office ; on leaving the port they are likewise bound to take over and carry with them any mail matter handed to them by the German Post-office ; they have to take care of the correct delivery of the same at the port of destination. Vessels with mail matter on board, on entering the port, shall notify this by flying the flag T. It is strictly forbidden to accept mail matter, except that given over by the German Post-office, or to hand over mail matter to any but the German Post-office. 4. Every master of a vessel is required to hand a full account of all goods on board (manifest) to the Customs, specifying quantity of goods, numbers, marks and contents of every package ; if called for, fuller particulars must be supplied for statistical purposes. Opium can only be imported in original chests ; the import of lesser quantities tham a case is forbidden. On arrival the opium has to be reported to the Customs, which will supervise its transfer to the Customs godovvns. In defrault, the opium will be confiscated and a fine of five times its value will be exacted, but not under 500 dollars. 5. The import of arms, gun-powder, explosive materials, and any other substances used for their manufacture, is under official control. Such goods must be specially reported lo the Harbour Office on arrival. Vessels arriving with petroleum or explosive cargo on board shall take up such berths as are designed for this purpose on the map and must remain there until all such cargo has been discharged at a place which will be pointed out by the Harbour Office. Vessels loading or unloading explosives have to fly a red flag at the fore. Before shipping or discharging any of the above specified goods in port, a special permission of the Harbour Office has to be granted ; in each case the instructions received from the Harbour Office shall be complied with. 6. Vessels with persons afflicted with a contagious disease on board have to fly a yellow flag at the fore. Before getting a special commission from the Harbour Depart- ment, nobody will be allowed to leave such vessel or to have any intercourse with people on shore. 7. On entering and leaving the port during day-time the ship has to hoist the national colours. 8. No seaman can be discharged from any ship elsewhere than at the Harbour Office or the Consulate representing the nation discharged. Any seaman discharged shall, within twenty-four hours of being discharged, produce at the Harbour Office the certificate of his discharge. No master of any ship shall discharge or leave behind any seaman without the sanction of the Harbour Office or the Consulate representing the nation to which the ship belongs. This sanction shall depend on a sufficient security to be given by the master preventing the seaman to become destitute within a period of three months. No seaman shall wilfully or nsgligently remain in the Colony. 9. Seamen deserting may by order of the Harbour Office be apprehended and returned on board the vessel. Ships and houses may be searched for deserters from ships. A penalty will be inflicted on all persons who knowingly shelter deserters from ships. 10. In the event of death of a passenger or seaman occurring on board of any vessel in port, the master shall forthwith report the same to the Harbour Office and, subsequently, with the exception of Chinese subjects, to the Registrar-General. 11. Disputes between master and crew of vessels the nationality of which is not represented in the Colony, may be heard and decided at the Harbour Office. In order to enact its decision the Harbour Office may, at its discretion, inflict a fine not exceeding 350 dollars, or a penalty for a period not exceeding six weeks. 12. All vessels lying at anchor in port are required to exhibit a bright light at a visible place from dark until daylight. In cases of fire or riot meeting on board, signals of distress (ringing the bell or hoisting flags) shall be made in order to notify the Harbour Office. 13. It is forbidden to throw ballast, ashes, or any rubbish into the waters within harbour limits. Persons owning or in charge of or keeping anything causing an obstruction in the harbour must remove the same. If after due notice has been given such person fails to remove the obstacle, the 215 harbour police shall cause it to be removed, and may recover the expenses of removal from the person to whom the notice has been served. No person unless legally authorized to do so, may go on board a vessel without permission of the master or the officer in charge. No junks, lighters, or such-like vessels, are allowed, to make fast to a ship without the permission of the master or officer in charge. 14. No buoy may be laid without the sanction of the Harbour Office. Buoys that are already laid down are subject to the control of the Harbour Office. The Harbour Office for the sake of safety and working of the port, may shift or remove them at its discretion. 15. In case of contravention of sections iO and 14 of the above Regulations, a fine not exceeding 25 dollars, of sections 21, 3 and 12, a fine not exceeding 100 dollars, of sections 5 and 6, a fine not exceeding 2,000 dollars will be inflicted. In case of contravention of section 8, the master will be subject to a penalty not exceeding 100 dollars, and the seamen to a penalty not exceeding 25 dollars, or imprison- ment for a term not exceeding twenty-five days. In case of contravention of section 13 of these Regulations, a fine not exceeding 50 dollars, or in case of non-payment, imprisonment not exceeding one month will be inflicted. In case of contravention of section 2, a fine not exceeding 250 dollars will be exacted, or imprisonment not exceeding three months. These Regulations shall come in force from the 1st July, 1899. The Imperial Governor, Tsintau, May 23, 1899. (Signed) JAESCHKE. No. 285. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) (Extract.) Pelting, July 4, 1899. WITH reference to previous correspondence, I have to report that I have- received a fresh communication from Mr. Chance. In this communication Mr. Chance requests me to note his application on behalf of the Anglo-Eastern Syndicate for support, in priority to other British applicants, in order to obtain from the Chinese authorities a Concession of mining rights in the Province of Yunnan on terms not less favourable than those granted elsewhere to other nationals. Mr. Chance says that he does not seek for his Syndicate any right involving an alienation of territory, or a monopoly in the sense of rights capable by misuse of hindering or delaying the development of natural resources. In my reply to Mr. Chance's letter, I stated that I should be happy to note his application at Her Majesty's Legation, but I could not guarantee him any priority of support over other British applicants. No. 286. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury .—(Received August 21.) My Lord, Peking, July 4, 1899. IN his despatch of the 16th February last, Sir Claude MacDonald stated that he had addressed a note to the Tsung-li Yamen on the 23rd December, 1898, requesting per- mission for Sir John Lister-Kave to make a preliminary survey of the Yang-tsze Gorges. The Tsung-li Yamen called for a report on this scheme from the Viceroy of the Hukuan"- Provinces, and this report, which has just been received, is embodied in a note from the°Tsung-li Yamen to myself, under date of the 30th ultimo. Copy of this note I have the honour to forward herewith. > Your Lordship will perceive that the scheme in question is viewed with disfavour by the Viceroy. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. 2lG Inclosure in No. 286. The Tsung-li Yamen to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Translation.) Si r> Peking, June 30, 1899. WE have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the note of the 23rd December, 1898, communicating Sir J. Lister-Kaye's scheme for surveying the Yang-tsze with a view to removing obstructions to navigation (summarizes note). We called for a report on this scheme from the Viceroy of the Hukuang Provinces, and have now the honour to communicate, for your information, his Excellency's reply, which is as follows : — " The tract of river comprised in the district of Pa-tung extends from Pien-yu-hsi below P'ei Shih in the district of Wu-shan in Szechuan down to a point above the Nui K'on Eapid in Kweichow. This tract is 130 li in length, and contains four well-known rapids, viz., those of Pien-yu-hsi, Huo-yen-shih, Mu-chu-t'au, and Gh'ing-chu-piao. "The fall being considerable, the torrent rushes down with great violence, but, fortunately, the whole length of the bed is studded with sunken rocks, which somewhat check the force of the current. Although vessels sometimes meet with accidents from want of care, such misfortunes are comparatively insignificant. If, however, the channel were hewn out, the current would run down like the contents of a bottle upset at the top of a slope ; vessels going up-stream could not get sufficient man power, and it would be absolutely impossible to haul them along, while vessels going down would be carried along at the mercy of the torrent, and any collision would entail the danger of much more serious injury. . " Take next the tract in the department of Kweichow. This extends from near the Nui K'on Rapid in Pa-tung down to the T'a-tung on the borders of Tung-hu. Along the whole distance of 180 li there are monstrous rocks across the river bed, and the torrent rushes in waves and billows. Every time the water rises there is a tumultuous rush of waters in the Hsieh T'au (' Overflow Rapid '), 25 li west of Kweichow, where the Hsieh- chuang Rock, over 30 chang long,* is situated, and universal terror is caused to travellers, On the other hand, when the water falls, 30 li to the east of Kweichow, there is the perilous Hsui T'au (' New Rapid'), the danger of which is at its extreme when the water dries up in winter and spring. " As for the vicinity of Kweichow city, every inch of it is rapids, and everywhere there is danger. In answer to inquiries, the natives all agree in saying that the current rises and falls according to the season of the year, and that the state of the rapids also alters according to the season. The river is narrow, and the rocks in the water rugged, and of irregular elevation. European methods may be very clever, but there is no other way but blasting, and though it is possible to remove by blasting the scattered rocks above the surface of the river, the rocks below the water cannot be removed. Moreover, there are lofty cliffs overhanging the river on either bank, and there is grave reason to fear that the violence of the gunpowder explosion would cause the cliffs to fall in, and thus while the small dangers would not be removed, great dangers would spring up on every side. The Hsui Lung T'au (' New Dragon Rapid ') at Yvin Yang, in Szechuan, is a striking instance of this result. " The next tract considered is that comprised in the Tung-hu district. It extends for over 200 li from Li-yen-tzu on the border of Kueichow down to T'ai Ping Hsi, San- ton-ping, Huang-ling Miao and Nan-t'o, and past the Ping Shan Elats right down to Hsui Lao. In this stretch there are rocks arranged so as to form a series of banks which check the current. Above the P'ing Shan Flats the rocks are all high, and are able to ■oppose an effective check to the current. ''The river passes the gorge at Hsia Lao, and 15 li beyond the Hsi Pa (western embankment) reaches the vicinity of the city of Ichang. Here the slope of the ground is comparatively slight, the current winds down from the opposite bank, and no disasters therefore have happened for a long time. If the upper reaches were opened up, the current would run down like a bottle overturned ; there would be nothing to check it, and it would certainly dash on to the Hsi Pa, converting it into a waste of mud, so that the Prefectural city (Ichang) would forthwith become a swamp, and the fertile fields down the stream suffer excessive injury. " Going up-stream from Pa-tung to Chungking we find the river a mass of rapids; * 1 chaos = U ft. 9 in. English. 217 the force of the current is somewhat modified by the check afforded by the rocks in each series of rapids, but if these were cleared out a rapid torrent would be let loose with a rush, and just as in the high waters of summer and autumn the gorges would become impassable for vessels. " Moreover, below Ichang the bed of the river is gradually silting up, so that when- ever there is a freshet the water overflows. The Wan Ch'eng Ta Ti ( c Great Embankment of the Ten Thousand Cities ') at Ching Chow, seems hard to protect at the best of times, but if the river were opened up in Ssechuan, and the current let loose to dash with all its force on the Wan Ch'eng Ta Ti, how could this mere thread of earthworks withstand it ? Now this embankment forms the barriers for the land and houses of over ten departments and districts in Hupei below ; the interests involved are enormous, and a general consideration of thp whole situation shows that the opening up by European methods of the river in Szechuan would result in serious detriment to the water communications, and the welfare of the people in Hupei. The scheme, therefore, ought not to be carried out." We avail, &c. (Seal of Tamen.) No. 287. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) (Extract.) Peking, July 4, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 14th ultimo on the subject of piracy in the waterways of the Canton Province, I have the honour to inclose copy of a further despatch which I have received from Mr. Mansfield, reporting on his action in connection with the " Wo-on " case. W^ith reference to the concluding paragraph of my despatch above mentioned, I beg to call your Lordship's attention to the Consul's statement that piracy cases of this kind are of daily occurrence, and that he has indicated to the Viceroy the head-quarters of the pirates on the West River, but that nothing has been done to suppress them, it being currently reported that the local authorities on the West River are bribed by the pirates. Mr. Mansfield describes the situation as " a reign of terror, which is seriously injuring trade." Inclosure 1 in No. 237. Consul Mansfield to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Extract.) Canton, June 13, 1899. ON" the 10th instant I had the honour to receive your telegram to the effect that my despatch of the 25th May ("Wo-on" piracy case) did not give sufficient details, and asking if there was any European on board, and, if so, in what capacity ; who were the owners of the property looted, and in what proportions it was owned by the launch or its employes, or by passengers. To this I had the same day the honour to reply that there was no European on board, and that, of the property looted, 2,000 dollars belonged to the launch and its employe's, and 5,000 dollars to the seventy-four passengers who were on board. I had yesterday the honour to receive a further telegram from you to the effect that you sanctioned a claim for the losses of the launch, but did not see how a claim could be made for the losses of the Chinese passengers, for which the launch is not I have this day sent vou a reply to the above to the effect that the Chinese passengers were under the protection of the British flag, and that in former anti-foreign riots in British Concessions compensation to Chinese had been insisted on ; that piracy and robbery are carried on with absolute impunity here, and that, though the Viceroy ha« had repeated warnings, no serious attempt has been made to stop them ; that if the Chinese claim could not be recognized by you, I proposed that a fine should be demanded, a lesson being urgently required in view of the present state of lawlessness in this province.^ ^ NovemDe r, 1898, I reported to Sir Claude MacDonald on the piracy of a launch flying the British flag, and on the subject of piracy in this province generally In that case there was a question as to the right of the launch, which was owned by Chinese 248 in Hong Kong, to fly the British flag. No claim was made, and, to the best of my belief, nothing was done to punish the offenders or to recover the loot. To my report above mentioned I received a reply, dated the 28th November, 1898, informing me that the Tsung-li Yamen had directed the Viceroy to take stringent measures for the suppression of piracy, but no notice was apparently taken, and on the 31st January I again reported to Sir C. MacDonald a sanguinary piracy on the coast near Hong Kong, and two attempts, happily nipped in the bud, at piracy of the British steamer " Lungshan." In August last year an Englishman at Whampoa had his house broken into by armed robbers, who wounded him severely. For this a sum of 2,000 dollars compensation was demanded and paid. On the 6th April armed robbers took two bales of yarn out of a foreign-owned boat within a mile of this Concession : and about the same time a wealthy Portuguese subject of Chinese origin, living in the suburb of Canton, had his house entered by armed robbers, and 1 0,000 taels worth of jewellery, &c, carried off. The above are cases which have come to my notice officially, but Chinese cases of the kind are of daily occurrence, and I am not exaggerating in saying that a reign of terror exists which is seriously injuring trade. The head-quarters of the pirates on the West River are well-known, and I have indicated them to the Viceroy, but nothing has beeri done, and it is currently reported that the local authorities on the West River are subsidized by the pirates to wink at what is going on. I have the honour to inclose copies and translations of the correspondence which has passed between the Viceroy and myself on this subject. Inclosure 2 in No. 287. Consul Mansfield to Viceroy T'an. ''{Translation. ) Your Excellency, Canton, May 25, 1899. I HAVE received from Messrs. Banker and Co., British merchants, a Petition com- plaining that their steamer " Wo-on " was on the 23rd instant seized near Kum Chuk by •a band of twenty-four robbers, and taken to Ku Chen, in the neighbourhood of Kong Mun, where goods, money and arms to the value of over 7,000 dollars were put into boats which were there awaiting them and landed. The vessel then returned towards Kum Chuk, and, half-an-hour after starting, met the patrol launch " Ko Lu," to whom they reported what had happened. The launch at once proceeded to the spot. I have already more than once addressed your Excellency with regard to the .numerous robberies and piracies on the West and North Rivers, and your Excellency has informed me that most stringent measures were being taken to put a stop to them. That a band of twenty-four armed robbers should in open daylight take possession of a British vessel, and with the assistance of others from the shore in four boats carry off -everything of value on board, is clear proof that the officials concerned have wilfully ignored your Excellency's instructions, and if this state of things is allowed to continue trade on the Kuangtung waterways will be entirely paralyzed. I have reported this case by telegram to Her Majesty's Minister, and have also requested Her Majesty's ship " Sand- piper " to proceed with an officer of this Consulate to *Ku Chen to make inquiries. The patrol launch " Ko Lu," if it had acted promptly, should, with the assistance of the local authorities, have been able, to discover the whereabouts of the robbers and their booty. I have the honour to request that your Excellency will take vigorous steps to break up this and other bands of robbers which infest the rivers, and give orders that the property stolen be either recovered or their value made good to Messrs. Banker and Co., .*i copy of whose Petition is inclosed. The steam-ship "Wo-on " will be in Canton on the 27th instant, and it would, I think, be advisable that your Excellency should depute ;^n officer to interrogate the master and crew with a view to obtaining some clue to the .identity of the robbers. I trust that your Excellency will appreciate the great importance of promptitude in dealing with this case in a thoroughly satisfactory manner. I have, &c. (Signed) R. W. MANSFIELD. 249 Inclosure 3 in No. 287. Viceroy T'an to Consul Mansfield. Sir » T . . Canton, May 28, 1899. I AM in receipt ot your despatch informing me of the piracy committed near Kong- moon on the 23rd instant upon the steamer " Wo-on," belonging to the British firm Banker and Co. I have recorded a grave dereliction of duty against the civil and military officials concerned, upon whom a limit of time lias been imposed, within which they must effect the capture of the pirates. I have, &c. (Seal of Viceroy.) Inclosure 4 in No. 287. Consul Mansfield to Viceroy T'an. (Translation.) Your Excellency, Canton, June 1, 1899. I HAD the honour to address you on the 25th Mav with regard to the piracv of the British steamer " Wo-on," and I received your answer of the 28th May to the effect that you had recorded a grave dereliction of duty against the civil and military officiate concerned, and had imposed on them a limit of time within which to rigorously effect the arrests. Since then, I have summoned the master and compradore of the " Wo-on," and, from their evidence, it appears that, just after the seizure of the vessel, torpedo-boat No. 3 passed within 40 feet of her, and though the British flag was hoisted upside down as a signal of distress, and signs were made to her to give assistance, she took no notice. She was towing a boat at the time, and this is, I am informed, the principal occupation of these torpedo-boats, which your Excellency has directed to patrol the river for the suppression of piracy. Her Majesty's ship "Sandpiper," with an officer from this Consulate, proceeded to the spot where the goods were landed, on the 25th instant. They saw the patrol-boat " Ko Lu," and were informed by the Captain that, after meeting the " Wo-on," they had been to the spot, but had not landed. They had apparently done nothing towards the arrest of the pirates. The captain of the gun-boat and my deputy also visited the. Ch'ai Lieu Ssii, who was quite aware of the piracy, but stated that he had no force at his dnjiosal to enable him to take any action. I have received telegraphic instructions from my Minister that unless the robbers are promptly arrested and punished, and all the stolen property recovered, I am to ask your Kxcellency to order the officials, whose guilty negligence is responsible for this outrage, to make compensation through me to the British vessel. Nine days have now elapsed since the occurrence, and I have no information of any action having been taken. The place is at no great distance from Canton, and I have the honour to ask that your Excellency will speedily inform me what steps are being taken to- bring the pirates to justice. A band of some forty men, with a considerable quantity of money and other property must be easy to trace if any bond fide effort is made. I have, &c. (Signed) R. W. MANSFIELD. Inclosure 5 in No. 287. Viceroy T'an to Consul Mansfield. Sir, Canton, June 3, 1899. I AM in receipt of your despatch of the 1st instant with regard to the " Wo-on "" piracy, stating that, shortly after the occurrence, a torpedo-boat passed at a short distance fromthe "Wo-on," but ignored her signals; that although the gun-boat " Ko Lu : ' pro- ceeded to the spot where the loot was landed, no one went on shore to pursue the pirates. You stated that negligence had been displayed, and requested me to order the civil and military authorities to exert themselves honestly to effect the arrest*. "f 1049 1 2 K 250 I have recorded a dereliction of duty against the Captains of the torpedo-boat and of the "Ko Lu," and have deprived them of their buttons, but they remain under orders to co-operate with the local civil and military authorities in effecting the arrest of the pirates and the recovery of the plunder. 1 have also instructed the Provincial Judge to enjqm the effecting of the arrests under pain of denouncement, if they are not made within the time allowed. 1 have, &c. (Seal of Viceroy.) No. 288. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received August 21.) My Lord, Peking, July 5, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 10th ultimo, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copy of a further despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Eoochow respecting the status of Santu in Samsah Bay, which has been opened as a trade mart. Mr. Eraser's despatch contains the reply of the Acting Superintendent of Trade to his request for further information concerning the wharf tax at Santu. I also inclose copy of my despatch to Her Majesty's Consul of this day's date, instructing him to protest against the tax. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 288. Consul Fraser to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foochow, June 10, 1899. IN continuation of my despatches of the 11th and 18th May, I have the honour to forward copy and translation of his Excellency the Acting Superintendent of Trades' reply to my request for further information concerning the wharf tax at Santu. His Excellency expresses no opinion himself, but simply forwards M. von Tanner's report to him. I believe that identical despatches have been sent to all the Consuls. The tax is 2 per cent, on every 1 00 taels of duty payable, or, as the duty is supposed to be 5 per cent, ad valorem, a nominal 1 per mille. It is true that a similar tax is levied at various ports for municipal purposes, but the levy is agreed to annually by the mercantile community. M. von Tanner, how- ever, appears to think that such a voluntary subscription justifies a compulsory levy, and that two servants of the Chinese Government are in the same position as a Council elected by a mercantile community to represent them. A Erench steamer, chartered by Chinese, is running to the new port ; but I under* stand that the teas grown in that part of the province are coming down overland as usual. I have, &c. (Signed) E. H. FRASER. Inclosure 2 in No. 288. Acting Superintendent of Trade to Consul Fraser. '(Translation.) Sir, June 7, 1899. I COMMUNICATED to the Commissioner of Customs, von Tanner, your request of the 9th May for further particulars as to the levy of a wharf tax at Santu, in order that you might report fully to Her Britannic Majesty's Minister, and I have now the honour to inclose M. von Tanner's reply. I have, &c. (Seal of Viceroy and Acting Tartar General.) 251 M. von Tanner to Viceroy Hsu Your Excellency, May 24, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your Excellency's order of yesterday, forwarding copy of Mr. Acting Consul Eraser's despatch of the 9th May (quoted in full), and calling upon me to submit without delay a full report as to the wharf tax mentioned in my report which your Excellency had communicated to the Chinese authorities and to the various Consuls. In reply, I beg to observe that at certain open ports the levy of a wharf tax in the Concessions by the Municipal Council has been specially sanctioned by the Eoreign Ministers at Peking, while at Shanghae and Tien-tsin it is collected 'by the foreign Customs and the amount handed over to the Councils of the nations concerned for their use. Santu, being opened by China herself, differs from the ports opened by Treaty, and the Tsung-li Yamen in their orders for the establishment of a Municipal Council directed the Commissioner of Customs, and a specially-appointed Deputy also, to attend to all requirements. It is for this reason that I have started a wharf' tax at the rate of 2 taels in every 100 taels collected by the Imperial Maritime Customs under the provisional rules for imports and exports, the amount to be apportioned to the Municipal Council in order to provide for jetties, bunds, roads, and bridges, and also to show China's independence. I have, &c. (Signed) P. von TANNER. Inclosure 3 in No. 288. Mr. Bax-lronside to Consul Playfair. Sir Peking, July 5, 1899. WITH reference to Mr. Eraser's despatch of the 10th June on the subject of the wharf tax at Santu-ao, I beg to inform you that you should protest against the tax as contrary to Treaty, and beyond the powers of the Chinese authorities, whether local officials or Commissioner of Customs, to enforce upon our shipping. This view is held, with possibly one exception, by the whole Diplomatic Body at Peking. I have already expressed the same opinion verbally to the Ministers of the Tsung- li Yamen, and I believe that some of my colleagues have adopted a similar course. I am, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE.. No. 289. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) My Lord, Peking, July 6, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 25th May on the subject of the working of the Inland Steam Navigation Rules on the West River of Canton, I. have the honour to inclose copies of two despatches which I have received from Her Majesty's Consuls on that river. The first is dated the 9th June from Her Majesty's Acting Consul, Wuchow, and reports the withdrawal of the inland waters certificates from Canton-Wuchow steamers. The second is dated the 10th June from Her Majesty's Consul, Canton, and is to the same effect, adding that a British-owned launch running under the Inland Steam Navigation Rules had lately been forbidden to call in at the Treaty port of Samshuv which she passes en route. The facts reported are the effect of the dictum of the Inspector-General of Chinese Customs, that the two trades, inter-port and inland, cannot be combined by any steam vessel. Her Majesty's Acting Consul complains that native-owned steam launches are allowed to break the Regulation. It is, of course, difficult to insure that no such illicit [1049] 2 K 2 252 proceedings take place. I am instructing Her Majesty's Consuls on the West River to watch the matter, and to protest against any differential treatment. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. lnclosure 1 in No. 289. Acting Consul Fox to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Wuchow, June 9, 1899. ON the arrival here of the Hong Kong, Canton, and Macao Steam-ship Company's steam-ship " Lungkiang " on the 6th instant, the captain reported that the Commis- sioner of Customs at Canton had withdrawn the inland water certificate issued to his vessel in October 1898, for one year, and had informed him that henceforth inter- Treaty port steamers would not he permitted to call as heretofore at places other than the ports of call mentioned in the special Article of the Burmah Convention, namely, Kongmoon, Kumchuk, Shuhing, and Takhing. I am informed that the steam-ship "Lungshan," of the same Company, has similarly had her certificate withdrawn, as also Messrs. Banker and Company's " Wo-on." It is to be presumed that the Chinese steamers on the same line will be similarly treated, but the Customs here can give no definite information on this point. As you are aware, the Inland Steam Navigation Rules issued in March 189S contain no clause preventing inter-port steamers obtaining inland water certificates ; the prohibition rests on a ruling of the Inspector-General in the test case of the steam-ship " Kong Pak," in November 1898, the details of which were reported to Peking at the time. The enforcement of the above ruling is a serious blow to the passenger trade of the West River steamers, and practically precludes foreign steamers from taking anv part in the domestic trade of the Kuangtung and Kuangsi provinces. Foreign steamers on the West River are now to all intents and purposes on precisely the same footing as were steamers on the Yang-tsze before the opening of the inland waters of China. This is not, however, the point to which I have the honour to call your attention in the present instance. It is this : — British steamers are now prevented from carrying passengers to and from Dosing, . and other large passenger stations, not ports of call. Chinese steamers are nominally on the same footing ; actually they are not, as experience has already proved. It is hardly to be expected that — to take a case in point — the Ping On Company's launches, towing large native passenger and cargo boats between Canton and Wuchow, will understand or obey the new Regulation, and it is difficult to see how the Customs authorities, with their present staff, can exercise any efficient control over their movements. This being so, the prohibition operates to the disadvantage of the British steamers, who can be trusted to abide by the Regulations, and differential treatment is thus established. It is possible that the Inspector-General does not realize the injurious effect the -enforcement of his ruling will have on the foreign carrying trade of the West River. To show in what a serious light the Company previously referred to regard this new departure and its consequences, I may mention that they are already considering the advisability of withdrawing their two steamers from the Wuchow-Canton run, a decision much to be regretted should it be carried into effect. The only way out of the difficulty is, I venture to suggest, the opening of Feng-ch'uan, Dosing, Yuetsing, and the other points on the West River, where steamers stop for passengers, as passenger stations — that is, induce the Chinese Government to sanction in the case of foreign steamers what, in the case of Chinese vessels, they are powerless to prevent. It may be said that this is a retrograde step, seeing that the inland waters of China are nominally " open." Pending, however, their actual opening, which would, doubtless, entail the transfer of the li-kin collection to the foreign Customs, I venture to submit this proposal for your consideration, as a means of preserving equal oppor- tunity for British steamers on the West River. ° I have, &c. (Signed) HARRY H. POX, 253 Inelosure 2 in No. 269. Consul Mansfield to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Canton, June 10, 1899. REFERRING to the remarks contained in my despatch of the 11th April on the prayer of the Shipping Companies for " the rescinding of the Inspector- General's decision that inter-Treaty port steamers shall not he registered for inland navigation," I have now the honour to report that about a week ago the inland water licences of the steam-ships " Lungshan " and " Lungkiang," two British vessels plying under West River certificates between Canton and Wuchow via Samshui, were with- drawn to their very considerable loss. Two or three days later a British launch plying under Inland Waters Steam Navigation Regulations between Canton and Shui Hing, on the West River, was informed by the Customs that she could not call at the Treaty port of Samshui, which she passes en route. This is the logical converse of the ruling of the Inspector- General with regard to the " Lung " steamers, but I venture to suggest that it is a reductio ad absurdum. A British vessel running on a certain line under certain regulations, passes a number of ports : one of these happens to have been opened by Treaty, and this one she is debarred from entering ! This is not a case where any loss of national revenue is involved, and it is conceded here that the liberty enjoyed hitherto has not led to any abuses. It appears to me that the West River Regulations, while remaining in force for steamers running to and from Hong Kong, might very well be abolished for steamers confined to Chinese inland waters. The Inland Waters Regulations with very slight modifications could be adapted to the whole trade, premising always that the disabilities caused by the present reading of the Regulations be removed. The remarks in Consul Hosie's Report on the trade of Wuchow under the heading of Taxation of Domestic Trade, are very much to the point. I have, &c. (Signed) R. W. MANSFIELD. No. 290. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) Mv Lord, Peking, July 6, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of this day's date, I have the honour to inclose copy of a despatch, dated the 26th June, which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul, Chefoo, respecting the initiation of the steam navigation of inland waters at that port. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 290. Consul Hopkins to Mr. Bax'Ironside. g; rj Chefoo. June 26, 1899. FOR some time past I have been waiting for a point to be reached that should enable me to report to you some definite progress towards the successful initiation at this port of steam navigation of inland waters under the new Rules, and though such a point has scarcely yet been finally attained, my approaching departure renders it advisable not to delav longer a sketch of the question as it presents itself here. " I may recall that inland navigation in this province means really what is locally known as the " gulf trade," i.e., trade with places lying on the shores of the Gulfs of Pechili and Corea, with a possible extension up and down the canalized stream of the Hsiao Ching Ho between Chinan-fu, the provincial capital, and the sea. Up till quite lately this trade has been shared between the native junks and a single steamer, the " Kwangchi," flying the Chinese flag, and owned by the well-known official, Shen"- Hsuan-huai. Sheng had obtained direct from the Tsung-li Yamen permission for 254 the " Kwangchi" to engage in this trade, and he disarmed the junk-owners' opposition by agreeing to carry only certain classes of cargo, mainly piece-goods and cotton yarn, from here, and straw braid on the return voyage. Since the new Rules have been published, however, the " Kwangchi," like any other steamer, will have to conform to them, and abandon her privileged position. Two steam-launches, under the Chinese flag, but chartered by Mr. L. H. Smith, an American merchant of ibis port, the " Wing Foo" and the " Kam Ling,'' have been the first to take advantage of the new system, but hitherto, for the reason that will appear,, have engaged in passenger traffic only. Messrs. Butterfield and Swire. have now reedy to commence operations a steamer, the- "Hwang Ho," but neither she nor the " Kwangchi," nor the two launches, can obtain, freight until a certain difficulty has been got out of the way. This difficulty is of an extremely Chinese character, and arises directly from the provisions of the 5th and 6th of the new Rules, that cargo must pay "such duties as the Customs decide to be leviable," arid " whatever duty and li-kin local Regulations call for."' It is because up to the present no one has been able to get the Tariff implied by these Regulations that shippers decline to begin operations until they know what they will be required to pay. It has gradually been elicited from the Taotai that there is a Tariff, an official Tariff issued many years ago to his predecessors by the Peking Board of Revenue, and that, if pressed to communicate a Tariff, either by foreign Consuls or by Chinese merchants, it is this scale of duties that he would have to give. 1 understand that on the average the scale is about 60 per cent, lower than the Treaty Tariff. At the same time, the scale is never applied, and he "knows privately" that a much lighter rate is actually charged; arid as his deputies have to report to him, and he has to report to the Board of Revenue, according to this official Tariff, it also follows that he must " know privately " that the reconciliation of the sums actually collected with the sums that ought strictly to be received can only be effected by a severe adjustment of the accounts; to speak plainly, by gross under-statement of the amount of cargo passing through the native Customs stations. However, that is his affair. The Taotai's present proposal is that for the future no distinction shall be made between junk and steamer in the payment of duties at the native Customs, and that a single uniform levy per picul on all cargo, import and export, irrespective of relative value, shall, be paid under these new Rules. Although certain details remain to be settled, I hope that I, or my successor, may soon be able to report that inland navigation is successfully working in this province. I have, &c. (Signed) L. C. HOPKINS. No. 291. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) (Extract.) Peking, July 7,1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 24th June, I have the honour to report that the subject of the Northern Railways Loan came up for discussion at an interview with the Tsung-li Yamen on the 27th ultimo. The Ministers assured me that the interest overdue would be paid at once and that there would be no delay in the payment of the instalment due on the loth July. As regards the complaint that had been made that the earnings of the railway were not all paid into the Bank, they declared that there would be no ground for this complaint in future, whatever there might have been in the past. Mr. Bruce, the Accountant appointed by the Bank, was now established at Tien-tsin, where he had a complete super- Vision of every item of income or expenditure. All the accounts were kept in one building, and Mr. Bruce checked them with the assistance of the Railway Administration officials. They considered, therefore, that the matter of the Northern Railways, as regards, both the interest on the loan and the general financial position, was nowplaced on a' Satisfactory basis. I replied that I was glad to hear of the good intentions of the Railway Administra- tion and the improvements that had been effected, but that I should have to wait some time longer before I could report that the whole question was satisfactorily settled. 255 I have the honour to inclose herewith copies of further correspondence that has passed between the Chinese authorities and myself and the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank since the date of my last despatch to your Lordship on this subject. Inclosure 1 in No. 291. The Tsung-li Yamen to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Translation.) ON th3 22nd June we received your despatch on the subjeet of the overdue interest ■on the loan for the Northern Railway. (Despatch quoted in full : see Inclosure in No. 261.) We at once communicated with the Director-General, and have now received his reply as follows : — "The interest for the month of June will be paid on the 3rd July, and the interest for July will be paid on the due date. There will be no default of payment." We have the honour to reply accordingly to vour Excellency. (Seal of Yamen.) Inclosure 2 in No. 291. Hsii Ching-ch'eng to Mr. Hillier. (Translation.) sir > June 29, 1899. I BEG to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, the contents of which I immediately commucnated to the General Office at Tien-tsin for their consideration. I have now received their report in reply, which is to the following effect : — ■ " As regards the interest payable on the 13th June, which is now overdue, arrange- ments have been made for its speedy payment, and it will be handed over within a day or two. , , , "The final instalment of interest due on the 15th July ought, of course, to be paid over at due date ; but the rainy season is now coming on, trade will be rather' dull in the fifth and sixth moons, and the income will be proportionately less, so that it is just possible that the amount payable may not be realized in full at the date on which it falls due. Now this is a matter which concerns the general interests of the shareholders. There is still the sum of over 400,000 taels set aside by Hu Ta-jen, part of which can be allotted, according to the amount deficient, to the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank, so that the Agreement can be carried out without fail. " Railway Accounts. From the 27th January last to the 7th June last, the receipts in freight, fares, &c, amounted to over 646,000 taels. " From the first moon of the present year (the 10th February last) to the 11th day of the fifth moon (the 17th June) the total amount paid over to the bank and Mr. Kinder was over 452,000 taels. The expenditure on stations on this side of and beyond Shanhai- kuan, goods dep6ts, telegraph offices, storehouses, stone-sheds, the various pay offices, officers to keep order, police, together with salaries of Managers, clerks, servants, &c, in the General Office, office expenses, rent, &c, land buyers, and sums paid from time to time for the purchase of land, amounted to a total of over 214,000 taels. Over and above this, sums will have to be paid for materials, &c, the amount of which cannot be calculated beforehand. " Thus, taking the total receipts for four and a-half months, the average earnings per month amount to no more than 150,000 odd taels. It is not known where the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank heard that the monthly earnings were 200,000 taels, and this estimate cannot be accepted as accurate. "As regards the freight due to the Railway Administration by the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company, the accounts of this Company were made up at the same time as those of the San Kung Company, and it appears that the total amount due by the said Company for freight of coal up to the end of the fourth moon was only 36,000 odd taels. There are absolutely no other " large sums " outstanding due by the Company, and, moreover, all the freight owing has been collected in full. " Another point is this. The different stations, in crediting the amounts which they receive, have first deducted the expenses which they have incurred ;. and, moreover, the 256 amounts due from godowns and foreign firms have for the most part not been reported in full. The result is that occasionally there has been a discrepancy between the money in hand at the Accountancy and the receipts as reported, and this has caused suspicion in the mind of the Foreign Accountant. The Office has now issued forms for reporting clearly the amounts in hand and the amounts owing, and in future we can easily arrange to act in all these matters in harmony with the Foreign Accountant, Mr. Bruce." The above report I fully indorse. But the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank, in its present dealings with my Office, fails to sift matters. If you come and ask questions like this, which are based upon mere idle rumours, friendly relations cannot but be endangered. In future the interest payable each month, together with the earnings received, will all be dealt with fairly item by item according to the Agreement. There is no fear that the interests of the shareholders of your bank will suffer, and I trust you will set your mind at rest on this point. (Compliments.) (Card of Hsu Ching-ch'eng.) Inclosure 3 in No. 291. Mr. Hillier to Hsii Ching-ch'eny. Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation, Your Excellency, Peking, June 30, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your Excellency's letter of yesterday, and thank you for the information contained in the report from the Tien-tsin Office. I am glad to note that the bulk of the money owed by the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company has now been paid in, and that regulations are in course of being carried into effect for the more systematic payment of the railway earnings into the bank in terms of the Agreement. I would draw your Excellency's attention, however, to the fact mentioned in the Tien-tsin report, that station-masters are allowed to deduct the expenses of their establish- ments from their earnings, before accounting for these to the head office. I submit to yonr Excellency that this practice directly conflicts with clause No. 8 of the Agreement, which states that " all receipts and earnings of the lines herein specified, shall be paid in to the credit of the Railway Administration with the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank, Tien-tsin." This condition manifestly refers not to the net, but to the gross, revenue of the railways without any deduction, and 1 therefore beg that your Exce lency will be so good as to give instructions that it be rigidly complied with, in order to avoid the contusion in accounts which is admitted by the Tien-tsin Office to be the result of the present system. I am glad to learn from your Excellency's letter that the instalment of interest for June will be paid immediately. As regards that for July, I must point out that your Excellency's proposal to make up the same from funds now lying at Construction Reserve Account is quite irregular and I have no power to sanction it. I beg your Excellency to accept the assurance of my most earnest and friendly desire to avoid any needless embarrassment of the efforts of your Excellency's staff to introduce order and reform into the management of the railways, and my sincere appreciation of the same, but I feel sure that it will be clear to your Excellency on consideration, that where evidence exists, whether director indirect, of a departure from the terms of the Contract, I have no recourse but to bring the same at once to your Excellency's notice. I have, &,c. (Signed) E. G. HILLIER, Agent. No. 292. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) My Lord, Peking, July 10, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith an extract from an Intelligence Report by Her Majesty's Acting Consul at Chinkiang respecting the Mission of Grand Secretary Kang Yi to Nanking. 257 Kang Yi is a Manchu, who has held high office in Peking ever since the war with Japan. He is the Minister considered to have been chiefly responsible for the coup d'Stat oflast September, and for the executi&n without trial of the six reformers. His position as a trusted adviser of the Empress-Dowager, his reputation for Conservatism and for incorruptibility, and his undoubted ability, combine to render him one of the most powerful of the present Peking officials. An Imperial Decree appeared on the 21st of May last, ordering him to proceed to Nanking as Imperial High Commissioner to " investigate and deal with affairs in that neighbourhood," and the result of his Mission on the fortunes of Liu Kun Yi, the powerful Viceroy of the Liang Chiang Provinces, is awaited with much interest by native politicians, I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 292. Extract from Chinkiang Intelligence Report of June 30, 1899. THE great political event of the quarter in native circles has been the arrival at Nanking of Grand Secretary Kang Yi on a special Mission from Peking. His Excellency reached Shanghae on the 3rd June, and proceeded at once to Nanking, in a cruiser escorted by four gun-boats. It is generally understood that the object of his Mission to these provinces is — 1. To inquire into the li-kin system, and devise some means of increasing the revenue collected from this source for Imperial purposes. 2. To make a thorough investigation into the system of public granaries, and check the numerous abuses which have arisen from the peculations of the officials in charge of them. 3. To consider what measures can be taken to thoroughly reorganize the volunteer or trainband system, which has fallen into complete neglect. 4. To inspect the local defences and review the troops. It is supposed too that he has instructions to raise and take back with him to Peking a sum of at least 2,000,000 taels. In the meanwhile, he has ordered the principal officials in the provinces, including the Taotais of Chinkiang and Shanghae, to proceed to Nanking with the object of ascertaining from them the state of their revenues, and to what extent their contributions to the Imperial Treasury can be increased. The general impression is that the expectations of the Court will be more than realized, and that Kang Yi will take back with him over 10,000,000 taels. The Commissioner is said to be on good terms with the Viceroy, who views his proceedings with absolute indifference, and desires nothing better than his own immediate retirement. No. 293. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) My Lord Peking, July 10, 1899. I HAVFI the honour to report that on the 17th ultimo I received a telegram from Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow, stating that riots had broken out at Kiennino-. The church and Mission house were said to be burnt down and two converts were killed. Her Majesty's Consul further reported that the trouble seemed to be all over; that there were great hopes that all the foroigners were safe, and that theTaotai, or hio-h local authority, had promised to make inquiries, and to grant compensation for all losses. I had the honour to bring the matter to your Lordship's notice by telegraph on the same day, and on the 18th ultimo I received a further telegram from Foochow from the same source, in which it was stated that the missionaries at Yenpin°- telegraphed that rumours were current that one missionary and two ladies had been murdered on the road to K leaning from Kienyang, and that their names were Mr. and Mrs. Phillips and Miss Sears. Her Majesty's Consul also stated that there was no news from the Viceroy, although the telegraph lines were in good order. ri049J 2 ^ 258 I refrained from telegraphing above to yonr Lordship, as I considered tk report not to have sufficient foundation, although the Shanghae local press pub- lished telegrams and leading articles on the so-called dastardly outrages. On the 19th instant a further telegram reached me from Foochow, to the effect that the local authorities had telegraphed to the Viceroy that the people previously named were all safe; that the Kienyang Yamen district was quiet; that all the missionary ladies were in Foochow, and the men on their way to that city. In the course of an interview which 1 had with the Tsung-li Yamen on the 21st ultimo 1 took occasion to inquire if their Excellencies had received any news respecting the riots. The Ministers said that they had heard that two converts had been killed and two houses destroyed ; also that the Viceroy had sent officers to investigate the affair and report on it. I informed the Tsung-li Yamen that an indemnity would have to be paid for the property desti'oyed, and that the guilty parties would have to be punished. Their Excellencies, while acquiescing in a general way, said a reasonable time would have to be allowed for investigation and inquiry. On the 29th ultimo 1 received a telegram from your Lordship stating that Reuter's Agency had announced that placards had been posted, at Kienning; offering a reward of 1,000 dollars for the heads of missionaries. Your Lordship also inquired what action I had taken respecting an indemnification for property destroyed and for the punishment of the aggressors. The same day I had the honour to telegraph to your Lordship that 1 had mentioned the matter at the Yamen, and that the Viceroy had sent officers to investigate into the troubles. I added that Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow was negotiating with the Viceroy, and he had reported that the settlement of the case was being satisfactorily proceeded with ; that the district was quiet, and all Europeans safe. On the 2nd instant I again telegraphed to your Lordship that the Consul at Foochow had had an interview with the Viceroy, and his Excellency had dispatched 500 soldiers to Kienning and 250 to Y'enping. He had also ordered the local authorities and deputies to arrest the ringleaders in the riot, and that they would be brought to Foochow for trial. The local authorities would be made to pay com- pensation for property destroyed. Anti-foreign placards, I added, had been posted in Kienning, but they contained no offer of reward for heads of missionaries. I suggested that before submitting to your Lordship proposals for suitable repara- tion it would be mote satisfactory to await the result of investigations. On the 2nd instant 1 received despatches from Foochow, copies of which 1 have the honour to inclose, containing reports of the riot; and also a telegram stating that inflammatory rumours were current in Foochow against the mis- sionaries.. Her Majesty's Consul stated that he had requested the Viceroy to issue a Proclamation forbidding the promulgation of such rumours. I telegraphed the above to your Lordship, and I strongly urged the Tsung-li Yamen on the same day, the 2nd instant, to send immediate instructions by telegraph to the Viceroy at Foochow to take severe measures to prohibit the circulation of all anti-foreign placards and hostile rumours. 1 stated that^ vagabonds in Foochow were spreading rumours of foreign mis- sionaries kidnapping; children and extracting their brains, eyes, &c, and that if this was allowed to continue trouble might ensue. Yesterday I received a letter from the Tsung-li Yamen, in which it was stated that an urgent telegram had been sent to the Viceroy, and that his Excellency had replied that there was no foundation whatever for such rumours and that the Consul's statements must have been induced by over-precaution 'on account of anxiety. The Viceroy had again issued orders to the Prefects and Magistrates, in con- junction with the military authorities, to set inquiries on foot, and to secure the tranquillity of the country by arresting and bringing to trial anv idlers or vagabonds who were found spreading inflammatory umours. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. 259 Inelosure 1 in No. 293. Consul Fraser to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foochow, June 21, 1899. IN confirmation of my telegrams of the 16th, 17th, and 19th June, I have the honour to report that a serious riot occurred at Kienning Fu city on the 15th instant. On the 26th May telegrams were received that, owing to the murder of a youth being ascribed to the foreigners, the hospital outside, and the chapels inside, Kienning city, were threatened. But the local authorities succeeded in finding the murderer and the danger passed off. No further report of hostile feeling was made in that district to me, but I now learn that both at the Prefectural city, and especially at Kien Yang, placards were posted and the missionaries warned, as they passed along the streets, that they would soon be killed. A curious feature is that many of the placards were issued in the names of Buddhist priests, and that two priests came and disputed with the natives at the Kienning city chapel. On the i5th June, Dr. Rigg telegraphed to the Church Mission that the danger was extreme, and the single ladies, of whom there were six in the district, flying. I at once communicated with the Taotai Ch'en and especially pressed for the pro- tection of Mr. and Miss Phillips and Miss Sears, who were at Kien Yang, some 30 miles above Kienning. Next day came news that the six ladies were all safe, and also Drs. Rigg and Pakeriham at Nan-ya, whence they came by boat to Yen Ping, but that the chapels and houses in Kienning city at any rate had been destroyed, and two converts, afterwards increased to five, killed. Mr. Ch'en promising inquiry and compensation for the damage done, I had the honour to report the facts to you by telegraph. At the same time I told him that the reparation to be exacted would be decided by you. On the 17th Dr. Rigg telegraphed that from numerous reports it was certain that a foreign man and two ladies had been killed on the road from Kien Yang, and that the Magistrate's Yaraen had been destroyed. As this report was telegraphed to London by Reuter's agent, I thought it my duty to report it to you by telegraph, and at the same time I pressed the Vicero}' to ascertain the facts, and commented on the delay in obtaining information although the telegraph lines were working. An unsigned telegram received late on the 17th from Kienning reported the missionaries safe in the Kien Yang Magistrate's Yamen, but this was contradicted by another later message from Dr. Rigg at Yen Ping, and Archdeacon Wolfe telegraphed to his Society that the three missionaries had almost certainly been murdered. On the morning of the 19th the Viceroy at last replied that at midnight he had received telegraphic assurances that Mr. and Mrs. Sears were safe at Kien Yang, and 1 am now informed by the Mission that they are on their way to Foochow, whither all the missionaries stationed up river are come or coming. Dr. Rigg's account of the riot was sent me yesterday. I forwarded it with a desnatc'h to his Excellency the Viceroy. I have the honour to inclose copy and translation of that despatch and its inclosure. As 1 am handing over charge to Mr. Playfair on the 23rd June, I submit this preliminary report without waiting for Mr. Phillips' account of his experiences. I have, &c. (Signed) E. H. FRASER. Inclosure 2 in No. 293. Consul Fraser to Viceroy Min-Chi. Tour Excellency, Foochow, June 20, 1899. ON hearing' by telegram, of the riot at Kienning on the 15th instant, I addressed notes to your Excellency and the Taotai Ch'en, and also telegraphed to Her Majesty's Legation. After three days your Excellency was good enough to reassure me as to the safety of Mr. Phillips and his family* whose murder had (1049] 2 L 2 260 been reported more than once, and yesterday the Taotai Ch'en, in a note, informed me that your Excellency had ordered the Yen Ping Taotai to proceed with a force to the spot, and had also deputed the Prefect Chin to inquire into the case. I have now the honour to submit the account of the riot forwarded by Dr. Rigg, who was in charge of the hospital at Kienning. From this report it is plain that the trouble was brewing for some weeks, and that nothing was done by the local authorities to calm the popular excite, ment. When the mob actually rose, the officials did try to expostulate with them, but having few troops, they could not employ force, and it was too late for other measures. The present riot is but the last of a series of persecutions in Funing, Lien Chiang, and this district, in which no vigorous action has ever been taken despite my complaints ; and although, so far as I can learn, no lives of British subjects have, fortunately, been lost this time, many have had to flee and suffer hardship, and at least five converts have been butchered for no other crime than being Christians. The ignorant populace would never dare to make trouble were they not led by educated men, who are a disgrace to their class, and to the teachings of the Chinese sages. 1 trust, therefore, that your Excellency will insist on the arrest of the gentry and the vegetarians, whose names are given by Dr. Rigg, and that you will make an example of them. I have, &c. (Signed) E. H. ERASER. Inclosure 3 in No. 293. Dr. Rigg to Consul Fraser. Yen Ping Fu, June 17, 1899. I REACHED Kienning-fu on Tuesday afternoon, the 13th June, and found the people in a state of almost madness. I did not like their looks as thev went through the streets, and when I reached our church at A Sa O, I was told by our pastor, the Reverend Mr. Li, that since the 15th of the 4th moon, when the body of the murdered boy was found, there had been a series of wild rumours, every day producing some wild story which excited the people. In all directions murders were said to be taking place, though no bodies were ever found ; that seemed of no consequence to the people, and the story was current, and was apparently generally believed, that these murders were done by men in our employ, and that we used the eyes and legs to make medicine. There were endless stories of people being kidnapped, chloroformed in the road by a bottle being held out to their nose, and the day I arrived it was said that eyes had been found at Tai-lni, a suburb of Kienning, and as I passed a crowd was actually on the spot seeking for the said eyes. At the West Gate I saw a placard which offered a reward for a missing man. Next day, Wednesday, some hundreds of villagers from the Siong Bo direction had come armed to the city, bringing with them five men whom they charged with threatening to kill a boy at Siang Bo. We heard that the real occurrence was that this boy meddled with the load of one of these men, and the man threatened to take awav the boy's testicles— a common way of scolding— whereupon a ciy was made; many men seized them and brought them to the city, demanding their immediate execution The Mandarin at first refused to receive the prisoners, whereupon the villagers paraded the streets and commanded all shops to be closed. Later on the five men were imprisoned in the Yamen, but the En Niang-hsien refused to execute them- The exc.tement continued, and papers were posted all over the city saying these five men were hired by foreigners, and the Christians and foreigners ough* to be killed and the church pulled down. & On Thursday morning, the 15th June we got off our ladies early and prepared boats for ourselves at the beven Stars Hospital, which is 5 li up the river from Kwei Ning-fu. r ■ The workers at our city church got out by stealth early in the morning, and then the city gates we. e seind by the mob and all goers and comers sealed. 261 The rioters began at 2 o'clock with the Leper Church, and on hearing of it we (Dr. Pakenham and myself with our native pastor, some ten native men, four women, and one child) took to our boats, leaving the hospital in care of twenty soldiers, as well, there were about twenty patients (all men) who chose not to leave, not expecting to be injured. Most of us had only the clothes we wore. We dropped down river, and on passing the city went close by a crowd who we after- wards heard were watching the stoning to death of an old Christian man who had chosen to stay in our city church. We anchored a little below the city, and there saw the burning of our city church and two other places which from their position we judged to be Christians' houses. We went down stream to Nangwa, 18 miles away. On our way we picked up a fugitive native inquirer. He told us we were likely to be pursued, and thata reward was shouted in the streets to any one who caught or killed us. A big crowd of loafers and rogues followed the Mandarin, who went to the hospital with some soldiers about 4 o'clock. The crowd looted the hospital and the drug store-room and our Zenana ladies' house and the native quarters (this latter only partially, we hear) but my own house being well secured they could not easily enter. The Mandarin and soldiers were helpless through the whole business from first to last ; there were only 200 soldiers or less ; these did nothing bui look on, and the poor Mandarin nothing but shake his head and beg the people to stop. I hear he was struck at, and one of tne military officers as well. All the time he refused to behead any of the five men who had threatened the boy, but the following day he beheaded one, and then the people quieted down and the shops were opened. I sent off an urgent letter to Mr. Phillips early on Friday morning. I have had no answer from Mr. Phillips. I put the Nangwa property in charge of the local officials. This city has only forty soldiers in it. These soldiers the Taotai will take with him to-morrow and leave us without any. 1 inclose two lists of names which ought to be of use to you. Yours, &c. (Signed) J. RIGG. Appendices. 1. Names of three vegetarians who got together the Crowd to look for eyes extracted by foreigners. 2. Names of Kienning gentry who took a leading part in exciting and heading the people against us. We have no doubt of these, but there are others whose names we do not know. J. KIGG. Inclosure 4 in No. 293. Consul Fraser to Mr. Bax-Ironside. gi r Fooehotb, June 22, 1899. ' IN continuation of my despatch of yesterday's date I have the honour to report that when to-day I paid the Viceroy my farewell visit, his Excellency assured me that the riot at Kienning would be thoroughly investigated. The names given by Dr. Rigg have been communicated to the Taotai charged with the inquiry. Mr. Phillips arrived last night, and tells me that at Kien Yang nothing more serious occurred than a placard or two accusing him of murdering children; At his request the Magistrate and leading men visited and searched the Mission premises, and the former thereafter issued an excellent Proclamation which calmed the popular excitement. On the news of the Kienning outbreak reaching him, Mr. Phillips consulted the Magistrate and moved into the Yamen, where he stayed with his wife and Miss Sears in peace and quiet until on the 19th June it was considered safe to come down river. His house, of the contents of which a full list was made by the Magistrate's Secretaries, is sealed up. 262 Mr. Phillips speaks very highly of the manner in which the Magistrate fulfilled his duty of protecting him, and hopes that he will not be punished on account of the riot in the prefectural city. '■•■''■ \ the Hunan troops, 300 or less in nu )untry to buy tea, and the militia wc ....-..,,...,, | ,voo. , ,, ,,,,,.>. lu .me the Kienning Prefect, who has always been hostile to them, and who cannot at any rate escape the charge of making no attempt to calm the growing excitement of the populace. I have, &c. (Signed) E. H. FRASEE. No. 294. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury.-— (Received August 21.) My Lord, St. Petersburg?!, Aurust 17, T899. t HAVE the honour to transmit herewith to your Lord ship a French translation from the official column of this day's "Journal de Saint- Pe'tersbourg " of an Order, dated the 30th July (11th August), addressed by His Majesty the Empeor to the Minister of Finance, and published in yesterday's issue of the "Official Messenger." This Imperial Order is to the effect that a town shall be built near Talienwan, the new town to receive the name of Dalny (" Distant "), and to be a free port, subject to certain conditions, during the occupancy by Russia of the lease ceded by the Chinese Government. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES S. SCOTT. Inclosure in No. 294. Extract from the u Journal de Saint-Pe'tersbourg " of August 5 (17), 1899. Au Ministre des Finances. — Notre Empire, comprenant d'immenses territoires en Europe et en Asie, est appele* par la Providence Divine a contribuer au rapprochement pacifique des peuples de l'Occident et de l'Orient. Ann d'atteindre ce but historique, nous avons re^u le concours amical de PEmpire de Chine, qui nous a c6de la jouissance du port de Talienwan et de Port-Arthur, avec le territoire adjacent, et qui a ouvert a travers ses possession's une issue au grand Chemin de Fer de Siberie jusqu'a la Mer Jaune. Grace a cette sage decision du Gouvernement de Sa Majeste le Bogdokhan, les limites extremes de deux continents du Vieux-Monde seront reunies sous peu par une ligne ininterrompue de rails, qui procurera a toutes les nations les avantages incalculables de communications faciles ewera entrer de nouvelles regions dans le mouvement du commerce universel. Dans notre soilfcitude incessante pour cette entreprise d'utilite generale, nous avons porte notre attention sur l'importance de premier ordre qu'acquerra, une fois la ligne construite, son point de depart, le port de Talienwan. Ayant declare apres son occupation que ce port etait ouvert aux flottes de commerce de toules les nations, nous jugeons ulile aujourd'hui de proceder a la construction, pres ce port, d'une ville a laquelle nous donnons le nom rle " Dalny." En m&me temps, en vue du developpement commercial de la future ville, nous lui oetroyoas pour toute la dure'e dia term© ou son territoire est cede a la Russie par la Chine, en vertu de i'Arrangement du 15 (27 ) Mars, 1898, le droit de libre commerce acquis aux ports francs, aux conditions suivantes : — 1. L'importation et l'exportation en franchise de droits de douane des marchandises de toute espece est admise dans la ville, dans le port et le territoire adjacent dans les limites determinees et pouvant itre modifiees par le Ministre des Finances. 2. Le droit de libre commerce ainsi accorde ne concerne pas les taxes de transport, d'ancrage, et autres taxes de denominations diverses preleve'es dans les ports. 3. Les Reglements de Quarantaine, rend us en vue d'empeoher l'mtrod action de maladies contagieuses, sont observes dans toute leur teneur par tous les navires entrant dans le port. 4. Les marchandises importers en Russie qui proviennent du territoire jouissant do droit de libre commerce, sont visiters, acq uittent les droits d'entree, et passent dans les limites de 1 'Empire dans les conditions ge'ne'raJes admises pour l'importation des marchan- dises eltrangeres. 263 En invoquant la benediction du Seigneur sur cette ceuvre future, reellement pacifique, nous vqus chargeons du soin de veiller a la construction de la ville et du port. (Sign£) NICOLAS, P&erhof, le 30 Juille^ 1899- (Translation.) To the Ministeb of Finance. — Our Empire, comprising as it does immense territories in Europe and Asia, is called upon by Divine Providence to contribute to the pacific intercourse of the peoples of the East and the West. For the attain- ment of this historic object we have received the friendly assistance of the Chinese Empire, which has ceded to us the use of the Harbour of Talienwan and Port Arthur, with the adjacent territory, and has furnished for the Great Siberian Eailway an outlet through its possessions to the Yellow Sea. Thanks to this wise decision of the Govern- ment of His Majesty the Emperor of China, the extreme limits of two continents of the Old World will very shortly be connected, by an uninterrupted line of rails, which will secure for all nations the incalculable advantages of easy communication, and bring new regions within the operations of the commerce of the world. In our increasing solicitude for a scheme of such general utility as this, we have directed our attention to the first-rate importance which, when once the line is con- structed, its terminus, the port of Talienwan, will acquire. Having declared after its occupation that this port was open to the commercial fleets of all nations, we deem it advisable now to proceed to the construction near this port of a town, to which we give the name of " Dalny." At the same time, with a view to the commercial development of the future town, we grant to the same for the entire period for which its territory is handed over to Russia by China, under the arrangement of the 15th (27th) March, 1898, the right of free trade granted to free ports on the following conditions : — 1. The importation and exportation of goods of every kind are allowed free of customs dues in the town, port, and adjacent territory, within the limits determined by and liable to modification by the Minister of Finance. 2. The right of free trade thus granted does not affect transport, anchorage, and other dues of various kinds, levied at ports. 3. The Quarantine Regulations, issued with a view to preventing the introduction of infectious diseases, must be strictly observed by all ships entering the port. 4. Goods imported into Eussia which come from the territory enjoying the right of free trade will be examined, will pay import duty, and trill enter the Empire under the general conditions in force for the importation of foreign goods. Invoking the blessing of the Lord upon this truly pacific work of the future, we intrust to your care the superintendence of the construction of the town and port. (Signed) "NICOLAS. Peterhof, July 30, 1899. No. 295. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) Mv Lord, Berlin, August 18, 1899. TO-DAY'S " National Zeitung " quotes an article from the " DentschnAsiatische Warte," in answer to a statement which, it asserts, has been made in an Anglo-Chinese paper, to the effect that the opening of a Custom-house at Tsintau militates against the character of that port as a free port. The article argues that it can be shown that Tsintau offers considerably greater advantages and commercial facilities than is the case in Hong Kong and Shanghae. The former place, it states, is hedged in with custom-houses, which levy the conven- tional export duty on everything that comes from China, be it raw material for manu- factures "-oods lor Europe, or the ordinary necessaries of life, which there, as in Tsintau, all come' 1'rom China, the cost of living being thereby naturally increased, and the development of local industry injured. Quite other is the case in the Kiao Chao Pro- tectorate ; there the frontier is open, and what formerly had to pay a 5 per cent, duty now enters free, whether it be the necessaries of life for German subjects or Chinese inhabitants, raw materials, silk, coal, iron or what not. Everything enters the Colony 264 free of duty, which is a privilege of great importance for the development of her commerce and industry. In Shanghae, as in all Chinese ports, the full import duty is levied upon all incoming articles, whereas in Tsintau everything but opium comes in free of duty, and a happier combination of free importation from abroad with free importation from the interior could not have been imagined. In conclusion, it is stated that the establishment of a Chinese Custom-house is clearly intended to facilitate trade with the Chinese Customs district. I have, &c. (For the Ambassador), (Signed) GOUGH. No. 296. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) My Lord, Berlin, August 19, 1899. IT is stated in to-day's "North German Gazette" that in consequence of the numerous inquiries which have been addressed to the Marine Department, with a view to ascertaining whether the Province of Kiao Chao offers a favourable field for agricultural enterprise, the Governor of the Protectorate has been called upon for a Report. His answer has now been received and is to the effect that, not only is the province too small to afford elbow-room after a time for agricultural undertakings, but that it would further be hopeless to endeavour to compete with the industrious and skilful Chinese, who are accustomed to the climate and know the capabilities of the soil, since a proportionately far too high price would have to be paid for Crown land. But more especially is the prospect inauspicious for cattle breeding, on account of the dearth of grass ; there are no grass-lands, for in Shantung, as in all other countries where wet and dry seasons prevail, they are wanting ; still, meadows could be cultivated by means of irrigation, and, in this connection, it may be noted that wherever water is procurable in Shantung, profits can be made. I have, &c. (Por the Ambassador), (Signed) GOUGH. No. 297. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 21.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, August 21, 1899. 1 HAVE strongly urged on Count Mouravieff that all action in connection at Hankow should be stopped by telegraphic instructions. This course he seems disposed to take. He is to see the Emperor to-morrow, and, provided that he can satisfy His Majesty by the arguments which I put in conversation and which I am repeating in a private letter to his Excellency, that the real question for arbitration is not one between the opinion of a British merchant and the official judgment of a Russian Consul, he thinks the main objection to your Lordship's proposal will be removed. Count Mouravieff appears to regard the Russian case as strong enough not to shun an impartial arbitral decision, and he expresses himself confident of ueino- able to «et over the present difficulty satisfactorily. No. 298. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received August 22.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, August 22, 1899. WITH reference to your Lordship's telegram of the 19th instant, I have now received the following telegram from Her Majesty's Consul at Hankow :— "I am informed by Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Company that the contract entered into by them for fencmg m Lof; 494, has been interfered with by the Russian 265 police. I have just returned from an interview with the Russian Consul, who informed me that he received yesterday a telegram from the Russian Minster, stating that the British and Russian Governments had heen unable to arrive at an understanding on this question, and instructing him that the Russian Government would only recognize the claims of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Company to lots numbered 281 and 295), and that the remainder of the property was to he disposed of by him. Accordingly, lie declined to permit it to be fenced in by Jardine. " I have protested." ,' ' No. 299. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 22.) (Telegraphic.) _ Peking, August 22, 1S99. " KOW-SHING." At an interview with the Tsung-li Yamen to-day, the Minister* informed me that they were expecting a further communication in regard to this question from the Chinese Minister in London. Their Excellencies volubly denied any liability on the part of the Chinese Govern- ment for the loss of the vessel in question, but at the same time they requested more time to come to a decision as to whether thev would a^ree to submit the case to arbitration or not. No. 300. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 22.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, August 22, 1899. JARDINE and MATHESON'S land on Russian Concession at Hankow. In accordance with the instructions contained in the last paragraph of your Lordship's telegram of the 19th instant, I have warned the Chinese Government in the sense indicated. NO. 301. , ; ! Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received August 23.) Sir Admiralty, August 22, 1S99. WITH reference to your letter of the loth instant, forwarding copy of a despatch from Her Majesty's Charge d' Affaires at Peking, reporting a further case of piracy in Chinese waters adjacent to Hong Kong, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit herewith, to be laid before the Secretary of State, the paraphrase of a telegram dated the 22nd August from the Commander-in-chief on the Cbina Station, reporting the steps taken by him to patrol the waters in question. I am, &c. (Signed) H. J. VANSITTART NEALE. In closure in No. 301. Commander-in-chief, China Station, to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Yamada, August 22, 1899. HER Majesty's ship " Tweed " has been taken from reserve and sent to patrol river with " Sandpiper." If the Consul considers further assistance necessary to protect British interests, I will send a torpedo-boat as tender to "Tweed." One can be taken for the purpose from the reserve. [1049J M 206 No. 302. Colonial Office to Foreign Office. — (Received August 23.) Sir, Downing Street, August 23, 1899. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 15th instant, and to request you to inform the Marquess of Salisbury that Mr. Chamberlain notes with satisfaction that it is proposed to take strong measures with a view to the repression of piracy in Chinese waters near Hong Kong. I am, &c. (Signed) R. L. ANTROBTJS. No. 303. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. ^(Received August 23.) (Telegraphic.') Peking, August 23, 1899. PIRACY in Canton waters : I have received a telegram from Vice- Admiral Sir E. H. Seymour, stating that in view of the continuous piracy carried on in the neighbourhood of Canton, he has given orders for Her Majesty's ship " Tweed " to be sent to patrol the river with Her Majesty's ship "Sandpiper," and that he has asked the Commodore to dispatch a torpedo boat in addition, if necessary. In reply to the Admiral's request to be informed of my views concerning the action taken by him, I have, subject to your Lordship's approval, informed his Excellency that I agree. A complaint respecting the increase of piracy in the south has been made to the Tsung-li Yamen by the German Minister. No. 304. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, August 23, 1899. INCREASE of piracy in the West River. Her Majesty's ship " Tweed " is being sent by the Commander-in-chief to patrol the West River with Her Majesty's ship "Sandpiper." If further assistance is necessary he will send a torpedo boat. No. 305. Foreign Office to London Chamber of Commerce. Sl1 '' r . MJ . , , , A , ,, „ Foreign Office, August 23, 1899. i ,, * A Ti^ * y J^^q? 688 of Salisbury to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 16th instant, calling attention to the unsettled state of affairs in the Evvang provinces and advocating the adoption of special measures for the protection ot British interests m the West Eiver. Majesty™ ^overXenT ^ *** ""^ * qU6Sti0n * S ° CCUp ^ the attention of Her I am, &c. (Signed) .FRANCIS BERTIE.. No. 306. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received August 23.) (Tel THAVE the honour to info™ _ t^^S^**** **->** telegrs Emperor i HAVE the honour to inform yonr Lordshin ^TZ7. \ ?T* 2 \ , of the 21st instant, that Connt M m mln ^"^^Z £ £e £™ 267 yesterday, and that His Majesty is now prepared to accept your Lordship's proposal ,of arbitration on the validity of the disputed titles of British subjects to certain lots in the Russian Concession at Hankow. Count Mouravieff has informed M. de Giers by telegraph, and is consulting him as to suggestions for a competent and impartial Arbitrator. No. 307. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, August 24, 1899.. JARDINE'S lots at Hankow. Arbitration agreed to by Russian Government. No. 308. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. Scott. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, August 25, 1899. JARDINES' loss at Hankow. Your telegram of the 23rd August. You should express to the Russian Government the satisfaction with which Her Majesty's Government have learnt that they accept arbitration on this question. Your proceedings are approved. No. 309. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — [Received August 25.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, August 25, 1899. JAR/DINE, Matheson's land on Russian Concession, Hankow. M. de Giers is still absent, but he has informed me in writing that, in obedience to the instructions of his Foreign Office, the definitive organization of the Russian Concession cannot be any further delayed. With reference to my telegram of the 22nd instant, I have received the following further information by telegraph from Her Majesty's Consul, Hankow : — " A demand for the immediate removal of the fence which Jardines have already partially erected has been made by the Russian Consul. Jardines, in reply, have refused to comply. Request immediate instructions in case Consul attempts to tear down fence, when a breach of the peace may result." I have replied to Her Majesty's Consul that your Lordship has been informed of the contents of his telegram. No. 310. Yunnan Company to Foreign Office. — {Received August 26.) Sir, 57|, Old Broad Street, London, August 24, 1899. I HAVE the honour to send herewith extracts from a Report just received from Mr. H. Lyon Scott, one of the members of our survey party in Yunnan, who has been travelling in Yunnan since December last with a view of obtaining as much information as possible about the present export and import trade of that country, and the possi- bilities of improving the present trade in Upper Burmah. I am directed to ask your attention to the great advantages which have been secured by the French for their import trade via the Red River and Montze, where transit passes greatly help to cheapen all importations, and to inquire if similar duties, arrangements, &c, could not be sanctioned for all goods entering Yunnan through British Burniah.. One of our surveyors has also reported that the Chinese Government refuse to grant facilities to foster British trade on that frontier, and that under existing [10*9] 2 M 2 'J 68 Rules or Treaties this Company would not be allowed to start trading at Momien; Tali-fu, Hsia-Kwan, Yiinnan-fu, or Sui-fu, &c, until each town named has been opened as a " Treaty port." If our reports are correct, I am directed to ask if the British or Indian Governments will take steps to have these large and important centres opened up as soon as possible. The establishment of a postal service from Bhamo to Yi'mnan-fu would be most advantageous to commercial enterprise, and we shall be glad to know if anything has been done in this direction. Mr. Scott in his Report mentions a system of dak runners could easily be arranged. The removal of import duties in Burmah on all goods intended for transit to Bhamo and Tengyiieh and Yunnan is a suggestion which might greatly help to foster the trade in those parts ; we understand that some such arrangement was made between the British and Burmese Governments before the annexation of Upper Burmah; and results were highly satisfactory. Salt. — Another point worthy of notice has been mentioned by Mr. Scott about, the measures taken by Chinese officials to prevent the importation of English and German salt into Yunnan, and I am directed to ask if pressure could not be brought to bear upon the Chinese officials to allow the free importation of salt as formerly. I have, &c. For the Yunnan Company (Limited), i (Signed) JOHN O. HEWITT, Secretary. Inclosure in No. 310. Extracts from Mr. H. Lyon Scott's Report. (Received in London, August 14 and 21, 1899.) FOREIGN cloth and yarn is rather expensive owing to the heavy carriage that has been paid, and only small quantities were on sale. This part of the country is well populated, principally by Chinese, but there are also a number of Shans resident at parts, especially in the valleys. Three small plains are passed at Mung Pung, Rinka, and Siang-ta. These are all fully cultivated, and the population in and around these plains is much greater than on the hills. The people are almost invariably dressed in locally woven cloth, either light or dark blue in colour. Here and there one sees foreign cloth being worn, but it is quite the exception. Supplies of foreign goods for this district are received from Tengue or Long-ling-ting. There appears to be little or no extreme poverty, and the people seem to be well fed and decently and comfortably clothed. The sale of foreign cloth and yarn is but small, there not being more than six shops retailing it; a fairly large quantity of native cloth is, however, on sale. All supplies are received from Bhamo or Tengue. Undoubtedly the consumption of foreign piece-goods and yarn would greatly increase in this district, could they be laid in Long Ling at a reasonable figure, but what with costs of transport and taxation, the bulk of the people cannot afford them. Very little foreign cloth of any kind is used here, the people being clothed in locally-made cloth almost entirely. The small quantities of foreign yarn and cloth they import is got from either Long Ling or Yung Chang Fu. Supplies of piece-goods are received from different sources, a portion coming from Mandalay by Lashio and Kunlong, some by the Red River route, and very little from Tali. Several merchants informed me they got nearly all their foreign cloth from Mandalay. There are about ten shops in which foreign piece-goods are sold, but the stocks in these are small, and consist principally of a few qualities G. shirtings, G.T. cloths, and some fancy cloths such as broad cloth and town cloth. A fair quantity of Indian yarn is on sale, and seems to be suitable to the require- ments of purchasers. Undoubtedly Yincho would develop very greatly if a railway were constructed from Kun-Long as is proposed. So far as piece-goods and yarn is concerned, there is no doubt the requirements of a large portion of the west of the province would come by 2G0 tliis route, and eventually it would, I think, secure the greater part of the trade which at present is carried from Bhamo by the Momein route, The agricultural classes who comprise the larger part of its population wear very ; little foreign cloth, principally being clothed in locally-made cloth from Indian yarn. Silk is worn by the better classes, who can afford it, and this also is received from Yunnan Sen. It has a large export trade in salt, uhich is procured from brine wells at Sei- Yen- Chin and Hai- Yen-Chin, about four days to the north, and is sent from Tsu-Hsuing-Fu to Yunnan-Sen by pack-horse and coolie. The salt is exceedingly bad. It is evaporated in large iron vessels, similar in shape to a large rice bowl, after which it is broken into pieces of a suitable weight for carriage. Each piece is stamped by the Government in red. Very large quantities are carried to Yunnan Sen, and from there distributed. The working and selling of salt is a Government monopoly, and I believe very large profits are made out of it. This plain is fully cultivated, and contains a large population. Foreign supplies all come by way oi Bhamo. Broadly speaking, the inhabitants of this portion of Yunnan are clothed almost entirely in cotton cloth woven in the province. This cloth is partly made from Indian yarn and partly from hand-spun Burmese cotton, and is, as a rule, dyed a shade of blue. The yarn it is woven from is heavy, the Indian yarn used being 10*., 12s., and 14s. generally, and the hand-spun yarn being rather heavier. This cloth, of which I procured several samples, is the cloth most generally in use, and it appears to fulfil the conditions required by the climate and habits of the people. What little foreign cloth there is worn consists mainly of G. shirtings and G. T. cloths. It is only in the large towns such as Yunnan Sen and Ta-li that the more expensive class of foreign cloths, white shirtings, prints, broad cloth, town cloth, &c, are in demand, the inhabitants of the country districts not being able to afford them, and looking upon them as luxuries. For the lighter fabrics such as jaconnets, nainsooks, cambrics, &c, which are imported by India and Burmah to such a large extent, there is no sale. The climate differs entirely from that of Burmah. At no time of the year is the heat so great as in Burmah, and in the months of December and January frost is frequently experienced at night. As a general rule, Chinese prefer to live at a high ■elevation, and very few towns and villages are found below an elevation of 3,500 feet. It can readily be understood from this that the style of clothing in general use differs entirely from that in Burmah. So far as I know, wool is not used to any extent as clothing. For winter clothing, either an additional coat is put on, or a quilted or fur- lined coat is worn. Yunnan produces no cotton itself, and is entirely dependent on outside sources for its supplies of clothing, which consist almost entirely of cotton. Its chief sources of supply are : — Szechuan : Native hand- woven cloth. Hong Kong, via Tonquin : Raw cotton and Indian yarn. Cotton and woollen cloth. Southern Shan States : Raw cotton. Burmah : Raw cotton and Indian yarn. Cotton and woollen cloth. To a very great extent the people wear native cloth, either woven in Yunnan itself or imported from Szechuan by Sui-Fu. This cloth is woven from Indian yarn (the largest supplies of which come into Yunnan at present by Tonquin), or from hand-spun yarn, the raw cotton for which is supplied from the Southern Shan States, and from Burmah. The proportion ot the inhabitants who are clothed in foreign-made cloth is very small. During my journey I took particular notice of how the people were clothed, whether in native or foreign- made cloth, and found that in the country districts almost without exception, native-made cloth, woven very often by the wearer himself, or in the district where the wearer lived, was in use. In the towns such as Yiinnan-Fu, Ta-Li-Fu, Yung- €hang-Fu, foreign cloth was rather more commonly used, but even there by far the greater bulk of the people wore native cloth or silk. Cotton Yarn. — Almost all the cotton yarn at present imported into Yunnan is of Indian make. The qualities imported consist chiefly of heavy yarns ranging from 10s. to 14s., but some 18s. to 20s. are also brought in. This yarn is found very suitable for the weaving of the heavy native cloth in general use, and is rapidly taking the place of ;y,arn spun in the province. 270 By the Bhamo route, which more immediately concerns us, the imports for 1898-99 amounted to a value of 776,625 rupees, but I am of opinion that this quantity could he greatly increased were to the duties levied reduced to the same level as those at Mongtze. The chief centre of distribution for this yarn is Hsiakwan. From here it is sent to Tali-fu, Huili-cho, Mitu, Pinchuan-cho, Shisho, Lichiang, Yungpeh. &c. Bo Indian yarn reaches Yunnan Sen at present from Bhamo, so far as I could discover, all supplies coming from Mongtze, but with reduced taxation there is no doubt the Bhamo route would extend, if not to Yunnan Sen, at least, much further east than they do at present. Should a European house be established in Tengue or any other centre in Western Yunnan, cotton yarn would certainly be one of its principal imports. That there is room for the reduction of laying down costs in Yunnan is undoubted. The present exactions by the Chinese Government for li-kin and sui duty should be, and can be, very greatly reduced. A British Consul has heen appointed for Tengue, and will soon, I believe, enter on his duties. A Commissioner of the Imperial Maritime Customs also will soon, I hope, be appointed. With the aid of these officials commercial interests should certainly not suffer as they do at present. "With these reforms carried out, especially in regard to taxation, I believe a very large increase in imports would take place. The above remarks are applicable not only to cotton yarn, but also to cotton and woollen piece-goods and, in fact, to all imports. Cotton Cloth. — " G." shirtings and " G. T." cloths comprise the greater part of the imports of cotton cloth into Yunnan. As with the imports of cotton yarns this trade will, doubtless, greatly increase were the heavy duties at present exacted reduced., The present imports consist chiefly of heavy yarned cloths. In Yunnan Sen and, district the imports by the Red River chiefly consist of the following qualities : — 271 o •-^ u PI 02 d a I 6D 1=1 Ol o 3 M O 15 03 £ PS *o c o el o 60 C 02 S 5 60 .S-4 "C'aJ is * el: 3 13 * 03 as C« O a> so p< CO 00 co ID 3 CO m a> I- Q,cO ft a o SB a OS -a o o CD oj ■ ■ • §: . a> o *■ o to 03 a CO CO r— i a > 13 ° o o o 1= 9 ~ -O e o so n 03 CO O o PS ai 13 be 02 aj 13 O 3 3 ^ T3 es *!« CO cc 00 CO :*-. .O CO -f -* T(" ■* 00 CN CN CI CM CO 00 CO CO CO 0O 00 CM 00 CN 00 &• bo a o ^ v s o ft ft Q o ■§ a M =0 a rt •+■* QO o J3 ^ O ts i CD H 03 •a s eS en a> 00 bo a a -+^ C3 o •9 M r— 1 B a. fc « PS o a* O • l-l TS a r3 C3 o 2° 6o a -S o a CO H ts'oO 60 >» s ^ « c ai C3 C3 "a J>- cu ►3-fc Bros. vo, M ity an CQ . o a OH Steel Moll Lom PQ PS o O C m a 03 s 03 60 C 13 P5 o O C oi c c H 272 White Shirtings. — The trade in this class of cloth from both Hong Kong and" Rangoon is very limited. By the Red River route during 1896 only some 20 cwts. were- imported into the province. It was seldom I saw white shirtings on sale, except ir* Tengue, where a few of the shops have small stocks. "White shirting cloth as clothing I did not see east of Tengue. As all cloth imported is generally dyed a shade of blue before being made up into clothing, this probably accounts for their being no demand for finished white cloth. White Jacconets, White Nainsooks, White Cambrics. — These descriptions of finished! cloths are not imported, nor do I think that any but a very small demand would ever take- place. Prints. — A small quantity of printed cloth is imported from both Hong Kong and Rangoon. It is, however but a small trade, there being but very little demand for this- class of cloth. There is a description of printed native cloth fluid in small quantities all over the- province. It consists of a design in white on a dark blue ground. No particular class- of design is in general use. The printing is very primitive aud rough. Red Serge Heavy Twill. W. Meyerink and Co. — This cloth is imported from Hong Kong by the Red River. It is seen in almost every town in the province, and altogether there must be a considerable sale for it. Only one quality is sold. It is principally used for pookai covers, saddles, opium, seetees, and the ornamenting of soldiers coats. At Yunnan Sen from Hong Kong it sells at 7 to 7"10 taels per piece of 36 inches by 24 to 35 yards, and at Tali at 7-10 to 7-20 taels. Salt. — Some years ago large quantities of English salt were imported into Western Tiinnan. It was found, however, by the Chinese salt officials that its sale interfered very greatly with the sale of native salt. As the sale of the latter is a Government monopoly, and large profits are made on it, measures were taken by the officials to stop all further- importations. These measures were very effective, and at the present moment none but Chinese salt is seen in Yunnan further east than Tengue. As far east as Tengue salt may be imported, but beyond that point' it cannot go. For 189S-99, according to the Returns, about 990 tons of salt, of a value of 73,500 rupees (Bhamo value) was sent into Western Yunnan from Bhamo. Were the restrictions at present in force removed, there is no doubt room for a large import trade- in this article. The principal routes by which foreign goods are imported into Yunnan are as follows : — 1 . The Red River route, via Mongtze. .?. The Bhamo-Tengue route. 3. The Sui-Fu Lao-Wa-Tan route. 4. The West River route. By far the largest quantity of foreign cloth and yarn imported into Yunnan come* from Hong Kong by way of the Red River. Goods are carried by river steamer from Haiphong as far as Laokai, and from there- by junk to Manhao. Mule transport is used from Manhao to Mongtze, and from Mongtze to the destination of the goods. There is an Imperial Maritime Customs office at Mongtze, which levies import duty and grants transit passes at the Treaty ports rate,, and these payments exempt the goods from all further taxation. I understand there are on this river route three or four transhipments necessary in the wet season, and four or five in the dry season. Messrs. Marty and d'Abbaaie run a service of steamers from Haiphong, at the mouth of the Red River, to Laokai, the rat& per ton being 18 50 piastres. Almost all the imports by this route consist of Indian yarn, cotton, and woollen cloth. By this route Yunnan receives large supplies of Burmese cotton in the raw state. A quantity of yarn and cotton cloths is also imported by this route, but so far as I have been able to find out, the total quantity imported is much less than what comes by the Red River. Very little reaches Yunnan Sen by this route. There are several duties imposed on goods coming by this route, the heaviest being at Tengue, where li-kin and sui are imposed. Sui duty is also imposed at Tung-Chang-Fu and Hsiakwan. I give particulars of these duties under the heading of " Taxation." Altogether, before foreign, goods can reach Hsiakwan, the chief distributing centre in the west, much heavier duties have to be paid than on goods imported by Mongtze. The construction of a cart road from Bhamo to Tengue would lessen the cost of 273 transport considerably, and, needless to say, trade would increase as the goods were cheapened. So far as I am aware, the Chinese Government expend no money for the construction or up-keep of roads, and it is unlikely they would do so in this instance, even it they gave permission for the road to be constructed. Very little foreign cloth is imported by this route, but a considerable quantify of bzechuan-made cloth and raw cotton is imported into North-Eastern Yunnan this way. Not many years ago a considerable quantity of cloth' and yarn was imported into Eastern Yunnan by the West River route, via Pese-Ting. This trade has, however, almest entirely disappeared since Mongtze was opened, and now comes by the Red River route. The route from Mandalay by Kunlong is hardly worth considering, as the imports of foreign goods by this route are very small. I may say, generally speaking, that all foreign goods imported into Yunnan are brought in either from Hong Kong, by the Red River route, or from Rangoon, by the Bhamo-Tengue route, and that until a railway is constructed, at least as far as Yincho, imports will continue to come by these two routes. If foreign goods imported by the Bhamo route were put on the same footing in regard to taxation as goods imported bv the Red River, I have no doubt whatsoever but that the trail e by the former route would increase very greatly. With the exception of the road from Bhamo to Yunnan Sen, via Tengue, Yung- Chang-Fu, and Hsiakwan, ail the roads I travelled over were mere tracks worn down bv continuous traffic. The main road from Bhamo to Yunnan Sen is a fairly well defined road, especially that part from Hsiakwan to Yunnan Sen. It is paved at parts, but the paving is very rough and ready, the stones seemingly having been thrown down in any sort of order. The Chinese Government spend no money whatsoever, either in the up- keep of old roads or the construction of new ones in Yunnan. That exceedingly little attention is ever given to the roads I can vouch for, as during all the time I was travelling I only once met a road repairer, and he was not working for the Government, but was performing a so-called work of merit. Taxation on Imports, Taxes are levied on all foreign goods entering Yunnan, by whatever route they may come. : At Mongtze the Imperial Maritime Customs are established, and goods imported by the Red River route pay import duty there at the Treaty rates. These rates, so far as I have been able to ascertain, are 5 per cent, ad valorem import duty, and 2| per cent, for a transit pass, which frees the goods from all further' duties ] of any sort to then- destination. Goods imported by any other route pay much heavier duty than this. By the Bhamo routes, Li-kin or import duty is levied at Tengue (Momein). A sui or Prefec- tural duty is also levied here. Further sui duties are levied at Yung Chang Fu, Hsiakwan, Tsu Hsuing-Fu, and Yunnan Sen. So that imports from Bhamo to Yunnan Sen pay altogether six different duties. The following Table shows the amount of duty charged at each of the above towns : — [1049] 2 N 271 cL O O O c . «N (M CM 01 CM O CO O O O - O O O O *o so ^» *J w -*^» ^"* ft. .9 -, t4 '+* jj <" r^ O CO CO CO CO CO O "g'P, J3 Cv GO .a" cu I .§ es en CO c e CM 1—4 O O HI ft. ? S" 9 •+j a. ■+J 1 !-. a> II O a, IS P- II «i 3 -"5 a GO O H : 'O MS O O 'O «3 O' - O O n| "c3 O c O ' -*j +J -*-» "H • CO •o CO CO CO CO CO "3 O ^ O CO cs O O a GO .ft ' d, O O CI a J 5 O 00 ■* cc CO CO 30 OO CM jj CO a * a Cv CM ^S t* I '' £5 CO f— I I— ( ,_, ,_, r -, CO °+!' a , a- 1-1 h S 5 0/3 1 *a 1 te II II ft. CD ,Q " k ft. c a> 00 O O O II 60 3 CS >o cc cc CO CO CO «5 H CM 9 O K5 t >s t r- 1 a *•> CO d. O O 03 ., C 00 cS CM CC. cc CO CO CO O 1 " Go CO U5 gco O tf s «•: T3 II II CO « ft« P3 — ' p a O a) GO «S *£i 'O "5 IO «5 II M- k EH O 1 — 1 CM CM ■— * : ; 1 6C • «H a cu $ O <*£: • 3 60 *~s g c t» E £» 3 e ct, 61) OS cr H rr. K* w 3 ;3 In making my inquiries I found merchants differed in their statements as to the amounts they paid for li-kin and sui, but the above figures are not far out. The officials who collect, these taxes would give me no information on the subject. These imposts are very greatly in excess of those charged at Mongtze, and account in great measure for the small import of cotton yarn and cloth by the Bhamo route. If trade by the Bhamo route is to be increased undoubtedly one of the first reforms required is the establishment of a Commissioner of Customs at Tcngue, and the insistance that all foreign goods shall only be mulcted according to the Treaty rates. This was done at Mongtze, and I know of no reason why it cannot be done at Tengue. Were foreign yarn and cloth under a moderate taxation, there is no doubt but that the trade by the Bhamo route would increase greatly. Besides the duties above-mentioned it must not be forgotten that an additional import duty of 3J per cent, on cotton and 5 per cent, on woollen cloth has already been paid on entering Burmah. Practically speaking, all imports of cotton yarn and cloth from the west come by way of the Bhamo-Tengue road. Should they come by any other road li-kin duty would be levied at the first prefectural town they reached, and sui duty would be imposed at every prefectural town passed through. At points along the main route li-kin offices are established where caravans passing through require to have their papers examined, so it is far from being an easy thing for importers to escape without paying duty, especially when the difficult nature of the country is considered, and the almost impossibility of traveliing by other than the known routes. The two descriptions of taxes at present levied on foreign goods are li-kin and fu-sui. The former is a Government tax and is coliected at points on the main trade routes. The collections of this tax is let out to an official who must return a certain stated sum to the Imperial Treasury at Peking every year. Should the official collect a larger sum than that at w r hich his station is assessed, he pockets the difference, or, if he returns a smaller sum, is liable to be removed from his office. The fu-sui is not remitted to the Imperial Treasury so far as I could find out. It is a tax imposed by a Fu-Kwan or Prefect of a Fu district and gets no further than that official's pocket. It is imposed at every Fu town. I have not been able to see copies of our Treaties with China in regard to the taxation of our goods sent into the country, but I believe according to these Treaties the only legal duty which can be imposed is 5 per cent, import duty and 2 J per cent, for a transit pass. These are the duties levied at Mongtze, and no more should be levied on goods coming by the Bhamo route. At present a mule load of Indian yarn requires to pay 13*12 rupees, or 27 per cent,, on the Bhamo value in taxes alone before it can reach Yunnan Sen. Transport. •,... ,The chief hindrance to the opening-up of Yunnan as a market for foreign goods- is the difficulty and expense of communication between place and place. The only means of transport at present in use in Yunnan is by mule, oxen, ponies or coolie. Only once during my journey did I see a wheeled vehicle, and this was in the city of Yunnan Sen, where a few primitive carts on solid wooden wheels and drawn by oxen are in use to remove street refuse. The nature of the roads at present in use does not allow of other means of transport than those above stated, and naturally it follows that the communication between town and town is expensive, difficult, and occupies much time. By far the greater portion of transport is by means of mules and ponies. Summary. Tengue is connected with Bhamo by telegraph, but like everything else under Chinese management, the working and up-keep of the line is not by any means satisfactory. ' An effort would require to be made to improve the working of this line. A system of dak runners could easily be established. , . ,_ . „ , , ; , , The distance from Bhamo to Tengue is about 120 miles, and a dak runner would do it in four days, or even three if necessary. The foregoing particulars have reference to "tne' Starting of a trading station in Tengue under the present conditions of transport.-- -,.. -»—*■ -<•<•<-- - -— •— ■ [1049] 2 N 2 276 With a railway constructed as is proposed into the interior by way of Lashio Kunlong Perry and Yincho the present trade would be diverted to that route. The Bhamo-Tengue route will, however, in my opinion, continue in use until the railway reaches at least the town of Yincho. I do not believe a railway finishing at Kunlong Ferry would materially alter the present course of either import or export trade for the simple reason that the present chief centres of trade are situated nearer Bhamo than Kunlong Ferry, and no advantage would be obtainable by using the railway to the latter point. From Captain Ryder I obtained the proposed alignment from Kunlong Ferry to Yiinnan-Hsien. The only point on this alignment which I was able to see was Yincho, so I can give no opinion as to the trade resources of the country it would pass through. Yincho is not at present a trade centre of any great importance. From it, however, to the principal distributing centres — Yung-chang-fu, Hsiakwan, and Yunnan Sen — the distance by road would be materially shorter than from Bhamo to these points, and I think that the trade from Burmah to Western Yunnan would certainly be carried by the railway as soon as it reached Yincho. The distance from Bhamo to the present distributing centres are as follows : — Days. Bhamo to Tengue . . . . . . . . . . • . . • 8 „ Yung Chang Fu . . .. .. .. .. ..12 „ Hsiakwan .. .. .. . . • . ..20 ,, Yunnan Sen . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 From Yincho to these points by the present roads the distances are as follows : — Days. Yincho to Tengue. . .. .. .. .. .. ..11 ,, Yung Chang Fu .. .. .. .. .. .. 8 ,, Hsiakwan .. . . .. .. .. ..10 ,, Yunnan Sen .. .. .. .. .. . . T2 This latter is by the road I travelled over, which was not the direct road. A shorter road could very probably be found, and I think the distance could be done in fourteen or fifteen days. No. 311. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, August 26, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 5th ultimo relative to the imposition by the Chinese Government of a wharf tax at Santu. Your action as reported in your despatch is approved. No distinction can be admitted by Her Majesty's Government between ports opened by Treaty or arrangement with a foreign Power and those declared open by the initiative of the Chinese Government. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 312. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr, Bax-Ironside. Sir ' TT . xrT , . . JT „ Foreign Office, August 26, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 6th instant reporting that whereas British-owned steamers have been prohibited from running under the Inland Steam Navigation Rules, and at the same time calling at Treaty ports, you have received complaints that native-owned steam-launches are allowed to break the Regulation You state that you are instructing Her Majesty's Consuls on the West River to ! watch the matter and to protest against any differential treatment. I approve your action in the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY.^ 277 No. 313. . , . .■'.'-;• ;,■■ The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. ■ ; Sir, Foreign Office, August 26, 1899. ( I HAVE received your despatch of the 10th ultimo relative to the recent rioting at Kienning. 1 approve your action as reported in your despatch. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 314. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir. Foreign Office, August 26, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 4th ultimo relative to the Concession for mining rights in the Province of Yunnan which the Anglo-Eastern Syndicate wish to obtain. I approve your action in the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 315. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received August 27.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, August 27, 1899. HANKOW: Jardine, Matheson, and Co.'s land. My telegram of the 25th August. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. having declared their intention to resume the fencing-in of their land, Her Majesty's Consul protested against interference with the Chinese workmen and contractor, whom he had been instructed to consider as under his protection, and informed the Russian Consul of the consent given by the Emperor of Russia to the question of ownership of the land being referred to arbitration. A protest was entered by the Russian Consul against what he termed the invasion of the Russian Concession. Messrs. Jardine's workmen, however, recommenced the work of fencing, and an assault was made upon their English hulk-keeper, who was employed to superintend the work, and a Chinese workman. The fence is now being constructed under protection. No. 316. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. gj r Foreign Office, August 31, 1899. I HAVE had under my consideration, in consultation with the Board of Trade and Sir C. MacDonald, your despatch of the 25th May relative to the working of the Rules and Regulations for inland steam navigation on the West River. I inclose copies of a letter from the Board of Trade and a Memorandum by Mr. Gr. Jamieson on this subject.* I concur in your opinion that there has not been sufficient time for the new Regulations to be properly tested. You should instruct Her Majesty's Consuls to report to you any specific instance of the Regulations pressing unjustly on British trade, in order that you may make representations to the Chinese Government with a view to their being amended to meet the requirements of the case. So long as'ihe double system of taxation by the Imperial Maritime Customs and * Nos. 268 and 278. ...':-! 278 the provincial Customs exists in China, there is great force in the observations made by Sir Robert Hart in his letter to you of the 12th May. It is, however, very desirable in the interest of trade that a uniform system of taxation should eventually be substituted for that. nOw in force, and advantage should be taken., of any opportunity that may present itself for urging on the Chinese Government the desirability of putting an end to the present double system. , ''" ■ I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY' '' ' ;,;: ' " "' No. 317. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 3.) My Lord, Peking, July 13, 1899. I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith copy of a despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Hankow respecting the prospects of trade at Yochow, the new Treaty port to be opened in Hunan. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 317. Consul Hurst to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Hankow, June 30, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report the following information respecting Yochow, communicated to me at an interview by Mr. Morse, Commissioner of Customs, who has been making inquiries respecting the prospects of the place when opened as a Treaty port. Yochow is a town containing 2,500 families according to the Chinese reckoning, say from 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants. It is distant about 7 miles from the river Yang-tsze. A locality which appears to him suitable for a foreign Concession is Chen-lin, a bluff 2 miles from the Yang-tsze, 5 from Yochow. He informs me that five-sixths of the Hankow tea, say 650,000 half-chests, comes from Hunan, and he is of opinion that on the opening of Yochow much of this might be transferred from junk to steamer at that place, as thereby escaping li~kin in the Hupeh' Province ; whether it would come overland to Hankow or by steamer would largely depend on the incidence of li-kin in the Hupeh Province, whether heavy or the reverse. There is also a large traffic in timber, coal, and rice. The timber comes down river in rafts ; the coal would probably continue to come down in lorchas and junks. The country in the neighbourhood of Yochow is hilly. A creek intervenes between Chen-lin and Yochow ; and in summer about- 2 miles of country lying, below the two places is. under water. The attitude of the natives is described as restrained rather than hostile, but much tact is necessary in dealing with them, and there is no doubt that thay can be kept in order if the authorities so will. The chief civil authority is the Taotai of Li, Ch'ang, and Yo, the neighbouring important centres of Li-chou, and Ch'ang-te being also under his jurisdiction. At present the Taotai is at Changsha. I may mention that Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark " is at present at -this port/ and has received instructions to proceed to the Tung-ting Lake very shortly. I have, &c. (Signed) R. W. HURST. No, 318. < Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of 'Salisbury. -^(Received September 3.) MjKLord; .!.:-.< , '■' ' Peking* July,14<, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 10th instant, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship, copy of a despatch which I have received 279 from Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow; containing copy of an inflammatory placard posted at Kienning. , ,; I;! ...i ■ i The Prefect of that place has issued a strong Proclamation against the spreading ol such rumours as those referred to by Her Majesty's Consul, and measures have been taken to suppress the inflammatory placard. I have informed Mr. Playfair that he should make arrangements to be present at the trial ot the prisoners either in person or by deputy. Ihave, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSLDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 318. Consul Playfair to Mr. Bax-rronside>, Slr ' t ita^t, u Foochow, June ,27, 1899. I HAVE the honour to transmit a copy of a despatch addressed by me to Viceroy Hsu in consequence of an inflammatory placard which has been posted in Kienning, and brought to my knowledge by Archdeacon Wolfe, This placard, translation of which forms part of my despatch to the Viceroy, gives evidence not only of the virulent hatred of the populace to missionaries and. converts, but also, what I consider more noteworthy, an outspoken defiance of their own authorities. I consider this a very grave feature of the case, and one which puts obstacles in the way of a satisfactory settlement. I understand, from what Archdeacon Wolfe has told me, that the people of Kienning occupy an entirely unique position towards their own officials. At the time of the Tai-ping rebellion their city was besieged by the rebels, and the officials appear to have shown themselves absolutely helpless. The citizens, however, undertook their own defence, and compelled the insurgents to retire. The consequence of this heroism was a Decree from the Throne highly eulogising their conduct, and conferring on them independence of their own officials, and the right to treat as they would, even to the point of killing, with impunity, any person entering the city of Kienning against the will and wishes of the burghers. The privilege is, I am told, a source of unmeasured pride to the inhabitants of Kienning ; and it will be readily understood that it has probably never occurred to the possessors that even an Imperial Decree is liable to be modified by an Imperial Treaty. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR. Inclosure 2 in No. 318. Consul Playfair to Viceroy Hsu. (Translation.) Sir, Foochow, June 26, 1S99. ARCHDEACON WOLFE informed me yesterday that the hostility to Christians at Kienning is as determined as ever. One of his converts has sent him a copy of a placard which had been posted by the people of Ou-ning Hsien declaring their enmity to be implacable and unanimous. Of this I have the honour to inclose a copy for your Excellency's information. Two other converts, Wei Tse- hin and Wei Yang-chi, have also written letters describing the state of popular feeling, from which it appears that certain native Christians, whose names I give, are being boycotted and threatened. A native doctor, Hsieh Ch'ing Ch'eng, -residing next door to the Wu-king Hospital, is also being molested. Archdeacon Wolfe requested me to move the local authorities to , take steps to put an end to these proceedings, and protect the native converts. The full names of the literati and gentry of Kienning, who are the ringleaders in this matter, have already been communicated on several occasions to your Excel- lency by letter and despatch. Having received the above representation, itj is now ,my duty to transcribe the documents referred lo, and, to request your Excellency to direct the Brigade-General at Kienning, the Taotai, Prefect, aqd, Magistrate, to take 280 steps to arrest the culprits, to do all ia their power to protect the sufferers, and to see that the freedom of action of the converts is in no way interfered with. , ,; . .,.,....., , , I have, &c. . , ' .■ I,'/,. "".::,';,•'; ; j; .-■:■ ' '.! ,- <.'■ (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR., Inclosure 3 in No. 318. Placard posted at Kienning. (Translation.) WE of this region have hitherto led a worthy life. All the four castes (scholars, agriculturists, artizans, traders) have kept the laws and done their duty. Of late foreigners have suddenly come among us in a disorderly march and preaching heretical doctrines. They have had from us indulgent treatment, but they have repaid us by endangering our lives. . This year, in town and country, people have been hewn in two, men and toraen in numbers have fallen upon evil days. Everywhere, the perpetrators Have 1 been' seized, and everyone of them has confessed that it was by the missionary chapels they were ordered to go forth and slay men and women ; to cut out, their brains and marrow to make into medicine. "/' ! The officials deliberately refrained from interfering: ; They garbled the evidence and screened the malefactors. The whole country side is filled with wrath ; the officials then posted Proclamations, and arrested spreaders of false reports. ' The hewing down of men is hateful; but they issued no Proclamations forbidding that. , Now fortunately the people is of one mind in its wrath. They have destroyed two chapels. The Ou-ning ruffian has issued another Proclama- tion, holding this to be the work of local rowdies. He little knows that our indignation is righteous, and that it is a unanimous, expression of feeling. If the officials authorize the police to effect unjust arrests, the peOple will unite in a body, in every street business will be stopped, and the Wu-li missionary chapel will be destroyed, while the officials them- selves will be turned out of the city, and the converts will be slain and overthrown. When cutting grass destroy the roots at the same time. Do not let. dead ashes spring again intc* flame. The country people have formed a resolve, and they rage against the chapels. If this time the work is not thoroughly done, hereafter there may come harm to the people. The poison is spreading wirfe to-day; in the future who can tell what will result ? A patriotic notification by the whole of Ou Hsiang city. No. 319. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 3.) My Lord, Peking, July 14, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose translation of an Imperial Decree, published on the 11th instant, respecting the revenue of China. 1 ; The branches of revenue dealt with are the Customs duties, the li-kin and salt taxation, and the royalties to be paid by Steam-ship Companies, telegraph service, mines and railways. The object of the Imperial commands is to obtain for national use a larger- proportion ; of the actual amounts collected from the people, and the malpractices and misappropriations of the Collectors of the first three sources of revenue are severely censured. 1 There have been persistent rumours of late that the Government were meditating some important step in the direction of reform of abuses. The mission of Kang Yi to Nanking created much speculation as to its object. 1 ' The result may be taken to be this Imperial Decree. Although it is of a stronger description than usual, I am not sanguine that it will produce any very important results. Pressed by want of funds, the Central Government means to insist on a larger share of the 7 actual taxation, and has also turned its attention to what may be called foreign enterprises as a new source of revenue. 281 An unsatisfactory feature of the Decree is the approval of the principle that each province should provide for its own defence. Such a decentralizing policy prevents China from having any army or navy worthy of consideration. I have, &c, (Signed) H. 0, BAX-IRONSIDE, Inclosuve in No. 319. Imperial Decree, published July 11, 1899. (Translation.) RECENTLY, in consequence of the excessive growth of malpractices in connection with the Customs dues, the li-hin, and the salt revenue of the various provinces, which rendered it imperative to devise strong measures of reform, we expressly ordered the Grand Secretaries and Privy Councillors, and the heads of the six Boards and the nine Minor Courts, to consult together and memorialize the Throne. We lately received the joint Memorial of these high officials, stating tliat the officers entrusted with the duty of levying the aforesaid taxes have heen of late guilty of every kind of fraud, and affairs have become so bad as to be almost impossible of improvement. They submitted their plan for eradicating bad practices, and fur the pre- vention of the self-enrichment of the Collectors of the revenue. We also received separate Reports from the Grand Secretary, Hsu T'ung; the Sub-Chancellor of the Grand Secretariat, Chun Ling; the Director of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, Yuan Ch'ang ; the Reader of the Grand Secretariat, Kao Pien-tseng ; the Expositor of the Han Liu College, I Ku ; the Sub-Director of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, Chang Chung-hsin, who all presented their views, either in extension of the General Report or advocating some special plan for the treatment of duties, li-hin, &c. We again instructed the High Metropolitan officials to discuss the question thoroughly and report to us. We have now received their Report dealing with the matter item by item, and requesting our commands for the execution of the scheme. On careful examination of the propositions of the two General Memorials, we find that the proposals are thorough, genuine, and feasible. We live in times of great difficulty, in which the revenue is insufficient. It is therefore incumbent on all officials, both metropolitan and provincial, to use their utmost endeavour to help their country. Far from doing so, the provincial officers whose duty it is to collect the Customs duties, the li-kirt, and the salt revenue, add one malpractice to another, devoting their efforts to evil ends. They care only for their own interests, and ignore those of their Emperor and their country. Even among the High Provincial authorities, the Tartar Generals, Governor-Generals, and Governors, there are some who, actuated by motives of favour and leniency, screen or extenuate these faults. They show themselves silent and indifferent spectators of their country's extreme necessity. The mention of such a state of affairs excites our utmost indignation. The region of Kiang-nan (the three Provinces Kiangsu, An-hui, and Kiangsi) is of great extent, and its resources abundant. We have already deputed Kang Yi to proceed thither to thoroughly reorganize the Customs, Li-kin, and Salt Admini- stration. This high officer will, we have no doubt, do his duty without fear or favour, and, in consultation with the Governor-General and the Governors, carry out his task in a thorough manner. The Tartar Generals, Governor-Generals, and Governors of all the provinces of the Empire are now required to make a searching investigation into the local circumstances of every place. They must call upon their subordinate provincial officials, the Treasurers, Taotais, and Superintendents, and the Station officers to give an account of everything they receive from merchants and people, whether on public or private account. As soon as the matter has been sifted to the bottom, the said High Provincial officials will examine the matter carefully, and will ascertain, after thorough inquiry, the amounts which would be saved by the abolition of malpractices and by the prevention of the self-enrichment of the Collectors. They will then decide the amount which can reasonably be credited to the public revenue. Three months are given [1049] 2 O 282 within which to prepare Regulations on the subject and to report the matter to the Throne. In addition to the above there are losses of revenue, not caused by malpractice or by the appropriations of the Collectors, but in connection with affairs the profit of which neither goes to the Government nor entirely to the merchant. Such, for instance, as are alluded to in Hsu T'ung's Memorial — steamers — the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, the telegraphs, and the Kai Ping coal-mines. The profit from these undertakings has of late years been great. It has not yet been arranged in what manner the profits should be made to contribute to the revenue of the State, Such enterprises have been falsely called the means of restoring wealth to China, but they have brought no real advantage to the country. We hereby command the Sub-Director of the Grand Court of Revision, the Director-General of Steam Navigation and Telegraphs, Shemg Hsiian Huai, to order the officials and merchants engaged in these works to immediately prepare statements showing the amounts received and expended in their respective managements of recent years. Three months are given to perform this task. The Director-General will then draw up Regu- lations for the contribution of a share of the profits to the revenue, and submit them to us for approval. The Northern Superintendent of Trade, Yii Lu, must investigate the affairs of the Kai Ping Mining Company, and direct the Manager to adopt a similar course to that laid down for the Director-General Sheng. As regards the Mo Ho gold-mines, which have already provided funds for public use, the procedure has been entirely satisfactory. The amounts lately received have, however, been growing less and less, and orders must be given for a thorough reorganiza- tion of the mines' affairs. The Ch'ien An gold-mine lately opened in the Province of Chih-li has shown a profit in a remarkably short time. Regulations for its contribution to revenue must also be made. As regards railways, they have not been opened for any length of time, and the only line to show any considerable profit is the TJen-tsin-Peking Railway. This is but a short line, and it has to repay its loans, both Government and foreign. As to the rest of the lines, they are either being made, or arrangements have only been concluded for their construction, and they have not yet been commenced. The completion of the Peking-Hankow line must be awaited. If on consideration of the circumstances it shall be found that they will really be a source of great profit, measures can then be devised for extending the system. Chun Liang's request that the railway system may be extended need not be con* sidered for the present. Yiian Ch'ang proposes a plan in six Articles for reorganizing the li-kin collectgrate. Some of his suggestions are worthy of adoption. It is approved that all sums spent in the provinces should be reported in the accounts rendered to the Board of Revenue for purposes of verification. As regards the measures suitable to the locality to be taken by the land and water stations, general or subordinate, in all the provinces, and the question of deputing boih officials and merchants to collect the tax, the High Provincial authorities must devise a plan in accordance with the circumstances of each place. The nine officers, Ch'eng Yi Lo and others, recommended by Yiian Ch'ang, should be employed in the various provinces in which they are severally known by the high authorities, Yi Ku proposes that the H-kin of each province should be farmed out to the gentry and merchants.^ This might be possible in the case of the " h-kin of origin " and " li-kin of destination," but in the case of important stations for the levy of the border li-kin, the powers of the gentry and merchants would be unequal to the task, and this case cannot be discussed together with the rest of the proposal. Yi Ku's treatment of the subject of the contributions of each province to the Defence Fund is somewhat on the same lines as that of Chang Chung-hsui, who proposes that from the three sources of customs, li-kin, and salt tax, each province shall be called upon to contribute a certain additional yearly amount. Now, our dynasty has ruled this realm for over 200 years. Our people have drunk deep for ages of the boundless blessings and mercies of successive Emperors: patriotism and public spirit have become a tradition for every subject that eats the produce and treads the soil of the country and more especially for the High Provincial authorities, who wield the sceptre in their respective territories, and are the recipients of the fullest Imperial favours At this critical time, therefore, of financial deficit, if we take paper and write our orders that a fixed sum be contributed every year, the loyalty and patriotism of these Rulers forbid 283 the idea that our commands would not be obeyed. But the State regards the people as the foundation of the country. There is not a thread or a grain that is not produced by the labour of the people. If the Throne in time of need calls upon the Rulers of the provinces, the Rulers call upon the civil authorities under them, and where else can the civil authorities obtain what is wanted but from the people ? In our tender care for our people, we pity their never-ending toil, and how can we bear to call upon the Rulers of the provinces to harass our subjects :- The scheme of fixed contribution, therefore, is absolutely rejected, the proposals in the Joint Memorial of the High Officers of State being in full accordance with the compassionate consideration extended by the Throne to the needs of its subjects. With regard to the necessity of eradicating the abuses prevalent in the collection of customs duties, H-kin, and salt tax, and of providing for a contribution to the public revenue from the surplus profits of the China merchants, telegraphs, and Mining Com- panies, it is essential that the various provincial authorities, and the Directors of the various undertakings should make known the position honestly, loyally, and impressively, for the guidance of the officials high and low, and the gentry and merchants concerned, so that all may clearly understand that the Throne simply aims at verifying the facts so as to do what is right, and that we do not seem to " drain the pool and catch all the fish."* Thus will men's innate virtues be moved to assert themselves, and the surplus profits in every department will be accurately reported in detail. The Throne thoroughly understands the position of our servants, and not only will we condone their shortcomings of the past, but we propose to take only surplus left after all necessities are met, and to leave them their own profits, so that in their conduct of public business they may not be unduly embarrassed. If only the reforms detailed above are satisfactorily carried out, an immense sum of money will be collected. A high officer will be speedily appointed, on whose report further investigations shall be based. If the officials in charge of the customs, li-kin, and salt-tax revenues fail to make correct Returns, punishments will be awarded according to the amount of plunder they think to obtain by concealing the truth. And if the High Provincial authorities are guilty of undue leniency or of perfunctoriness in the discharge of their duties, they too shall be immediately rigorously punished, and no favour will be shown. As for the China Merchants Company, telegraphs, &c, the responsibility for them lies on the Directors. If it is discovered that on the pretext of small profits they have failed to render a full and true account to the Government, or that they have allowed the deputies, gentry, merchants, and managers Of the Companies to take an unfair advantage of their position, and divide the whole of the spoils among themselves, no one concerned can escape the consequences of the crime. The various Edicts that have been issued in recent years to devise, financial measures are all essentially connected with the subject of providing funds for the support of troops. Chang Chunghsui proposes that the high authorities of the provinces should provide their own revenue, and raise their own troops for the defence of their own territories. This proposal is made with the view of securing individual responsi- bility and preventing the possibility of evasion. The Tartar Generals, Governor- Generals, and Governors of every province, are hereby commanded to draw up schemes of defence for the whole of the territories under their several jurisdictions, and to put them into working order universally. They shall not be allowed to shirk by empty words the full performance of their duty. The rest of the proposals arc hereby approved as detailed. Of the two Successive Joint Memorials, and of the Supplementary Memorials of Hsu Tung and others, the proper Boards arc commanded to take extracts as required for the different provinces, and to transmit them accordingly, that action may be taken thereupon, and this Decree made known to all. No. 820. Mt. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury ^(Received September 3.) My Lordj P eking i July 15, 1899; WITH reference to my despatch of the 4th instant, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copy of a despatch, together with its inclosuics, which * i.e., "kill the goose tliat ki\s tho golden pp^5." [1049] 2 2 284 I have received from his Excellency the Governor of Hong Kong, relating to serious losses sustained through piracy by certain Hong Kong merchants. As your Lordship is aware, the question of piracy in the Hong Koug and Canton waters and on the West River has become a very serious one. and, although the matter ,has been, over and over again, brought to the notice of the Canton Viceroy by Her Majesty's Consul at Canton, and to the notice of the Tsung-li Yam£n by Her Majesty's Legation, no steps whatever have been taken by the former to remedy the present state" of affairs so legitimately complained of. I am awaiting a Report from Her Majesty's Consul at Canton before addressing a further note to the Tsung-li Yamen on this subject. r Il3iVG &C (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 320. Governor Sir H. Blake to Mr. Bax-Ironside. °i r s Government House, Hong Kong, June 30, 1899. I HAVE the honour to transmit to you the inclosed copy of a Petition addressed to me by certain Hong Kong merchants, relating to serious losses sustained through piracy, together with a copy of a letter written by my direction to Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Canton relative thereto. I have, &c. (Signed) HENRY A. BLAKE. Inclosure 2 in No. 320. Mr. Buckle to Consul Playfair. Colonial Secretary's Office, Hong Kong, Sir, June 29, 1899. I AM directed to transmit to you the inclosed copy of a Petition addressed to his Excellency the Governor by certain merchants, relating to serious losses sustained through piracy, and to request you to lay the matter before the Viceroy, impressing upon him the great gravity of the situation, affecting as it does the trade of Hong Kong so seriously that if redress be not given for these losses, and some assurance that trade shall be protected in the future, it wall be necessary to invoice the aid of Her Majesty's Government in the matter. I have, &c. (For Colonial Secretary), (Signed) J. G. T. BUCKLE. Inclosure 3 in No. 320. Petition. To his Excellency Sir Henry Arthur Blake, G.C.M.G., Governor and Commander-in- Chief of the Colony of Hong Kong and its Dependencies and Vice- Admiral of the same. The humble Petition of the undersigned British and Foreign merchants and Chinese cotton-yarn dealers, carrying on business at Victoria, Hong Kong, Sheweth : 1 YOUR petitioners are British and foreign merchants and Chinese cotton- yarn dealers, residing and carrying on business at Victoria, Hono- Kon°- 2. In carrying on such business they have, for some twenty years past, been largely engaged m exporting cotton-yarn from Hong Kong to the Yunnan and Kuai- Chow Provinces. 285 3. The cargoes of cotton-yarn leaving Hong Kong by steamers and after being transhipped into native craft proceed up the West River to towns and places in the Yunnan and Kuai-Chow Provinces where the cargoes are dealt with and distributed. 4. The cargoes are paid for generally by exchange or barter in opium, and it is seldom that silver or bullion is received in payment. 5. For years past the cargoes of cotton-yarn, and also the cargoes received in return, have been constantly looted and plundered, and your Petitioners and others who have been engaged in the trade have suffered serious and grievous losses in consequence. 6. On the last occasion, on the 10th day of the 2nd Moon (21st March last), a company of seven cargo boats or junks, engaged in the said trade by the cotton-yarn merchants of Hong Kong carrying on business and exporting cotton- yarn to the Yunnan and Kuai-Chow Provinces, on their return voyage were boarded and robbed by about 1,000 disbanded soldiers at a place situate between Fung-yee Chou and Lung Ou Hsien at TJ Long Tan just below Pak Sik in Kwong Si, and upwards of 700 cases of Yunnan raw opium, weighing 600 taels each and worth 200 dollars a-case, carried away the said opium, being the proceeds of the sale of the cotton-yarn sent up for sale to the various markets in the Yunnan and Kuai-Chow Provinces. 7. The disbanded soldiers are disbanded companies formerly under the command of General Su Yun Chun, of Kwong Si, who, after being disbanded, and having no apparent means of subsistence, have taken to rob peaceful traders. 8. The said disbanded soldiers commenced the attack at 8 a.m. on the said 21st March last, the attack lasting till noon, when the ammunition on board the said cargo boats or junks, and a native guard-boat specially chartered at great expense to convoy the said cargo boats, having been expended, and three men, viz., two super- cargoes and one man belonging to the guard-boat, having been killed, the said soldiers were in a position to board and loot the said cargo boats. 9. The said Chinese cotton-yarn dealers exporting the cotton-yarn into the said Yunnan and Kuai-Chow Provinces having no means of remitting the proceeds of sales and native raw opium, being the most costly product of the provinces, the said raw opium is invariably bought and sent down in payment for the cotton-yarn. 10. The foreign merchants in Hong Kong have for many years past imported into the Colony from Bombay and England, and also from Japan of more recent date, some 240,000 bales of cotton-yarn annually. 11. About one-third of the said 240,000 bales so imported is sent into the Provinces of Yunnan and Kuai-Chow in the manner hereinbefore mentioned. 12. Similar attaeks by disbanded soldiers have for years past been carried on, and as recently as the year 1898, at least, two attacks were made and plunder successfully taken from cargo boats belonging to cotton -yarn dealers to the value of 40,000 dollars. 13. In consequence of these plunders and of the insecurity of the various trade routes on the West River and branches being infected with disbanded soldiers, the trade in yarn to Yunnan and Kuai-Chow must necessarily decrease, if not be altogether stopped; and the business of your petitioners, the British and foreign merchants, who are importers into Hong Kong of the cotton-yarn, greatly decreased, and the Chinese cotton-yarn dealers will be unable any longer to purchase cotton -yarn from the British and foreign merchants, or to send cotton-yarn forward into the said Provinces of Yunnan and Kuai-Chow, and. the share in the cotton-yarn trade with those provinces will be lost, and a decrease in business to the extent of some 80,000 bales of cotton annually be the result. 14. If the present condition of affairs still continues, dealers in Hong Kong, who are in the habit of giving credit, will be unable to do so any longer on account of the insecurity of the trade, and the difficulties that must necessarily be experienced in collecting accounts. 15. The Chinese cotton-yarn dealers will also be unable to carry out the arrange- ments already entered into by them with the British and foreign merchants, and the cotton-yarn at present coming forward from Bombay under contracts will not be taken delivery of, and your petitioners, the British and foreign merchants, will in consequence be great losers by having the said cotton-yarn thrown on their hands. Your petitioners, the British and foreign merchants and Chinese cotton-yarn dealers, humbly pray your Excellency to render to them your valuable assistance in the matter by bringing to the notice of the proper Chinese authorities, through Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Canton, the grievances and losses they are suffering; and to request that General Su Yun Chun and the various responsible Mandarins of 286 ,he districts concerned be called upon to issue Notifications forbidding merchants and raders and others of (he said districts from in any way dealing with the i*aw opittin o plundered, and thus enabling your petitioners, the said cotton-yarn dealefs, to ransom or redeem the said opium by paying the necessary expenses. Also, that your Excellency will be enabled and see fit to call upon the proper authorities, through Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Canton, to make better provision for the protection of traders and their merchandize, and in particular the merchandize the traders or dealers purchase, or take in exchange for the cotton-yarn imported into the Yunnan and Kuai-Chow Provinces, there being no other way of remitting the proceeds of sale of such cotton-yarn. And your petitioners will, as in duty bound, ever pray, &c. (Signed) DAVID SASSOON, SONS, and Co. (And 28 othcrsO No. 321. Mr. BaX'Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 3.) My Lord, Peking, July 19, 1890. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that I received a letter on the 17th instant from the agent of the Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation in Peking, informing me that their Tien-tsin office had been paid the sum of 9,583Z, 6s. 8d. from the Imperial Railways of North China, which amount completes the coupon of interest due to the bondholders of the Railway Loan on the 1st August, 1899. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 322. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 3.) My Lord, Peking, July 19, 1899. WITH reference to Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 7th January last, I have the honour to inclose copy of a Circular I am addressing to Her Majesty's Consuls in China on the subject of mining enterprises by foreigners in this country. So many references have been made to this Legation of late by Her Majesty's Consuls, on behalf of British subjects, who were evidently under the "impression that they were now entitled to acquire mining proper ties in the interior, that. I deemed it expedient to acquaint Her Majesty's Consuls officially with the Mining Regulations issued by the Chinese Government. This had not been done previously on account of the protest made by the Legation against some of the provisions of the Regulations. But so many attempts are now being made by the Chinese owners or licensees of mining- properties, who fear that the Chinese officials, who have received mining Concessions from the Government, will override their prescriptive rights, to enlist the support 'of foreigners in resisting such action, by offering them a share or an interest in such under- takings, that it seemed essential to take steps to inform Her Majesty's Consuls of the actual position of affairs. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 322. Mr. Bax-Ironside to Her Majesty's Consuls in China. Sir ' A ^ + . Peking, July 19, 1899. AN erroneous impression seems to be prevalent among British subjects in China that the old^ restrictions on foreigners owning or working mines in China are now mines wherever proprietors of i««n .«..v, ^av» .«»,^ui, D v.. j midguts uvwmig uv wonunsr mines in l removed, and that they are free r<> purchase and work" any such n situated, near the ports or in the far interior, offered to them by Chinese licensees* 287 r feel it expedient, tlicrefore, to remind Her Majesty's Consuls that no alteration lias been made in respect to Treaty provisions on this subject. Foreigners have still no ireaty right to buy land, other than for missionary purposes, or to work mines in the interior of China. " l . It is true that some foreigners have received special permission to work Chinese mines in conjunction with Chinese directors. A Mining Board has lately been organized by the Central Government, and the Regulations issued by them, and approved by the Throne, lay down rules to be observed by Chinese wishing to borrow foreign money, or to work in co-operation with foreigners in opening up any mine in China. Her Majesty's Minister protested against these Regulations on the ground that some of their provisions were too onerous, and that foreign capital could not be obtained on such terms, and that they were in some respects contrary to Treaty ; but they serve to show the conditions under which the Chinese Government is willing * allow foreign skill and capital to be employed in Chinese mining operations. I inclose a copy of the Regulations in the original Chinese. I am, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 323. Mr. Bud-Irousulr to the Marquess of Salisbury,— (Received September 3.) M ? -^i* Peking, July 20, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 4th instant on the subject of piracy in Canton waters, I have the honour to inclose an extract from the Canton Intelligence Report for June quarter, dated the 5th instant, showing that the Provincial Governor is contemplating steps for suppressing these outrages. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. In closure in No. 323. Extract from. Canton Intelligence Report for June Quarter, 1899. Further Scheme for the Suppression of Piracy. MR. WATERS, Instructor at the Whampoa Naval and Military School, has forwarded to the Viceroy, through the Consulate, a Memorandum of a further scheme for the suppression of piracy. He proposes to form a flotilla of five of the torpedo- boats now lying idle at Whampoa, under the joint command of himself and a Chinese military official. The boats are to be thoroughly armed and manned, and will constantly scour the waters in quest of pirates. A well-paid staff of informers will' also he required. This scheme, which the Viceroy is said to have taken up with considerable interest, unfortunately appears to run some risk of falling through, owing to some jealousy which exists against Mr. Waters. No. 324. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received September 3.) My Lord, Peking, July 23, 1899. WITH reference to the proposed cruise of Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark " on the Tung-ting Lake, I have the honour to inclose translation of a letter dated the 7th July, which I received from the Tsung-li Yamen, and copy of my reply dated the 14th July. I have to-day received a telegram from Her Majesty's Consul at Hankow informing me that Her Majesty's ship "Woodlark" has returned to that port after 28S having paid a visit to many places on the Tang-ting Lake, including the towns of Chang-te and Changsha. She was well received everywhere, and a satisfactory interview was held with the Governor of Hunan at his Yamen in Changsha. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IKONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 324. The Tsung-li Yamen to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Translation.) Peking, July 7, 1899. WE beg to inform you that we have j list received a telegram from the Governor- General of Hukuang as follows : — " Yesterday, I received a despatch from the British Consul, Hankow, to the following effect : — "'Commander Pa (Barton), R.N., is about to proceed in Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark " on a cruise in the Tung-ting Lake. He will go first to Yochow, then to Hsiang-Yin and Changsha, and subsequently to Lung-Ying and Ch'ang-Te on the Yuan Elver and to An Hsiaug. He starts on the 5th July. I immediately tele- graphed to Hunan, and soon received the Governor of Hunan "s reply as follows : — "The Provincial examinations are now in progress at Changsha. The students have assembled in great numbers. I fear a disturbance. Ask the English vessel not to come." " ' I then wrote to the English Consul advising that the vessel should not go to Changsha and the other places mentioned above. " ' The Consul replied that the affair was in the hands of the Admiral and that he could not stop the ship. Commander Barton said that he must go to the Tung-ting Lake, but as to whether he proceeded to Changsha or not, he could not yet decide. " ' I beg to observe that the people of Hunan are of a turbulent disposition. The examinations are now in progress, and if the British vessel proceeds thither, a disturbance may certainly be apprehended. I must beg you to immediately consult with the high British official Resident in the capital, so that he may telegraph to the Admiral Pa [sac J . The ship must be ordered on arrival at YochoAv to turn back at once and not to go on and run into danger and create disturbances and feuds.'" In cemmunicating this telegram to your Excellency, we would earnestly bee you to telegraph to your honourable nation's Admiral [sic~\ that on arrival at Yochow, he should not proceed to Changsha and the other places mentioned. By refraining from this action he will obviate alarm and suspicion. Compliments. (Cards of Prince and Ministers.) Inclosure 2 in No. 324. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Tsung-li Yamen. Peking, July 14, 1899. ON the 7th July I received your letter with regard to the cruise of Commander Barton, R.N., in Her Majesty's ship "Woodlark," in and about the Tung-tin<* Lake. You requested me to telegraph to Commander Barton that upon his arrival at Yochow he should turn back immediately and not proceed to Changsha and the other places mentioned for fear of disturbances. I at once telegraphed to Her Majesty's Government, and have now received a reply from Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State to the effect that it is impossible to accede to your request. r I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. 289 No. 325. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 3.) My Lord, Peking, July 24, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the Mi instant on the subject of the piratical outrage on the steam-ship " Wo-on " in Canton waters, I have the honour to inclose copy of a despatch dated the 13th instant which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul in Canton. Your Lordship will observe from the Consul's Reportthat, in conformity with my instructions, he informed the Governor- General of Canton that he must claim from the local authorities the sum of 2,000 dollars for losses suffered by the steam-launch owner and crew, on the ground that those officials had grossly neglected their duties m the matter of the prevention of such outrages. The Governor-General has absolutely declined to even discuss such a demand, and Her Majesty's Consul gives his opinion that the Governor- General's resentment on account of the Kowloon Extension incidents is so great that no satisfactory treatment of international affairs can be expected from him. I am addressing the Tsung-li Yamen on the subject of this claim for losses incurred by the steam-ship " Wo-on." I am of opinion that such a demand will do much to impress upon the Provincial Government the necessity of taking effective measures for dealing with piracy and robbery. Should no good result follow, I submit that we should adopt the policy of self protection, advocated in Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 18th February, 1899. On the 22nd instant I received a telegram from Her Majesty's Consul at Canton to the effect that piracy was still unabated. A Portuguese steam-launch had been looted and the Portuguese captain had been shot. Her Majesty's Consul asked to be allowed to direct British launch-owners to carry an armed guard, the cost of which would be charged to the Chinese Government. He added that the situation was very serious both on land and sea, and that trade had greatly diminished. As an instance, he stated that the silk dealers threaten to stop buying on account of the robbery and blackmail to which they are subjected. I have replied to Mr. Mansfield that the question of self-protective measures has been submitted to your Xordship. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 325. Consul Mansfield to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Canton, July 13, 1899. ON the 8th instant I had the honour to send you a telegram to the effect that the Viceroy had absolutely declined to admit the liability of the Chinese authorities for the losses of the " Wo-on " by piracy, and that I therefore asked you to insist on the principle. To this I had on the 10th instant the honour to receive your reply to the effect that I was to press the claim for the steamer's losses in accordance with the instructions contained in your telegram of the 12th Juno last. I called on the Viceroy yesterday, and inclose a Memorandum of what occurred at the interview. His Excellency is in a state of extreme irritation over the occur- rences in the new Kowloon territory, and his refusal to discuss the question of com- pensation for the " Wo-on " piracy was complete. His own subordinates openly acknowledge that they can get him to do nothing, and hardly dare to speak to him. In all matters of business he replies to the Consuls that he has given instructions. If these instructions are given, they are systematically disregarded by the officials to whom they are addressed, who are perfectly aware of his anti-foreign proclivities, and know that the instructions are not meant to be obeyed. Piracy is going on unchecked, and within the last few days I have had two cases of threatening letters calling for blackmail and two cases where native produce and one case where foreign goods are [1049] 2 P 290 being held to ransom. These point to the conclusion that the local authorities have not at their commancl an armed force adequate to cope with the pirates and robbers, who are now estimated at several thousand, and prey on commerce and property. I have been trying to induce the Viceroy to employ, for the suppression of piracy, an armed force, with a British subject, Mr. Waters, now a Drill Instructor at the Whampoa Naval School, associated with it ; but in the Viceroy's present state of mind I have little hope of this course being taken. The situation is a very difficult one. We are at a complete deadlock, and nothing but the removal of the Viceroy T'an is likely to effect any change. I have, &c. (Signed) R. W. MANSFIELD. Inclosure 2 in No. 325. Memorandum by Consul Mansfield of Interview with Viceroy T'an. I INTRODUCED the subject of the " Wo-on " piracy by pointing out that a large number of persons had been concerned in it, and that they had landed their booty near Chiang Men, and that many weeks had passed and that nothing had been done, and it could, therefore, only be concluded that the local authorities had failed in their duty, and should be made to pay compensation. General Huang, who was present, said that five of the pirates had been captured. I asked if the loot had been recovered, and was told "No." I then said that I had received instructions from my Minister which I was bound to obey, and these were to urge that compen- sation should be paid by the local authorities for their neglect of duty. That it was a well-known fact that robbers in large numbers were located in the Chiang Men district. The Viceroy replied: "Your Minister can give you any orders he likes. It is no concern of mine. It is my business to give orders to the officials in my jurisdic- tion to catch and punish the pirates." His tone was so discourteous that I saw that it was impossible to continue the discussion, and merely asked for a categorical answer as to whether or no his Excel- lency was willing to consider the question of compensation. He replied that he was not, and signified, by taking up his tea-cup, that the interview was at an end. No. 326. Sir Chihchen Lo Feng Luh to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 4.) My Lord Marquess, Chinese Legation, August 30, 1899. REFERRING to the letter which your Lordship did me the honour to address to me on the 3rd ultimo, I have the honour to inform you that, having communicated it to the Tsung-li Yamen, I have received a telegram stating that the conduct of the Governor of Kueichou in failing to arrest Tan Tsu-cheng, accused of havinc been the instigator of the murder of Mr. Fleming, had again been under 3 their consideration. With regard to the demand of Her Majesty's Government for the punishment of the Governor for his alleged remissness in not causing Tan Tsu-cheng to be arrested and brought to justice, the Imperial Government have notified him of the extension of time which Her Majesty's Government had accorded for the capture of that individual, and reminded him of the fact that should he fail in effecting this within a reasonable period, he would be liable to the penalty which Chinese law imposes in such cases for neglect of duty ; and this, notwithstanding the fact that, so far as Her Majesty's Government are concerned, the case would appear to have been already settled 'in accordance with the demands of Her Britannic Majesty's Consul. It will be remembered that, at the time the lamentable incident occurred, Her 291 Majesty's Consul addressed a despatch to the Governor calling on him to have Tan Tsu-cheng arrested and adequately punished, or failing that, to pay a pecuniary indemnity for the murder of Mr. Fleming. The Governor, who had always been desirous that the murderer should be punished, reports to the Imperial Government that it was no fault of his that this had not been done ; that to compass the arrest of Tan Tsu-cheng he had made the most strenuous exertions ; that immediately on its becoming known that Tan Tsu-cheng had been a party to the murder, he had dispatched Colonel Shang Tsung-koh to take him, but that the provincial train-bands, forty companies of which were under Tan Tsu- cheng's command, opposed his arrest and furthered his escape. Since then, the Governor reports, no efforts have been spared to capture the fugitive, but all having been to no purpose, he has had, as a last resource, to have recourse to the other alternative left him by the British Consul, viz., that of paying the indemnity he had demanded, a payment which the Governor has made out of his private means. The Imperial Government, therefore, trust the incident may now be considered as closed; for, seeing that the compensation demanded by Her Majesty's Consul has been paid, and accepted by him as a complete satisfaction, it would evidently be unfair to require the Governor to be removed from his post, more especially as his want of success in apprehending and punishing the criminal was less his fault than his misfortune. I have, &c. (Signed) LO FENG LUH. No. 328. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, September 9, 1899. I HAVE had under my consideration your despatch of the 10th June last, submitting a scheme, proposed by the Shanghae General Chamber of Commerce, and approved by Her Majesty's Consul-General at that port, for the formation of a Conservancy Board for the water approaches to Shanghae. The Board of Trade, who were consulted on the subject, suggest that, in the event of a Conservancy Board being established, not only should proper accounts of receipts and expenditure be kept and duly published as proposed, but provision should be made for the reduction of the contemplated tax in case of a surplus of revenue in the same manner as its increase is proposed in case of a deficit. The Board further suggest that special care should be taken to insure the allocation of the funds which may be at the disposal of the Conservancy Board to proper uses only. A Memorandum by Mr. G. Jamieson, late Her Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae, on the proposal, is also inclosed.* You should use your endeavours to obtain the acceptance of the scheme, bearing in mind the suggestions made by the Board of Trade. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 329. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside* «• Foreign Office, September 9, 1899. ' I HAVE received your despatch of the 19th July last, reporting the stepd which you have taken to make Her Majesty's Consular officers in China acquainted with the • No. 247. [1049] 2 P 2 292 terms of the Mining Regulations recently issued by the Chinese Government, and with the present position of affairs generally in regard to applications for mining rights by foreigners. The terms of the Circular which you have issued on the subject, are approved. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 330. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, September 9, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 14th July last relative to an anti- missionary placard which has been posted at Kienning in connection with the trial of the persons concerned in the recent riot at that place. I approve your instruction to Mr. Consul Playfair, that he should be present at the trial either in person or by deputy. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 331. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, September 9, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 23rd July last relative to the recent cruise of Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark," in Tungting Lake. I approve the terms of your note to the Tsung-li Y"amen, in reply to their request that the " Woodlark " might not proceed beyond Yochow. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 332. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received September 11.) My Lord, St. Petersburgh, September 6, 1899. I HAVE the honour to transmit to your Lordship herewith the translation of a Notice which appeared in the " St. Petersburger Zeitung " of the 21st August (2nd September), 1899, giving the general outline of the provisional Regulations' for the administration of the Kuang-Tung territory, which have recently been published in the " Bulletin des Lois." Your Lordship will receive by the next messenger a translation from the Russian of the full text of these Regulations, which are rather voluminous. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES S. SCOTT. Inclosure in No. 332. Extract from the " St. Petersburger Zeitung " of August 21 (September 2), 1899. (Translation.) THE provisional Regulations for the administration of Kuang-Tung are published in the "Bulletin des Lois" in an Imperial Decree to the Senate, and came into force this year. The Regulations affect the territories in the Liao-tung Peninsula, inclusive of the islands, which have been leased to the Russian Government. The 'centre of the Administration is at Port Arthur, and is in the hands of the Governor of the district, who, at the same time, has command of the naval and military forces in the 293 Pacific Ocean. Civil and Financial Commissioners and an official for foreign affairs have also been appointed. The Ministry of "War is responsible for the administration and policing of the new district, and also for appointing the staff. The towns of the district are Port Arthur, the new town of Dalny, the construction and organization of which has been intrusted to the Chinese Eastern Railway Company ; also Bi-stu-Wo and Tsin-chau. The Russian judicial system is introduced into the whole district, but the competence of the Russian Courts extends only to cases which affect Russians and foreigners, or Russians and foreigners on one side and Chinese on the other. Cases between natives do not come before Russian Courts. No. 333. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — {Received September 13.) Sir, Admiralty, September 12, 1899. WITH reference to previous correspondence on the subject of the navigation of the Upper Yang-tsze River, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit herewith, for the information of the Marquess of Salisbury, a printed copy of a Report furnished by Lieutenant and Commander Watson, of Her Majesty's ship " Woodcock," of the preliminary examination of the Rapids made by him in May last.* Prom this Report it will be seen that Lieutenant Watson ascended the river in a native boat as far as the New Rapid (No. 18 on the chart), 141 miles above Ichang ; and he subsequently took the " Woodcock" up to the Rapid (No. 6), at Lai-Kwei- Chau, a distance of 42'miles above Ichang, without much difficulty. The rough sketches attached to the Report show the condition of some of the Rapids, when the river was fairly low, though not at its lowest, and confirm the information on the subject previously received from Mr. Archibald Little and Captain Pottinger. Prom the statements of the former gentleman, who has actually ascended the river to Chung King in a steam-launch, and from information gained from other sources, there can be no doubt that the New Rapid (No. 18), which was formed by a landship in 1896, is the most formidable obstacle to the navigation of the Tang-tsze, and that once this is passed the Rapids between it and Chung King do not present any very great difficulties. The suggestion of the Commander-in-chief to establish leading marks to assist in the passage of the more difficult parts of the river, is, in their Lordships' opinion, well worthy of consideration, and it is suggested that inquiry might be made as to whether the Chinese Customs would undertake the work. Lieutenant Watson has performed the duty with which he was intrusted with much care and ability, and the information he has acquired is of considerable va]ue, but as the whole navigation of the river depends principally on local knowledge, it would require a large amount of actual experience extending over a very considerable period, to render officer and crew familiar with the varying conditions of a river like the Yang-tsze, which in the rainy season is said to rise as much as 100 feet. This consideration has induced their Lordships to seriously question the expediency of allowing the " Woodcock " and " Woodlark " to attempt to make the whole passage to Chung King on a rapidly falling river, which would be the condition of the stream in October, as in the event of either gun-boat touching the ground, the result might be most serious. Un]ess, therefore, Lor,d Salisbury should consider it absolutely necessary that the risk should be run of sending the gun-boats up this autumn, my Lords propose to defer the ascent until April next, when the attempt would be made on a rising river, and under far safer conditions. Should the above meet the necessities of the case, my Lords would give orders that so long as the depth of the river admits of it during the autumn the " Wood- cock " is to continue to investigate the navigation of the river between Ichang and Lai-Kwei-Chau, in order to familiarize the officers and crew with the passage of the R?pids, and with a view to their obtaining experience in working through the Rapids further up the river in the spring. * Not printed. 294 My Lords request that they may be favoured with Lord Salisbury's views at an early date. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. No. 334. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax- Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, September 15, 1899. A MESSAGE was brought on the 12th instant by the Chinese Minister from his- Government urging that the demand for the dismissal of the Governor of Kueichow should not be pressed by Her Majesty's Government. I said Her Majesty's Government must insist on his dismissal if the Headman T'an was not caught. The conduct of T c an as local authority and a man of influence was most abominable, even if he had not actually taken part in the murder, and either Connivance or extreme stupidity was shown by the Governor in allowing his escape. The Governor must be conspicuously punished. The wild tribes of that region would consider the murder of a foreigner a small - matter, if the Chinese Government did not show in its acts due detestation of so atrocious a murder. I desired to call the Yamen's attention to one point. In dealing with questions between us and China we had been very anxious to avoid any forcible action which would lower the position of the Chinese Government, because the maintenance- and improvement of that Government constituted a vital element of British policy. The Yamen must, however, help us to pursue it, and must not compel us to take- measures not conducive to the independence and stability of China in order to obtain justice for ourselves. No. 335. Mr. Baas-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 16.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, September 16, 1899. YUNNAN Company. The Company's agent asks for support in his application for a concession for a railway from the Burmah Railway terminus to Mitu, via Kunlong and the Namting Valley ; thence to Hsi Kuan and Talifu ; also from Mitu to Yiinnan-fu, via Chou Hsiong ; and, from some point between Talifu and Yiinnan-fu, a line to the Yang-tsze River, with the option of choosing any route they please for the latter. I have the honour to request your Lordship's instructions as to whether I may apply for the railway concession. No. 336. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, September 16, 1899. I TRANSMIT to you herewith copies of correspondence with the Admiralty relative to the proposed ascent of the Upper Yang-tsze to Chungking by Her Majesty's- vsteam-ships " Woodcock " and " "Woodlark."* I request that you will ascertain whether the Imperial Chinese Maritime Customs- Department would be prepared to establish leading marks to facilitate navigation in the more difficult parts of the river, as suggested by the Commander-in-chief on the- China Station. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. Nos. 333 and 337. 295 No. 337. Foreign Office to Admiralty. •Sir, Foreign Office, September 16, 1899. I HAVE laid before the Marquess of Salisbury your letter of the 12th instant inclosing a copy of a Report by Commander Watson, of Her Majesty's ship " Wood- cock," of the preliminary examination of the Rapids in the Upper Yang-tsze made by him in May last. Lord Salisbury concurs in the proposal of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that the ascent of the river to Chungking by the " Woodcock " and " Woodlark " should be deferred until April next, and that the " Woodcock " should continue during the autumn to investigate the navigation of the river between Ichang and Lai-Kwei-Chau. In accordance with the suggestion made in your letter Her Majesty's Charge" d' Affaires at Peking will be instructed to ascertain whether the Imperial Chinese Maritime Customs Department would be prepared to establish leading marks to facilitate navigation in the more difficult parts of the river. I am, &c. (Signed) F. H. VILLIERS. No. 338. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received September 18.) My Lord, Peking, August 1, 1899. WITH reference to the telegram which I had the honour to send to your Lordship on the 7th ultimo to the effect that the indemnity had been paid in the Fleming murder case, I have now the honour to forward herewith copy of a despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Chungking, reporting the payment in question, and forwarding copies of the receipts obtained from the Treasurer of the China Inland Mission and from the Missions at Kueiyang. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 338. Consul Fraser to Mr. Bax-Ironside. ~ 'Extract.) Chungking, July 7, 1899. . ^ I HAVE the honour to report that I have now received from Shanghae the receipts from the Treasurer of the China Inland Mission, and from Kueiyang the receipts from the Mission's representative there, for the money, the paying of which formed one portion of the settlement of the Fleming case proposed by Mr. Litton, carried out by him as far as has been possible yet, and approved by you. I telegraphed this to you yesterday. ,..,., - A1 „, ., I have the honour to inclose the duplicate and triplicate of the Shanghae receipt, and also of the Kueiyang receipt. I retain the originals. . The money was paid on the date prescribed, and duly apportioned by me according to the plan reported by Mr. Litton in despatch of the 11th February. The sum of 750 taels has accordingly been retained here to help to defray the Consulate's expenses in travelling and telegrams, and will appear duly credited in the accounts •with the Foreign Office. 296 Inclosure 2 in No. 338. Receipt for part of Indemnity paid to China Inland Mission. RECEIVED from M. F. Eraser, Esq., Her Majesty's Consul, Chungking, the sum,, of 600 taels (Kueiyang currency), being part of the Fleming indemnity claim paid to- the China Inland Mission at Kueiyang. (Signed) T. WINDSOR. June 10, 1899. Inclosure 3 in No. 338. Receipt for Indemnity paid by Chinese Government on account of Fleming Murders. China Inland Mission, Shanghae, June 2, 1899. RECEIVED of M. E. A. Eraser, Esq., Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, Chung-' king, the sum of 20,916 1. 38 c. Shanghae, being indemnity paid by the Chinese Government on account of the murders of William Small Fleming and Evangelist/ P'an, at Chong-an-chiang, Kwei-ceou, and loss of effects, the property of Henry E. Bolton and Frederick B. Webb, at Pang-hai, Kwe-chow, this sum being apportioned as follows : — 16,214 1. 38 c. Shanghae, to Charles Fleming, father of the late W. S. Fleming. 2,127 Shanghae taels to Frederick B. Webb. 1,562 Shanghae taels to Henry E. Bolton. 1,013 Shanghae taels to China Inland Mission, to be invested or disbursed for the benefit of the widow and children of Evangelist P'an. (Signed) J. H. BROUMTON, Treasurer, China Inland Mission. Attorney for Charles Fleming — (Signed) FREDERICK B. WEBB, HENRY E. BOLTON. And on behalf of China Inland Mission. No. 339. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 18.) (Extract.) Peking, August 2, 1899. ON the 7th ultimo I received a telegram from Her Majesty's Consul at Ichang, informing me of a report that Japan was securing a Concession at that port. I replied by telegram on the 8th ultimo, directing Mr. Holland, in the light of recent difficulties in Shanghae and Hankow, to warn the authorities that the inclusion of any British-owned lots in any exclusive Concession to Japan, or another Power, would not be permitted by Her Majesty's Government. No. 340. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 18.) My Lord, Peking, August 2, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 6th ultimo, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copy of a despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Chefoo, pointing out the progress that has been made in the steam navigation of inland waters at that port. Your Lordship will not fail to note that cargo is being carried, both inwards and, outwards, under these Rules, although, as yet, only on a modest scale. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. 297 Inclosure in No. 340. Consul Hopkins to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Siv > Chefoo, July 21, 1899. SINCE the date of my despatch of the 26th ultimo on the subject of the navigation of inland waters, matters have progressed, and I am now able to report that cargo is being carried both inwards and outwards under these Rules, although on a modest scale as yet. Messrs. Butt'erfield and Swire's steamer " Huangho " has left Shanghae for this port to commence operations, and the steam-ship " Kuangchi," under the Chinese flag, has already made two or three trips. Since I last wrote the Taotai has made a distinction in the tariffs for steamer- borne cargo and cargo which is the produce of this province ; between cargo, that is, which arrives here from other provinces and that which is of strictly local origin. For the former category he has fixed a uniform duty per picul of 1 mace 6 candarins 6 cash, which is made up of an export duty at Chefoo of 2 candarins •2 ca^h, and an import duty at the point of destination of 1 mace 4 candarins 1 cash. Payment of both in one lump sum at Chefoo is optional. At present nine- tenths of the steamer-borne cargo carried under the new Rules- has been cotton vam and piece- goods. The tariff for return cargo (cargo of Shantung origin) is not a uniform one, but varies with the nature of the produce, and as there is still some doubt whether it has been finally settled, I refrain on this occasion from giving the details. So far the only inland ports to and from which cargo has been shipped are Tiger Head (Hu T'ou Yai) and Yang Chio Kon, the former being the port of the city of Lai-chon, and the second at the mouth of the Hsiao Ching Ho, the canalized stream leading to the provincial cajDital. I have, &c. (Signed) L. C. HOPKINS. No. 341. Mr. Bax-Ii onside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 18.) (Extract.) Peking, August 3, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 24th ultimo, I have the honour to inclose copies of further correspondence which has passed between this Legation and the Tsung-li Yamen on the subject of the piracy of the British steamer " Wo-on," near Canton. P.S. August 7. — I have just received a despatch from Her Majesty's Consul at Canton, dated the 26th July, copy of which, he informs me, has been forwarded direct to your Lordship, giving further details of the prevalence of piracy and robbery in his district. Inclosure 1 in No, 341. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, July 25, 1899. ON the 18th February last Sir Claude MacDonald addressed your Highness and your Excellencies on the subject of the outrages of pirates in Canton waters. This scandalous evil has not yet been eradicated. I have now received a representation from Her Majesty's Consul, Canton, to the following effect : — " On the 23rd May the steamer ' Wo-on,' belonging to the British firm of Banker and Co., was seized by a band of twenty-four robbers at Kumchuk, near to Kongmoon. These robbers took from the steamer goods, money, and arms to the value of 7.000 dollars. Of this amount, 2,000 dollars represented the property of steamer, and 5'000 dollars the property of Chinese passengers. I at once requested the Governor- [1049] 2 Q 298 General to have the robbers captured and the booty recovered, but though his Excel- lency replied that he had given stringent orders to that effect, nothing had been done. On the 10th July I received your instructions by telegraph to request the Governor- General to instruct the local authorities concerned to make good the amount of the losses of the steamer, 2,000 dollars as a punishment for their neglect of duty, and a warning for their guidance. " On the 12th July I called upon the Governor-General, who absolutely declined even to discuss the question of compensation. I have, therefore, the honour to report the case to you." I have the honour to observe that with regard to the daily increasing piracy in the Canton Province it was stated in the despatch from this Legation above quoted, that unless measures were immediately taken to prevent such outrages, report would have to be made to Her Majesty's Government as to taking steps to protect British lives and property. This matter is now under consideration of Her Majesty's Govern- ment, but the officials of the Canton Province still continue in the same lazy and negligent course. When any outrage occurs they make a pretence of doing their duty by empty promises of a strict search for the robbers and their plunder. In the present case the piracy was committed near Kong Mun, a notorious nest of river robbers. The local officials have failed to capture the offenders and to recover the plunder, and they should be called upon to make good the loss. In this manner it may be hoped that they will be brought to a sense of their duty. I have the honour to request your Highness and your Excellencies to telegraph to the Governor-General of Canton to order his subordinates to act in accordance with the above demand. He should also be instructed to put a stop to these piratical outrages at once. If this be not done I fear that some grave case will occur, with loss of life, which will be incapable of settlement in such an easy manner as is now proposed. I inclose copies of correspondence between Her Majesty's Consul and the Governor- General. I avail &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-1HONSIDE. Inclosure 2 in No. 341. The Tsung-li Yamin to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Translation.) Sir, Peking, July 29, 1899. THE Yamen has the honour to acknowledc the receipt of your note of the 23rd July, stating that the steamer " Wo-on," belonging to the British firm of Banker and Co., had been attacked and plundered by robbers at Kumchuk, near. Kongmoon ; that the officials of the Canton Province still continued in the same lazy and negligent course, that they should therefore be called upon to make good the loss sustained by the robbery, and that measures should be taken at once to put a stop to these piratical outrages. In reply the Yamen beg to observe that Article XIX of the Treaty provides that " If any British merchant vessel while within Chinese waters be plundered by robbers or pirates, it shall be the duty of the Chinese authorities, on being apprised of the fact, to use every endeavour to capture and punish the robbers, and to recover the stolen property, that it may be handed over to the Consul for restoration to the owner." In the present case of the piracy of the British steamer at Kumchuk it is there- fore the duty of the local authorities to capture and punish the robbers, and to recover the stolen property ; but there is nothing said in the Treaty about making compen- sation for the stolen property. The Yamen have instructed the Governor- General of the Lian"- Kuan°- Provinces to give strict orders to his subordinates to use their best endeavours to capture the robbers, and trace out the stolen property, so that the case may be speedily settled. On receipt of his Excellency's reply the Yamen will again communicate with you on the subject. In the meantime they have the honour to address this note to you as- a preliminary reply to the note under acknowledgment. (Seal of Yamen.) 299 Inclosure 3 in No. 341. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM ™t Ministres ' Peking, Auaust 3, 1899. ON the 29th ultimo I received your Highness and your Excellencies' despatch with regard to the piracy of the steam-ship " Wo-on." I have the honour to observe, in reply, that this case is the manifest result of the negligence of the local authorities, who permit these pirates to prey upon the people. 1 therefore requested that the amount of the loss might he made good by the officials, in order to awaken them to a sense of their duty to put a stop to this scourge of the country. The matter cannot be treated in the ordinary way by mere orders for the arrest of the offenders, and a search for the plunder. The robbers and pirates of Knangtung are overrunning the province with the boldest effrontery. During the past year the Tsung-li Yamen has repeatedly sent instructions on the subject to the provincial Governor. These instructions are ignored, and, when an outrage occurs the provincial Government contents itself with a mere pretence of doing its duty. The evil, therefore, continues to increase, and a reign of terror prevails. Unless some severe example be made, there is reason to fear that' this state of things will go from bad to worse until some great disaster takes place. Some grave evils require trenchant remedies, and I have therefore made a claim that the local officials should pay the value of the loss, as a punishment for their neglect of duty, and to stimulate them to keep order in their district. Two months have elapsed since the piracy, and I fear that there is little prospect of the recovery of the loot. Should, however, the local officials succeed in finding the property originally stolen, they would, of course, not be called upon to make good its money value. But in default of the recovery of the goods, I must insist that the local officials be ordered to pay their value in accordance with the terms of my previous despatch. I avail, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 342. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received September 18.) My Lord, Peking, August 6, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose copies of further letters from Her Majesty's Consul at Eoochow on the subject of the Kienning riot case. In his semi-official letter of the 18th July, Mr. Playfair makes some observations on the state of affairs in the Kienning district, and on the difficulty of obtaining reliable information. Under date 22nd July, Mr. Playfair communicates copy of his despatch of the 22nd July to the Foochow Viceroy, formulating three demands as preliminary to a settlement of the case : — 1. To arrest the prime movers in the affair, the men whose names the Consulate has furnished. 2. To bring them to Foochow for trial in the presence of Her Majesty's Consul and members of the missionary body concerned. 3. To require from the Kienning Notables ample security against any repetition of such outbreaks. On the 25th July Mr. Playfair sent to me a copy of the Viceroy's repfr, in which his Excellency says that he has renewed his orders for the necessary arrests and trial. At an interview with the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen I communicated to them a copy oi Her Majesty's Consul's despatch to the Viceroy of the 22nd July, and urged them to send orders for speedy and effective measures on the part of the Viceroy on the lines indicated by the Consul. The Ministers promised to at once telegraph to the Viceroy in the sense desired. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. B AX -IRONSIDE. [1049] 2 Q 2 300 Inclosure 1 in Ko. 342. Consul Playfair to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Dear Mr. Bax-Ironside, Foochow, July 18, 1899. THERE are some matters connected with the situation here about which I have not yet the fulness of knowledge I deem necessary before chronicling them in a formal despatch and which, nevertheless, I think it as well you should know. Therefore, I venture to bring them to your knowledge privately with the reservation that I may perhaps find it advisable to modify my views hereafter. In my despatch of the 27th June I alluded to the peculiar position of indepen- dence in which the people of Kienning were reported to stand towards their own rulers. This (if the allegation is true) has a serious bearing on what I. consider to be the only satisfactory solution of the Kienning difficulty, viz., the restoration of that region to such a state of law and order as will permit of the untroubled residence of missionaries. On the occasion of my first interview with the Viceroy, he expressed the belief that the Kienning Prefecture is a hot-bed of sedition, and that the Ko-lao Hui has many adherents there. I observed that this seemed to me only an additional reason why the present case should be made an opportunity for eradicating such an evil by resorting to the severest measures. But the Viceroy, in spite of his reputation for determination, shows signs of being reluctant to enter into a struggle with the forces opposed to him. I had au extraordinary circumstance communicated to me this morning by one of the British missionaries which seems not unconnected with the above. A Chinese, whom they believed to be a simple boatman, brought a number of papers from Kienning, and delivered them to Mr. Lloyd. He stated that he had been instructed to hand them to " foreigners," and as the foreigners he knew most of were missionaries, he had come to Mr. Lloyd. The papers included a manifesto inviting enlistment in the Ko-lao Hui, specially addressed to twelve persons, who, according to my informant, were Japanese. It seems, on the face of it, unlikely that people engaged in so dangerous a propaganda would select a boatman of apparently less than average intelligence for the task ; nor do I attach much credence to the suggestion made to me that the intention was to foment trouble in this city. But, as rumours of Ko-lao Hui operations are undoubtedly in the air, and as the Society's action is credited with being answerable for most of the up-country troubles, I report the incident for your information, since it may be one of the proverbial straws which hint at the direction of the wind. Archdeacon Wolfe told me to-day that he understands the state of feeling at Kienning is such that he doubted whether the authorities would be able to guarantee the personal safety of any foreigners visiting that city, even if he were a Consul on an official mission. If he is warranted in his opinion, it only proves that the drastic restoration of order is imperative. In any case, this would not deter me from going to Kienning if the necessity arises. I feel very much hampered by the impossibility of obtaining information on which 1 am able to rely absolutely. I do not doubt the conscientiousness of the missionaries themselves, but their news is never given meat first hand, and it has been shown by experience that its sources are at times tainted. Indeed, it is impossible for me to cite missionary information as being ipso facto trustworthy, it having so often turned out inexact. Yours sincerely, (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR. Inclosure 2 in No. 342. Consul Playfair to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foochow, July 22, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a despatch I have addressed to the Viceroy deprecating the slow progress made by the Chinese officials in the Kienning case, and restating explicitly what I consider to be the main object of action and the best way 301 of obtaining the desired result. When I last impressed on the native officials the advisability of transferring the prisoners to Foochow for trial, I was urged to relegate the definite discussion of the question of the change of venue till more arrests had been effected. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAY FAIR. Inclosure 3 in No. 342. Consul Playfair to Viceroy Hsu. Sir, _ Foochow, July 22, 1&99. IT is now over a month since the disturbance at Kienning, and in spite of the dispatch of troops and special Deputies by your Excellency with stringent orders to make investigation and arrest, the guilty, I am informed by Ch'en Taotai that only three arrests have been effected. From information I have received, there is reason to doubt whether these three had any real connection with the disturbance. In conversation with Ch'en Taotai, he expressed the opinion that the present case at Kienning is much less serious than the former outbreak at Ku-t'ien. That is true, in so far as there has been no loss of European lives. In another sense, however, I consider it even more serious, showing, as it does, a determination on the part of certain people of Kienning to prevent foreign missionaries living in peace in that part of the country, and to drive them away by repeated outbreaks. To live in ppace in any part of China is, however, a right which missionaries enjoy by Treaty, and it is my duty to call upon the Chinese authorities to secure that right for British missionaries. This- can only be done at Kienning by eradicating the elements existing there which are hostile to the observance of the Treaties. These elements I believe to be the literati and gentry, especially the members of what are called the "trainbands." My prede- cessor had already communicated the names of certain persons who can be proved to be ringleaders in this anti-missionary outbreak. I have also addressed you on the subject. I am further of opinion that the prisoners when arrested should be brought to Foochow for trial in order to allow of my being present in Court with some of the missionaries interested, and in order to demonstrate to the people of Kienning that their authorities have every intention of making a clean sweep of the disturbing element in their midst. That compensation is due to the missionaries for their property which has been destroyed is a matter of course. But the first essential is that the real culprits should be punished so severely as to deter the people of Kienning from any repetition of their lawless deeds. I therefore have the honour to ask your Excellency to do three things : — 1. To arrest the prime movers in the affair, the men whose names the Consulate has furnished ; 2. To bring them to Foochow for trial in the presence of myself and members of the missionary body concerned ; 3. To require from the Kienning Rotables ample security against any lepetition of such outbreaks. It will then be possible to proceed to the discussion of compensation for property destroyed, and to close the case. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR. Inclosure 4 in No. 342. Consul Playfair to Mr. Bax-Fronside. §ir Foochow, July 25, 1899. ' IN" continuation of my despatch dated the 22nd instant, I have the honour to inclose copy of the Viceroy's reply to my communication of the same date. It will be observed that he deigns to give me no reply whatever, whether assent or refusal to my specific demands. Me practically ignores them entirely, and contents 302 himself with evading, under the cover of a common-place, every one of the points which, I declared to be essential. As the three modes of action detailed in my despatch to him of the 22nd July are, in my opinion, essential if the Kienning case is to be satisfactorily settled, I shall be glad if you will move the Tsung-li Yamen to impress on the "Viceroy the advisability of complying with my request. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR. Inclosure 5 in No. 342. Viceroy Hsu to Consul Play fair. Kuang Hsu, "25th year, 6th moon, 17 th day (Translation.) {July 24, 1899). _ , ON the 22nd July I had the honour to receive your despatch referring to the disturbance at Kienning, in which you beg me to order the arrest and punishment of the ringleaders with a view to the settlement of the case. I beg to remind you that in this case I have repeatedly and stringently directed the local authorities and my deputies to search out the principal culprits for arrest and trial. On receipt of the despatch under acknowledgment, I have again charged the local authorities to prosecute their investigations with the utmost strictness, to effect the necessary arrests, and try the matter equitably. I have now the honour to send this reply. No. 343. Mr. Bax- Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — [Received September 13.) JVJy Lord, Peking, August 7, 1899. I HAVE the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship an extract from the Intelligence Report, drawn up by Her Majesty's officiating Consul at Pakhoi, on the subject of piracy in the neighbourhood of that port. I regret to state that piracy and robbery are becoming annually more prevalent in the southern Chinese waters. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. B AX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 343. Extract from Pakhoi Intelligence Report. Piracy. — I regret to have again to refer to the subject of piracy. It would seem as if a considerable percentage of the population in the villages along this coast were land and sea pirates, or " respectable agriculturists and fishermen," according to circum- stances. They appear to recognize certain Chiefs, who send them information, when some coup is in view, or a cruise in contemplation. Then a meeting takes place, almost invariably by night, and a day or two later, as no secret can be long kept in China, the fact is bruited abroad, but, of course, the pirates have vanished. It certainly seems that a little vigilance on the part of the authorities would enable them to know of these meetings beforehand, and so effect the capture of these malefactors, who are the terror of respectable traders by land and sea. However, little is done. The pirates care nothing for the Chinese gun-boats. On two occasions the sounds of firing in a battle between pirates and trading junks at no great distance were plainly heard, but the Chinese men-of-war made no move. This was in broad daylight. On another occasion two French missionaries, going in a junk from the Island of Weichou to the mainland opposite, were sighted and pursued by pirates. However, the wind being adverse, they were enabled to escape their pursuers by putting about and returning to port. Piracy in the French waters of Tonquiu has been vastly reduced, and it is the circumscribed area of operations which causes the increased activity in this neighbourhood and the suspension of emigration will still further augment it. 303 In my last report 1 mentioned the capture of some fourteen pirates ; two of these were executed in Pakhoi on Sunday, 21st May; they were wanted for attacks on the Ahssion at Weichou, and at the time of their execution a malicious rumour was put ahout that they themselves were Catholics. I am not sure that this example can have had a very deterrent effect, as only a few days ago a notorious pirate Chief was in treaty close to here with a junk-builder for the construction of a junk for his own peculiar purposes. The vessel was partly built, and the man was to come back and take delivery of her on a certain date. Pere Kammerer, having obtained precise information, denounced him to the local Colonel,, who sent to inquire whether the person wanted was there or not, or in other words, to give him a hint to decamp. The pirate is therefore still at large, though without his boat. Land piracy has recently become more common. A daring case'in broad day- light occurred about 10 miles from here on the 20th June, and since then the Literary Chancellor has been "held up" near Ch'in-chou. A Chinese informant declares to me that the almost dailv robberies at Hsui Hsii (distant from Pakhoi 25 miles), Nankang (30 miles), Hsi Chang (13 miles) are all the work oi Secret Societies. Recently in June, one or two captures are reported. Her Majesty's Consulate, Pakhoi, July 16, 1899. No. 341. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax- Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, September 18, 1899. WITH reference to your telegram of the 16th September, you may apply for the Burmah-Yang-tsze Railway on behalf of the Yunnan Company. No. 345. Mr. Choate to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 22.) My Lord, American Embassy, London, September 22, 1899. I AM instructed by the Secretary of State to present to your Lordship a matter which, the President regards as of great and equal importance to Great Britain and the United States in the maintenance of trade and commerce in the East, in which the interest of the two nations differs not in character, but in degree only, and to ask for action on the part of Her Majesty's Government, which the President conceives to be in exact accord with its uniformly declared policy and traditions, and which will greatly promote the welfare of commerce. He understands it to be the settled policy and purpose of Great Britain not to use any privileges which may be granted to it in China as a means of excluding any com- mercial rivals, and that freedom of trade for it in that Empire means freedom of trade for all the world alike. Her Majesty's Government, while conceding by formal agreements with Germany and Russia, the possession of "spheres of influence or interest " in China, in which they are to enjoy special rights and privileges, par ticularly in respect to railroads and mining enterprises, has, at the same time, sought to maintain what is commonly called, the " open door" policy, to secure to the com- merce and navigation of all nations equality of treatment within such "spheres." The maintenance of this policy is alike urgently demanded by the commercial com- munities of our two nations, as it is justly held by them to be the only one which will improve existing conditions, enable them to maintain their positions in the markets of China, and extend their future operations. While the Government of the United States wall in no way commit itself to any recognition of exclusive rights of any Power within, or control over any portion of the Chinese Empire, under such Agreements as have been recently made, it cannot conceal its apprehensions that there is danger of complications arising between the Treaty Powers which may imperil the rights insured to the United States by its Treaties with China. It is the sincere desire of my Government that the interests of its citizens may not be prejudiced through exclusive treatment by any of the controlling Powers 304 within their respective " spheres of interest " in China, and it hopes to retain there an open market for all the world's commerce, remove dangerous sources of international irritation, and thereby hasten united action of the Powers at Peking to promote administrative reforms, so greatly needed for strengthening the Imperial Government and maintaining the integrity of China, in which it believes the whole Western world is alike concerned. It believes that such a result may be greatly aided and advanced by declarations by the various Powers claiming " spheres of interest " in China as to their intentions in regard to the treatment of foreign trade and commerce therein, and that the present is a very favourable moment for informing Her Majesty's Government of the desire of the United States to have it make on its own part, and to lend its powerful support in the effort to obtain from each of the various Powers claiming " spheres of interest " in China, a declaration substantially to the following effect : — 1. That it will in nowise interfere with any Treaty port or any vested interest within any so-called " sphere of interest " or leased territory it may have in China. 2. That the Chinese Treaty Tariff of the time being shall apply to all merchandize, landed or shipped to all such ports as are within such " sphere of interest " (unless they be " free ports ") no matter to what nationality it may belong, and that duties so leviable shall be collected by the Chinese Government. 3. That it will levy no higher harbour dues on vessels of another nationality frequenting any port in such " sphere " than shall be levied on vessels of its own nationality — and no higher railroad charges over lines built, controlled, or operated, within its " sphere " on merchandize belonging to citizens or subjects of other nationalities transported through such " spheres " than shall be levied on similar merchandize belonging to its own nationals, transported over equal distances. The President has strong reason to believe that the Governments of both Russia and Germany will co-operate in such an understanding as is here proposed. "The recent Ukase of His Majesty the Emperor of Russia, declaring the port of Talienwan open to the merchant-ships of all nations, during the whole term of the lease under which it is to be held by Russia, removes all uncertainty as to the liberal and conciliatory policy of that Power, and justifies the expectation that His Majesty will accede to the similar request of the United States, now being presented to him, and make the desired declaration. The recent action of Germany in declaring the port of Kiao-Chao a " free port." and the aid which its Government has given China, in establishing there a Chinese Custom-house, coupled with oral assurances given the United States by Germany, that the interests of the United States and its citizens within its " sphere " would in nowise be affected by its occupation of this portion of the Province of Shantung, encourage the belief that little opposition is to be anticipated to the President's request for a similar declaration from that Power. It is needless also to add that Japan, the Power next most largely interested in the trade of China, must be in entire sympathy with the views here expressed, and that its interests will be largely served by the proposed arrangement, and the declara- tions of its statesmen within the last year are so entirely in line with it that the co-operation of that Power is confidently relied upon. It is therefore with the greatest pleasure that I present this matter to your Lordship's attention, and urge its prompt consideration by Her Majesty's Government, believing that the action now requested is in entire harmony with its consistent theory and purpose, and that it will greatly redound to the benefit and advantage of all commercial nations alike. The prompt and sympathetic co-operation of Her Majesty's Government with the United States in this important matter will be verv potent' in promoting its adoption by all the Powers concerned. I have, &c. (Signed) JOSEPH H. CHOATE. No. 346. Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received September 25.) My Lord, St. Petersburgh, September 19, 1899 WITH reference to my despatch of the 6th instant, I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship a full precis-translation by Mr. Consul-Gen eral Michell of an 305 Imperial Order published in the "Bulletin desLois" of the 20th August (1st September), •establishing provisional Regulations for the administration of the Quantun territory. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES S. SCOTT. inclosure in No. 346. Extract fi-Gm the " Bulletin of Laivs " of August 20 (September 1), 1899. Imperial Order. ISo. 1524. — Respecting the establishment of Provisional Regulations for the Adminis- tration of the Quant nn Region and the Scale of the Staff and Salaries of that Administration. Order to the Ruling Senate. WE have deemed it beneficial to confirm the schemes drawn up by our command by a Special Council for the administration of the Quantun Region, with a scale of the staff and their salaries, and now forward them to the Ruling Senate, ordaining at the same time — 1. That the provisional Regulations for the administration of the Quantun Region and scale of the members of the staff and their salaries be brought into operation in the •course of the present year, subject to the condition that the several branches of the Administration of the Region be brought into working order at periods to be determined by the Ministers having respectively jurisdiction over the same ; and 2. That the military and civil functionaries of the Local Administration of all branches of the service be granted the privileges of service accorded to the localities indicated in Observation 1 to paragraph 1 of the Regulations respecting special privi- leges of the Civil Service in distant parts (Code of Laws, vol. iii, edition 1896) ; in Obser- vation 1 to paragraph 1, supplement iv, of observation to paragraph 167, book iii, part iv, of the Code of Military Regulations, anil in Observation 1 to paragraph C>22, book iii, of the Code of Ministry of Instruction," edition 1895. The original bears the autograph of His Imperial Majesty : (Signed) NICHOLAS. At Peterhof, August 16 (28), 1899. On the original appear the words written with His Majesty's own hand . " Thus be it," Provisional Regulations for the Administration of the Quantun Region. Introduction. 1. The operation of these Regulations extends to the territory on the Liao-dun Peninsula, held on lease by the Kussian Government, including in it the islands, the boundaries of the territory being determined by existing Treaties. 2. The Quantun Region (with its islands), excepting the town of Tsian-chjou, is divided into five districts. The power of determining and altering the boundaries of these districts appertains to the Governor of the Region, and is exercised on the repre- sentations of* the Commissary of the Civil Branch. 3. The Administration of the Quantun Region consists of— (1.) The Governor of the Quantun Region. (He also commands the military and naval forces of the Pacific Ocean.') (2.) Commissaries of the Civil and Financial Branches ; an officer tor the diplo- matic and of other institutions for separate parts of the various branches of the service. 11049] * & 306 (3.) Of Local Administrative establishments — (a.) Of districts. (&.) Urban. (c.) .Rural. (4.) Of judicial institutions. 4. The Quantun Region, as regards the general direction of its administrative, police, and the functionaries of these branches, is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. 5. The administration of the military and maritime forces is organized on the model adopted for the military circuits of the Empire and naval establishments of the Ministry of Marine, with the modifications hereafter specified. 6. The chief seat of administration of the Quantun Region is the town of Port Arthur. • Section I. — Chief Administration of the Civil Branch and Administration of the Military and Naval Forces. Chapter I. — The Rights and Duties of the Governor of the Region. 7. The Governor of the Eegion is appointed and removed at the immediate will of His Imperial Majesty by Supreme Decrees to the Ruling Senate and Ordinances issued in established order. 8. In the event of removal, death, serious illness, or absence from the Eegion of the Governor, the exercise of his functions not having devolved by Imperial Order to another person the assistant of the Commander-in-chief of the troops of the Region shall discharge the duties of the Governor of the Region. At the same time, if the Commander of the naval squadron be senior to him in rank, the control of the naval forces belongs to the Commander of the squadron, who is bound in all respects to co-operate thoroughly with the Assistant Commander of the land forces. 9. The Governor of the Region acquires all the rights and privileges appertaining to the Chief of the Civil Administration of the Caucasus, with the additions hereinafter specified. 10. The Governor of the Region, as regards the direction of the military forces and establishments as also his control over the administrative and police branches and the functionaries of the same, is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. 11. In respect of the direction of the naval establishments, vessels and their crews in the Far East, the Governor is immediately subordinate to the Minister of Marine, from whom he receives orders concerning the administration of this service. 12. The Governor of the Region in the matter of his direction of the land forces, military institutions, and establishments enjoys the rights and privileges of a Commander-in-chief of a distant military circuit and enters into immediate communica- tion with the Commander of the troops of the Cis-Amur Region. 13. As regards the naval branch of the service the Governor enjoys the rights and privileges of a Chief Commander of fleets and ports, supplemented as hereinafter specified. 14. In his capacity of Chief Commander of fleets and ports to the Governor are immediately subordinated, so far as administration, martial order, and discipline and the commissariat are concerned : (1.) All vessels, crews, officers, and institutions of the Naval Department in the Ports of Arthur and Vladivostok ; and (2.) All the vessels, crews, officers, and detachments of the Pacific Squadron. Observation. — In matters relating to victualling and disbursements of the Port of Vladivostok the Governor gives the necessary directions, only when he may consider it necessary to do so to the Commander of the Port, who retains, with the introduction of the present regulations, generally all the rights appertaining to him in matters relating' to the commissariat of his port. 15. In addition to the general rights assigned to Chief Commanders of fleets and ports, the Governor, as regards the subordination to him of persons serving under the Naval Department, enjoys the right — (1.) Of appointing to posts and discharge therefrom of all permanent functionaries, with the exception of: Commanders of Ports, chief of the naval branch of the District Staff and the senior assistants of the Commanders of Ports ; 307 (2.) Of giving leave of absence from their posts to his subordinates for periods extending to six months on full pay, and for one year without retention of pay and full allowances; and (3.) Of imposing on his subordinates the highest disciplinary punishments provided by the Military-Naval Disciplinary Code to each such subordinate. 16. To the Governor, in his capacity of Commander of the naval forces in the Pacific Ocean, is assigned the flag of Commander of the Fleet. This flag is hoisted according to the rules laid down in the Naval Code and is saluted with seventeen guns. 17. The Governor has the right to hoist his flag when he may consider it necessary to do so, on one of the vessels subordinate to him, and on the hoisting of his flag he assumes the rights of Commander of a fleet, as laid down in the Naval Code. 18. In specially important and urgent cases the Governor takes all the measures he may consider necessary for victualling the naval branches of the service, although such measures may exceed his powers, reporting only his action in the matter and the reasons for the same to the Minister of Marine. 19. The relation of the Governor of the Region to the judicial, financial, diplomatic, audit, postal- telegraphic, and mining 'branches of the service is determined by the rules of general provincial establishments, with the modifications provided by these Regulations. 20. In matters relating to the educational branch to the Governor are assigned the rights specified in paragraphs 62-67 of the Code for Educational Establishments and Institutions. 21. The appointment and pay of the civil administrative and financial commissaries, the diplomatic functionary, as also of the chiefs of other separate branches, if such be ultimately appointed, are regulated by the respective Ministers, after consultation with the Governor of the Region. 22. The Governor of the Region, in matters concerning frontier and foreign relations, acts in accordance with instructions and directions given him by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, with His Majesty's sanction. In matters of this nature, the Governor corresponds directly with the Russian Ministers at Peking and T6ki6, with the Charge d' Affaires at Seoul, as also with the Military and Naval Agents. The Russian Consuls in China, Japan, and Corea are bound to supply the Governor of the Region with infor- mation relating to the Quantun Peninsula, and the position of affairs in the conter- minous localities. 23. To the Governor of the Region is assigned the right of prohibiting the residence in the Region of persons pernicious as regards political trustworthiness ; and whenever a Russian subject be concerned, he must report the case to the Minister of War, with a detailed explanation of the reasons for expulsion. Observation. — Prohibition to reside in the town of Dalny is carried into effect after preliminary correspondence with the Minister of Finance. 24. The Governor has the faculty of submitting to a special Council the most important questions relating to the administration of the Region. This Council is convened under his presidency, and consists of Commissioners representing the Adminis- trative and Financial branches of the Diplomatic functionary, the Procurator of the District Court, and the Chief Auditor. The Governor, moreover, possesses the right of inviting to take part in the Council, in the capacity of members of the same, the Assistant Commander of the troops of the Region, the Commander of the Port, and the President of the Court of Justice of the Circuit, as also any other persons for furnishing explanations. The decisions of the Council have only consultative force. Chapter II. — Rights and Functions of the Assistant of the Commander of the Troops ; of the Regional Staff ; of the Commander of the Rifle Brigade ; of the Chiefs of the Military Regional Administrations ; and of the Heads of the Branches of the Regional Staff. 25. The Assistant of the Commander of the troops, who is at the same time the Head of the Staff of the Region, is appointed and withdrawn by Imperial orders issued on the representation of the Minister of War. 26. In so far as concerns the land forces and military establishments of the Region, to the Assistant of the Commander of the troops are assigned the rights and functions of a Commander of an attached corps. In regard to the military branch of the Regiqnal Staff his rights and functions are defined in paragraphs 83-66, 88, and 94, book ii, of [1049] 2 R 2 306 the Code of Military Regulations of 1869. To him is also assigned the right of direct communication with Head Administrations, as indicated in paragraph 92 of the same book. In regard to naval forces which may he landed, and in regard to naval institu- tions, the Assistant of the Commander of the troops enjoys the rights of Chief of Staff of the chief military ports of the Empire, as specified in paragraphs 117-119, book i, of the Naval Regulations. 27. The Military Regional Council consists : of the Assistant Commander of the troops of the Region ; heads of the military — Regional Administrations ; of a repre- sentative of the Ministry of War and of the Commander of the Rifle Brigade. The Military Regional Council enjoys the rights of a Military Circuit Council of a distant district. The Governor of the Region presides over the Military Regional Council, anl in his absence the Assistant of the Commander of the troops acts as its Chairman. 28. The Military Regional Staff is under immediate subordination to the Assistant Commander of the troops of the Region, in his capacity of Chief of the Staff of the Region, and consists of two branches — military and naval. To the military branch is assigned the functions appertaining to Military District Staffs. The naval branch of the Staff, in respect of the vessels, crews, functionaries, and establishments of the naval service, subordinate to the Governor', exercises the functions imposed by the 25a val Regulations on the Staffs of harbours of the first-class. 29. The chief officers in charge of the engineer, commissariat, and medical branches are appointed to their posts and discharged from the same by Imperial Orders issued on representations made by the Minister of War. 30. All the Commanding Officers mentioned in paragraph 29 fulfil the functions and enjoy the rights accorded to similar officers in the military circuits of the Empire, and the Administrations under their charge are established on a special scale of pay, &c. 31. The Chief of the military branch of the Regional Staff is appointed and dismissed by Imperial Orders issued on the representation of the Minister of War, and his rights and functions are regulated by paragraphs 83, 91-93, 96-99, book ii, of the Code of Military Regulations of 1869. 32. The Chief of the naval branch of the Regional Staff is appointed and dismissed by Imperial Orders issued on the representation of the Minister of Marine, and to him are assigned the rights and functions of a Chief of the Staff of a first-class port, with the exception specified in paragraph 26. He conducts all the correspondence on subjects connected with the branch ; his verbal reports to the Governor of the Region are made in the presence of the Chief of the Regional Staff. 33. To the Commander of the Rifle Brigade, who is at the same time the temporary Commandant of the fortress of Port Arthur, are subordinated all the field troops of the Region, and he enjoys all the rights of a Commander of a division. His staff establish- ment is on a separate scale. Chapter III. — Military-Judicial Branch. 34. In military-judicial respects the Quantun Region is subordinated to the Cis-Amur Military District Court, from which temporary Military Courts are dispatched to the Region, as also a sufficient number of Juges d'Instruction for inquiry into cases, an Assistant Military Prosecutor for discharging the duties of prosecutor at military inquiries and trials. Sections II and III, paragraphs 35-98, deal with the Civil branches of the Admini- stration : (Civil, Administrative, Judicial, Medical, Urban and Diplomatic), and present no particular features of interest. Section IV. — Organization and Administration of the Town of Dalny. 99. The organization of the town of Dalny is assigned to the Chinese Eastern Railway Company, under the chief direction of the Minister of Finance. 100. The town of Dalny, within the limits of the territory expropriated for settle- ment and for adjoining constructions, forms a separate township under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Finance. Observation.— The Minister of Finance will submit for Imperial confirmation a plan of the town with its delimitation. 101. The Prefect of the town and his Administration are subordinate to the Governor of the Region. 309 102. The Prefect is appointed and dismissed by Imperial Orders on the representa- tion of the Minister of Finance based on preliminary consultation with the Governor of the Region. 103. Tn the event of illness, absence or dismissal of the Prefect, the discharge of his functions is entrusted to a person nominated by the Governor of the Region, pending arrangements for the appointment of a permanent successor to the post. 104. As regards the Administration of the town, the Prefect is guided by the Rules laid down in paragraphs 096-1000 of the General Provincial Regulations. 105. The pay and allowances of the functionaries of the Prefect and of the police under his jurisdiction are established on a special scale. 106. A Town Council is established in connection with the Prefecture for the Regulation of municipal matters. 107. The Town Council, presided over by the Prefect, is constituted of six members and three candidates to them, elected in the order prescribed in the succeeding paragraphs (1 10-1 19), and of one member nominated by the local Administration of the Chinese Eastern Railway Company. Of the number of elected members of the Tow r n Council not less than three must be Russian subjects. 108. On the expiration of one year from the original election of the members of the Town Council and candidates to them one member and one candidate retire annually, at first by lot and afterwards by seniority of election, and new members and candidates are elected in their stead. The members and candidates who have retired may be re-elected. 109. The candidate who shall have taken the place of a retired member remains in office as member of the Council until the termination of the period for which the retired member was elected, but not beyond the period for which the candidate himself was elected. 110. The right of participation in the election of members of the Town Council is enjoyed by persons without distinction of nationality, as also by Institutions, Societies, Associations, and Companies if* these persons and institutions shall own within the European part of the town of Dalny in their own right, or on life lease, plots of ground or pay municipal taxes to the extent determined by the Governor of the Region. 111. Persons possessing a plot of ground by general undivided right; those who have not attained the age of 25 years, persons of the female sex, persons under tutelage or guardianship, sons who have not been separately apportioned, as also Institutions, Societies, Associations, and Companies participate in the elections in strict accordance with Observation ISo. 2 to paragraph 24 and paragraphs 25-30 of the Municipal Code. 112. ¥o person can have more than two votes at an election; one in virtue of personal right and one in virtue of representation authorized by power of attorney or special assignment. 113. Among the persons satisfying the conditions laid down in paragraph 110, the following shall not take part in elections : — 1. Priests and church servitors of Christian denominations; and 2. Persons occupying posts in the police of the Dalny Prefectorship. 114. The right of participating in elections by personal right, or in virtue of delegation (paragraph 111) is forfeited: — 1 . By condemnation for crimes or misdemeanours involving loas or limitation of. personal rights, expulsion of service, as also for offences punishable by Magistrates ; 2. By exclusion from the service during a period of three years ; 3. By persons under trial for crimes and offences mentioned in point 1. 4. By bankrupts whose failure shall be found to have been fraudulent ; 5. Persons who may have been deprived of the holy office, or those who may have Deen expelled from rural communities or nobility diets to which they may have respec- tively belonged ; 6. Persons under the open surveillance of the police ; 7. Keepers of dram-shops and their assistants ; 8 Persons who are more than six months in arrear of payment of municipal taxes r as also in arrear of payment of the dues mentioned in paragraph 131, or of payments to the Chinese Eastern Railway Company in respect of town ground rent. 115. A meeting, presided over by the Governor, is annually convened at periods, fixed by the latter for election purposes. The meeting proceeds to election only when the number of electors present shall twice exceed the number of persons to be elected as members of the Town Council and their candidates. The elections are made by closed ballot. 310 1 1 6. Persons having the right of voting at elections can alone be elected members of the Town Council and candidates! to the same. Those who obtain a majority of votes shall be considered as the persons elected. 117. If the elections cannot take place owing to the non-attendance of the requisite number of electors (paragraph 115), members of the Town Council and their candidates are appointed by the Governor, on the nomination of the Prefect. The complement of the Town Council is formed in the same manner in the event of the non-election of a sufficient number of members, or when the result of the election be not in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 107. Paragraphs 118-123 relate to the mode of procedure of the Town Council, its rights and functions ; complaints against illegality of election, &c. 124. All correspondence, transactions, &c, of administrative and public institutions in the town of Dalny shall be conducted in the Russian language, but regulations, notices, orders, &c, issued for general information may be accompanied by translations in one foreign European language selected by the Governor of the Region, and in the Chinese language. All petitions and notifications presented to the above institutions by private individuals may be written in one of the foregoing languages, but if they be not accompanied by a Russian translation these documents will be liable to a tax in support of translators. The amount of this tax is determined by the Minister of Finance. 125. All the Public "Works established for the benefit of the town by the Chinese Eastern Railway Company, such as water-works, lighting, urban railways, telephones, slaughter-houses, markets, &c, may be acquired by the town of Dalny, and the Minister of Finance will exercise due solicitude for the timely purchase of such constructions. Pending their acquisition by the town of Dalny, they remain the property of the said Company, and are exploited by it in accordance with and at special rules and rates established by the Minister of Finance. Observation. — Squares, streets, lanes, footways, passages, boulevards, and gardens, when completed by the Chinese Eastern Railway Company, shall be gratuitously transferred to the town of Dalny for public use. To the said Company shall be reserved the right of laying free of charge rails, pipes, cables, wires and other appliances along the above squares, streets, &c, specified in paragraph 125. 126. The constructions enumerated in paragraph 125 shall be acquired by the town not otherwise than in their entirety, and by reimbursing in one payment tbe Chinese Eastern Eailway Company all the money expended by it on these constructions as shown by its books. The purchase can also be effected by the town paying the Company a fixed yearly sum. In the latter case the rate of interest and amortization of the capital expended by the Company and other conditions of purchase are determined by agreement of the town with the Company and confirmed by the Minister of Finance. 127. Disputes between the town of Dalny and the Chinese Eastern Railway Com- pany, which by their nature do not come under the cognizance of Civil Tribunals, are settled by the Minister of Finance. Disputes involving civil rights may by mutual agreement between the town and the Company be referred for settlement to the Minister of Finance, conditional, however, on both sides losing in such case all right of appeal to the Tribunals. 128. The plots of land situated within the limits of the territory expropriated for the town of Dalny, with the exception of those allotted for municipal and harbour purposes and those destined for gratuitous government and public use, may be sold and leased for periods specified in § 1693 of the Code of Civil Laws by the Chinese Eastern Railway Company, or on the principal conditions as under. 129. Both Russian subjects and foreigners have the right of entirely purchasing or acquiring on lease plots of ground ; at the same time, in the case of the acquisition of plots of ground by foreigners, the principle of reciprocity is observed, in accordance with existing Treaties. 130. Plots are sold and leased by public auction in the order established by the Minister of Finance. Prior to the auction, full particulars relating to the plot to be sold or leased shall be made known to those who have appeared to bid, and these particulars must include the obligations of the purchaser or lessee in connection with the buildings to be erected on the plot or its cultivation within a certain period ; on the conclusion of the auction the person whose bid has been the highest for a plot signifies his acceptance of the above conditions by formal written undertaking. 131. It shall depend on the purchaser to pay the sum due for the plot acquired by him either in full or in instalments. In the latter case not less than one-fifth of the 311 purchase-money is payable at once after the auction and the remaining portion is credited as a debt to the Chinese Eastern Eailway Company guaranteed by the plot, and the payment of this debt is spread according to banking rules over a certain period at a rate of interest and on conditions established by the Minister of Finance. The Minister of Finance likewise determines the order in which the Company shall sue defaulting debtors, such order assimilating with that observed by Land Credit Institutions. 132. A certificate is issued by the Prefect attesting the title of the purchaser of a plot rff ground at an auction, and the sale is entered at the same time in a special register, the certificate in question enumerating also all the conditions which the purchaser of the plot is bound (paragraphs 130 and 131) to observe. On the strength of these documents the transfer of a plot is effected. 133. On the fulfilment by the purchaser of a plot of the conditions of purchase in, regard to the erection of buildings on it or its cultivation (paragraph 130), such circum- stance, by order of the Prefect, is duly recorded in the certificate and register mentioned in paragraph 132. 134. In the event of non-observance of the conditions referred to in the preceding paragraph (133) by the purchaser of a plot of ground, or his legal representative, the plot, together with the buildings which may have been erected on them, will, by order of the Prefect, be sold by auction. The cost of the auction will be deducted from the sum realized, and the remaining money, provided it does not exceed the original amount paid for the plot to the Chinese Eastern Railway Company, will be paid to the owner of the plot at the time being ; should there be an excess, such excess will be payable to the town of Dalny. 135. The plots of ground given on lease on condition of their being built on or cultivated (paragraph 130) will be taken away from the lessees in the event of their not fulfilling the conditions of the purchase, such dispossession being effected by the police with the concurrence of the Prefect and Chinese Eastern Railway Company. 136. On the transfer of plots of ground on any basis soever from one possession to another, such plots cannot be parcelled into parts smaller than those which will be fixed by the Governor of the Region in determining the minimum of area of town plots in Dalny. 137. The sums realized by the sale and lease of plots of ground are payable to the Chinese Eastern Railway Company for covering the expenditure attending the parcelling out and the organization of the town of Dalny. 138. The exploitation of the commercial harbour of Dalny is assigned to the Chinese Eastern Railway Company. The management of the harbour will be confided by the Company to a special functionary, confirmed in his post by the Governor of the Region, on the nomination of the Prefect. No. 347. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, September 25, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 6th ultimo, inclosing despatches from Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow relative to the riot at Kienning, and stating that, in consequence of your representations, the Yamen had promised to instruct the Viceroy of Fukien to take steps for the settlement of the case on the lines indicated by Mr. Playfair. I approve your action in the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 348. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir Foreign Office, September 25, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 3rd ultimo relative to the prevalence of piracy in the West River, and the attack on the steamer " Wo-on." I approve 312 the notes which you addressed to the Tsung-li Yanien on the 25th July and the 3rd August on the subject of these outrages. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 349. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Choate. Your Excellency, Foreign Office, September 29, 1899. I HAVE read with great interest the communication which you handed to me on the 22nd instant, in which you inform me of the desire of the United States' Govern- ment to obtain from the various Powers claiming spheres of interest in China declarations as to their intentions in regard to the treatment of foreign trade and commerce therein. I have the honour to inform your Excellency that I will lose no time in consulting my colleagues in regard to a declaration by Her Majesty's Government, and on the proposal that they should co-operate with the Government of the United States in obtaining similar declarations by the other Powers concerned. In the meantime I may assure your Excellency that the policy consistently advocated by this country is one of securing equal opportunity for the subjects or citizens of all nations in regard to commercial enterprise in China, and that from this policy Her Majesty's Government have no intention or desire to depart. I have, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 350. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received October 2.) My Lord, Peking, August 14, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 3rd instant, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copy of a despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's officiating Consul at Canton, together with its inclosures, respecting the disastrous effect on the silk trade caused by the robberies on land and water, the blackmailing and the abduction of persons which are going on in the neighbourhood of Canton with practical impunity. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 350. Consul Mansfield to Mr. Bax-Ironside. •Sir, Canton, July 31, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a letter dated the 27th July, with its inclosure, from the Chairman of the Canton Chamber of Commerce, and addressed to me as Senior Consul, on the subject of the disastrous effect on the silk trade caused by the robberies on land and water, the blackmailing and the abduction of persons which are going on in this neighbourhood with practical impunity. , • At a meeting of Consuls on the 27th instant it was agreed to send an identical -despatch, copy and translation of which I inclose, to his Excellency the Viceroy, and to report to their respective Diplomatic Representatives at Pekinc. As I have already reported on this subject, it is unnecessary for me to add any- thing beyond that I fully indorse the letter of the Chamber of Commerce. I have, &c. (Signed) E. W. MANSFIELD. l.'.;- 313 Inclosuve 2 in No. 350. Canton Chamber of Commerce to Consul Mansfield. sir > Canton, July 27, 1899. ON behalf of this Chamber I beg to bring to your notice the extremely- unsatisfactory condition of affairs now existing in the districts adjoining and in close proximity to this city. At the present moment there is a feeling of insecurity in regard to both life and property, which is unprecedented. Bobberies on land and by water are of daily occurrence. Blackmailing and the abduction of persons go on with practical impunity. The robbers and pirates are driving a flourishing trade, and their successes, coupled with the almost certain immunity from any sort of punishment, add continually to their numbers, which are now said to aggregate several thousands. Of late the attention of these bandits has been more especially directed to the silk trade, and a letter has been addressed to this Chamber by various firms engaged in the export of silk setting forth the very serious consequences involved in this, the latest, move on the part of the robbers. Natives are afraid to send money into the country to buy produce, and not without good reason, as will be seen from the list of recent robberies which is inclosed herewith. The result of this state of affairs is that the native dealers are unable to obtain silk from the country to fulfil their contracts with foreign firms, who, in their turn, will be unable to fulfil their engagements on the European and Amei'ican markets. The amount involved being over 3,000,000 dollars the gravity of the situation is at once apparent. Unless protection can be afforded to the legitimate traders in the country, the consequences may be disastrous, and I would urge upon you, Sir, the necessity of united action on the part of the Consular Body with a view to compelling the native authorities to exert themselves to the point requisite to take strong measures in the premises, and to put down the bands of robbers and pirates at all costs, and thus restore confidence and security of life and property in the districts around this city, also on the West River. On this waterway the pirates have become so emboldened by unchecked successes that they have ventured to attack a steamer with a foreign officer on board, as in the recent case of the steam-ship " Taiping." If security cannot be restored by the native authorities, as, judging from past experience, would appear to be the case, you will know the best way to arrange for joint foreign intervention, if this be possible, as it is absolutely necessary that something be done to put a stop, in the interests of foreigners and natives alike, to the lawlessness which is now the order of the day. I have, &c. (Signed) E. B, SMITH, Chairman, Inclosurc 3 in No. 350. List of Robberies lately perpetrated in Canton Province. WE, the Undersigned silk merchants of Canton, having made contracts with fixed delivery with your firm, have to inform you that, owing to the present unsettled state in the silk districts, we are afraid of being unable to fulfil the said engagements in due time. Owino- to the numerous robberies, piracies, and blackmailing cases which have occurred within the last few weeks in the chief silk districts, it has become almost impossible for us to get the silk down from the country, and our agents there have asked us not to forward any more money to them, as the boats carrying it would likely be intercepted. As a few instances of the numerous robberies perpetrated lately, we may quote : — At 9 a.m., 9th July last, in Kong Tau Creek, some pirates abducted a super- cargo and his cocoon belonging to the cocoon shops of Koon Shan, in Nam Hoi district. Sheung Fung and Co., Kung Kee and Co., and other cocoon shops in Koon Shan, have been threatened and asked for a sum of 500 taels from each shop ; and as they refused to pay, they are pressed to pay a larger sum of 800 taels t^ach, [1049] 3 S 314 At 8 A.M., 10th July last, in Ngao Hu, a cocoon dealer was robbed, and lost thirty odd packages of cocoons, one boatman killed, and supercargo wounded. Each of the four cocoon shops in Lok Chung Hu, of Shun Tak, has been asked to pay a sum of 700 taels. At noon> 14th July last, a cocoon boat was robbed at the entrance of the creek of Yat Yau village, booty worth 1,000 odd taels. The silk filatures of Sai Shiu and Siu Po have been asked to pay sums up to several thousand taels. These occurrences do seriously interfere with the whole silk trade, and unless your firm, in combination with the other foreign silk firms, can, through your Consul, bring some pressure on the Chinese Government to make arrangements to clear the country from the hundreds of robbers and pirates, we fear that, by no fault of ours, we will not be able to fulfil our engagements punctually. Canton, July 24, 1899. (" Chops " of 32 Chinese firms.) Inclosure 4 in No. 350. Consul Mansfield to Canton Viceroy. Your Excellency, Canton, July 26, 1899. THE foreign merchants of Canton have presented a Petition to the Consular Body to the effect that in the districts around Canton robbery by land and by water, blackmailing, and the abduction of persons, are matters of daily occurrence. Tho evildoers, emboldened by immunity, are constantly adding to their numbers, which are now said to aggregate several thousands. The important trade of Canton in silk, of which last season a value of nearly 30,000,000 dollars was exported, has been lately made the special object of their attacks, and the native dealers who purchase the silk in the interior are afraid to send money into the country, the local authorities being absolutely unable to afford protec- tion. The few soldiers who have been from time to time sent to restore order are totally inadequate to cope with the robbers, and are, in fact, merely a further source of expense to the people, who live in constant fear of their lives and property. I have the honour to explain to your Excellency that the silk trade is carried on by contracts between the merchants of Europe and the United States, and the foreign merchants of Canton, to deliver silk on certain fixed dates. Eurther contracts are made between the foreign merchants and the native dealers to deliver the silk in Canton on fixed dates. Such contracts have already been made for silk aggregating in value 3 ? 500 ? 000 dollars. In many cases the fixed dates for delivery in Canton have already passed, and the native dealers, owing to the lawless state of the country, are unable to buy silk to meet their engagements. Large claims for non-fulfilment of contract will no doubt be put in by the silk merchants in Europe and the United States against the foreign merchants of Canton, who must meet these claims, and as it is the obvious duty of a State to keep order within its limits, if China neglect to do her duty in this matter, it will be to her that the merchants wall have to look to make good the losses incurred by the neglect of officials. Though the above remarks apply principally to the silk trade, other branches of trade are suffering from the same causes. Matters have now reaphed a point where it is absolutely necessary for immediate and vigorous action to be taken by your Excellency to extirpate the robbers within you 1 ' jurisdiction, unless the important trade of Canton is to be destroyed. Every day of delay increases the number and boldness of the robbers, I am sending copy of the Petition of the Chamber of Commerce and of this despatch to Her Majesty's Minister in Peking. (Signed) R. W. MAXSEIELD. No. 351. Mr. Bax'Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury .—-(Received October 2.) My Lord, Peking, August 15, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith, in original, some interesting notes made by Mr. Litton, of Her Majesty's Consular Service, on his reeent journey from Kueiyaug to Canton, together with route maps on a reduced scale, 315 Mr. Litton made these notes in the hope that they might be of assistance to a proposed railway survey between Kueichon and Canton. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IEONSIDE. Inclosure in No, 351. Notes by Acting Consul Litton on a proposed Survey through Kwangsi and Kueichou. A SCHEME for direct railway counection between the Canton (West) Hiver and Szechuan will entail a survey across Kueichou and Kwangsi. The following remarks on the geography and trade of Kueichou, and on a suggested line of work through Kwangsi, may be of interest in this connection. Kuei Chou : General Remarks. I. I estimate the population of Kuei Chou at under 4,000,000 ;* at least 30 per cent, of these are non-Chinese tribes, Miao Tsu Lolo, Chung Chia, and Tung Chia. The chief cities in the province are Kuei Yang, the capital (about 75,000 inhabitants), An Shun-fu (about 35.000), Tsun Yi (35,000), Chen Yuan-fu (about 15,000), Using Yi (about (6i000), Tung Yen-fu, and Pi Chieh (no estimate of population). The prevailing rocks are limestone and calcareous shale. The whole province may be regardod as a glacis slopiag down from the Yunnan Plateau eastwards to Hunan and south to Kwangsi. The north or Szcchan frontier, and the south or Kwangsi frontier, eons-ist of two great limestone bulwarks, and to find the best way through these will be the surveyor's chief difficulty. The portion of the province south of the Wuchiang Ho is a plateau 5,000 feet on the Yunnan side, dropping to 4,000 at Kuei Yang, and 1,000 feet on the Hunan border. This plateau is covered with cones and massive outcrops of limestone, but not distributed in such a manner as to cause any obstruction to surveyors. A great part of the land is barren heath or grass, only a very small proportion being under cultivation. As regards the southern barrier of the province Hsing Yi, in the sonth-west corner, is over, 5,000 feet, and the descent into Kwangsi is very abrupt, about 4,oOO feet in a day's journey, as I am informed. I tried to, find a practicable route by striking down due south from Kueiyang to the frontier, and then working east 30 — 50 miles north of the frontier to Tushan. But this country, previously unexplored, is not practicable, as the following notes will show. Kueiyang to Lo Fu and Tu Shan. 2. June 15. — Left Kueiyang by the small South Gate and proceeded south along the valley of the river which flows under the south wall of the capital ; on the left of the line of march was a range of limestone rocks, and on the right, low rounded hills. Nothing like a climb the whole day, but the country is broken. Much available land not cultivated. Ching Ngai (17 miles) is a small city (of about 1,000 inhabitants) in a circular depresuion, which is covered with paddy. The height is 50 feet above Kueiyang. To the south and south-east of Ching Ngai there is a high range. June 16. — Continued march south through some well-wooded and easy country ; 8 miles, struck the north end of the Ting Fan Plain. This is an alluvial tract, 15 miles in. length, and 1 to 1^ miles in breadth, sloping very gently to the south. It is very densely cultivated, and is closed east and west with mountain ranges ; a hill-path leads into the eastern range up to Ta Tung, a small city on an elevated limestone plateau. Nearly all the plain people are Chinese, but the hills are inhabited by Chung Chia and Miao. Ting Fan is a small city of about 3,000 people. The road continues down the plain to the south, passing several large and thriving villages, to San Tu,. 8 miles, a considerable market, where a temple was placed at our disposal ; a stream, which issues from the north-east corner of the plain and is joined by a tributary under the walls of Ting Fan, had accompanied us during the latter part of the march. The Headman stated that, if it were not for the fact that the river goes into a cave south of San Tu, they would have direct navigation for small craft straight through to Kwangsi at high water. ° * See Bretschneider's " Map of China." [1049] 2 S 2 316 June 17. — After leaving San Tu the valley closed in, and the track leads along through woods and thickets along the spurs of the east range of hills ; 6 miles, struck the river again and went through dense forest, which finally opened out into a scruh country with numerous limestone peaks. After passing the tiny village of Tsing Ten some paddy fields are seen again, and a rough path through a limestone gorge hrings us to the wretched market of Tuan Sha Shu ; the peasants here are nearly all Chung Chia. June 19. — Gradually descended a narrow limestone gorge and emerged on a fine open paddy plain, at the south end of which is the considerahle hut poverty- stricken market of Pa Yang, which hoasts a li-kin. Up to this point the route presents no serious natural difficulties, and I hegan to think I had struck a new patent way into Kwangsi ; hut on leaving the market-place the road mounted a hill and plunged down a very steep and difficult defile, with a fine limestone cliff looming on the east of us. In a mile we descended 1,000 feet ; and this may he called the first step down from the plateau of Kuei Ohou. June 20. — The march continued down an easy valley, which closed up 10 miles from Pa Yang ; then we plunged down another excessively steep descent, the path leading along a slit in a precipice which is over 500 feet deep. On arrival at the bottom (village of Pan Keng), we found that the flora, climate, and temperature differed widely from those of the plateau ; the limestone precipice, the true frontier between Kwangsi and Kuei Chou, stretched away to the east and west as far as the eye could reach without a break. The low country which we had reached consisted of range upon range of low rolling hills, covered with grass and fairly wooded. It is an exceedingly sparsely populated district. Bearing south-east we crossed saveral grass-covered spurs running oat from the foot of the limestone bulwark, and arrived at Lo Pu Ting almost melted with the oppressive heat. Lo Pu is a place of no importance ; there is no city wall, and not more than 1,000 inhabitants. A track goes hence to the Kwangsi border, 30 miles to south through the wild country. Satisfied of the impracticability of the road traversed (on account of the two descents mentioned) I determined to work east through the undiscovered country to Tu Shan, on the main opium road from Kuei Yang to Kwangsi. The Lo Pu official, a pleasant old gentleman, represented that there was no road, and if there was, it was infested with lions and tigers, and fierce bandits, whose chief diversion was the slaughter of " yang jen." Pinding, however, that I was bent on my own destruction, he found me two guides. June 21. — Left Lo Pu and marched down a cultivated valley to east ; after 3 miles we entered the hills and struck the elbow of a river 40 yards broad, swiftly flowing south to Kwangsi. We stopped to cook food at a Chung Chia village, con- sisting of some twenty huts made of matting and bamboo, and beautifully situated in a wood; the rich growth of bamboo and banana trees, and the bee-hive-shaped granaries raised on piles, and scattered on the hill-side round about, gave the village quite an African appearance. Por the rest of the day we marched through scrub and long grass, the country being almost entirely uninhabited, but fairly level, and capable of supporting a large population. We kept on the whole to the line of the river, and put up at a Chung Chia village among paddy fields close to the river. Heavy rain fell in the night, and — June 22. — We had to Avade some distance up a brook, whence we emerged on a splendid valley surrounded by cloud-capped pinnacles of limestone, and full of partridges. The valley was only very partially cultivated. Climbing out of the valley at the north-east corner, we were involved among a series of great spurs of limestone, which project from the highlands of Ta Tang. The day's march was a succession of rough descents to, and ascents from, gloomy little valleys surrounded by bare bulwarks of rock. Here and there we saw patches of maize and paddy, and we met a few Miao. In the afternoon we arrived, tired out, at a village of five families of Chinese squatters. We were very kindly treated. June 23.— After 4 miles' march the country became less wild, grassy hills being substituted for jagged peaks of limestone. After passing several settlements of Chung Chia and some hedges of wild raspberries laden with luscious fruit, .we suddenly plunged downward through a waste of bracken, which, to judge by appearances, must have been full of game. After a very steep descent of 1,000 feet through magnificently wild scenery, we found ourselves by the banks of a river 50 yards broad, shut in by a close gorge, and running south like a mill race. After some delay on the part of Charon, we were ferried safely across in a rickety craft, and began to climb the opposite steep. A drenching rain commenced, and in a few minutes we were all soaked to the 317 skin. After vainly attempting to find lodgings in a Chung Chia village, we tramped on 5 miles, across a good pasture country, and then descended into the paddy basin of Hsi Liang ; putting up at a filthy little Chinese market, we felt, none the less, quite civilized. We had emerged from the Miao country at least. June 2-1. — Began the day as usual by a stiff climb out of the valley through a rugged limestone pass. For the rest of the morning we had a pleasant walk down a fertile and well- wooded valley, passing several small villages and much cultivated land. In the afternoon we again entered the hills to the right, and after threading our way through a series of limestone gorges, we stood on the edge of a precipice some 700 feet high ; immediately at our feet lay the oblong plain of Lu Tung, some 3 miles by 1 mile broad. Every inch was cultivated with paddy ; we counted nine good-sized villages, while on all sides almost perpendicular cliffs guarded the little oasis in the wilds. Lu Tung is a complete natural amphitheatre. Curious and beautiful formations of this kind are everywhere met with in this limestone country ; caves, underground rivers, and natural bridges are of frequent occurrence. June 25. — Crossing with some difficulty the river which irrigates the plain of Lutung, we entered the mountains to the north-east, and again found ourselves in an uninhabited jungle. On reaching the top of the range, we had a fine view across a wide valley, splendidly wooded, and running north and south ; beyond was a high range, evidently our old friend, the bulwark of the Kueichou Pleateau. After losing our way several times, we struck a path across the valley, passing several little villages embowered among beautiful wooded scenery. We also passed a small Chung Chia market, where about 300 persons were making noise enough for the Stock Exchange ; 20 dollars would have bought up the whole market, including the freehold of the shops. In the afternoon we accomplished the last and stiffest climb of the journey. This brought us back on the plateau, whence an easy walk of 5 miles over richly cultivated country brought us to Tushan. The conclusion arrived at is that it will be waste of time to look for a route west of Tushan. The road from Tushan to San Chueh (head of navigation) leads clown a wide valley to south-east, and then turning north-west strikes the head waters of the stream, which, after receiving a tributary at Ta Ho, becomes navigable at San Chueh.* There is only one section (about 5 miles), near Shui Ngai, which presents any difficulties. lioute from Kueiyang, South-east. 3. The line of the main official route south-east from Kueiyang presents no very serious difficulties. Three routes may be taken to San Chueh, the head of navi- gation : — (1.) The main official road, Kueiyang to Kuchou, which passes through the small and tumble-down cities of Lung Li, Kuei-Ting, Tu-Yun, and Pa Chai, and so to the head of navigation at San Chueh. (2.) The same as (1) up to Tu Yun, and thence to Tushan and San Chueh, a slightly longer route, but it would take in some valuable agricultural country round Tushan and the grading would probably be easier. I may remark that all over this part of Kuei Chou there is a large acreage of land which was formerly cultivated, and doubtless might, under favourable conditions, be cultivated again. The last section, from Pa Chai to San Chueh, or Tu Shan to San Chueh, will present the greatest difficulties. (3.) I may mention that there is yet another track from Tushan to Kueiyang direct passing to the west of the main 'road (which makes a detour to pass by Kuei Ting and Tu Yun).t This path goes through a well- wooded country, excellently suited for agriculture, but as yet only moderately thickly populated. It is, however, more flourishing than the main road. By this way the mileage would be shorter from Tu Shan to Kueiyang by 30 miles, but the expense, on account of inequalities of ground, would be greater. 4. From Tushan a road goes direct south to Li Po, and so down into Kwangsi. The Canton opium caravans mostly come up this way from Ching Yuan. But I hear that it is a rocky and barren route, and that the Kwangsi part of it is not so good as the alternative described below. Mr. Consul Bourne could give further particulars of the Li Po route, which I do not think is to be recommended. Prom San Cbueh down to Kuchou will be a very unprofitable and expensive bit * See Route Map No. 4. ■ t See Route Map No. 3. 318 of line. You will at San, Chueh. have descended from the plateau of Kuei Chou, but the country is all broken up into grass-covered bills, rising 500 to 1,200 feet above the river. "Limestone gorges are frequent. The high road follows the river, and, so far as I can make out, along the river will be the most practicable course. The country is a waste of grass and forest, with here and there a village of the Tung Chia clan. Kuchou is a tumble-down city of some 3,000 inhabitants. After Kuchou the country on both sides of the river begins to open out, but it is still hilly, and a lot of cutting will have to be done to bring the line down to Ping Mei, a village on the Kwangsi frontier. Northern Kueichou. 5. As regards the line of survey north of Kueiyang, I suppose you would follow the telegraph line north-west to Ta Ting, and effect a junction with the Chunking- Yunnan line at Pichieh. If, however, the Yunnan scheme does not come off, then, I suppose, the only way will be to follow the main road north from Kueiyang to Chung- king ; there would be no difficulty until reaching the Wuchiang Ho, 60 miles nonth of Kueiyang. This river runs through a steep gorge, but would', I think, be easily bridged by a suspension bridge a mile or so above the present ferry. Once across the Wuchiang Ho, all is plain sailing till a point 8 miles north of Tung Tsu Hsicn ; then there is some nasty hilly country up to Sung Kan, presenting difficulties, but not impossibilities. The chief trouble would be crossing the great barrier of limestone, which forms the frontier of Szechuan. To follow the line of the present land route is hopeless, as the ascent above the town of Sung Kan is like the side of a house ; but the Sung Kan River forces its way through a series of gorges, and the survey will probably have to follow the same line, but it will be very expensive. Once arrived at Chen Tsu Kai, a market at the Szechuan end of the gorgesj all is plain sailing to the Yang-tsze. 6. Kueichou is a miserably poor province and the trade is quite trifling (excepting opium). The following are the chief routes :— (1.) From Hankow to Chen Yuan Pu and Kuei Yang. This is the chief line for import of foreign goods, yarns, kerosene, piece-goods, dyes, &c. ; also Hunan cloth and cotton. Most of South Kueichou is supplied by this route ; wood, hides, drugs, and about two-fifths of the opium crop are exported by this route. (2.) Prom. Canton, via West River to Hsing Yi in SouthrWest Kuichou ; import of foreign goods, especially nick-napks and Cantonese goods brought up by opium merchants. (3,) P'rom Central Kwangsi by Li Po or Kuchou. This at present is almost entirely an opium route. (4.) Prom Chungking South to Tsun Yi via Sung Kau North. Kueichou is thus supplied with yarns and foreign goods, and salt ; there is also a fair export trade of wild silk, hides, laoquer, and wood oil. Practically nothing but salt gOes south of Tsun Yi by this route. (5.) A transit route from Ssuchuan to Yunnan cutting across North-West Kueichou. (6.) The Kung Tan River route from Puchou on the Yang-tsze to North-East Kueichou. Owing to difficulties of navigation this route is used for little but salt. The mineral wealth of the province is considerable but little developed ; coal is found more or less everywhere, but especially north-west near Weining along the north frontier and near Tung-tse Hsien ; south-east below Chen Yuan and in Central Kueichou near Kueiyang and Anshun; much of the coal in the north is badly impreg- nated with sulphur ; copper occurs near Weining. Quicksilver is abundant at Tung* tse, at Pei Ma Tung north of Kueiyang and also near Tung Jen in the east ; iron occurs along the north frontier, in south-east near Chen Yuan and at othes places. The province is infested with li-kin officials, in spite of its poverty ; no less than forty-eight squeeze stations are marked on the official map ; most of these are farmed out to the Expectant Prefect in charge, but some of them can only have been opened to supply posts for the unemployed officials who have relatives in high places. I should prefer to call Queichou li-kin by its "Christian name," which is robbery ; the methods employed do not err on the side of excessive? formality : they are of the rough- and-ready style of finance which would commend itself to Bill Sykes. If the " lao 319 Yen " sitting at the receipt of customs is cold, he waits till a load of charcoal comes along and then appropriates, say 30 per cent, of it ; if he is thirsty he lightens the burden of the first tea porter who passes his barrier, and so on ; any scheme for opening up Kueichou will be opposed tooth and nail by the li-kin. As to the opium trade, it more than pays for all the imports ; gangs of pedlars and merchants armed with Winchesters come up from Kwangtung and Hunan in the early spring with loads of silver and foreign nick-nacks ; they spread themselves all over the province and are to be met with in the most out-of-the-way places collecting their opium ounce by ounce. Every sort and kind of squeezing, corruption, and smuggling takes place in connection with the opium li-kin administration. An experienced official gave me the following account : " The tax on exported opium is 8 taels per load of 1,000 oz., but an allowance of 33 per cent, is given on weight, i.e., the tax is only actually levied on 67 per cent. The central office receipts are about 100,000 taels per annum. At the very least one half of the exported opium escapes taxes altogether by smuggling over mountain paths, or only pays them in the form of bribes to the local Tax Collectors and their underlings ; 60 per cent of the opium goes to the Kwang Provinces and 40 per cent, to Hunan.' ] Working out the above I reckon that the annual export must be slightly over 21,000 piculs — a large, but not, as I think, an exaggerated estimate. Spring and autumn are fairly fine and dry in Kueichou. The winter months are very foggy, a drizzling rain often continuing for weeks, rendering survey work nearly impossible. The summer is not excessively hot • the tropical rains would, however, interfere with operations. The southern marshes of the province below the plateau are very feverish and unhealthy, and the scanty population is decimated with ague. All my party suffered more or less in June and July. Officers on a survey party should be well supplied with quinine and other drugs ; also with flour, tinned milk, and other wholesome canned stores, as the country supplies nothing but an occasional chicken and some game. The central plateau is, however, quite healthy. The people in places where their heads have not been filled with calumnious reports against foreigners by the Yamen underlings will be found friendly but igno- rant. They have the vaguest idea of what a railway is. When Captain Pottinger was surveying in north-west Kueichou in 1899 the common opinion was that he had brought the railway in his portmanteau and was laying it down as he went along. Many of the minor officials are most helpful and friendly, but the high authorities are much the reverse. They and their satellites will do all they possibly can to oppose , and obstruct, and they can only be restrained by fear of personal consequences. Kwangsi to Changan. (7.) After passing the frontier at Ping Mei the country on both sides of the river gradually becomes more and more open. The only industry of any importance is lumber, but* this is a large and important trade. It is entirely in the hands of Cantonese, who come from down river and buy up the logs from the Tung Chia tribes and send them down in the form of rafts. From Ping Mei to the small city of Huai Yuan is about 70 miles. There are scarcely any native Chinese in this section, but the Tung Chia villages are large and prosperous. After Huai Yuen the river opens out on to an alluvial plain. Changan, 18 miles from Huai Yuen, is the first important mart on Ihe river; the bulk of the population is Cantonese. If it is desired to survey as direct a line as possible from Kueichou to Wuchou, then the river should be left at or near Changan and the route directed west to Kueiiin and thence down the Kuei Ho (Cassia Paver) to Wuchou. As regards the line of the main stream down to Lui Chou and Tain Chou, I can say nothing, not having travelled that way ; but it would be longer in mileage and would not pass any town nearly so important as Kui Lin. On the other hand, there are some serious natural difficulties between Changan and Kui Lin, as the following notes will show. Changan to Kui Lin. (8.) July 6. — Crossed to left bank of the river and marched 2 miles west across a plain. Then entered some low grass-covered hills partly cleared and planted with 320 wood, oil, and camelia trees (for tea oil) ; then descended gently to a river 40 yards broad; noted a good deal of local traffic, agricultural produce being carried into Changan, but the villages en route are few and small. Marched on across level country and paddy fields, and at 10 miles struck the river again, crossing it at a small village, the hills covered with tea oil and tea trees. In the afternoon made one easy ascent to cut off a twist in the river. The last few miles of our 21 miles' march was along a paddy plain to the small market of Lung Miao. July 7.-— Continued along line of the river, the hills then closed in and before reaching Hua Yao (10 miles) the path was inclosed in a gorge ; country well wooded and passed several thriving villages. Hua Yao is a market with about 2,000 inhabi- tants and considerable business. Some of the shop-keepers were Cantonese, but the majority speak excellent Mandarin. The peasants have a patois of Mandarin and Hakka as spoken in Canton Province. All the country women have big feet and carry loads. After Hua Yao we crossed the river, now a mere brook, and entered the hills. These hills form a range running roughly north and south with spurs projecting on both sides. The pass ascends a cramped gorge with very steep sides for 500 feet to Kao Ngai Tou, a precipice about 1,400 feet. A stream, dashes over the rocks far below. A level path leads along the side of the precipice f or < half-a-mile, and then crosses a cultivated Upland valley which is the back-bone of the range. Then another short ascent leads to an inn on the summit. A very steep descent brings us down 700 feet to a rocky valley with a stream flowing down it to the east. This range is a serious, but by no means a fatal, obstacle. 1 think possibly a better way could be found up the valley to the north-west. July 8. — The valley opened out, and passing some column-like pillars of lime- stone we arrived after an easy walk of 5 leyel miles at the little city of Yung Ning ; this is situated in a fertile valley by the banks of a stream (not navigable). The road follows this river for 5 miles, not encountering any obstacles, but then the hills close in both banks, and to avoid a bend, of the river, the road climbs up through a wooded hill to the right. Then follow two trifling ascents through a very cramped gorge, and then a descent to the river at the little village of Niu Ho, ] miles from Yung Ning ; the last 5 miles of this section present considerable difficulties. Prom Niu Ho we dropped down 10 miles by river, but the road is along the banks and quite easy, winding along the foot of low, well-wooded hills. Unfortunately the river instead of flowing out into the Kuilin Plain, goes round to the south-east, and joins the Liu Chou river. Thus we had to climb another range intervening between us and the Kueilin plain. Leaving the Niu Ho at the village of Hsing Lung, the path leads through some cultivated country with miserably poor villages, and then up a hill, well wooded (as most of the hills are in this country) ; the descent is steep but short. Another final climb leads to an inn at the top, whence a fine bird's-eye view of the Kueilin Plain is obtained. The whole range runs north and south, parallel to the range described above. The descent to the plain is very steep, and the range presents serious difficulty No. 2 in getting from Changan to Kueilin. Prom the foot of the hills all is plain sailing, 30 miles over a perfectly level country, well populated, and as fine paddy land as I have ever seen. Characteristic of this plain are the limestone needles pillars, masses that are distributed all over the plain ; they look formidable, but a level road is always to be found round or between them. Kueilin is approached by a long street leading to the "West Gate. Kueilin City. (9). Kueilin: I was surprised at the size and prosperity of the capital of Kwangsi; this is due partly to its being the seat of Government and partly to the large agricultural resources of the great plain on which it is situated, wdiich finds an outlet both south to Wuchou and north to Hunan. The city is on the right bank of the Kuei Kiver, and the walls are about 7 miles round.* The river face is about' 2 miles long, and the south part of the city about 1£ miles broad, and completely covered with shops and houses. This is the business quarter, and is remarkably clean and prosperous. The city resembles Chengtu, save that the streets are narrower and the houses higher. In the centre of the city is a curious limestone hill, and imme- diately under this is the Examination Hall, with the Governor's Yam 6n near. The north of the city is narrower and less thickly built over, but the total population cannot be less than 170,000 j there is a long one-street suburb outside the West and 321 South Gates, and a very busy street outside the East Gate, between the wall aud the water ; a bridge of boats goes across to a suburb ou the west bank, which contains a considerable Mahommedan element. In the city there are two strong foreign elements, Cantonese and Hunanese ; there are also said to be a number of Yiinnanese, though it is not clear when they came from Yunnan. The East River bank is lined for 2 miles with craft of all description, and I am informed that, except in low water, communication to Hunan is easy by water and canal. If the railway scheme ever comes off, the concessionaires should certainly get the right to make a branch connecting Kueilin with the Hsiang Valley in Hunan, as this would, I think, be a profitable section. I am indebted to the Rev. L. Byrde for many notes on Kueilin. He is the first British subject who has attempted to reside at Kueilin. His experiences are the same as mine— people perfectly friendly, but officials unfriendly. Kueilin River. (10.) Kueilin to Wuchou, by river, 190 miles. The Survey would have to follow the line of the river on the whole, but many corners could be cut off and the mileage reduced. Thus Ta Hu, a large market at the southern end of the Kueilin Plain, is 15 miles by river and only 9 miles by land. There are no really important towns on the river, Ping Lo and Yang So being quite small places, and the conntry, after leaving the Kueilin Plain, and until approaching Wuchou, is hilly, poor, and thinly populated. In Kwangsi, prosperity seems to be in patches, a patch round Kueilin, another round Nan Nihg, another round Liu Chou, and so forth, but the greater part of the province is hilly and barren, and nearly all the peasantry live in mud hovels. I do not think that there can ever be profitable steam navigation of the Kuei River. Boats drawing 3 feet could undoubtedly reach Ping Lo at all times, but that is very little use unless they can get to Kueilin. The upper reaches of the river are broken by very frequent rapids, or, rather, shallows, which appear to have been formed by collections of stone and rubble. Descending in a small boat in July (the water was unusually low for July), we frequently grounded in 1^ to 2 feet of water between Kueilin and Yangso. After leaving the Kueilin Plain, limestone mountains close in on both sides of the river, but probably a suitable line could be found at some distance from the bank. After Ping Lo, the formation changes to sandstone, and conglomerate with frequent alluvial plains ; still there would be a lot of expensive cutting to he done, and little or no traffic except the through traffic from Kueilin to Wuchou. The total mileage, Kueiyang-Tu Shan-San Chueh- Ku Chou-Changan-Kueilin- Wuchou, will be about 580 to 600 miles. (11.) No doubt railways will pay eventually almost anywhere in China, but I believe that no line of equal length will take so long to pay its way as a Canton- Szechuan direct. Nor has this line any particular political or strategical advantage to recommend it such as may fairly be urged for the Burmah-Chungking line. The proper way to connect Chengtu with Canton is via Hankow, forming a connection somewhere south of the Tung Ting Lake with the proposed American line. The Survey should be directed from Chungking to Euchou, Yiu Yang, and so into Hunan and to Chen Chou. This line would not only connect Szechuan and Canton, but also Szechuan and Shanghae, which is far more to the point. If it were a British line, it would ear-mark a most important part of the Yang-tsze Valley, and also, as I believe, be an excellent commercial investment, for it is extremely doubtful if steam navigation on the Upper River will ever really be perfect enough to satisfy the vast requirements of Szechuan. ^ (Signed) G. LITTON. [The five maps attached to preceding Report are not reproduced. No. 352. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury, — (Received October 2.) My Lord Peking, August 15, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a letter I have received from the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, dated the 18th July, complaining that the junk " ^ [1049] ST 322 trade from Canton to Hong Kong is less highly taxed than the steamer trade, to the detriment of the latter. The Chamber advocates the abolition of the Native Customs of Canton as the only effectual remedy for this grievance, which has been repeatedly the subject of remonstrance to the Tsung-li Yamen by this Legation, I also inclose copy of my reply, dated the 7th instant, to the effect that the remedy proposed is of so sweeping a nature that I must submit the question for the consideration of your Lordship. The proof of the levy of differential duties is so difficult to obtain thatit may be considered impossible "to prevent the partiality shown to junk-borne cargo, of which the Chamber of Commerce complains. It seems feasible, however, by constant vigilance and remonstrance, to minimize the extent of the indulgence, I hfl,VG &c (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 352. Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce to Mr. Bax-Jronside. Sir, Hong Kong, July 18, 1899. IT is with regret that I have once more to address Her Majesty's Representative on a subject so time-worn and, so unsatisfactory in , the results hitherto arrived at as that of the differential duties accorded to junk-borne cargo by the Hoppo or Superintendent of Native Customs at Canton. In previous, correspondence this Chamber has dealt with the question at great length, but, at the risk of reiteration, I am compelled, by reason of its importance, tb again go somewhat into detail. , It is well known, and cannot be reasonably disputed, that the Steam-boat Companies plying on the Canton River have for many years past been losing cargo, not through competition of rates, but owing to the lower duties paid by that cargo when shipped by junk. Documentary proof of this practice by the Native Customs of accepting lower duties on goods carried in native vessels has been asked for, but has never been obtainable, owing to the reluctance of native shippers to come forward and testify, for obvious reasons. So far back as April 1874! the Hong Kong, Canton, and Macao Steam-boat Company (Limited) had reason to cOmplain of the action of the Hoppo in influencing the quantity of cargo carried by their steamers. In the first three quarters of the year 1873 the steamers received their usual cargo of between 21,000 and 23,000 bales of raw cotton ; but this suddenly fell in the fourth quarter to 1.821 bales, and in the first quarter of 1874 it sank to twenty-five bales only. Since that date, when the trade in raw cotton was thus diverted, other articles of export have followed, such as waste silk, tea, cassia, matting, fans, fire- crackers, canes, preserves, &c, until at the present moment the only trade of any great value remaining is the carrying of passengers. "Whereas, prior to 1873 the Steam-boat Company received some 85 per cent, to 90 per cent, of the foregoing exports, they now carry, at the utmost, not more than 10 per cent, of the articles above named. Raw silk, owing to its costly nature, is still shipped in the steamers, bui beyond small odd shipments of the other products, owing to various causes, such as pressure of time, temporary want of junk tonnage, or bad weather, the carsro still left to the steamers consists mainly of perishable goods, for the food supply of this Colony. The Committee would respectfully draw attention to the fact that the River Steam-boat Companies were formed, and that they built large and costly vessels unsuitable for any other traffic, on the faith of the rights guaranteed by the Treaty of Tien-tsin, of which rights, the Companies submit, they have been insidiously and unfairly deprived without compensation, and, in spite of repeated protests, without redress. The assertions of the Steam-boat Companies as to the diversion of export car*o from their steamers to junks can be amply and fully corroborated by the Imperial Maritime Customs at Canton ; and where the facts are so notorious, as in the present 32.1 instance, the Committee submit there is no necessity for documentary evidence by Chinese. Seeing that any prospect of redress is obviously slender so long as the two competing Customs Services are maintained side by side in Kwangtung, and that their continued existence synchronously must serve to obstruct and limit foreign as well as native trade in the province, the Chamber is strm^ly of opinion that Her Majesty's Government would be justified in demanding the abolition of the Native Customs, with its Hoppo, and that the entire collection of duties be placed in the hands of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, who could reimburse the Provincial Treasury the sum at present contributed by the Hoppo. The present system is abnormal, wasteful, and unpractical, defensible from no point of view, save on the assumption that the collection by the Imperial Maritime Customs would be a confiscation of provincial revenue, and such an. assumption could not be seriously maintained. The Chamber therefore urge that, in the interests of trade and in defence of violated Treaty rights, the abolition of this Customs anachronism may be insisted upon by the British Government, who would no doubt be supported by the other Treaty Powers in so just and reasonable a demand. I have, &c. (Signed) R. M. GRAY, Chairman. Inclosure 2 in No. 352. Mr. Bax-Ironside to Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. Sir, Peking, August 7, 1899. I BEG to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 18th July with reference to the unfair advantage accorded by the Native Customs authorities of Canton to junk-borne exports in the shape of duties lower than those of the Treaty Tariff. As you are aware, this Legation has repeatedly protested against this practice. The remonstrances of Her Majesty's Minister have invariably been met with a polite denial on the part of the Canton Native Customs authorities, conveyed through the Tsung-li Yamen, and a request for proof of the assertions of the foreign Steam-ship Companies. Your present proposal to abolish the Native Customs altogether would certainly go to the root of the evil. It involves, however, such wide -spreading consequences, in other words, the fiscal reform of that portion of the Chinese Empire to which you refer, that I feel it my duty to submit the matter for the consideration of Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 353. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. --(Received October 2.) My Lord, Peking, August 16, 1899. ON receipt of your Lordship's despatch of the 20th June last, I addressed a note* copy of which I have the honour to inclose, to the Tsung-li Yamen, pointing out. with reference to clause 4 of the Chinese Memorial of the 15th March, a translation of which was inclosed in my despatch of the 27th April to your Lordship, respecting the intercourse between missionaries and officials that where Bishops and priests of British nationality are concerned, Her Majesty's Government cannot allow their affairs to be subject to the intervention of the officials of any Government other than the British Government, unless with the consent of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Representative in special cases. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. [1049] H i r n I ...... - 324 Inclosure in No. 353. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, August 1, 1899. HER Majesty's Secretary of State has under his consideration the Memorial presented to the Throne by the Tsung-li Yamen on the 15th March last, of which I forwarded his Lordship a translation some time ago. It is laid down in clause 4 of the proposals submitted in the Memorial that, in grave cases connected with Roman Catholic Missions, Bishops and priests must request the Minister of the nation specially intrusted by the Pope with the protection of missionaries, or the Consul of that nation, to arrange the affair with the Tsung-li Yamen or the local officials. Lord Salisbury has instructed me to inform the Chinese Government, with reference to that clause, that where Bishops and priests of British nationality are con- cerned, Her Majesty's Government cannot allow their affairs to bs subject to the intervention of the officials of any Government other than the British Government, unless with the consent of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Representative in special cases. In communicating the above intimation to your Highness and your Excellencies, I avail mvself, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IROKSIDE. No. 354 Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received October 2.) My Lord, Peking, August 16, 1899. WITH reference to Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 7th January last, inclosing translation of the Mining and Railway Regulations issued by the Chinese Government, I have the honour to forward herewith translation of a despatch, dated the 10th instant, which I have received from the Tsung-li Yamen, embodying a Memorial to the throne proposing certain modifications of the Joining Regu- lations. The Imperial assent was given to this Memorial on the 30th July. The purpose of the modifications in question is evidently to define more clearly the limitations imposed upon the co-operation of foreigners in such undertakings. ■ I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 354. The Tsurig-li YarnSn to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Translation.) Sir, Peking, August 10, 1899. ON the 30th July last the Yamen (in conjunction with the General Board for Mining and Railways) memorialized the throne, submitting certain explanatory and additional Regulations for mines. The same day the Imperial Rescript was received : " Let it be as proposed." The Yamen have the honour to transmit this Rescript, together with a copy of the Memorial, for your information. (Seal of Yamen.) Inclosure 2 in No. 354. Memorial submitting Explanations of and Additions to the Mining Regulations. (Translation.) WHEREAS a joint Memorial was presented on the 19th November, 1898, submitting Regulations for mines and railways ; and it was explained therein that future action should depend on circumstances, and that Avhere additions and altera- 325 tions were found to be expedient, they should, after careful investigation into the requirements of the case, be embodied in further Memorials and put in force ; And whereas with regard to railway matters, a joint Memorial was presented on the 13th December, 1898, submitting a general scheme in which the various under- takings were distinguished in order according to their urgencv ; And Avhereas both these Memorials were approved by the throne, and circulated for general guidance ; And whereas since the opening of mines was sanctioned, various explanations of and additions to the former Regulations have been found to be necessary in this department also : Now, therefore, memorialists submit as follows : — When the State, which treats all men with equal kindness, allows mining operations to be undertaken by Joint-stock Companies composed of Chinese and foreign merchants, the intention is that such merchants should obtain a profit which is within the reach of all ; it is not intended that they should be allowed to grasp the profit of a monopoly. Noav, at present, whe~ Chinese and foreigners apply for mining Concessions, as the Regulations allow the Companies to decide after survey in what places minerals exist, they invariably indicate only vaguely that such-and-such Prefectures, or such-and-such districts of a province, without indicating clearly certain places in certain districts ("hsien"), and specifying the number of miles included. The result is, that dishonest traders are allowed to conspire in bogus schemes and obtain a monopoly by unfair means, and that honest and bond fide gentry and merchants draw back and keep in retirement, having no motive to exert themselves. This result is totally at variance with the original intention of the Concessions, and it is imperatively necessary that definite limits should be laid down. Setting aside, therefore, Concessions already sanctioned, which will continue to be treated according to Agreement, in future each applicant for permission to conduct mining operations must specify a certain place in a certain district, and will not be allowed to indicate several places at the same time, or to vagUely indicate a whole Prefecture or a whole district. Thus, monopoly will be checked, and profits made open to all. Secondly, the former Regulations provide that, in order to preserve sovereign rights, the control of all joint Chinese and foreign Companies must rest with the Chinese merchants, and there is also a clause providing that when three-tenths of the capital has been provided by Chinese-owned shares, foreigners can then be invited to buy shares in the concern. Although this provision was designed to develop and encourage enlightened progress, yet as the disproportion of three Chinese shares to seven foreign shares would tend, to give the balance of power to outsiders, and gradually, as it were, to let the host be silenced by the clamour of the guests, it is necessary to rectify the original rule. Setting aside, therefore, Concessions already sanctioned, in future no undertaking can be commenced unless the shares held by Chinese and foreigners respectively are each one-half of the whole, in order to avoid bias. The management shall remain, as before, in Chinese hands, and no application on the part of foreigners to conduct operations not under Chinese management shall be entertained. Thirdly, the former Regulations provide that in the case of applications made by ^entry or merchants in the provinces for permission to mine, the local authorities must see that such proposals are not contrary to the Regulations before submitting them to the decision of the General Board, and must not take upon themselves to grant the applications. Also that, in the case of applications made to the General Board direct, inquiries must first be made from the authorities of the province before the proposals are sanctioned, in order to prevent bogus schemes. The intention of the Regulations is that when Chinese subjects undertake mining operations, they have to wait until inquiries are made and permission granted before inviting the co-operation of foreign shareholders, and that by this means only abuses can be prevented. If before application is made, or before permission is granted, a foreign partnership is entered into to exploit the mines of a certain place, and afterwards, when inquiry is made, it is found that there are many objections in the way, and that it is impossible to carry out the undertaking, the merchants concerned only incur fruitless expenditure in surveying, &c, and not only is a want of consideration displayed, but bogus schemes and swindles are not got rid of. Here, too, the original rule requires explanation and addition. 326 tn future, therefore, when Chinese merchants apply for mining Concessions, they must wait until it is ascertained that there are no objections in the way, and until permission has been, granted, and then only are they at liberty to invite foreign shareholders and enter into Agreements. After this, again, their Agreements must be submitted for investigation and approval before operations can be commenced. If partnerships are first formed, and applications submitted afterwards, such applications shall all be refused. Fourthly, the present Regulations provide that all enterprises must be commenced' within six months from the date of sanction, under penalty of cancellation, but it is also provided that special cases are excepted from this rule. The result is that pretexts for delay are advanced so as to make a show of marking out claims without commencing genuine operations, and it is now necessary to define a strict limit of time. From the date of sanction the total limit shall be ten months, and no matter whether there are any special reasons or not, if this period is exceeded without operations being begun, the sanction given shall be cancelled. The local authorities may then intrust the undertaking to other persons, and the original applicants cannot dispute their rights. In other respects the former Regulations shall still hold good, and mines which, have been already opened shall remain subject to the old system, so as to avoid complications. If these proposals are honoured by the Imperial sanction, memorialists will issue general instructions accordingly. The instructions of their Imperial Majesties the Empress-Dowager and the Emperor are humbly requested on the above explanatory and additional Regulations for mining. The above Memorial has been drafted by the General Board for Railways and Mines, and presented in conjunction with the Tsung-li Yamen. Imperial Rescript, dated the 30th July, 1899 : " Let it be as proposed." No. 355. Mf. Bax-lfdnside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received October 2.) My Lord. Peking, August 18, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 6th instant on the Kienning riot case, I have the honour to inclose copy of a further despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow on the same subject. tn a semi'official communication which he addressed to me on the 18th ultimo, copy of which formed the first inclosure in the above-mentioned despatch which I had the honour to address to your Lordship, Mr. Playfair stated that he felt hampered by the impossibility of obtaining information on which he was able to relv absolutely. He also added that, whilst not doubting the conscientiousness of the 'missionaries themselves, their news is never given to him at first hand, and it has been shown bv experience that its sources are, at times, tainted. This statement will account for the change which Mr. Playfair now reports in the aspect of the Kienning case, and for the modification of his views as originally expressed. As your Lordship is_ aware, Mr. Eraser, who was officiating Consul at Foochow before Mr. Playfair's arrival, had communicated to the Viceroy a list of persons at Kienning denounced by the missionaries as having been either principals or abettors in the disturbances there. The principals were three men charged with murder and the abettors were certain Notables accused of having fomented the disturbance with the object of making that part of the country insecure as a residence for missionaries Mr. Playfair thought, somewhat naturally, that the missionaries would not hav« laid these charges and urged the officiating Consul to press for prosecution and condign punishment unless they were in a position to substantiate them by proof'" which would be irrefragable before, at any rate, a British Tribunal. Mr. Playfair on his arrival at Foochow, demanded the arrest and punishment of the persons men- tioned, and also requested that the trial should take place at Foochow. ' r ' Towards the end of last month the Foochow Viceroy intimated to Mr Plavfair that he was prepared to accede to his demand for a trial at Foochow, provided that 327 the preliminary investigation might take place at Kienning, in order that only such prisoners should be subjected to the hardship of being brought in custody to the provincial capital against whom a primd facie case had been established. Thereupon Her Majesty's Consul requested Archdeacon Wolfe to inform him in detail of the amount and nature of the evidence the missionaries -were prepared to produce, so that he might judge of its probable cogency. Archdeacon Wolfe, very much to the Consul's surprise, replied that, except against the three men accused of murder, they were unable to produce any evidence at all. There were, the Arch- deacon added, indeed potential witnesses to prove everything the missionaries had asserted against the Kienning gentry, but these men would not dare to come forward, as they would assuredly lose their heads in consequence. Mr. Playfair states that, in his opinion, under these circumstances the case for the prosecution against the gentry has entirely collapsed. Moral conviction on the part of the missionaries would not secure the judicial conviction of the accused parties in Europe, still less in China ; it seems impossible therefore, in Mr. Playfair's opinion, for him to continue to insist to the Viceroy on the arrest and punishment of the local gentry, whom the missionaries regard ,' possibly justly, as the prime movers in the Kienning troubles. The actual murderers will, however, he does not doubt, be caught, brought to Eoochow, convicted, and punished. The Viceroy intends to require from the gentry of Kienning solid bonds for their future good behaviour, and his Excellency has promised that, when the country is fit again for missionary residence, he will inform Her Majesty's Consul officially, and he will guarantee their effectual protection. Mr. Playfair considers that the above is the most satisfactory solution to be arrived at, seeing how far the missionaries themselves have fallen short of their undertakings, and I have approved of Mr. Playfair's proposed action, to intimate to the Viceroy the Consul's willingness to fall in with his Excellency's proposals as reported. f Jigj,yp $£(} (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IROESIDE. Inclosure in No. 355. Consul Playfair to Mr. Bax-Ironside. gj r Foochow, August 4, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report a change in the aspect of the Kienning case of considerable importance, and which has made it necessary for me to modify the views I at first held. On my arrival, I found that Mr. Eraser had communicated to the Viceroy a list of persons at Kienning denounced by the missionaries as having been either principals or abettors in the disturbances there. The principals were three men charged with murder, and the abettors were certain Notables accused of having fomented the disturbance (one which was the sixth of a series extending over many years), with the object of making that part of the country insecure as a residence for missionaries. , . . Not unnaturally, I took it for granted that the missionaries would not have laid those charges, and urged the Consul to press for prosecution and condign punishment, unless they were in a position to substantiate them by proofs which would be irrefragable before, at any rate, a British Tribunal. I, therefore, as I have reported to you strongly and repeatedly demanded the arrest and punishment of the persons mentioned, and, besides, requested that the trial should take place at Eoochow, that the action of The native authorities might create a greater impression. About a week ago the Viceroy intimated to me that he was prepared to accede to my demand for a trial at Eoochow provided that the preliminary investigation might take place at Kienning, in order that only such prisoners should be subjected to the hardship of being brought in custody to the provincial capital, against whom a prvmd facie case had been established. There being an obvious danger that under these conditions a true bill would not be found against the more formidable among those denounced, I requested Archdeacon Wolfe to inform me in detail of the amount and nature of the evidence the missionaries proposed to produce, so that I might judge of its probable cogency. I was honestly surprised when he told me yesterday that, except against the three men accused 328 of murder, they were unable to produce any evidence at all. There were potential witnesses to prove all the things the missionaries had asserted against the Kienning gentry, hut these men would not dare to come forward, as they would assuredly lose their lives in consequence. Under these circumstances, the case for the prosecution against the gentry has absolutely collapsed. The moral conviction on the part of the missionaries would not obtain the judicial conviction of the parties accused in Europe, and still less in China, and it is impossible for me to continue to insist to the Viceroy on the arrest and punishment of the individuals whom the missionaries regard, possibly justly, as the prime movers in the long series of troubles at Kienning." The actual murderers will, I do not doubt, be caught, brought to Foochow, convicted, and punished, but three seems no way of including any of the gentry in the net. What to me has appeared to be the main question, nevertheless, remains to be settled. The missionaries possess the right under Treaty to live and pursue their vocation at Kienning in peace, and till that right is secured to them no number of arrests and punishments and no amount of pecuniary compensation will afford a satisfactory solution of the difficulty. I understand the Viceroy intends, as set forth in my third suggestion, [to require from the gentry of Kienning solid bonds for the ( ir future good behaviour, and has promised that when the country is fit again for missionary residence he will inform me so officially, and guarantee" their effectual protection. Considering how far the missionaries themselves have fallen short of their undertakings, I do not see how any more satisfactory solution is to be arrived at, and, if it meets with your approval, I will intimate to the Viceroy my willingness to fall in with his proposals. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYEAIR. No. 356. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received October 2.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, October 2, 1899. FLEMING murder. I have been informed by the Tsung-li Yamen of the capture of the Headman concerned in the Fleming murder case. No. 357. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury* — (Received October 4.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, October 4, 1899. THE Chinese Government has just sanctioned the construction by the French of a railway from Lungchow to the frontier of China. No. 358. Mr, Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury — {Received October 5.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, October 5, 1899. IN consequence of a plague epidemic which exists at present in Newchwang, the Consuls at that port have urged the Chinese officials to adopt sanitary measures. To some of these, as suggested by the Consuls, the Chinese Government agree ; they are unwilling, however, to expend the amount which the former consider necessary. I have pressed the Yamen to comply with the requirements of the Consular Body at Newchwang. 329 No, 359. ..-, The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, October 5, 1899. t WITH reference to your telegram of tlie 4th October, you should press the Chinese Government for an assurance that no preferential rates will be allowed on the proposed railway from Lungchow to the Chinese frontier. No. 360. Admiralty to Foreign Office.— (Received October 6.) Sir > Admiralty, October 3, 1899. _ I AM commanded by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copy of a Report by the Commanding Officer of Her Majesty's ship " Woodcock " of his cruise in the Tung Ting Lake district, together with copy of the remarks of the Commander-in-chief on the China Station, dated the 16th August. It is requested that the map may be returned. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure 1 in No. 360. Report by Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour. SUBMITTED for information. After consulting with Sir Claude MacDonald early in the year, I decided to send the " Woodlark " for a short visit to the Tung Ting Lake during the time she was waiting to make the passage to Chung King in October. This visit has now taken place, and I inclose the report of her proceedings, which show that Lieutenant Barton carried out his orders with good judgment, tact, and discre- tion, under circumstances that were quite novel to him. His visit appears to have been most successful, and he was everywhere well received by the inhabitants, although the officials from the time he left Hankau did their best to dissuade him from making the visit, and magnified the difficulties to be expected with this object. As the time is now appoaching for the " Woodcock '' and " Woodlark " to prepare for the passage to Chung King, 1 do not propose to send either of these vessels to the Tung Ting Lake again before that. I have furnished Her Majesty's Charge d'Afl'aires at Peking with a copy of Lieu- tenant Barton's Report. Mr. Giles was undoubtedly of great assistance to the Lieutenant commanding the *• Woodlark," and this shows how advantageous it is to have a Consular official at our disposal when these ships aie sent on such service. (Signed) E. H. SEYMOUR. August 16, 1899. Inclosure 2 in No. 360. Lieutenant- Commander Barton to Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour. Sir, " Woodcock," at Hankow, July 26, 1899. I HAVE the honour to forward the attached report of the cruise of Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark " in the Tung Ting Lake district. Before leaving Hankau, Mr. Hurst British Consul, at my request, sent Mr. Giles, of the Consulate, to act as my interperter and adviser. I would point out that I consider the greater part of the success of the cruise is due to Mr. Giles' untiring energy and tact, and without his knowledge of Chinese [1049] 2 U ! 330 customs and procedure, I should not have been able to insure the proper respect to the British flag, which, after much palaver as regards our reception at Chang Sha, was always shown us. • I have, &c. '• vi'-f vVi' '■ -■■' (Signed) ION BARTON. : ' ( Inclosure 3 in No. 360. Report of Cruise of Her Majesty's Ship " Woodlark" in the Tang Ting Lake. HER Majesty's ship "Woodlark" arrived at Yochow on the 7th July. Inimediately on arrival several officials came off to call, one of whom informed me that he was ordered by the Viceroy to accompany us during our cruise as our deputy, to introduce us and make arrangements for our reception. About 9*30 a.m. on the 8th July, Mr. Giles, the deputy and mvself, started in blue chairs with a guard of about sixty soldiers, two red umbrellas, &c>., ; to> call on the Taotai of Yochau ; the streets, which were very clean for a Chinese town,, were packed with people, who were perfectly quiet. The Taotai seemed very pleased to see us, but after a little conversation said it would be impossible for the " Woodlark " to reach Chang Sha rapids, whirlpools, &c, and if we surmounted these difficulties the people would come out in boats to attack us. I told the Taotai that we had come on a friendly cruise to consolidate the friendship of our respective nations, and trusted they would not attack us, but if they did we should protect ourselves. (The following day, when the Taotai returned my visit, I expended about haif a belt of Maxim ball at a target on the lake ; the theory of boats coming off to attack us was not brought up again.) After leaving the Taolai's, the Commandant of Troops, the Prefect, and the Magistrate were all called on ; they all tried to dissuade us from going, their favourite objection being the ferocity of the people. On the 9th July, at 6 p.m., all three officers dined with the Taotai (European dinner) at his Yamen ; he had all the head officials there to meet us, two of whom could speak English, the conversation being generally on the impossibility of our reaching Chang Sha. On the 10th July, the Taotai kindly lent me a steam launch, and Mr. Giles and myself visited Chin Ling Ki, the site of the new Treaty port. -Ching Ling Ki is almost o^ miles from Yochau, and half a-mile from the Yang-tsze ; it is at present only a small village^ but the reason for choice is having a very good anchorage all the year round, and being so close to the Yang-tsze, it would induce the river steamers to call there more than Yochau, which is further out of their way and a very bad anchorage. On our return to the ship, I received a message that the Taotai was corning off to call and make final arrangements as to our cruise. At 7 p.m. the Magistrate of Yochau came off to introduce a Special Envoy from the Governor of Chang Sha. whose message was that we could not go to Chang Sha as it was against the Treaty to do so. We assured him he was mistaken and that we were expecting the Taotai off every minute. At 8 p.m. the Taotai and our deputy came on board, and from that time till 10 - 25, by various subterfuges, they tried to frighten and stop us. Among them was that the Governor had wired to Peking, and that they had telegraphed . to the British Admiral requesting him to stop us, and that they had received a reply from him saying that he would do so. I replied that the senior officer at Shanghae was perfectly aware of my movements, and if that was the case I would be informed, otherwise I was leaving at 5 A.M. on the following morning. Their next great point being our reception at Chang Sha, the main point being that the Governor should receive us at any other place except his Yam§n ; every possible objection was raised ; however, at 10*20 we told him that if our chairs were taken to any other place except the Governor's Yamen, we should come straight back to the ship without calling. He wanted me to tow three gun-boats as protection ; however, I reduced that to one, Which was to contain our deputy. I was very glad I did so, as he was most useful in making arrangements, and the men of the junk did sentries to keep sampans off the *hip, which came off in hundreds as soon as we anchored in each place." 1 T.y We left Yochau at 5 Am. the following morning and arrived at Siang Yui at noon without the slightest difficulty, the Siang River being brOad with no current. Siang Yui is a small place with little trade; the Magistrate and two other officials came off and 33 1 called as soou as we anchored, and after we had returned his call we got under way again. We left Siang Yui at 3 p.m. and anchored about 20 miles below Chang Sha at 6 p.m. The ship's company bathed, the water being quite clear, with practically no current. The " Woodlark " arrived at Chang Sha at 9 A.M. on the 12th July. Thousands of people collected on the shore off the ship and remained there all day. At 7"30 the following morning, the 13th July, the two Magistrates of Chang Sha came off to escort us ashore ; about 200 soldiers escorted our chairs, and salutes were fired from all the gun-boats; the streets of the city were packed with people to see us ; there was no shouting or the slightest sign of any disturbance. On arrival at the Yamen the gates were wide open and we went into the inner Court without stopping; here we found all the head officials of the Province of Hunan to receive us. We then accompanied them to another Court, where we were introduced to the Governor. We then all sat round a table and drank champagne. He asked us what we had come for, and we replied to consolidate the friendly relations between Great Britain and China. The Governor replied that the two countries had always been great friends, and that he was very glad to see us ; the official who was sitting on the other side of me said that they always considered England their best friend. They then said they thought it was impossible for us to reach Chang Teh, and advised me not to try, on account of rapids r &c. We stopped about half-au-hour at the Yamen and then went straight back to the ship, everything perfectly quiet as before. About half-an-hour after the Provincial Judge, Provincial Treasurer, Salt intendant, Grain Intendant, and the Taotai of Chang Sha came off and returned our call (the four provincial authorities had buttons of the first order). They apologized for the Governor not coming off, as he was sick. As this was more or less true, I considered that more might be lost if I waited for him, and then was obliged to leave without his coming off, and so I raised steam and left Chang Sha at 2*30 p.m. That evening the pilot refused to take us any further, as he said that if he did so the officials would cut off his head ; this, I think, was only an excuse, as he did not know the way. I then borrowed one of the men from the deputy's gun-boat, who said he knew the way, but it was impossible for us to get there. On arriving at Lui-tsz-kow the following day he also refused to go on, as he said the ship must be lost; however, having ascertained the direction, I took the ship in myself into a canal 30 to 50 yards wide with high banks, and after having got round some very sharp turns, the new pilot said he thought we should get there, and piloted us on. We arrived at Yuen Shien at 3"30 in the afternoon. There was plenty of water in the canal and all the way to Yuen Shien, but I do not think that any other ships except the " Woodlark " class, which are wonderfully handy, could negotiate the sharp turns. Yuen Shien is a small place, with not much actual trade, but nearly all the big junks from the Yuen and Li Rivers pass through here. The Magistrate of Yuen Shien and other officials came off and called, and their calls were returned ; everywhere the populace was perfectly quiet. They told us it was impossible for us to reach Chang Teh ; however, the new pilot I had said he might get us part of the way. We left Yuen Shien at 6 a.m., and after having got round a very awkward turn, got into the lake. There was a bar here, with a narrow winding channel marked on one side with bamboos (least depth in channel 5 feet), after that it was plain sailing, skirting the edge of the lake for about 30 miles in 2f to 3|- fathoms until we reached the southern entrance of the Yuen River. This is not generally used by junks ; the only way you could see the channel was by the thickness of the reeds growing in the water. We got ashore by the stern in 2 feet mud, but after working the screws for about ten minutes we got into deep water with no damage. After this we got into a regular river about 100 yards wide, with a stron 0- current. Later on this narrowed down to 50 yards with a 6-knot current. We met two Chinese gun-boats, who saluted us, and wished to escort us to Lung Yung ; however, I declined to tow them on account of the current. About 1 5 miles from Lung Yung we entered the Yuen River proper. This is an enormous river, averaging 500 yards wide, generally more, and it could be navigated by ships of any draught or size in the summer could they once cross the bar. The current in the river is about 4 knots (6 knots in freshets). We arrived at Lung Yang at 3"30 p.m!, and about an hour afterwards the Magistrate came off to call, and some military officials also called. Having got on as far as Lung Yang, the officials said we should have no difficulty in reaching Chang Teh. The following morning the Magistrate's call was returned, and after having shipped some wood for trial as fuel, we left Lung Yang at 9*30. All along the river there were [10491 2 U 2 332 crowds of people, some of them having walked miles to see the first steamer on the Yuen- River. We anchored at Chang Teh at 2\30. I had great difficulty in finding an anchorage, and was half-an-hour before I found 9^ fathoms about 20 yards oft the junks. Chang Teh is a very large town, much the biggest place we went to, with an enormous junk trade. The town, which 1 should think would contain about 500,000 inhabitants,. extends for about lj miles along the river bank, and the whole of that distance, about half a-mile each way, junks are tied up five or six deep (there being no anchorage in the river). Our arrival caused great excitement ; thousands came down to the shore opposite to us, and the remainder was absolutely deserted. The Magistrate and several other officials called ; and we arranged to call on the Prefect and return the Magistrate's call next day. When going along in our chairs I noticed a lot of foreign goods in the shops.. Several of the latter were exceedingly good. The streets were very broad for a Chinese- town, but the crowd to see us was so great that we only went very slowly, having to stop several times altogether until the way was clear. The people were perfectly quiet ; all they wanted apparently was to have a look at us. Before leaving I bought 10 tons of" wood at 3 dol. 40 c. a-ton, the trial being very satisfactory. We left Chang Sha at 230 p.m. on the 17th July, and anchored below Lung Tang at 7 p.m. (I could have- gone down by the channel by Hang Kung Teu, as they told me it was all right, but rather narrow, and 1 was afraid to be caught in the narrow part with a strong current after dark.) The following morning we got under way at 6. While trying to get round a 14-point turn with a 5-knot following current, I ran into the bank, but got clear in about five minutes, with no damage except the condenser choked with mud.- We arrived at Ngan Siang at 3 p.m. This is a small and unimportant place with little trade. The Magistrate calied, and his call was returned. I left Ngan Siang at 5 A.M., and on arriving at the lake- 1 endeavoured to cross it to return to Yochau direct, but after three hours of trying in. between 2 and 3 feet of water I had to give it up, as the condenser got frequently choked with mud and weed. We passed Yuen Shien at 2 p.m., and anchored at half a-mile belovr Lui Tsz Kow at 7 p.m. We got under way at 6 - 20, and arrived at Yochau at 2 p.m.,. having expended our quarter's ammunition en route. AVe called on the Taolai, and I ordered 6 tons of wood; the Taotai on hearing this- insisted on making it a present, no argument I could give would prevent him ; his only reply was: "Tell the Admiral it was a present from me." The Taotai, although, previously he had done his best to stop us, was always most civil, and did his best to- help us in any other way. After he returned our call I weighed and proceeded to Chirk Ling Ki, the new Treaty port. On the 21st July ] made a rough survey of the anchorage at Chin Ling Ki, and arranged with a pilot to take me down to Hankau. However, the following morning,, when we got under way at 5 a.m., he was not on board, so I took the ship down to- Hankau myself, arriving there at 3 p.m. (Signed) ION BARTON, Lieutenant and Commander, Her Majesty's Ship " Woodlark." No. 361. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — {Received October 6.) Sir, Admiralty, October 3, 1899. I, AM commanded by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State,, copy of a letter respecting the prevalence of piracy in the province of Kuangtung, dated the 28th July last, from the Commodore at Hong Kong, together with a copy of the remarks by the Commander-in-chief on the^ China Station. The correspondence referred to in the Commodore's letter is not forwarded, as it. was inclosed in .your letter above quoted. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGRBGOR.. 333 Inclosure 1 in No. 361. Memorandum by Vice- Admiral Sir E. Seymour. ' SUBMITTED for information. T quite concur with the Commodore that the duty ot poncing the river clearly belongs to China, but it is a duty which, so far as I can learn, has never been properly carried out. A strong representation by Her Majesty's Minister at Peking to the Tsung-li Yamen to urge them to fulfil their obligations 'in this respect may have some effect. 2. The evil is the result of long-continued apathy (if no worse) on the part of the officials, from the Viceroy down to the local Mandarins, and may take some time io remedy, but there should be no insuperable difficulty in suppressing it, if a serious attempt is made by them to do so. 3. The " Sandpiper," which was specially commissioned for duties in the West River, has been constantly patrolling since the end of February last, and her presence, undoubtedly, has a good effect, but little can be done by" her alone if the Chinese themselves do not make strenuous efforts to check piracy in their own waters. When fanning is opened to trade, I am of opinion we should have a second vessel on the river. (Signed) E. H. SEYMOUR. August 11, 1899. Inclosure 2 in No. 361. Commodore Powell to Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour. Sir, ^ " Tamar," at Hong Kong, July 28, 1899. FROM the correspondence from Her Majesty's Consul at Canton, which I have the honour to forward herewith, you will see that the state of affairs on the West River and the provinces bordering thereon is becoming worse. 2. To take the policing of the river entirely into our bands, a duty that clearly belongs to China, would do a certain amount of good, but even then the blackmailing and robbery on shore would continue, and goods would either never reach the river or in such small quantities as to make it not worth the merchants' while to trouble about. 3. If "Sandpiper " were to convoy vessels at certain periods the result would be the same or worse, as unless a force of soldiers were employed to see the goods to their destination the work of the robbers would be easier as they would know where to collect to loot the whole of it. 4. To put matters on a proper footing, the provinces must be firmly governed, and land and water preventive measures proceed simultaneously, which can only be done by- bringing pressure to bear on China. I have, &c. (Signed) F. POWELL. No. 362. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — {Received, October 1.) Sir Admiralty, October 5, 1899. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to request that your will inform the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs that in a letter received from the Commodore at Hong Kong, dated the 1st ultimo, he reports that : — " The 'Tweed' was manned on the 28th August by a crew from Her Majesty's ship ' Humber,' under the command of Lieutenant H. E. Hillman, of that ship. Her Majesty's- Consul at Canton having also informed me that he considered further assistance necessary for the protection of British interests in the West River, No. 36 torpedo-boat was also manned on tbe 28th August by a crew from Her Majesty's ship 'Tamar,' under the command of Mr. Daniel MacGill, boatswain of the 'Humber.' " The two vessels proceeded to Canton on the 29th August to assist in patrolling the West River, under the orders of Lieutenant and Commander Carr, of Her Majesty's ship ' Sandpiper.' " 331 The Commodore further stated that 1 he proposed to send Her Majesty's ship " Wivern " to the West River on the 11th September. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. No. 363. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir E. Monson. ^ir, Foreign Office, October 7, 1899. M. CAMBON came to me yesterday to discuss the, question of the addition to her Concession at Shanghae which Erance had been for some months desirous of obtaining. His Excellency showed me a map which he maintained represented the agree- ments come to, with the concurrence of the British Minister, in 1896. A portion of the addition which is there delineated has been. admitted by, the British Government.. Another very important portion lying upon the river has been renounced by the Erench Government. There remained a small portion lying behind that which had been conceded to Erance. This small portion, according to our latest communication, we now were not willing to approve. His Excellency dwelt on the small area of the addition now desired, and the increased convenience to Erance ; and he assured me that there was no ground for the apprehension, expressed in our letter to him, that British owners possessing land within the new Erench' Concession would be compelled to submit either to Erench municipal jurisdiction or to Erench law. I promised to inquire into the matter, and see what the objections were, if there were any, to the comparatively small extension which his Excellency desired to obtain. I added I should like to obtain more full information as to the extent to which Englishmen owning land within the Concession would be free from the operation of Erench law. M. Cambon also alluded to a claim set forward in the letter which he was answering, that similar immunities should be conceded to British owners within the limits of the Concession at Hankow. He did not desire to express an opinion adverse or favourable to such an arrangement ; but he urged that it had nothing whatever to do with the points that were under controversy at Shanghae, and ought to be left to be dealt with in a separate manner. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 364. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside, Sir, Foreign Office, October 7, 1899. - I HAVE received your despatch of the 18th August last respecting the recent anti-missionary riots at Kienning, and I approve the terms on which it is proposed by Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow that the case should be settled. I am, &c. (Signed) . SALISBURY. No. 365. Foreign Office to Admiralty. Sir, Foreign Office, October!, 1899. WITH reference to recent correspondence in regard to the increase of piracy in Chinese waters in the neighbourhood of Houg. Kong, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you, to be laid before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiraiiy, a copy of a further despatch from Her Majesty's Charge' d'Affaires at Peking,* reporting the representations made to him with regard to the effect on trade, caused by the robberies * Xc, 3.5?. 835 on land and water which it is stated were at the time when the despatch was written being continued with practical impunity. Lord Salisbury would be glad if a report could be obtained from the Commander-in- chief on the station as to the present state of affairs both in the waters of Canton and on the- West River, and as to the effect of the measures recently taken by him, and referred to in your letter of the 22nd August for the protection of British trade and shipping. ,™ It seems unlikely that any effective action will be taken in the matter by the Chinese authorities. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 366. Mr. C. Hardinge to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Heceived October 9.) My Lord, t St. Petersburgh, October 5, 1899. I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship a translation of the new Regulations relating to the administration of justice in the territory of Kwang- tung, as published in the "Bulletin des Lois" of the 30th August-lst September, of which a precis was inclosed in Sin C Scott's despatch of the 19th September. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES HARDINGE.. Inclosure in No. 366. Extract from the "Bulletin des Lois" of August 30-September 1, 1899. Regulations for the Administration of Kwang Tung. — Section III, Organization of the Judicial Branch. (Translation from the Russian.) § 84. THE operation of the Judicial Codes of the Empefor Alexander II extend in their entirety to the Kwang-tung region, and on the same bases on which these Codes, in accordance with the temporary Rules confirmed on the 13th May, 1896, were introduced into the provinces and regions of Siberia, with the following modifications and addi- tions : — § 85. The appointment of Justices of the Peace to vacancies will be effected after preliminary communication with the Governor of the region. § 87. The jurisdiction of the Judicial institutions shall extend to all matters arising between Russians and foreigners, as also to cases in which Russians and foreigners are •concerned on the one hand and natives on the other; but ih matters arising among the native population the jurisdiction of the above institutions shall extend only in the cases set forth in §§ 92 and 95. § 91. Disputes and claims in civil cases arising between natives of the region will come under the cognizance of the Native Tribunals, and are decided by them according to (existing custom. § 92. Erom the general rule laid down in the preceding paragraph are excepted and dealt with by the Judicial institutions — (a.) Disputes and claims founded on deeds executed or attested with the participa- tion of Russian authorities; (b.) Such civil cases of natives in which both plaintiff and defendant mutually agree to refer their causes to the Russian Courts or to a Justice of the Peaqe. 8 96. The Governor is empowered (a) in exceptional cases, when serious crimes are committed in the region threatening public order and security among the population, to refer on each occasion by special order cases involving crimes punishable under the general 'criminal" law to the examination of a Military Court, with application uf the laws regarding iudgments and punishments under martial law, and to confirm the sentences in such cas?s ;, and (6) to place at the disposal of the nearest Chinese authorities persons of native origin for trial under Chinese laws. 336 No. 367. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received October 11.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, October 11, 1899. THE Yunnan Company's application for a railway has been refused by the Tsung-li Yamen. The Ministers cite the Burmah Convention of 1897, Article XII, and deny that they made any definite promises at the interview of the 11th April, 1898, reported in Legation telegram of the 12th April* and despatch of the 15th April, 189S.f The Ministers only admit having made a verbal promise to the effect that they will be willing to discuss the question of the extension of our railway into China when it reaches the Chinese frontier. No. 368. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax'Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, October 12, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 15th August relative to the complaint of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce of differential treatment between the steamer and junk trade from Canton to Hong Kong to the detriment of the former. The remedy advocated by the Chamber, viz., the abolition of the native Customs and the transfer of the service to the Maritime Customs, is one to which it Avould be very difficult to get the Chinese Government to consent. I concur in the opinion you express that it is possible, by constant vigilance and remonstrance, to minimize the extent of the indulgence accorded to junk-borne goods, and you should issue instructions in this sense to Her Majesty's Consul at Canton. The proposal of the Chamber of Commerce might be considered when the question of the revision of the Tariff comes up for discussion. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 369. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, October 13, 1899. BURMAH- YANG-TSZE Railway : Your telegram of the 11th instant. You should inform the Chinese Government that Her Majesty's Government cannot admit that the application is one which they are free to reject, as they consider the promise made to Her Majesty's Minister by the Tsung-li Yamen on the 11th April as binding The construction of the railway to Kunlong Ferry is in an advanced condition, a portion of it having already been opened to traffic, and the Yunnan Company will continue the requisite surveys, in order to be ready to continue the line beyond Kunlong. No. 370. Yunnan Company to Foreign Office. — (Received October 14.) Sir, 57-|, Old Broad Street, London, October 13, 1899 Jl*u I AM directed to inform you that the following telegram has been received from Lieutenant Fairfax, our agent in Peking, dated Peking, the 12th October : " Yamen refuses to entertain the proposals for the railway." *S»" China No. 1 ^1899)," p. 12. . t Ib i di) p> m 337 _ _ I am further directed to express the hope that instructions may be sent to Her Majesty's Minister at Peking to strenuously support the efforts which this Company are making to obtain the concession of the railway from Burmah to the Yang-tsze River and Szechuan, the survey of which is now being continued for another season by this Company. I have, &c. (Eor the Yunnan Company), (Signed) JOHN O. HEWITT, Secretary, No. 371. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received October 16.) My Lord, Peking, August 24, 1899. "WITH reference to my despatch of the 25th May, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copies of further correspondence which has passed between this Legation and certain British shipping firms in Hong Kong, through the intermediary of Her Majesty's Consul at Canton, with reference to the working of the Rules and Regulations for Inland Steam Navigation in the West River of Canton. I have no further remarks to make on this subject beyond those contained in my above-mentioned despatch. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE, , Inclosure 1 in No. 371. Consul Mansfield to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Canton, August 9, 1899. I HAD yesterday the honour to send you the following telegram in code : — " Shipping Companies anxious for reply to their last despatch written in reply to your despatches of the 27th April and the 1 7th May, having regard to the West River, forwarded by me 19th June." And the same day to receive your reply to the effect that no despatch of the 19th June from me had reached you. I have now the honour to inclose copy of the Shipping Company's letter in question, which must have miscarried in the post. I also inclose copy of the letter dated the 7th August from the Shipping Com- panies which was the cause of my addressing you by wire. The loss of the letter of the 17th. June is very regrettable, as the present working of the Seam Navigation Inland Regulations is most unsatisfactory. I have, &c. J (Signed) R. W. MANSFIELD. Inclosure 2 in No. 371. •■. ''' '"';' Hong Kong Shipping Companies to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Hong Kong, June 17, 1899. . WE have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your despatches of the 27th April and 17th May, which, with inclosures, reached us through the medium of Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Canton. It is with much disappointment that we infer from your despatch that you do not propose to take any steps, and that you think it well, in the meanwhile, to concur in the interpretation placed by Sir Robert Hart on the Rules and Regulations for Inland Steam Navigation in China, and that, the system should be given due time to afford a fair test of its merits! , If the Rules and Regulations as interpreted by Sir R. Hart could be regarded as in any respect' satisfactory, or if they gave fair promise of eventually meeting the [1049] 2 X 338 "requirements of the West River navigation and trade, we would readily assent, to your suggestion that they should have a trial to test their merits, but there can be ho hope of eventual satisfaction with a system which seriously impairs the value of .the original Concession. We have carefully read the letter from Sir Robert Hart which you have been good enough to forward, and while admitting that his views are important on the working of Rules and Regulations which he himself has drawn up, we take exception to the interpretation given them. The difficulty with which the Inspector- General was confronted was, we readily admit, a very serious one, for he had the choice of coming into conflict with the interests of the provincial authorities in the matter of revenue on the one hand, and on the other, the necessity of so construing the Rules and Regulations as to render their working in no respect inimical to the provincial system of revenue. He adopted the latter course, with the result that the value of the Inland Navigation Concession has been affected to an extent which manifestly could not have been contemplated by the British Minister at the time of its negotiation. The Memorandum which we previously forwarded to you afforded full information of the effects of the Rules and Regulations as now worked, and we no not deem it necessary to supplement them ; but we would beg to point out that the trade between Hong Kong and the West River, and between the Treaty ports themselves, is not of sufficient volume to allow of steamers being run profitably, but with liberty to call at way ports, i.e., inland places, permission for which has been withdrawn since we addressed Sir Claude MacDonald on the 28th March, the increased traffic would in time probably be remunerative. The pioneer steamers which are now running cannot cover their expenses under existing conditions, and others specially constructed for the trade which are now leaving the builders' hands, and others again which had just been •contracted for, had better not have been ordered. In view of the foregoing, we venture to again seek your good offices in the hope that you will be able to bring about a more practical and reasonable construction of the Rules and Regulations as they affect navigation on the West River which, as ^already mentioned, cannot be said to have been opened to trade in the sense contem- plated by Sir C. MacDonald and understood by the public at large. We have, &c. (Signed) JARDINE, MATHESON, and Co, General Managers, Indo-China Steam Navigation Company (Limited). BUTTERF1ELD and SWIRE, Agents, . China Navigation Company (Limited). THOS. ARNOLD, Secretary, Hong Kong, Canton, and Macao Steam-ship Company (Limited). Inclosure 3 in No. 371. Mr. Bax-Ironside to Hong Kong Shipping Companies. ■Gentlemen, Peking, August 24, 1899. YOUR letter under date, Hong Kong, the 17th June, forwarded under flying seal through Her Majesty's Consul at Canton, and addressed to me, only reached this Legation on the evening of Saturday, the 19th instant. Referring to my letter to you of the 17th May, I beg to state that I referred the whole question of the Rules and Regulations for Inland Steam Navigation in China to the Foreign Office for the consideration of the Marquess of Salisbury, Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. I am personally of opinion that the ruling of the Imperial Chinese Customs as laid down in Sir Robert Hart's letter to me of the 12th May, copy of which was inclosed in my letter to you of the 17th May, is a fair one, in view of the aim of the original Concession, which was to allow foreign merchants to use steam-vessels for conveyance of goods in the interior, in places where they have hitherto been allowed to use native boats. It appears to me that you are anxious to obtain a share of the native carrying trade of the interior, which trade was not formerly carried on by foreigners using native boats. If this can be done under the existing Regulations well and goodi 339 these Regulations ought not, however, it appears to me, to be strained to attain this object. The Imperial Chinese Customs have decided that it is necessary to separate the two branches of traffic, interport and inland. This separation seems reasonable when the consequences, which would result from the adoption of another method, are considered, as pointed out by Sir Robert Hart. l . The question of the opening of the West River and the opening of the inland waters are separate ones, and the two branches of traffic are governed by separate Regulations. It would be regrettable if experience showed that one branch of traffic cannot be made to pay without the aid and assistance of the other, and a request for a modifi- cation of the Rules and Regulations might eventually be based upon that ground,, but sufficient time has nbt, in my opinion, elapsed, nor have sufficient data been, as yet, forthcoming, to enable me to take action to obtain such a modification at the present time. I am, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 372. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received October 1 6.) My Lord, Peking, August 25, 1899. IN connection with the subject of the piracy now prevalent in the West River, the inclosed extract from an Intelligence Report which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Wuchow may be of interest to your Lordship. It describes the assistance rendered by Her Majesty's ship " Sandpiper " in a case of detention by pirates of British- owned cargo boats. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 372. Extract from Wuchow Intelligence Report for period ended July 30, 1899. Army and Navy. — On the evening of the 16th July Messrs. Banker and Co. reported to me that four large cargo boats of theirs, laden with cotton-yarn, had been " held up " by pirates at a place called Lukto, 7 miles below Takhing, who, notwithstanding that the usual squeeze of 10 taels had been duly paid, demanded an additional 200 taels to allow them to proceed. The local authorities and guard-stations had been appealed to,, but stated they had not sufficient force to interfere. I accordingly consulted with Captain Carr, of Her Majesty's ship "Sandpiper," and wo decided to send Messrs. Banker's agent on ahead with orders to detain the pirates, if possible, with promises of payment, while we followed at daylight next morning. Arrived at a spot 3 miles below Takhing ; we met the cargo boats coming up in tow of a steam-launch. It seems the authorities at Takhing had been at last induced to send down three guard-boats, and the local train-bands had assembled to the number of over 100 men, and guarded the boats some distance on their way. The guard-boats' charge for their services was 3 dollars per li, and the villagers- demanded a lump sum of 50 dollars. We at once steamed back to Takhing, and I went to call on the Prefect with Captain Carr. He, of course, denied that the affair had occurred within his jurisdiction — the pirates had come from another district — but I warned him that we should hold him responsible should a similar case occur again, and I informed him that I could not ask Messrs. Banker to pay any sums to guard- boats or villagers for protection on the river. Any rewards of this kind should be given by the local authorities, whose duty it was to protect the commerce on the river. The Prefect, who seemed relieved to find that we wanted no money from him,, promised to arrange with the guard-boats and villagers in a suitable manner, and having returned my call, we left for Wuchow. [1049] 2X2 340 , : : Although unsuccessful in capturing any pirates, I venture to think that the prompt appearance of Her Majesty's ship " Sandpiper" on the scene will have a good effect on that lawless neighbourhood, and perhaps spur the local officials to more lively- efforts for the suppression of piracy. ., ; . . The only remedy is a punitive expedition to the homes of the robbers, whenever a case occurs, and this course the local authorities, with the inadequate force at their disposal, dare not follow. No. 373. Mr. Base-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury .^-(Received October 16.) My. Lord, Peking, August 26, 1899. " WITH reference to Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 12th October,* 1898, forwarding copy of the Agreement signed by the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank for the Nanp'iao coal-mines, and to his despatch of the 10th December, reporting the subse- quent ratification of this Agreement, I have the honour to report on an unfortunate interruption which has occurred in the boring operations which, in pursuance of this Agreement, have been conducted at Nanp'iao by the British and Chinese Corporation. The mining expert engaged in these operations became alarmed at the increasing numbers and disquieting demeanour of the armed brigands who infested the district, and who frequently molested his party; and on the 7th instant he retired from the place, leaving the boring plant and other property of the British and Chinese Corporation in charge of the native staff. , , ,- On his return, representations as to the necessity of taking prompt measures were at once made through Her Majesty's Consul atTien-tsin to the Viceroy of Chihii, as well as directly by the agent of the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank, to his Excellency Hsu, the Director-General of Railways, and these met witli such attentive consideration that my interposition with the Tsung-li Yamen was not called for. The Viceroy immediately promised to send a body of f>00 troops to Nanp'iao to be stationed there as a protection against the brigands, and he is preparing an escort of 200 men to accompany the mining expert and his party back to continue their work. It is expected that arrangements will be completed within a few days to enable this party to start, and I propose to detach a junior member of the staff of the Legation to accompany them, and to report to me on the situation. I have the honour to inclose copies of the following documents, which have been sent to me by the agent of the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank : — . A report by Mr. Forrester, the mining expert to the British and Chinese Corporation, on the brigandage at Nanp'iao, and the circumstances under which he had to leave his work there ; and 2. A letter addressed by the bank agent to the Director-General of Railways, reporting on the progress of Mr. Forrester's examination of the Nanp'iao district, and recommending steps for the definition of the Railw ay Administration's minino- claims there in accordance with the provisions of the Nanp'iao Agreement. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 373. Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank to Mr. Hsu. Your Excellency, Peking, August 14, 1899 ALTHOUGH the final report of Mr. Forrester upon the Nan-piao and neighbouring coal-fields must of necessity be deferred until the completion of the borino- operations now so unfortunately interrupted, Mr. Forrester's inspection of the district and the indications which have come within his observations, lead him, he informs me to form a very favourable opinion of the future prospects of mining operations there ' The character of the coal so far available points to the existence of steam coal of a very good quality, and, subject to the final results of the borins, Mr Forrester con seders it probable that the coal measures will be found of ample extent to justify permanent working. J J * See " China No. 2 (1899)," p. 39. 341 ""; ; Should this happily prove to be the case, I need hardly point out. to your Excellency the i great value which these collieries are likely to prove to the Railway Administra-: ;tion, and the substantial assistance to its revenues which will accrue from their operation. I would therefore strongly represent to your Excellency the importance of revising without delay the boundaries indicated by the title-deeds for property already purchased, and to take immediate steps in terms of the contract to extend, by purchase or option, the mining rights of the Eailway Administration in the directions recommended .., by Mr. Forrester. Mr. Forrester reports the coal measures occurring in the ]Nan-piao-Kinchow area to be, roughly speaking, two in number : one extending in an easterly and westerly direction for about 90 li (30 miles) reaching from Nan-pia to Mien-hua-ti and dipping northwards; the other occurring at Hung-lo-hsien and dipping eastwards. In order to fully protect its rights, the Railway Administration should immediately acquire the mining rights by purchase or option for coal within 10 li (3^ miles) north- ward (or to the full dip) of the first-named strike, and within 10 li eastward (or to, the full dip) of the last-named strike. As Mr. Forrester will probably recommend that operations commence in the neighbourhood of Upper, Middle, or Lower " Piao," immediate steps should be taken to define or revise the boundaries, of the Railway Administration's mining rights to extend for 10 li in a northerly direction from the limestone outcrop occurring immediately below and to the south of the Nan-piao coal seams, and for 9 li along the strike from Nan-piao. 1 take the opportunity of again expressing to your Excellency the hope that the steps which you assure me are now being taken to put down the brigandage in the district of Nan-piao will soon be effective, and that you will shortly be in a position to advise Mr. Forrester that he may resume boring operations with safety. The time now being lost by the delay is invaluable, while a costly plant is in jeopardy, which it would require months to replace and cause a loss to the railways of a whole year of profitable working. I feel sure, therefore, that your Excellency will share my anxiety that Mr. Forrester's return to his work may not be delayed a day longer than necessary. I have, &c. (Signed; E. G. HILLIER, Agent. Inclosure 2 in No. 373. Mr. H. C. Forrester to the Joint Agents for the British and Chinese Corporation. Gentlemen, Peking, August 15, 1899. I HEREBY beg to hand you this statement, which puts on record the circumstances -which led to my leaving Nan-piao on Sunday, the 7th August. Our work was frequently troubled and impeded by the visits of gangs of armed brigands. These visits began early in July, and from then till our leaving they became more frequent and assumed more serious aspects. On the 13th July, while I was riding to Ning-Nayang-chou, I had to pass through a small village 3 miles south of Nan-piao. "When about 300 yards past the village a shot was fired and a bullet whizzed past us about fifteen yards off. Who fired this, or for what purpose it was fired, I am unable to say, as we rode on without taking any heed of it. On or about the 15th July the brigands called in force at the works and carried off my Secretary's pony and saddle. This was returned, lamed, some days afterwards, through the good offices of the head brigand captain, who has always been fairly friendly to us. About the same date several brigands called in the night at the house of our native fitter and requested him to go along to the works to mend their rides. He made the lame excuse that he had not the key of the tool-chest. On being informed that Mr. May, my assistant, had it, they went to his house 1 mile off and demanded it. The sequel was that the fitter was repairing rifles from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. All through July, and up to the time of leaving, these fully-armed fellows would drop into the works to have their rifles or revolvers repaired or to oil the locks, testing the result by opening the breeches and releasing the springs in rapid succession, and finally put several cartridges in the magazine, firing them to see how the whole worked. It was not unusual to have as many as thirty employed thus at one time. 342 Early in July a fight took place about 1 mile from our house in which 300 soldiers were pitted against 30 brigands. Firing was going on vigorously at 7 p.m. when we returned from the works, and was kept up till after dark. The soldiers got repulsed with the loss of their Captain and two men; the brigands had no casualties'. The soldiers retreated to Kinchow and the brigands spent most of the next day about our works. Shots were frequently fired at night in our village, generally five in rapid succession. Early in August five shots were fired close to our works, and immediately thereafter a native rushed up followed by a mounted man in soldier's uniform. The latter questioned the former and then began to belabour him with his whip. On this one of our coolies rushed at the soldier and they struggled away for five minutes or so with a loaded rifle between them. The shots had been fired at the native who rushed into our compound. Another day a gang of from six to eight came and loitered about the works, clearing off after having had their rifles attended to and having asked for, and being refused, my interpreter's pony. Soon after they had gone, a single one of insignificant appearance, came up, and as a punishment for my interpreter's not saluting and taking notice of him,, he demanded the latter's pony. On being refused he put his magazine in his rifle, which he brought to the " ready " to shoot the pony, but was prevented from so doing by the same coolie that had tackled the soldier ; again a struggle took place over a loaded rifle, and peace was only restored by the pony being handed over to the brigand. The captain of this fellow's gang brought it back in about half-an-hour, but half-an-hour later the original brigand turned up again and said he must have the pony and promptly carried it off. It was returned in a day or two again through the good offices of the boss captain. Shortly after this 200 brigands were engaged in fighting 300 soldiers 2 miles south of the works. The soldiers were, as usual, repulsed with loss of men, ponies, and rifles.. About 4 p.w. a gang of fifteen of the brigands rode into our works as they returned from the routing of the soldiers. Then another fifteen came up and dismounted, looking all over the works and going to the private office equally with the rest of the rooms. They spotted and tried to make off with our bridles, but put them back on being remonstrated with. As soon as these had gone a further fifteen came up, and after going through the same programme as the former ones they walked off, taking our ponies with them. That night we seriously contemplated leaving the place as the situation was becoming grave. Described on paper and read in places of security the foregoing may appear tolerably trivial and a thing easily dealt with, hut the demeanour of the men and the spirited manner in which all altercations and conversations were carried on witnessed over 100 miles from the nearest point of security, caused them to have their full and rather alarming effect. That night, about 9 p.m., there was a loud clattering a,t our house compound door, which was opened and in trooped seventeen brigands. They did not come into our half of the house but billeted themselves in the other half, occupied by a petty official, Chang-Chnn-pu. They sent over to our house for rice, eggs, &c, for their evening "chow," and repeated the action for morning " chow." The spare horse and saddle of my interpreter was taken away at this time* this has not been returned. Up till late that night there were men galloping up and down between the various villages, over which 200 brigands were distributed, fifteen being next door to our lot in the Government Tax Collector's house, and forty in the distillery half-a-mile off. Next morning several of the captains and lieutenants came in to see us ; these fellows always visit with their rifles in their hands and revolvers in accessible places. We had to be as agreeable as possible to these fellows, who, however were not very responsive. While thus engaged a message arrived by one of our coolies that a captain wanted to see us up at the works. We could not leave our o-iiests without giving offence, so it was quite half-an-hour before we started. In the compound we found my own and my assistant's pony and the interpreter borrowed one. We rode up towards the works, and on the way met this captain riding down at the head of six or eight men. He passed me with a nod, but on coming to the interpreter he dis- mounted and gave that individual a very heated lecture on the enormity of his offence in not responding to the summons at once. At one time matters looked serious but finally the interpreter got his horse, taken the day before, handed back to him' and away these fellows went, taking with them the saddle and bridle. We did not go up to the works as we were informed that there were thirty brigands there getting their rifles (C 343 repaired and fighting among themselves as to who should be attended to first. We therefore returned to the house, when we were visited intermittently by twos and threes of these fellows, who made requests for articles of clothing, saddles, and fire-arms; the tormer from the interpreters and servants, successfully, the latter from us all unsuccess- fully. In spite of what many persons tell you as to what you should do, and should have '2° n i e, iV 8 hard t0 dlctate to or refuse the request of a man when he is fully armed and backed by hundreds, and you are unarmed and with a single companion only. :l Eventually these fellows cleared off, seventy of them going south to Kao-chow, where they looted a village next day in broad daylight, carrying off twenty of the inhabitants, in spite of the fact that a camp of soldiers is stationed there. Next day, on coming home to tiffin, we saw three hanging around the compound door, and on going mside, were informed by the boys that two brigands had been in and gone all through our rooms taking stock of the contents. Then five shots were fired in rapid succession, and in walks one of them to ask for a saddle and bridle, and on being; refused went angrily away. At this time there were fifteen brigands in the Tax' Collector's house next door. That evening I decided to leave next morning while we had still ponies. We left the native staff at their posts, and appointed a trustworthy native, who knew most of the local brigands, to look after the plant for us. We arrived at Kao-chow on the afternoon of Sunday, 7th August, and there heard of the looting of the village the night before. Next "night we were at Ohung- hou-so. Some incidents may be omitted from this statement, which is entirely written from memory, but I hope I have recounted sufficient to justify my withdrawing from my post, which I did most reluctantly. You may ask how we knew the brigands from the ordinary native. This was evident at once, first, by his insolent bearing; secondly, each one carries a rifle of magazine type, chiefly Mauser, a -4506 six-chambered revolver, and 200 rounds of ammunition, which are all arranged round his attire so as to show to best advantage. Dressed thus, they roam about at ease all day through in gangs of from six to thirty. I have now dealt with my personal experiences of these fellows. The accounts of their depredations at Chung-ho-so, Ning-yan-chow, Tien-shan, Kou-chou, and Kin- chow I leave to the railway officials to acquaint you with, merely remarking that for all these forays" Nan-pi ao is the base of operations. The country outside the Great Wall is practically ruled by brigands, and the only people safe are the very poor. To put a stop to this state of matters, it will be necessary to send out several thousand troops, Chinese, not Manchu, well-disciplined, and provided with field and Maxim guns. These must go systematically to work, so as to converge from several points, and thus surround the brigands. If this be not done, and if the force move in a body from one point to another, the probability is they will return as they have formerly, and report the country clear, as no brigands were encountered, or even seen. I am, &c. (Signed) HUGH C. FORKESTE& No. 374. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received October 16.) My Lord, Peking, August 29, 1S99. REFERRING to my despatch of the 14th instant, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copy of a correspondence which has taken place between the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, the Hong Kong Branch of the China Association, and myself, respecting piracy in the West River and the con- dition of disorder and lawlessness which prevails in the inland waters of the two Provinces of Kuangtung and Kuangsi. My reply to the Chambers in question was couched in identic terms. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. 344 Inclosure 1 in No. 374. China Association, Hong Kong Branch, to Mr. Baa-Ironside. Sir, Hong Kong, August 12, 1899. I BEG to hand you herewith transcript of a telegram the Committee had the- honour to transmit to you through the Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation by the courtesy of Sir Thomas Jackson. The message is identical with one forwarded to the China Association, London, with the view of its contents being communicated to Her Majesty's Ministers at the Foreign Office. It is a brief commentary on the unsatisfactory position of affairs in Southern China, which is doubtless completely within your knowledge, and need not be further referred to, and deals with the expediency of affording to British shipping trading in Chinese inland waters some further measure of protection, and the desirability that the- duty of providing such protection should devolve on ships of Her Majesty's navy rather than upon those of any other nationality. The duty of efficient patrol by rights belongs to China, but she has shown herself' unwilling or incompetent to undertake the work, and would probably view with entire- complacency its being vicariously carried out. If you concur in these opinions, the Committee would be well pleased to have your valuable advocacy in furthering their endeavours to obtain for British shipping; greater security by an increase of patrol in Chinese waters. I have, &c. (Signed) F. HENDERSON, Honorary Secretary. China Association, Hong Kong, to China Association, London. (Telegraphic.) Hong Kong, August 9, 1899. .., Kuangtung Kuangsi very disturbed state. Trade seriously deranged. Piracy brigandage increasing. Position growing worse. Chinese Viceroy Canton callous... Increased British gun-boat patrol essential. Inclosure 2 in No. 374. Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Hong Kong, August 14, 1899. IT is with regret that the Committee of this Chamber have to bring to your attention facts that are not only reducing the concession lately obtained of the opening to foreign trade of the inland waterways of South China to a valueless point, but are also seriously hampering and restricting business generally. I allude to the piracy on the West River, and the condition of disorder and lawlessness which prevails in wide districts of both the Kuang provinces. Bands of brigands, well armed with modern weapons, and possessing strongholds among the hills, make descents upon the villages and towns in the silk-producing and other prosperous districts, and either plunder the inhabitants or extort regular contributions from merchants and producers. Traders conveying produce to port of shipment, and those returning with the bullion received therefor, are robbed, and, if they offer resistance, are shot or otherwise disposed of. Vessels of all descriptions on the river, from native junks to foreign steam-launches, are attacked and looted, and in several cases murder has preceded robbery. Only so late as the 20th ultimo a launch flying the flag of Portugal was boarded by a pirate craft, the master shot, the crew over- : powered, and the vessel robbed. It is perhaps hardly to be wondered that, under such circumstances, the wealthier- inhabitants of those districts should be sending their money for investment elsewhere or that the silk merchants, at, Canton should have given notice that there is some possibility that they may not be able to fulfil contracts for delivery of silk, the producers being afraid either to attempt its transfer to Canton or to make the return journey with treasure of which they are so likely to be despoiled en route. Native merchants are, as a result, loth to enter into contracts for export, and business 345 threatens to come to a comparative standstill. The foreign Steam-hoat Companies, which have been pluckily engaged in an uphill pioneer work on the West River, also find their earnings seriously curtailed by the operations of the pirates and banditti. The British Consul at Canton has no doubt informed you of the condition of affairs in the Two Kuang, and not improbably he has made you acquainted with the very unsatisfactory nature of the steps taken by the Viceroy to cope with predatory gangs who set the local authorities at defiance. The Committee trust you may make such representations to the Tsung-li Yamen as will lead to a determined effort on the part of the Provincial Government to put down the banditti and pirates, whose lawless actions, if continued, will render legitimate commerce all but impossible. It is to be feared, however, that under the administration of the present Viceroy no really sustained effort is likely to be made to restore the sovereignty of the law in these provinces, and the Committee are of opinion that the most practicable, as well as the surest, means of restoring confidence and safety along the southern waterways will be for Her Majesty's Government to employ a flotilla of boats of the " Sandpiper" class to patrol the West River, with armed shallow-draft steam-launches to watch the creeks. The appearance of such craft in the waterways would be hailed with satisfaction by the native traders and merchants, and need not excite official hostility, as they could act in conjunction with the vessels employed for the Canton Government," 7 but which, unfortunately, are ludicrously inadequate for the work, and not infrequently go off duty to act as tugs for native craft. The number of gnn-boats and guard-boats on the river has, if I am rightly informed, been reduced. The above suggestion has been already mooted, in telegrams dispatched to London, and the Committee trust it will receive your approval and support. I have, &c. (Signed) R. M. GRAY, Chairman, Inclosure 3 in No. 374. Mr. Bax-Ironside to China Association, Hong Kong Branch.* Sir, Peking, August 29, 1899. I BEG to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 12th instant on the subject ot the disorganization of trade caused by the continued prevalence of brigandage and piracy in the Provinces of Kuangtung and Kuangsi. This matter has for many months past been engaging the serious attention of this Legation and of Her Majesty's Government. Her Majesty's ship " Sandpiper " has, as you are aware, been stationed on the West River for some time, to afford such protection as is possible to British shipping and British trade, and I have now been informed by Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs that Her Majesty's ship " Tweed " is to be sent to join the "Sandpiper" in patrolling the river, and that if further assistance is required, a torpedo-boat will also be dispatched on this duty. It is to be hoped, that taken in connection with the urgent representations which have been repeatedly made to the Chinese Government on this subject, the measures adopted by Her Majesty's Government may eventually result in the suppression of piracy in the inland waters of the Two Kuang Provinces. I am, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 375. Foreign Office to Yunnan Company. gj r Foreign Office, October 18, 1899. I LAID before the Marquess of Salisbury your letter of the 13th instant relative to the refusal of the Chinese Government to entertain the proposals for a railway from the Burmah frontier to the Yang-tsze ; and with reference to your request that Her Majesty's Charge d' Affaires at Peking might be instructed to support the efforts which your Company are making to obtain the Concession for the line in question, I am * A similar letter was addressed to Hong Kong General Chamber of Coni-evcc. [1049] 2 Y 3j;g directed by his Lordship to state that instructions in this sense were sent by telegraph to Mr. Bax-Ironside on the 13th instant on the receipt of a telegram from him on the same subject. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 376. Foreign Office to the Yiinnan Company. Sir, Foreign Office, October 20, 1 899. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that his Lordship is in communication with Her Majesty's Legation at Peking in regard to the suggestions for promoting trade in Yunnan and South-west China, contained in your letter of the 24th August, and that an answer will be sent to you in due course. I am, &c, (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 377. Admiralty to Foreign Office, — (Received October 21.) Sir, Admiralty, October 20, 1899. I AM commanded by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Eoreign Affairs, copy of a letter from the Commander-in-chief on the China Station, dated the 31st August and the 1st September, relative to the measures taken for the suppression of piracy and robberies in the West River. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure 1 in No. 377. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. Sir, " Centurion," at Yokohama, August 31, 1899. I HAVE the honour to request you will inform the Lords Commissipners pf the Admiralty that on receipt of their telegram of the 19th instant, directions were at once given for Her Majesty's ship " Tweed " to be sent to the "West River to assist the *' Sandpiper " in the patrol of the waters between Wuchau and Canton. I had already given orders for the " Tweed " to be taken froni the reserve, and to be manned by officers and men from the " Humber " (as the latter ship is unservice- able until she has new boilers, probably February next), intending her to temporarily relieve the " Sandpiper," which would have come out into more open waters to refresh her crew for their health's sake, as they have now been since February in the West and North Rivers, but in view of their Lordships' telegram, I have decided to keep both vessels in the river for the present. 2. The Commodore at Hong Kong has also been informed that if the Consul at Canton considers further force required, he is to man one of the torpedo-boats in reserve and send her as tender to the "Tweed." 3. Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Peking concurs in this arrangement. 4. The only case of piracy (as properly so called by the most authoritative definitions) that has come to my knowledge occurred on the 10th December last, when a Hong Kong licensed junk was attacked by two unlicensed junks off Pinghoi,' about 50 miles north-east of Hong Kong, and ransacked of all valuables. Five lives were lost by the junk attacked. 5. The Governor informed me of this occurrence on the 28th "December. The case had been taken up by the Hong Kong police, who endeavoured to trace the per- petrators, but without success. No action on my part at that time could have been of 347 any avail, but in future, if early intimation were received, a torpedo-boat or destroyer could be at once dispatched to render any assistance possible. To trace men under such circumstances is difficult, and could only be clone with the assistance of the natives, but if once their haunt were discovered it could be broken up, as was clone in former years. 6. A very large number of cases of " robbery " have, I believe, occurred in the West and North Rivers, principally among Chinese vessels, but in some instances, vessels under the English flag have been attacked. Two such cases have been reported to me by the Officer Commanding the " Sandpiper." 7. The first occurred on the 23rd May, when the steam-ship " Wo On " was attacked near Chan Lui Island and robbed of 7,000 dollars. The '•' Sandpiper," at that time at Canton, immediately on receiving information, left (at 6 a.m. on the 25th idem) to render assistance. On arriving she found a Chinese gun-boat already there, whose Captain said he had been unable to pursue the robbers as there was not enough water for his vessel to go up the creek after them. The owners of the steamer placed the matter in the hands of Her Majesty's Consul to obtain redress from the Viceroy. 8. The second took place about the 11th July. Pour cargo boats belonging to Messrs. Banker were held up near the village of Luk Tan and 250 taels (335 dollars) demanded. On the report reaching the "Sandpiper" at Wuchau, she left on the morning of the 16th, hoping to surprise the robbersj who had been told that the money would be paid in that day, but four Chinese guard-boats had been sent from Tak Lung by the Sub-Prefect the previous evening, and the villagers had protected the boats from robbery. Remuneration for the protection was asked for, but afterwards with- drawn by order of the Military Mandarin, who said it was the officials' duty to protect trade, and no charge would be made. The Officer Commanding the " Sandpiper " is of opinion that this incident would have a good effect on the river. 9. My submission of the 11th August last will have acquainted their Lordships with my opinion of the necessity of another vessel of the " Sandpiper " class for patrolling the West River. The " Tweed " is available for service between Wuchau and Samshui, but has too great a draught for navigating in safety the numerous creeks and canals between Samshui and Canton. 10. A second or third vessel patrolling these rivers would certainly have a good effect, though their movements would probably be watched, and advantage taken of their being in another part of the river for any attacks to be made on vessels. Still, it should decrease the evil. 11. To effectually police the North and West Rivers, relieving China of her responsibilities in this respect, would take more vessels than are at my command of a suitable type, and I think could be perhaps better, certainly more cheaply, done by a Water Police Porce stationed at the various ports, with fast steam-boats at their disposal. The Governor of Hong Kong has had this matter under his consideration, and, if so ordered, I would submit a scheme in agreement with him. 12. The trade of China now suffers as much as ever from the lawlessness that prevails, and which it is of course really the duty of China to suppress, if she pretends to sovereign rights. I ha a e &c. (Signed) E. II. SEYMOUR. Inclosure 2 in No. 377. Minute by Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour. SUBMITTED, for information, with reference to my letter of the 31st August last. The Chinese authorities appear to have at last taken active measures to suppress these robberies, and, if only continued, the navigation of these inland waters might once more become practically safe. The eight pirates referred to have been taken to Canton, where they will meet with little mercv. (Signed) E. TL SEYMOUR. September 1, 1899. [1019] 2 Y 2 348 Extract from Report of Proceedings of Her Majesty's skip " Sandpiper," dated August 18, 1899. The large band of robbers mentioned in my report of the 4th August have lately taken to stopping the large wood rafts, and demanding 1,000 dollars before allowing them to proceed. In passing Shatow, I noticed two Chinese gun- boats, five armed lau aches, and fourteen guard-boats, which are acting with a land force of about 5,000 soldiers in attempting to capture or disperse this band : they were burning the villages. While at Kum Chuck, two Chinese sailing guard-boats arrived, having captured eight pirates at Kong Hum; some of these men were implicated in the "Wo On" and " Taiping " piracies, also one on a Chinese tow launch near Mahaing. (Signed) H. C. CARR, Lieutenant and Commander. No. 378. Mr. Bax-lronside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received October 21.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, October 21, 1899. YtlNNANRailway. I have carried out the instructions contained in your Lordship's telegram of the 13th October. The Tsung-li Yamen held firmly to the position, which I had the honour to describe to your Lordship in my telegram of the 1 1th October. No. 379. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-lronside. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, October 21, 1899. BURMAH-YANG-TSZE Railway. With reference to your telegram of the 21st October, you should inform the Yamen that Her Majesty's Government adhere to the view expressed in my telegram of the 13th October, and have no intention of abandoning it. No. 380. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr BaX'Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, October 24, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 26th August, reporting the interruption of boring operations at the Nan-p'iao coal mines owing to the presence of armed brigands in the district, and stating that owing to the representations made by Her Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin, the Viceroy of Chihli has promised to send a force of 500 troops to be stationed at Nan-p'iao. I approve your proposal to send a member of the staff of Her Majesty's Legation to report on the situation. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 381. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-lronside. &r> Foreign Office, October 25, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 24th Augusr, transmitting copies of further correspondence you have had with certain British shipping firms in Hono- rs one: witli reference to the working of the Regulations for inland steam navigation in the West River, 349 You will since have received my despatch of the 31st August, in which copies of communications received from the Board of Trade and from Mr. G. Jamieson, late Consul-General at Shanghae, on the subject were inclosed. I therein expressed my concurrence in your opinion that sufficient time had not yet elapsed to afford a proper test of the working of these Regulations, and I stated that it would be desirable to take any opportunity that presented itself of urging on the Chinese Government the desirability of putting an end to the double system of taxation by the maritime and provincial customs. , In the meanwhile I should be glad to learn whether, in your opinion, the remedy suggested by Mr. Jamieson in his Memorandum of the 8th August, viz., that the destination and not the steamer should be made the criterion of the duties payable, is one which would commend itself to the mercantile and shipping community. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 382. Mr. Bax-ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received October 30.) My Lord, Peking, September 8, 1899. WITH reference to the piracy of the British steam-ship " Wo-on," reported in my despatch of the 4th July, and to my subsequent despatches on the continued prevalence of piracy in Canton waters, I have the honour to forward to your Lordship herewith copy of a despatch which I have received from Her Majesty's Acting Consul at Samshui, reporting the capture by a Chinese gun-boat of eight pirates concerned in the " Wo-on " and other cases. Mr. Fox lays stress on the value of gun-boats of the "Sandpiper" class in assisting the Chinese authorities to patrol the West River, and the sketch map of the delta which he incloses gives some idea of the difficulty of effectively patrolling the various waterways. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 382. Acting Consul Fox to Mr. Bax-ironside. gi r Samshui, August 18, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that Lieutenant-Commander Carr,of Her Majesty's ship " Sandpiper," who arrived here yesterday after a cruise in the " inland " waters of the delta, informed me that he had visited at Kumchuk a Chinese gun-boat, having on board eight pirates, all of whom had confessed to being concerned in the piracies of the British steam-ship " Wo-on," the Portuguese steam-ship " Taiping," and various Chinese launches and passenger boats. The gang was captured by Lieutenant-Colonel Mo Wing Tai in a theatre at Kongmoon, after a severe tussle in the course of which a soldier was shot dead. One of the pirates stated that Captain Ozoris, of the " Taiping," had mortally wounded the leader of the band. Colonel Mo is taking his prisoners to Canton for trial instead of handing them over to the Magistrate of Shun-tak-hien, that official having released the last batch confided to his care. , . ,. The Provincial Government would at last seem to be waking up to the gravity ol a state of affairs which, beginning in robberies and piracies, promises before long, if not checked, to end m. rebellion. A force consisting of two large gun-boats, five armed steam launches, and some twenty guard-boats, together with about 5,000 "braves" is now concentrated at Sha-k'on7near to the entrance to the Fatshan Creek. They are reported to have had several sanguinary engagements with the pirates, losing some 100 men killed and wounded, and killing an equal number of the enemy. The surrounding villages, the homes of' the marauders, have been burnt in all directions. The An Yung, or Peaceful Brigade, formerly stationed at Samshui for the special protection of foreigners, have been ordered off to Sai Ch'ui, a mountainous region 350 between the West River and the creeks leading to Fatah an. They have engaged the rebels, and driven them to the hills, both sides losing heavily. I do not doubt that the Government troops will he able to disperse most of these bands, but it is to be feared, that once the present campaign is over, things will revert to their normal state, and piracy will be as rampant as ever. I venture to submit that the only remedy is the establishment of an organized gun-boat or armed launch patrol service, and this, to be effective, must be under foreign control. There are at present gun-boats enough in the delta and West River ; but they are poorly armed, the crews are underpaid, and the officers are selected with no regard to their fitness for the work in hand. Except at times like the present, when matters reach a crisis, these gun-boats either remain in port, or convey officials aud convoy cargo boats, from one point to another, the organized system of "squeezes" or tolls on native craft which now obtains all over the delta, has given rise to a sister system of charges for convoy and protection by native guard-boats, and even gun-boats. It should also be noted that the military force at the disposal of the District Magistrates in these disturbed districts is entirely inadequate. The Samshui Magistrate with only fifty ill-armed and undisciplined soldiers at bis command can hardly be expected to follow up and capture the numerous and well-armed bands who, from time to time, descend on the surrounding villages, even within the limits of the Treaty port : as was the case in the recent armed robbery at Kong-kln. I venture to think, under the chcumstances, that it is a pity that Her Majesty's ship " Snipe," originally intended for the West River, should have been ordered to the Yang-tsze instead. The presence of the " Sandpiper " on these waters has had apparently a most reassuring effect at the places she has visited, but it is obviously impossible for her to do more than patrol the vast network of waters in the delta at long and uncertain intervals. At least two more vessels of her class are needed to afford any real assistance to the Chinese authorities in patrolling the West River. I inclose a sketch map of a portion of the delta showing the scene of the recent operations. 1 have, &c. (Signed) H. H. FOX. Inclosure 2 in No. 382. Rough Plan of Pearl River Delta. No. 383. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury*-— (Receive O hH D £ O DC h-3 tf ^ W fin 351 reorganization of the land tax can only be considered a legitimate means of raising funds. The Commissioner made no stay in Shanghae on his arrival from the north, but proceeded to Nanking direct on the 6th June. Urgent orders were at once issued to all local authorities and Revenue officers to prepare Reports and detailed accounts of their Returns and Expenditure, while deputies from the Commissioner's personal staff were sent to investigate the Salt Administration of Kiangpei. Prolonged interviews were held with the Viceroy and Treasurer to discuss the possibility of carrying out the Commissioner's scheme of increasing the Peking Supply by 2,000,000 taels. On the 8th July a lengthy consultation was held between the Commissioner, the Viceroy, and the Chief of the Military Secretariat on the subject of maintaining troops for the defence of the province. It was then determined to station garrisons of 20,000 men each at the five following important points on or near the lower Yang-tsze, viz.: Wasting, Fushan, Kiangyin, Ohinkiang, and Ch'ing Kiang P'u. As a step towards raising the extra funds necessary both for this measure and for the increase of the Peking Supply, orders were issued to the Defence Bureau, the Nanking Li-ktn Collectorate, the Commercial Bureau, the Arsenal, and the Mint, to prepare accounts of their annual expenditure and revenue. At the same time all the district Magistrates and Independent Sub-Prefects of Kiangpei were directed to prepare detailed accounts of their land tax (" chengkman ") and miscellaneous imposts (" tsia k'uan "). Special attention was paid by the Commissioner to the li-kin revenue (li-kin on merchandize), and all officers were ordered to submit their accounts for the past twenty years. On examination of these it was found that the receipts of the last ten years greatly exceeded those of the previous decade, while the moneys contributed to the Peking Supply had remained the same. They were therefore ordered to increase their contribution by 200,000 taels per annum. The total revenue of this (Nanking) Collectorate is given by Mr. George Jamieson in his Report on Revenue and Expenditure (Foreign Office 1897, No. 4L5, p. 43) as 550,000 taels, so this increase appears very excessive and if insisted on is likely to give rise to most onerous exactions on trade in that district. The Salt Administration, together with the Salt and Tea Li-kin Offices, were also freely bled. I have so far been unable to get exact figures on this particular, but the Order issued by the Comniissiorjer was for these Departments to increase their Peking Supply by 50 per cent. The officials in charge are thereby losers of half their accus- tomed perquisites, and will naturally resort to an increase of extortion on the com- modities taxed by their offices. A further exaction for the benefit of the Imperial Government was effected by the immediate abolition of the Military College, and the High School or University (formerly presided over by Mr. Fergusson, a quondam missionary), thus making a saving of 60,000 taels per annum, which sum is to be paid in future to the Board of Revenue. The fruits of the Mission to Nanking and the district therefore amount to the following sums, which are to be paid annually to the Central Government in excess oi. the existing Peking supply : — Taels. Li-kin Collectorate . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Q,000 Salt Administration "j Salt li-kin . . > estimated* . . . . . . . . 23y,000 Tea li-l in J Bureau of Commerce .. .. .. .. .. .. lQ,00p Abolition of two Colleges . . . . . . . . . . 60,000 Arsenal (retrenchment} .. .. .. .. •• 30,000 Total .. .. .. .. •• •• 530,000 From Nanking the Commissioner proceeded to Chinkiang on board a man-of-war. After inspecting the forts at Hsiang Shan, he went on to those at Kiangyin. He expressed his satisfaction at what he had seen of the Kiangnan forces, but urged on all local authorities the impossibility of maintaining them unless measures were at once taken for raising a larger revenue. All Commandants of troops in the various places visited were presented with a copy of a book compiled by the Commissioner, and called " Chian°- Ping Shih Yao," or " The Ten Maxims for Commanding Troops." Unfortu- nately for the progress of military science, the work treats only of the warlike methods practised in the Han, T'ang, and Ming dynasties. * Confirmed by figures subsequently obtained 352 The work of the Mission at Nanking may justify the appellation of " Imperial extortioner " which has been applied to the Commissioner, for although he has in theory only exacted for Imperial uses certain sums which have so far been the perquisite of the provincial officials, it is at the same time only too well known by past experience that the people and trade will be the real sufferers through the so-called fiscal reform. Much may intervene before the stress is felt, but if it is once felt, immediate rebellion may result. On arriving at Soochow on the 26th July, the Commissioner began by making careful inquiry into possible means of retrenchment in the public expenditure. All local authorities were ordered to reduce the staff and general expenses of the Yamens and several sinecures were abolished. Orders were given to combine many small li-kin barriers into a few large ones. The Commissioner's attention was, however, chiefly directed towards effecting a grand reorganization of the land tax and kindred imposts. It appears to be an accepted principle that the one tax that the Chinese people will not passively allow to be increased is the land tax; it remains to be seen whether they will offer opposition to its more methodical collection, which is in a word what is intended by the Commissioner's scheme of reorganization. Mr. Jamieson gives the annual average yield of Kiangsu land tax as 1,468,000 taels, while the Board of Revenue's assessment of what it should be is 3,277,971 taels, making an annual shortage of nearly 2,000,000 taels. The explanation always given is that the province has never recovered from the great rebellion, and that vast areas of land are still out of cultivation and therefore not amenable to the tax. This, as is well known, is not the case, as no part of the Empire is probably more cultivated than this rich province. The Commissioner's inquiry soon elicited the fact that an increase of at least 1,000,000 taels can easily be raised annually by collecting the tax on land, which though no doubt thrown out of cultivation in the time of the T'aip'ings, has long since been resumed as arable and has for years defrauded the revenue. No increase of the traditional 3 per cent, tax on the value of the land is suggested, only the area of taxable land is enlarged. This appears to be a perfectly reasonable measure, and if managed fairly, should give rise to no difficulties. A further increase of revenue is to be made by the stringent enforcement of registra- tion of all real estate. This tax is no innovation, though for years it has been avoided whenever possible by owners of property, mainly on account of the corrupt and irregular way in which it has been collected by the local authorities. It is calculated in the same way as the land tax, viz., 3 per cent, ad valorem, but is, of course, not an annual impost, but only payable when property changes hands or when Government land is bought by an individual. The Provincial Treasurer has now drawn up and published a set of Regulations regarding the payment of this tax, which have been approved by the Commissioner. The following are the main points of the Proclamation promulgating these Rules : — 1. Any person buying land or houses and neglecting to pay the tax for having their deeds, conveyances, and ether documents of title officially stamped shall be liable to forfeit half the value of such land or houses "to the Provincial Government. 2. Any person omitting to register a mortgage shall be liable to forfeit the full value of the property obtained on mortgage to the Provincial Government. 3. No mortgage shall be legal for more than ten years. 4. Any owner of real estate who is shown to have only paid his registration tax when litigation regarding it is pending, shall forfeit half the value of the land. 5. Any documents of title which contain falsifications of the true value of the property they cover shall be considered as evading these Regulations, and the offenders will be rigorously punished. The Proclamation further enacts that while this registration tax shall be calculated as of yore at 3 per cent, ad valorem,, the exchange of silver and cash shall be fixed at the rate of 1 tael=2,000 cash. By existing practice the exchange has been at the rate of 1 tael = 3,300 cash The new Rule, therefore, makes a bid for popularity in reducing the sum due while the revenue is to benefit by its regular collection, both on property which has hitherto evaded the tax, and on the increased area of land which is to be brought into the land tax books. 353 To insure honest collection, the Commissioner has ordered that all petty charges now exacted in the Yamens shall be abolished ; the tax may be paid in cash, sycie or dollars, and the rate of exchange between them is fixed. These Utopian measures are to be put into operation within six months, and in order to facilitate the payment of the registration tax, receipts for payments made are to be issued immediately on presentation of documents of title' at the District Magistrate's Yamen. The deeds themselves are to be returned to the proprietors duly stamped within five days. In order to assist the district authorities, the chief landowners and gentry have been ordered by the Commissioner to use their best endeavours in urging the smaller holders to comply with the Registration Rules. As has been remarked above, the chief reason why this tax has been evaded has been that the collection of it has been dishonest. Firstly, though in theory only 3 per cent, ad valorem, the rate of exchange, 3,300 cash = 1 tael, was in effect rendering it a tax of some 8 per cent., as far as the countryman Avas concerned. The reduction now determined on of making 2,000 cash = 1 tael may possibly induce land- owners to comply more freely with the impost, but not unless the Magistrates succeed in altering the ways of their Yamens in the matter of treating applicants fairly. At present, if an ingenuous landowner takes his deeds to the Yamen for registration, he has to pay all manner of petty squeezes before the documents are returned to him, so it is^ no wonder that strict legality of tenure is almost unknown, and possession is considered nine points of the law. However, if the land tax and registration tax be only partially collected as they should be, a large increase of revenue may be looked for. The Commissioner's inquiry has shown that since 1866 the land-tax of Soochow district alone has depreciated 40 per cent., although nearly 90 per cent of the land is known to be under cultivation. This is explained in a Memorial to the Throne by the Commissioner, the Viceroy and Governor conjointly as being due to the peculation of the District Magistrates and thei«: underlings, and the (consequent) refusal of landowners to declare the full area or value of their taxable land. As far as the Imperial Government is concerned, the result of the investigation at Soochow has been an order to increase the existing Peking Supply ex-land tax and the subsidiary registration tax by 1,000,000 taels. It has hitherto been only ] 50,000 taels* from the whole Viceroyalty, so the increase is proportionately large, but by no means excessive. From Soochow the Commississioner proceeded to Shanghae, where he has been staying for the last three weeks, prosecuting his inquiries diligently into possible means of raising funds- He has ordered the Shanghae Taotai to pay 100,000 taels annually into the Imperial Exchequer, an impossible figure seeing that the whole income of the post is rarely more than 300,000 taels. The Arsenal has been curtailed of 12,000 taels of its annual income, which sum is to be paid into the Imperial Revenue. The China Merchants Steam Navigation Com- pany and the Telegraph Company are to pay 100,000 taels annually, and various petty officials are called upon to subscribe between them 250,000 taels. The totals of all the sums demanded by the Commissioner are recapitulated in the Table appended, and represent an annual increase on the existing Peking Supply of nearly 2,000,000 taels, which is just upon 50 per cent, more than has hitherto been remitted. Table of increased contributions to the Peking Supply. Taels. Nanking Li-kin Office . . . . . . . . . . 200,000 Salt Administration .. .. .. .. .. .. 130,000 Bureau of Commerce .. .. .. .. . . lO^OO 1 Tea and salt li-kin .. .. .. .. .. . . 100,000- Abolition of Colleges.. .. .. .. .. .. 60,000 Arsenal (retrenchment) . . . . . . . . . . 30,000- Soochow land tax and registration . . . . . . . . 1,000,000 Shanghae Taotai .. .. .. .. •• .. 100,000- Chinkiang Taotai .. .. .. .. .. .. 10,000 China Merchants and Telegraph Company .. .. .. 100,000 Contributions from various officials . . . . . . . . 250,000 Total .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,990,000 * The remittances of rice amount, however, to about J, 500,000 taels' value in addition to the above contribution of silver. [1049J 2 Z 354 I have endeavoured to show in detail how the sum of 2,000,000 taels is to be raised, and how the Commissioner has set about fulfilling the commands of His Imperial Mistress. But, as has been described, the various items encroach for the most part on what has hitherto been the perquisite of the provincial officials. ..They in their turn must resort to extortion to recoup themselves, at the risk of provoking rebellion and hampering trade ; or, while squeezing as much as they dare without stirring up the already smouldering discontent to a blaze, may in all likelihood be expected to turn their eyes to the milch cow, the Soochow Li-kin Collectorate, of which they were deprived by its hypothecation last year to the service of the Anglo- German Loan. The revenue of this is calculated at from 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 taels. Although eighteen months have elapsed since the Loan Agreement was signed, the foreign control remains purely nominal, and no instructions appear to have been given to the Customs officers in charge of the Collectorate to proceed further since making their preliminary survey of the district in the summer of 1898. A month or so after the Agreement was signed the Viceroy allowed the annexa- tion of one of the richest of the Soochow Sub-Collectorates — the Chinkiang Shang Yu Chii — by the Nanking Li-kin Office, thus robbing the loan of an integral part of its security. The protests of the Customs were ignored. The consequence is that the Nanking Office is now establishing new barriers in the neighbourhood of Chinkiang, thereby increasing the Nanking revenue at the expense of the Soochow Collectorate, of which Chinkiang is a part. Already one lac of taels per annum has been thus filched by Nanking from the loan security, and at a time when every official in the province is busy considering how to comply with the Imperial Commissioner's orders that over 4 lacs are to be paid per annum out of li-kin alone, it will not be surprising if such depredations increase. Even though the Customs may find it impracticable at present to assume complete active charge of the Collectorate, it is urgently necessary that the Chinese authorities should realize that they cannot tamper with this security or act in any way without the consent of the Customs. The restoration of the Shang Yu Chii to the Soochow Collectorate, to which it belonged when the Loan Contract was signed, would impress this on the provincial officials. Payments of money are made monthly by the Chinese through the Customs to the banks concerned in the loan. The latter are thereby persuaded that since their interest is secure, all is for the best and that there is no cause for immediate action. These sums, however, are as small as the native Control dares to make them, and in no way represent the amount actually collected. It is strongly to be anticipated that they will grow less, and — what is more important— that the whole security will be seriously affected by continued annexations of stations into the Nanking Collectorate when the Provincial Treasurers are hard pressed to fulfil their obligations to the Central Government as ordered bv JCang Yi. (Signed) S. F. MAYERS. Her Britannic Majesty's Consulate-General, August 29, 1899. No. 381. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — [Received October 30.) My Lord, Peking, September 11, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 18th ultimo, I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copies of two further despatches which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Foochow respecting the proposals made by the Viceroy for a settlement of the Kienning riot case, together with a o-eneral view of the situation caused by the late riot. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. 355 Inclosure 1 in No. 384. Consul Play fair to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir > Foochow, August 22, 1899. CH'EN Taotai came to see me to-day bringing the Viceroy's proposals for a settle merit of the Kienning case. Archdeacon Wolfe and Dr. Rigg (whose usual place ot residence is Kienning) were present ' by the desire of the Taotai. The Viceroy proposes : — 1. That the two men whose complicity in the murder at Kienning has been proved to the satisfaction of the Kienning authorities, should be brought to Foochow and tried for their lives. • 2. That" the Head of the gentry at Kienning should be deprived of his literary rank, but with the power of redeeming it in future, if he shows himself deserving, by efficiently protecting the missionaries ; the deputy Head is to be deprived of the privilege of presenting himself at the next literary examinations. These two men were denounced by name in the list submitted by the missionaries to the Viceroy through Mr. Fraser. 3. That others proved to have taken part in the rioting should be sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment according to their several degrees of guilt. 4. That the gentry should give recognizances for their future good behaviour. The subscribers to this bond would be at least twenty-four, being the Heads of the twenty- four wards into which the Kienning train bands are divided. Mr. Wolfe and Dr. Rigg proposed it should be a sine qui non that the bond be signed in my presence, and I supported them in their view, suggesting as a modification that the two Heads aforesaid should be brought to Foochow to sign while the others associated with them should sign before the Kienning Prefect. Or, failing this, that I would myself proceed to Kienning-fu and witness the signing by all. The Taotai said that he had not come authorized to agree to these stipulations and that" he must see the Viceroy before deciding anything. I again impressed on him before he left that the restoration to peace of Kienning as a residence for missionaries was the prime essential, and that I should consider no terms satisfactory which did not secure this. The Taotai assured me that the telegram mentioned in yours of the 8th August has never reached the Viceroy from the Tsung-li Yarr.en. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR. Inclosure 2 in No.. 384. Consul Play fair to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foochow, August 31, 1899. IN the light of the telegram I sent you on the 29th instant, I think the present moment a convenient one for putting on record my views of the actual situation at Foochow as regards the Kienning case. This case, in its earlier phases, might appear to be one to be included in a class of which examples have been only too frequent in many parts of China, and which is characterized by a popular rising, the destruction of missionary property, and the imperilling of missionary lives. In the instance under consideration there has, I am glad to say, been no loss of European life, but British subjects in pursuit of their lawful vocation have run a risk of murder, and their property has been destroyed. Loss of life there was, but the victim was a native convert who undoubtedly suffered for his creed. Even in this restricted regard there has been ample ground for the interference of the British Government, but there is a wider significance in the Kienning case. Since the missionaries established themselves there it is the sixth attempt made to drive them out of the region. The common people (from what I can gather) have no animus against the foreign preacher of the Gospel, and show none. On the contrary, whether moved to accept Christianity or not, they appear to recognize that missionaries are in any, case there for benevolent and beneficial objects. Schools and hospitals are independent of proselytizing, and, even if the missionaries were never to make another convert, they would be doing good and useful work in spreading Western knowledge and [1049] 2 Z 2 356 healing the sick. In addition to this, the presence of missionaries in out-of-the-way places in China has one unquestionable advantage. To use the phrase of Sir Thomas "Wade, they " multiply the points of contact," and familiarize the Chinese with the sight of the European. To the missionary, either as a preacher of the Gospel or as a dispenser of benefits, the populace at Kienning does not seem to have shown any aversion ; yet six times this populace has risen and tried to drive the missionaries from the place. The logical inference is that the Kienning peasant, though tolerant by nature, is subject to some outside influence. He is moved, not by what he pees, but by what he is told exists beyond his range of vision ; and these things are pointed out to him by such as he believes to be his intellectual superiors, and as have, therefore, the faculty of perceiving what is hid from himself. The history of almost every anti- missionary movement in China points to the same process. Why the educated classes of this land should be so inveterately hostile to the foreigner is a difficult question to answer. It has been suggested that the Chinese of this type have an eradicable convic- tion that every European is at heart a "land-grabber;" that missionaries are the advance agents of their Governments; that the Bible is the certain forerunner of the gun-boat ; and that where the missionary comes as a sojourner he means to stay as a proprietor ; consequently, that the only hope of integrity for China is that her loyal sons should on every occasion destroy the baneful germ. Extravagant and (in the instance of Kienning) far-fetched as these notions may seem, I am convinced that the literati and gentry have been at the root not only of the present outbreak, but of the others which have preceded it. While, therefore, I have insisted throughout that Kienning must be made a place of safe residence for the British missionary, I have considered that the only way to attain that result will be to shackle the hands of the gentry by making any further breach of the peace a sure precursor of punishment. This is why I make the signing of the bond by all the twenty-four wards of Kienning an essential condition. I do not look upon the signing by the two Headmen at Foochow as absolutely imperative, and have therefore admitted an alternative ; still, it would be advantageous as enhancing the impression which 1 wish to create that a recurrence of similar disorders will be productive of at any rate a degree of discomfort to the instigators. That I should have refrained from asking for more condign chastisement of the gentry, while being morally convinced of their guilt, is due mostly to the circumstance I mentioned in my despatch of the 4th August, that the missionaries are unprepared to bring forward satisfactory evidence, and partly because the Viceroy is really in a position of some difficulty. Unquestionably he has not the power at Kienning which a Viceroy ought to have, and I can see that if I were to insist on too drastic measures I should nullify my main ambition, the rendering Kienning a safe place of residence for missionaries. The result of the severe punishment of the gentry (who are no doubt deserving of it, but whose guilt we are unable to prove) would be the generation of permanent ill-feeling against Europeans in the hearts of the most influential class of residents, and the metamorphosis of Kienning into a Far-Eastern Corsica. It may be objected that if the Chinese Government undertakes to protect missionaries everywhere throughout the Empire it ought to find the meads of doing it; but we know that the theory, though excellent, is not practicable, and that there are other places than Kienning where, postulating all possible good-will on the part of the Chinese Govern- ment, it cannot be carried into effect. The missionaries themselves understand the difficulty, and deprecate any wish to appear excessive in their demands or to ask for punishment from vindictive motives. In my suggestions to the Viceroy, I have been, therefore, what I should call very moderate and distinctly considerate for what I am conscious are the difficulties of his position ; but because of that very moderation, I do not feel called upon to let my con- sideration lead me any further; and at my interview with Chen Taotai, about which I telegraphed on the 29th, I told him, not tacitly, but explicitly, that what 1 then demanded I should adhere to ; and that if the Viceroy did not comply, [ should put the matter in your hands to invoke the intervention of the Tsung-li Yamen. The Taotai then endeavoured to shake me by asking that the gentry should be treated with a little more leniency, but I replied that, in my opinion, they were being accorded extraordinary leniency as it was, and that I had no intention of modifying my terms. I added that these were so moderate because I had recognized an element of truth in his contention that vindictive severity would nullify the local effect ot my efforts at settlement. On that occasion the Taotai told me that, in the opinion of the Viceroy, I could go to Kienning without any apprehension. That is my own impression, but 1 am afraid I still think that the security of a Consul would not necessarily be guarantee for the 357 afety of a misssionary unless, as I say above, any further breach of the peace were understood by the gentry to be a sure precursor of punishment. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR. No. 385. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. —(Received October 30.) My Lord, Peking, September 11, 1899. I HAD the honour to inform your Lordship on the 28th ultimo, by telegraph, that the question of the Japanese Concession at Amoy was settled. Her Majesty's Acting Consul at that port stated that it ran from the oil warehouse to Malcampo House, about 500 yards long, and that he believed that no British property was affected. I instructed Mr. Little to find out for certain if this was the case, and he replied telegraphically to the effect that the Japanese Consul, and other reliable persons, had informed him that no British property was affected ; and that no property within the proposed Concession had been registered. This telegram was confirmed by a despatch from Her Majesty's Acting Consul to the same effect, copy of which I have the honour to inclose. In the course of conversation with the Japanese Secretary of Legation 1 explained to him, in the absence of the Japanese Minister, that Her Majesty's Government would not view with favour the inclusion of any British-owned property in the proposed Concession. He replied that his Legation had already expressly notified their Consul at Amoy to that effect. I also took the opportunity at an interview which I had with the Tsung-li Yamen on the 2nd instant to mention the matter, and 1 informed the Ministers that, in view of recent difficulties at Hankow and elsewhere, Her Majesty's Government would not consent to British-owned property being included in any foreign Concession. At the same time I requested their Excellencies to instruct the Amoy authorities in this sense. The Minister suggested that the best person to ascertain this exactly was the British Consul; should he find that any British-owned land had been included, he should make a notification to the Provincial Judge who was carrying on the Japanese negotiations in conjunction with the Taotai. I have &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDB. Inclosure 1 in No. 385. Acting Consul Little to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Amoy, August 24, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that the question of the Japanese Concession was settled a day or two ago. The Provincial Judge Chon, as representative of the Viceroy, has been here for the last ten days in connection with the case, and it is he who effected the settlement. I understand Yiin Taotai refused to give his assent to the arrangement, and it is rumoured he has sent in his resignation. The Concession consists of a fringe of the shore about a quarter of a-mile long, extending from Messrs. Lapraik, Cass, and Co.'s oil tanks up to Mr. Malcampo's house, which is situated several hundred yards from the lower end of the British Concession. It is between 100 aud 200 yards wide, running back to the slope of the hill, hut it embraces only a small part of Hu Ton Shan. I believe no British property is affected. There are about 400 Chinese houses on the site, which are to be bought at a valuation to be subsequently made. Yesterday was fixed for handing over the ground, but delivery of possession was prevented by a slight disturbance. All the Chinese shops were closed to-day, but I think there is no reason to fear serious trouble. 358 Owing to interruption of telegraphic communication I have not been able to telegrapis the above to you. 1 have, &c. (Signed) H. A. LITTLE. Inclosure 2 in No. 385. Acting Consul TAttle to Mr. Bax-Jronside. Sir, Amoy, August 28, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt this morning of your two telegrams inquiring whether, there is any British property on the Concession just granted to the Japanese. .., I replied thj? afternoon that according to the statements.,of the Japanese Consul and reliable British subjects there is no British property within the limits, of the Concession.. I added that I had searched the register of land kept in this Consulate and could find,. no trace of any British property situated in that locality. It is very unlikely that there is any real estate owned by British subjects either in Amoy or Kulangsu which is not registered here, so that T feel sure my information is in accordance* with, the facts, More- over, if British subjects were in any way affected I should certainly have heard from the parties concerned before now; they are not usually backward in calling attention to anv circumstance which threatens their interests. The Japanese Consul called this morning and again assured me he was certain* there was no British property within the Concession. From him I ascertained that the area is 40,000 tsubo, and that the boundaries are as. specified in. my despatch of the 24th instant. He also told me that formal delivery of possession and fixing of boundary marks had been postponed for the present in order to avoid the chance of a disturbance. Personally, I do not anticipate any serious trouble, but I have thought it well to write to the Commodore at Hong Kong to suggest the advisability of having a British man-of-war here until after the Japanese have formally taken possession. There is at present a Japanese man-of-war here, and the Japanese Consul has expressed his readiness- to land men if British property or lives should be threatened. I have, &c. (Signed) H. A. LITTLE. No. 386. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received October -SO.) My Lord, Peking, September 15, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 2nd June last, reporting the effective opening of Nanking as a Treaty port, I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship copy of a despatch from Her Majesty's Acting Consul-General at Shanghae, inclosing copies of correspondence between the Viceroy at Nanking 1 and himself with regard to the delimitation of a foreign Settlement at that port. I also have the honour to inclose a copy of my reply to Mr. Warren, in which I have expressed my approval of the terms of his communication to the Viceroy con- tending that foreign merchants have the right to reside and carry on business in anv part of the Treaty port. Mr. Warren's despatch, and my reply thereto, also deal with the subject of Consular representation at Nanking. I have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 386. Acting Consul- General Warren to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Shanghae, August 23, 1899. "•' I HAVE the honour to forward herewith copies and translations of a correspon dence between his Excellency the Viceroy Liu Kun-yi and myself with regard to the delimitation of a foreign Settlement at Nanking. 359 In my despatch of the 3rd August I pointed out to the Viceroy that foreign ■merchants have a perfect right to reside in any part of the Treaty port, and to carry on their business there. In his reply, dated the 12th August, the Viceroy disputes this point, and absolutely refuses to recognize the rights of foreigners to reside or carry on business in any part of the port except that set aside as the foreign Settlement area. His Excellency is a man of great ability and experience, and I do not think that the opinions expressed in this despatch really emanate from him ; it is more likely that the question has been left to the Yang-wu-chii or Board of Foreign Affairs. I would beg to suggest that great advantage would be gained if an experienced Consular officer was stationed at Nanking. It is very important to keep in touch with the Viceroy, and should it not be convenient to station an officer there, I would suggest that one should be sent periodically in a man-of-war to visit the Viceroy and discuss personally with him such cases as may be pending. I have, &c. (Signed) PELHAM L. WARREN. Inclosure 2 in No. 386. Acting Consul-General Warren to Viceroy Liu. Tour Excellency, Shanghae, August 5, 1899. ON the 14th July I had the honour to receive a despatch from Tseng Taotai, com- municating your Excellency's instructions regarding the opening of Nanking, to the •effect that the port being now opened to trade it becomes necessary to delimit a com- mercial Settlement as a cosmopolitan place of residence. I would point out to your Excellency that, although a certain Settlement may be delimited, it is not obligatory on merchants to reside and carry on their business there. They are perfectly at liberty to reside in any part of the port or city they may find ■convenient. Due measures will, of course, be taken to obtain the proper official seal to the deeds for any property purchased by British merchants either in the proposed Settlement or elsewhere. I have, &c. (Signed) PELHAM L. WARREN Inclosure 3 in No. 3S6. Viceroy Liu to Acting Consul-General Warren. {Translation.) Sir, Nanking, August 12, 1899. T HAVE the honour to acknowledge your despatch of the 5th August regarding the right of British merchants to reside and carry on trade in any part of the port of banking or in the city. in reply, I have the honour to point out that on the establishment of a custom- house at Nanking, and the opening of the port, the limits of the commercial Settlement •were at once determined by the Commissioner of Customs, and Regulations collated from the practice of other ports were drawn up, to which no protest was made by foreign merchants. The terms of your despatch now under acknowledgment are inconsistent with Articles XI and XII of the British Treaty, and also with Article VII of the French Treaty and Article XIV of the American Treaty. In transacting international business, I am always guided by the Treaty Regula- tions. Now that Nanking is open to trade as a Treaty port, an area has been delimited for the residence of merchants, and foreigners have the right of residing and trading only within those boundaries. They have no such privilege of residence beyond the limits of the Settlement or in the city. Such a principle not only does nrt exist by Treaty, but is also opposed to the practice of other ports. 360 I am, therefore, absolutely unable to accept such an arrangement, and have instructed the Nanking Taotai accordingly. (Seal of Liu Kun-yi), Viceroy of Liang Kiang* Inclosure 4 in No. 386. Mr. Bax-Ironside to Acting Consul-General Warren. Sir, Peking, September 15, 1899. IN reply to your despatch of the 23rd ultimo, forwarding copies of your corre- spondence with the Nanking Viceroy on the subject of the delimitation of a foreign Settlement at Nanking, I beg to express my approval of the terms of your reply to his. Excellency. I hope to be in a position ere long to station a Consular officer at .Nanking. Mean- while, I have instructed Mr. Willis, Her Majesty's Acting Consul at Chinkiang, as the nearest neighbour, to transact the current business of the new port. I am, &c. (Signed) H, O. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 387. Mr. C. Hardinge to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 2.) (Telegraphic.) St. Petersburgh, November 2, 1899. I AM sending to your Lordship by messenger to-day copy of a note which I have just received from Count Lamsdorff in which his Excellency proposes the appointment of a Mixed Commission of Inquiry, in accordance with Article IX of the Convention of the Hague, to examine impartially and conscientiously the questions of fact in dispute in connection with the British titles to land situated within the Russian Concession at Hankow. It is proposed that the Legations of Great Britain and Russia should choose three members respectively from the English and Russian merchants, men of business, and competent Chinese residing at Hankow, and that these should compose the Com- mission. An official of the Russo-Chinese Bank, a Russian merchant of Hankow, and a Chinese expert of that place might be chosen as Russian members of the Commission.. The Commission would have to ascertain whether the rights of proprietorship to the lands claimed by Messrs. Jardine and Matheson could be considered as established according to precedent and local usage by the title-deeds and proofs presented by them. Recourse to arbitration to be had only in the event of the British and Russian Ministers at Peking, to whom the Report of the Commission is to be submitted for approval, not being able to arrive at an understanding. The Representatives of Great Britain and Russia could be instructed, in the event of the acceptance of this proposal by Her Majesty's Government, to draw up a special Convention to settle the procedure to be followed in accordance with Article IX of the Convention of the Hague. No. 388. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, November 2, 1899. I SHALL be glad if you will examine the Erench claim to a southern extension of the proposed concession at Passinjo before you leave Shanghae. Tt seems to me impossible for us to dispute that Mr. Beauclerk gave his formal assent to their having Tonkadou and Passinjo. They now ask for an extension of the southern border of Passinjo in compensation for Tonkadou, which they have abandoned. This southern extension is objected to on the ground that it lies across three gates of native city, and would enable the Erench to close them. I should be gJad of your opinion whether the 361 objection is sound in itself, and whether it can be met by any modification of proposal* Looked at as compensation for Tonkadou, the territory asked for hardly seems excessive. No. 389. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — [Received November 4.) Sir, Admiralty, November 2, 1899. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit herewith, for the information of the Secretary of State, copy of a letter addressed by Her Majesty's Consul at Canton to the Commodore at Hong Kong on the 24th August last, relative to piracy in the West River, and the patrol of those waters by Her Majesty's gun-boats. A copy of the remarks made by the Commander-in-chief on the China Station, in forwarding the Consul's letter, is also attached. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 389. Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. SUBMITTED for information. The patrol of the West and North River by the *' Sandpiper," " Tweed," and a torpedo boat, for the protection of British commerce can only have a very partial effect. If China is to be relieved of the responsibility of policing these rivers, and it is undertaken by Great Britain, to be really effectual a numerous flotilla of shallow draft vessels will be required ; but I am of opinion that China should be urged to fulfil her obligations, and heavy indemnity claimed for any losses by British merchants caused through her^failure to do so. (Signed) E. H. SEYMOUR. Consul Scott to Commodore Powell. Si r> Canton, August 24, 1899. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 23rd instant , informing me that you have been directed by the Commander-in-chief to send Her Majesty's ship " Tweed " to patrol the West River in conjunction with Her Majesty's ship " Sandpiper." I note that Her Majesty's ship " Tweed " will be in Canton on the 18th instant, and that, after the Commanding Officers have consulted with me, the two vessels will protect British interests by patrolling the river, and also that you inquire whether, in my opinion, further force is necessary. In reply to this inquiry I would say that in my opinion, considering the extent and the intricacy of the network of rivers and creeks in this district, the presence of two only of Her Majesty's ships of war is necessarily inadequate to accomplish the object in view. Still there is an impression among merchants here— and this appears to me to be well founded — that the patrolling of these waters by Her Majesty's ship " Sandpiper" has already had a beneficial effect, which, it cannot be doubted, the addition of Her Majesty's ship " Tweed " will increase. The activity of the pirates is such, and the length of the waterways is so great that it would, I think, require a flotilla of some >eio-ht or ten vessels of the same class as the " Sandpiper " to do the work thoroughly. The mere patrolling of the rivers, however, will never eradicate piracy in these waters. The villages and holds of the pirates on land must be attacked. Operations of this kind would probably of themselves prove sufficient, but such operations must for the present, no doubt, be left to the provincial government. The country in ihis neighbourhood is thoroughly out of hand, but there is, I think, evidence in the [1049] 3 A 362 operations now being carried out at Sai Chiu that the authorities are at least bestirring- ihemeejyes; - ■ .- ; :,.■-•• I have, &c. (Signed) B. C. GEORGE SCOTT. , Commander-in-chief, Submitted with reference to your telegram of the 22nd August. In consequence- of this letter I ordered No. 36 torpedo-boat to be manned in addition to " Tweed " for service on the West River. (Signed) F. POWELL, Commodore. September 1, 1899. No. 390. Mr. C. Hardinge to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 6.) (Extract.) St. Petersburgh, November 2, 1899. I HAVE the honour to.transmit herewith to your Lordship copy of a note which I have to : day, received from Count Lamsdorff relating to the claims to possession by Messrs. Jardine and Matheson of certain lands comprised within the Russian Concession* at Hankow, for the settlement of which the Russian Government had already agreed" to the proposal made by Her Majesty's Government to refer the matter in dispute te- ar bitration. In this note Count Lamsdorff asks me to submit to your Lordship a new proposal. His Excellency states that, considering that it is a divergence of opinion upon points of fact which constitutes the dispute in question, the Russian Government are of opinion that it would be advisable to appoint, in conformity with the stipulations of Article IX of the Convention of the Hague, a Mixed Commission of Inquiry to elucidate by an impartial and conscientious examination the questions of fact in dispute. The Russian Government are of opinion .that the Commission could be" formed of members chosen by the .British and Russian Legations in Peking, three in number 'respectively, to De- selected from the local merchants and men of business as well as from competent persons- of Chinese nationality,! , The members of the Commission appointed by the Russian Legation might be an official of the Russo-Chinese Bank, a Russian merchant of Hankow,, and a Chinese expert of that town. The duty of the Commission would be to- ascertain whether the title-deeds and proofs presented by Messrs. Jardine and Matheson could be considered according to precedent and local usage as establishing the rights of proprietorship of that firm to the lands claimed by them. The report of the Commission would be submitted to the approval of the British and Russian Ministers at Peking, and recourse would be had to arbitration only in the case of an agreement not being arrived at between the two respective Legations. In the event of Her Majesty's Government accepting this proposal,- the British and Russian Representatives at Peking might be instructed ,to, elaborate the draft of a special Convention concerning the procedure to be followed as provided for by Article IX of the Convention of the Hague. Count Lamsdorff concludes his note by asking for a reply from Her Majesty's Government to the above proposal, which appears to the Russian Government to be the- only proposal of a nature, to respond to the necessities* of the situation. Inclosure in No. 390. Count Lamsdorff to Mr. C. Hardinge. Ministere des A f aires Mtrangeres, Saint-Petersbourg, M. le Charge d' Affaires, le 20 Octobre (l er Novembre), 1899. EN reponse a ia note en date du 14 (26) Aout dernier, relative au differend suro-i entre les Consuls de Russie et d'Angleterre a Hankow au sujet des droits de possession de la maisori AngUuse Jardine et Matheson sur certains terrains dans les limites de la 'Concession Russe, j'ai Thonneur de vous prier de vouloir bien transmettre au Gouverne- ment de Sa Majeste" Britannique la proposition ci-dessous ^noncde. .*-> ><> Conside'rant que e'est une_ divergence d'appre'eiations sur des points de fait "qui •constitue le differend en question, le Gouvernement Imperial est d'avis qu'il con- 363 •viendrait de nommer, conformement aux stipulations de la Convention elaboree par la ■Conference de La Haye, une Commission Mixte d'Enquete " charged d'eulaircir par un •examen impartial et consciencieux les questions de fait dont il s'agit." De l'avis du Gouvernement Imperial, pourraient etre appel^s a faire partie de cette Commission des membres 'choisis par les .Legations , de Russie et d'Angleterre a P6kin s respectivement, au hombre de jtrois, parmi les commercants et hommes d'affaires Jocaux Russes et Anglais, ainsi que parmi des personnes pompetentes de nationality Chinoise. Les membres de la Commissiori nomm^s du c6te Russe pourraient etre : un des fqnction- naires de la Banque Sino-Russe, un des negociants Russes de Hankow, et un expert Ohinois de la dite ville. La Commission aurait a elucider si les titres presented et les preuves invoquees par la maison Jardine et Matheson peuvent etre considers, d'apres les precedents et les pratiques locales, comme etablissant les droits de propriete" de la maison susmentionnee sur les terrains revendiques par elle. Le Rapport de la Commission serait soumis ensuite a l'approbation des Ministres •de Russie et d'Angleterre a Pekin, et ce n'est que dans le cas ou une entente n'inter- viendrait pas entre les deux Legations respectives qu'il y aurait lieu de recourir a un -arbitrage. v .' En cas d'acceptatibn . par le Gouvernement Britann,ique de la proposition ■Stfs-dnoneee, les Kepresentahts respectifs a Pekin pourraient etre charge's d elaborer le projet de Convention speciale concernant ;la, pfqce'dure pr^vue pay 1' Article IX de la Convention de La Haye. Dans l'attente d'une reponse du Gouvernement Britannique au sujet de la pro- position ci-dessus, qui seule nous parait de nature a rdpondre aux ndcessite's de la situation, je saisis, &c. (Signe) Comte LAMSDORFF. (Translation.) Ministry for Foreign Affairs, St. Petersburgh,' ' M. le Charge d'Affaires,. ;;• •-.<.<, k- .. , •, , October 20 (November,!), 1899: ' ■ IN reply to your note of the ;l^th (2Gth) August last relative to the difficulty which has arisen between the Russian and British Consuls at Hankow in regard to the claims' of the British firm, Jardine and Matheson, to certain land in the Russian Concession, 1. have the honour to request you to be so good as to communicate the following proposal to Her Bi-itannic Majesty's Government : — Since the difficulty in question is due to a difference of opinion as to facts> the Imperial Government considers that it would be advisable to appoint, in accordance with 01 the provisions of the Convention drawn up by the Conference at the Hague, a Mixed Commission of Inquiry, "to examine impartially and conscientiously the questions of fact in dispute." ■ The Imperial Government would propose that this Commission should consist of three members- chosen' by the Russian Legation, and three by ; the British Legation^ at Peking* 'from among the local Russian and English merchants and men of business, and •competent persons of Chinese nationality. The members of the Commission appointed on the Russian side might be: one of the employes of the Russo-Chinese Bank, one of the Russian merchants at Hankow, and a Chinese expert of that town. The Commission would have to examine the question, whether the title-deeds and evidence presented by the firm of Jardine and Matheson can be considered, according to precedent and local usage, as establishing the right of the firm to the possession of the land claimed by it, !" The Report of the Commission would afterwards be submitted for approval to the Russian and British Ministers at Peking, and recourse would be had to arbitration only in the event of an agreement not being arrived at between the two Legations. If the above proposal is accepted by the British Government, the Representatives of the two Powers at Peking might be instructed to draft a special' Convention regarding the procedure prescribed by Article IX of the Hague Convention. Awaiting the reply of the British Government to the above proposal, which seems to us the only one satisfying the requirements of the case, I avail myself, &c. (Signed) Count LAMSDORFF [1049J 3 A 2 364 No. 391. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, November 6, 1899. I HAVE received your despatch of the 15th September relative to the delimitation of a foreign Settlement at Nanking. I concur in your approval of Mr. Warren's communication to the Viceroy of Nanking, maintaining that foreign merchants have the right to reside and carry on. business in any part of the Treaty port. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 392. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foreign Office, November 8, 1899. '•' I HAVE received your despatch of the 10th September, forwarding a Report by Mr. Mayers on the Mission to Kiangnan of the Imperial Commissioner, Kang Yi, and I request you to convey to Mr. Mayers my thanks for his interesting Report. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 393. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 13.) (Extract.) Peking, September 18, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 9th June last, I have the honour to inclose herewith translation of the note addressed to me by the Tsung-li Yamen on the 13th June, in which the demand for the dismissal of the Governor of Kueichow in connection with the murder of Mr. Fleming was refused, on the ground that the Governor was acting with energy in the pursuit of the principal criminal, and that more time was needed for his arrest. The Yam£n's reply simply evades the point of the charge which Her Majesty's Government makes against the Governor of Kueichow. The demand for the dismissal, of the Governor after the month of grace which was allowed to him to expiate his fault by the capture of the murderer was made, not because it was believed that it was still within the power of the Governor to arrest the Headman T'an, if he were willing to do so, but because during the four months and a-half which elapsed between the murder and the escape of the Headman to Hunan, and especially during the first two months, when T'an continued to be seen on the streets of his village, the Governor failed to take any effective steps to effect his capture, although he was then admitted to be the chief instigator of the crime, and although his arrest was all along insisted upon by Mr. Litton and by this Legation as an essential condition of settling the case. It was because the Governor's connivance or negligence had now rendered this part of the reparation impossible, or at least highly improbable, that we were forced to demand, in lieu thereof, that the Governor should himself pay the penalty, by being dismissed from his office. I had explained this to the Yamen at my interview on the 8th June, when the Ministers asked me how, supposing the Governor to vacate his office, we should be any nearer the object we had in view, viz., the Headman's arrest. On the 15th June I had the honour to telegraph to your Lordship the substance of the Yarnen's note, and on the 29th June your Lordship informed me that at the instance of the Chinese Minister, Her Majesty's Government had consented to accord to the Governor a further extension of time in which to catch the culprit. At various interviews which 1 have since had with the Tsung-li Yamen I have repeatedly warned the Ministers that unless the Headman were captured, Her Majesty's Government would insist on compliance with their demand for the dismissal of the Governor. The Ministers have invariably returned a stubborn denial of the culpability of the 365 Governor, and have persistently ignored the chain of proof which has long since been laid before them. At one time (on the 27th June) they pointed out that, after all, the missing man was not the actual murderer, and this in the face of the fact, admitted in the Governor's Memorial to the Throne, that T'an had supplied his own sword, to do the deed. At another time, as 1 telegraphed to your Lordship on the 6th August, the Ministers actually argued that the payment of the indemnity should be regarded as having closed the case. Finally, on the 17th August, they advanced a new pretext, put forward by the Governor of Kueichow himself, to the effect that at the time when. T'an 's whereabouts were known, the Governor had not dared to arrest him for fear lest the: train bands should rise in rebellion. I have always had to point out that the time for discussion of such pleas had long; since passed; that the demand for the dismissal of the Governor was made deliberately, after convincing proofs of his guilt had been received ; and that the capture of the criminal is the sole event which can render possible the abandonment of this demand. At an interview with the Tsung-li Yamen yesterday I read to the Ministers the contents of your Lordship's telegram of the loth instant, communicating your Lordship's warning to the Chinese Minister as to the necessity for inflicting conspicuous punishment on the Governor, and as to the importance of co-operation between the Yamen and Her Majesty's Government in carrying out our policy of maintaining the integrity of the Chinese Government. The Ministers listened with attention, but repeated that all they could do was to keep, on urging the Governor to effect the arrest of the Headman. Inclosure in No. 393. The Tsung-li YamSn to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Translation.) Sir, June 13, 1899. WE have the honour to acknowledge the receipt on the 9th June of your note on the subject of the murder of the English missionary Fleming in Kueichow. (Mr. Bax- Ironside's note to Yamen of the 9th Jnne, demanding dismissal of Governor of Kueichow,. quoted in full.) With regard to this matter we beg to recall the facts which are on record. Some time ago, as the result of stringent orders from the Governor of Kueichow to his subordinates, the criminals Hsii-Wu-chin and T'ien Hsiang-t'ing were arrested, tried, and executed. The civil and military officials, too, who had failed to do their duty, viz., P'eng Fu-an, Liu Mao-huai, and Liu Fu-li were dismissed or banished. On the 17th March we had the honour to communicate to Sir Claude MacDonald a copy of the Governor's Memorial to the above effect, together with the Imperial Rescript thereto. As for the criminal T'an Tzu-ch'^ng, we had the honour on the 18th May to inform you, in reply to a note on this subject, that, according to a telegram received from the Governor of Kueichow, instructions had already been sent to different provinces to search in every direction, and that subsequently parties of subordinate military officers had been sent to the various Prefectures and districts of Hunan and Kueichow with peremptory orders to make a close search and effect a capture. It appears from these facts that the Governor of Kweichow, in dealing with this- affair, has acted with the utmost energy. Although one criminal, T'an Tzu-ch'eng, has not been caught, this is because he has fled to a distance and time is necessary for his- arrest ; it is not that the Governor of Kweichow is doing nothing to capture him. It is impossible for us to act in accordance with the request in the note under acknowledgment- that the Governor should be dismissed. We have telegraphed to the Governor of Kueichow that he must take strongest measures to effect the arrest of the said criminal, and settle the case, and we have the honour to address this note to you accordingly, for the information of Her Majesty's Government. (Seal of Tamen.) 366 No.<391. 1 •■Jfcfi^.i C. Hardinge to the Marquess^of Salisbury.— (Received' November 13i) ■ " ' (Telegraphic.) :•': '^f 7 r.-'r Si. Petersburgh; November 13> 1899. ;•-.: K-i COUNT LAMSDOEFF has' addressed me an official" note, which I have just; received, requesting that the reply of Her Majesty's Government with regard to the proposal for the appointment of a Mixed Commission of Inquiry, telegraphed to your JLordship in my telegram of the 2nd instant, may be communicated to him as soon as possible. - No. 395. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. v " (Telegraphic.) *■ Fordgw Office, November 13, 1899i • ■ JAEDINE'S lots at Hankow : :» With reference to Mr. Hardinge's telegram of the 2nd November, repeated; to Sbatnghae. ;,: ■'' After consulting Mr. WarreU, please report your view on the Russian proposals No. 396. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. C. Hardinge. '(Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, November 13* 1899, JARDINE'S lots at Hankow : Your telegram of to-day. : Sir 0. MacDonahfr is due to arrive at SKaiighae in ' a fey days, and 1 ' have telegraphed' there to consult him as to the Eussian proposals. ir • -^ ' ■' 1 „_,„„ „___„_ No. 397. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 16.) ; (Telegraphic.) Peking, November 16, 1899. '^ A- EBM ABLE report reaches me that two French petty officers have been ! captured and beheaded by Chinese near Kwang Chou-wan. No. 398. Admiralty to Foreign Office.— {Received November 17.) Sir, Admiralty, November 16, 1899. I AM commanded by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State, extracts from a letter dated the 3rd June, from the Officer Commanding Her Majesty's ship " Sandpiper," relative to the newly opened port of Nanhing and to the condition of trade on the "West Eiver. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGEEGOE. Inclosure in No. 398. Lieutenant-Colonel Carr to Vice-Admiral Sir E. Seymour. (Extract) "Sandpiper," at Wuchau, June 3, 1899. 1 HAVE the honour to report, in reply to your Memorandum of the 17th Mar last, that the port of Nanning, although opened, is not actually opened to foreign trade 367 as the Customs have not yet gone there. As soon as they do, British merchants at Wuchau, there being about ten firms, will send up agents and establish branches. •'. < - Trade at present will be carried on by chartered junk, until such time, as steam navigation is feasible. Launches already run during high water to Hsun Chow and Kwei Hsien (or Yuow). Produce now comes down from Nanning and surrounding districts, even as far as Lung Chow, under outward transit pass, chiefly cow hides, sugar (brown and white), paper, leather, and aniseed. Up to the 1st June, 688 passes have been issued, through Her Majesty's Consulate, to British merchants. No goods can be carried above "Wuchau in British vessels until Customs open. The inland water Regulations not yet being settled, small steamers which will be able to ply anywhere in the inland waters, i.e., West Biver or Fu River, from Wuchau to an inland place and back, but not to another Treaty port, have not yet started. British goods are now carried above Wuchau as far as Lung Chau, on the West River, and Kweilui, on the Fu River, in hired native boats, under inland transit pass, of which about 3,000, out of a total of 3,972, have been issued during last quarter to British merchants, the goods being chiefly kerosene oil, cotton goods, and matches. British goods even go as far as Kweichow and Yunnan under transit pass from Wuchau. The inland and outward transit pass cover all goods to their destination free from li'kin or taxation, but this is frequently disregarded, and steps have to be taken by Her Britannic Majesty's Consul to get the illegal tax refunded. "No. 399. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 19.) {Telegraphic.) Peking, November 19, 1899. THE report contained in my telegram of the 16th instant is confirmed by the French Minister. He awaits details before making any demands on Chinese Government. No. 400. Mr. C Hardinge to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 20.) My Lord, St. Petersburgh, November 14, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 2nd instant, I have the honour to- transmit herewith to your Lordship a copy of a note which I received yesterday from Count Lamsdorff, in which his Excellency asks, with a view to preventing the possibility of any complication, for the earliest possible reply from your Lordship to the proposal made by the Russian Government for the appointment of a Mixed Com- mission of Inquiry upon the spot into the disputed question of the validity of British titles to certain lots within the Russian Concession at Hankow. I have also the honour to inclose herewith copy of my reply to Count Lamsdorff,. acquainting his Excellency with the information contained in your Lordship's, telegram of yesterday. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES HARDINGE. Inclosure 1 in No. 400. Count Lamsdorff io Mr. C. Hardinge. /Translation.) . , - Ministry for Foreign Affairs, M. le Charge" d' Affaires, October E0 (November 11), 1899. IN a note of the 20th of this month, I had the honour to transmit to you a proposal of the Imperial Government for the appointment of a Mixed Commission of Inquiry on the spot into the question of fact relating to the lots at Hankow. In view of the necessity of preventing the possibility of all complications, I address 368 myself to you with the request not to refuse your co-operation for the speediest possible communication by the British Government of a reply to the above-mentioned proposal. ' Accept, &c. (Signed) Count LAMSDOREE. Inclosure 2 in No. 400. Mr. C. Hardinge to Count Lamsdorf. M. le Comte, St. Peter sburgh, November 2 (14), 1899. UPON the receipt of your Excellency's note of the 20th October, I did not fail to immediately communicate by telegraph to Her Majesty's Government the proposal made by the Imperial Government for the appointment of a Mixed Commis- sion of Inquiry "to investigate upon the spot the questions of fact relating to the disputed titles to certain lots held by British subjects within the Russian Concession at Hankow. I similarly transmitted to Her Majesty's Government by telegraph the contents of the note which I had the honour to receive from your Excellency yesterday, asking for my co-operation to obtain the speediest possible communication of a reply from Her Majesty's Government to the above proposal. I have now the honour to inform your Excellency that I have to-day received a telegram from the Marquess of Salisbury, in which his Lordship informs me that he is consulting by telegraph to Shanghae Her Majesty's Minister in China, who is expected to arrive in that port within the next few days on his return from England. I shall not fail to inform your Excellency, with the least possible delay, of the decision of Her Majesty's Government as soon as it shall have been communi- cated to me. I avail, &c. (Signed) CHARLES HARDINGE. No. 401. Viscount Gough to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 20.) My Lord, Berlin, November 15, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that it is stated in the "North German Gazette" that an official telegram has just been received from Peking by the German Government on the subject of the present situation in the German missionary districts of Shantung. It appears from this communication that the followers of the sects of the "Red Fist" and the "Great Knife" are in a state of revolt against the Administration and the people in that province, and are engaged in plunder and rapine in many places. The native Christians suffer no less than the rest of the population bv this revolt. Money was usually extorted from them, and their dwellings were piliagedj or destroyed. The Italian Mission, situated in the adjoining district, were faring no better, and their chapel had just been burned down. Owing, however, to the unremitting representations of the German Minister, the Chinese Government have -caused several of the agitators to be arrested by the local authorities, and they are taking further steps in this direction, with the result that order is gradually being restored. At several places the native Christians, with their non-Christian fellow- countrymen, repulsed the rebels by force of arms. The Provincial Governor has promised the authorities of the Mission a full indemnity for the losses suffered by them and by the other Christians, and several payments have already been made. At the present moment Bishop von Anzer is undertaking a tour in the missionary district, the Chinese Government having issued orders to insure his safety at the instance of the German Minister. I have, &c. (Signed) GOUGH. 309 No. 402. Sir 0. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 21.) (Telegraphic.) Shanghae, November 21, 1899. "WITH reference to your Lordship's telegram of the 2nd November relative to French Concession at Shanghae : In company with English and French Consuls-General I have walked round pro- posed Concession at Passenjo and the southern extension. No gates of the native city are included in either, the southern limit of the extension being more than 300 yards north of the west gate of the city. .We cannot, in my opinion, oppose claim provided instructions sent to French Consul-General, reported in my telegram of 5th December, 1898,* with regard to the recognition of titles to British property and the application of Municipal Regulations to British be strictly observed, and that as regards British-owned property in French Concession at Hankow the same rules be applied. No. 403. Colonial Office to Foreign Office. — (Received November 22.) Sir, Downing Street, November 21, 1899. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to transmit to you, for the consideration of the Marquess of Salisbury, a paraphrase of a telegram from the Governor of Hong Kong relative to the prevalence of piracy on the West Elver, and I am to inquire what reply should, in his Lordship's opinion, be sent to Sir H. Blake's telegram. 2. Mr. Chamberlain trusts that it may shortly be found possible to take steps with a view to checking the prevalence of piracy in these waters, and would be glad to be informed of any action which may be taken in this direction. 3. A copy of this letter and its inclosure has been communicated to the Admiralty. I am, &c. (Signed) C. P. LUCAS. Inclosure in No. 403. Governor Sir H. Blake to Mr. Chamberlain. (Telegraphic.) [Received November 15, 1899.] STEAM-SHIP " Cheongkong," owned by Chinese-British subjects, and sailing from Hong Kong, was pirated near Kumshuk, between Incashin and here, on Sunday, y/nd having been taken possession of, was used by pirates to attack a junk which, after over a hundred shots had been fired, was also pirated and large amount of property taken. Master of " Cheongkong " was wounded. The pirate villages are accessible from the river, and well known. The state of this portion of the river is intolerable. Last week Chinese salt junks carrying in the aggregate forty guns, and containing 500 men, were held to ransom by these pirates, and were relieved by Her Majesty's ships " Sandpiper," " Tweed," and a torpedo-boat. I have consulted with Admiral Seymour and Sir C. MacDonald, who concur with me that effective measures should be taken against the pirates. China is helpless, but I should invite Viceroy to assist in freeing this portion of the river from control of the (pirates. Does such a course meet with your approval ? * See " China Xo. 1 (1899)," p. 312. [1049J 3 B 370 No. 404. Sir E. Monson to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received; November 23.) My Lord, Paris, November 22, 1899.i ■/.., THE morning papers publish' a statement to the effect that at the Council of Ministers held yesterday at the Elysee, M. Delcasse announced that the delimitation of the French possessions in the Bay of Kwang-ehow-wan had been settled between Admiral Courrejolles and Marshal Sou, the Representative of the Chinese Government; Reparation is demanded for the murder of the two French officers. I have, &c. (Signed) EDMUND MONSON. No. 405. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received November 24.) Sir, Admiralty, November 22, 1899. WITH reference to previous correspondence respecting the prevalence of piracy in the West River district, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to request you will inform the Secretary of State that, in a letter dated the 9th instant, the Commander-in-chief on the China Station was directed to forward the scheme which he proposed to prepare in consultation and agreement with the Governor of Hong Kong for the establishment of a water police force, provided with fast steam launches,, alluded to in paragraph 11 of his despatch of the 3 1st August last, copy of which was.' forwarded to you in Admiralty letter of the 20th ultimo. A similar letter has been addressed to the Colonial Office. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. No. 406. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 25.) My Lord, Peking, October 6, 1899. I WAS informed last month by Mr. Hillier, the Agent of the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank at Peking, that the Chinese Board of Revenue were considering a proposal for the establishment of an Imperial mint; that the Hong Kong and Shangbae Banking Corporation wished to offer their services to the Chinese Govern- ment in formulating and carrying into effect a scheme for this purpose ; and that the Corporation intended to invite the co-operation of the Yokohama Specie Bank. Mr. Hillier asked for my assistance in order to induce the Chinese Government to avail themselves of the services of the British and Japanese Banks.. (Letter inclosed.) I promised my moral support ; and a scheme having been formulated by the two banks in conjunction, I recommended it to the Tsung-li Yamen in a note,- copy of which I have the honour to inclose herewith. The Japanese Minister also addressed the Yamen on the subject, on behalf of the Yokohama Specie Bank. I have the honour to inclose translation of the reply which. I have received from the Yamen, to the effect that the Government has already decided not to accept theassistance of any foreign banks. At an interview which I had with the Tsung-li Yamen yesterday, the Ministers, while communicating their decision> in the same terms as those employed in their note, informed me that the mint which was to be established would coin silver coins only, which would be current throughout the Chinese Empire ; but that it was not intended to discontinue the concurrent use of sycee as a medium for commercia transactions. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-TRONSIDE. 371 Inclosure 1 in No. 406. Hong Kong and Shanphae Banking Corporation to Mr. Bays-Ironside. r Sir > ' Peking, September 29, 1899. I HAVE the honour to hand you herewith the copy of a joint Memorial which has been addressed to the Tsung-li Yamen by this bank and the Yokohama Specie Bank, in which we offer our services to the Imperial Government in connection with the establishment of an Imperial mint and the introduction of currency reform. The proposal has been supported by the Minister for Japan in an official despatch addressed to the Tsung-li Yamen, and I have now the honour to request that you will be so good as to consider the desirability of adding your official support to the scheme on behalf of this bank. I need hardly dwell on the far-reaching effects on foreign trade and on the financial credit of China, which are likely to follow the introduction of a sound monetary reform in this country, and I earnestly hope that Her Majesty's Govern- ment will throw its influence into that scale at a moment which the consideration of the matter by the Board of Revenue renders particularly propitious. I have. &c. ■ ' (Signed) E. G. HILLIER, Agent. Inclosure 2 in No. 406. Joint Memorial addressed to the Tsung-li YamSn by the Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation and the Yokohama Specie Bank. THE memorialists have watched with keen interest the efforts at currency reform in China— the one as the leading exchange bank of the East and the representative of British trade, the other as recently associated with the successful solution of a national currency question of great difficulty and grave importance, both as subjects of friendly and disinterested Powers whose one desire is the commercial prosperity and financial stability of China. They have observed with anxiety the confusion of currency and the restriction of free circulation of coined dollars, consequent upon the multiplication of independent provincial issues, and the hardship imposed on the people of China by the increasing appreciation of copper cash, due to causes which have proved to be obscure to any but expert investigation. The memorialists therefore hear with profound satisfaction that the Imperial Government has in contemplation the establishment of an Imperial mint at Peking and the better regulation of currency. Questions of currency and coinage form a special subject of great difficulty, and are surrounded with dangers which only the experience of many years in other countries has learned to meet and guard against. The memorialists entreat his High- ness and their Excellencies to avail themselves to the utmost of such experience in order to guard against the dangers of insufficiently considered schemes of currency, and they desire to place at the disposal of the Imperial Chinese Government their joint services in furtherance of these aims. The memorialists therefore beg to submit the following proposal for the con- sideration of his Highness and their Excellencies : — 1. The banks offer to assist the Board of Revenue in drawing up a report on currency and coinage requirements in China, and to procure expert opinion on points of difficulty. 2. The banks undertake the establishment of an Imperial Mint at Peking, the ordering of machinery from the best manufacturers, the engagement of experts and workmen, and the framing of regulations for the coinage and circulation of an uniform currency. 3. The banks undertake to act as joint agents for the Imperial mint, to conduct (bullion operations, promote the circulation of the coinage,' and advise the Imperial Government on matters of currency. ' 4. The preliminary operations named will be undertaken by the banks free of charge to the Imperial Government, save for the reimbursement only of -the actual expenses incurred. Bullion and other operations, which come under the head of [1049] 3 B 2 272 ordinary banking business, will be undertaken by the banks as agents for the Imperial mint on terms to be arranged, and which will be based on the usual eharges for such banking operations. The memorialists submit this proposal with no idea of profit, but solely with the desire to promote the prosperity of China and her trade by assisting the Imperial Government to place the currency on a sound basis. The Managers of the banks hold themselves in readiness to receive the instruc- tions of his Highness and their Excellencies, and to confer immediately with the officials they may think fit to appoint to discuss the further details of the scheme. (Signed) C. OKUMURA, Agent, Yokohama Specie Bank. E. G. HILLIER, Agent, Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank, Inclosure 3 in No. 406. Mr. Bax-Ironsidc to the Tsung-li Yamen. MM. les Ministres, Peking, October 2, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform your Highness and your Excellencies that I have received a letter from the Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation to the following effect : — " The bank has heard that the Chinese Government has in contemplation the establishment of an Imperial mint at Peking, and, in consideration of the friendly relations existing between our respective countries, has ventured to offer its humble services. In conjunction with the Yokohama Specie Bank, we have submitted a Memorial on the subject to the Prince and Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen, and we have the honour to request your official support to the scheme." """""T I have the honour to observe that the currency of China is in such a state of confusion that unless some effective remedial measures are at once adopted \ the gravest consequences are to be feared. The present proposal to establish an Imperial mint in Peking for the improvement of the currency system is therefore most admirable, and the completeness of the scheme submitted by the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank and the Yokohama Specie Bank has, I do not doubt, commended itself to your Highness and your Excellencies. I desire, then, to express my earnest hope that the Yamen will approve the proposals of the two banks, and will at an early date submit the scheme for the approval of the Throne. I avail, &c. . (Signed) H. O. BAX-IEONSIDE. Inclosure 4 in No. 406. The Tsung-li Yamen to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Translation.) Sir, Peking, October 4, 1899. ON the 2nd instant we received your despatch with respect to the offer ofjJ the- services of the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank and the Yokohama Specie Bank to the Chinese Government in connection with the establishment of an Imperial mint in Peking. [Letter of the 2nd October quoted at length : see Inclosure 3 in' No. 406.1 We have the honour, in reply, to express our appreciation of tne friendly interest displayed in your recommendation of the two banks to assist n tne establishment of a mint. Some months, ago, however, repeated communications were made to us by othei Powers on this subject, either advising us to apply to their mints for assistance, or stating that if China permitted the banks of any other foreign Power to forestall them in the matter, their banks would have similar rights under the most-favoured-nation clause. The Yamen consulted with the Board of Revenue, and the Board informed 373 them that all arrangements had been made, and that no assistance need be sought from foreign Powers. On the 27th September the Japanese Minister forwarded to the Yamen the proposals of the two banks, and we have already replied to his note. We have now received your despatch, but as we know that the Board of Revenue is still resolved to adopt the procedure above detailed, we have the honour to request you to convey this answer to the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank. (Seal of Yamen.) Inclosure 5 in No. 406. Mr. Bax-Ironside to Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation. Sir, Peking, October 5, 1899. IN reply to your letter of the 29th ultimo, I beg to inform you that I took an- early opportunity to recommend your proposals with regard to the establishment of an Imperial Chinese mint to the Tsung-li Yamen both verbally and in writing. I now beg to hand you copy of the Yamen's official answer, dated the 4th instant, . from which you will see that the Chinese Government have decided not to seek assistance in the matter from any foreign source. I am, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 407. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 25.) (Extract.) Peking, October 6, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 18th ultimo, I have the honour to report that I have received a note from the Tsung-li Yamen acquainting me with the -arrest of the Kueichow criminal, T'an Tzu-ch'eng, the chief instigator of the murder of the late missionary, Mr. Fleming. The man has been arrested in the Province of Hunan, and will be sent to the provincial capital of Kueichow for trial. No. 408. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received November 2.0.)' My Lord, Peking, October 14, 1899'. WITH reference to my despatch of the 26th August, reporting on the inter- ruption which had occurred in the boring operations which have been conducted for some time in the neighbourhood of Nanp'iao by the British and Chinese Corporation, I have the honour to state that, in consequence of the representations made to me by the agent of the Corporation in this capital, and as the result of a personal interview with Mr. Forrester, the mining engineer of the Corporation in charge at Nanp'iao, I thought it advisable to instruct Mr. Barton, an Assistant in Her Majesty's Consular Service,, temporarily employed in the Chancery, to proceed to that neighbourhood and report fully on the state of the country and the continued brigandage in the Nanp'iao neighbourhood, and on the south-west frontier of Manchuria. Mr. Forrester had left his post temporarily and returned to Peking, as he informed me that a further stay at Nanp'iao would endanger his life. As reported in my previous despatch to your Lordship, the Chinese authorities took .energetic steps to deal with the matter, and Mr. Barton, who accompanied and took charge of a party, consisting of Messrs. Forrester, Tweed, Yivian, and Ma}', was met by the military authorities, and was present during the pacification of the district. I have the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship an interesting Report by 374 Mr. Barton of his proceedings, and to add that Mr. Forrester ;a,nd his staff have continued their work. '.:. No further reports of brigandage or robbery have reached me from the district in question. (Signed) ' H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE, Tnclosure 1 in "No. 408, Report on the Brigandage on the South-Western Frontier of Manchuria, 1899. General Character of the Country. THE tract of country which extends beyond the eastern extremity of the Great Wall on either side of the south-western frontier of Manchuria has for many years past been subject to periodical outbreaks of brigandage. The sea on the east, the Great Wall on the south, the towns of Jehol on theNvest, and of Chien Ch'ang Hsien, Ch'ao Yang Hsien, and Chin Chou Fu on the north, may be said to form the approximate limits of this district. The following may be taken as the main reasons for the disturbed state of the country : — In the first place, it is a kind of *' no-man's land," and the conflict of jurisdictions between Mukden and Jehol affords opportunities for lawlessness similar to that formerly prevailing in the border counties of England and Scotland. The south-west boundary of Feng-t c ien, the southernmost province of Manchuria, nominally follows the willow palisade which, formerly a continuation of the Great Wall, has now long ceased to exist as a practical frontier. The country west of this boundary, though nominally divided amongst various Mongol tribes, is populated chiefly by Chinese immigrants, and is accordingly organized on the footing of a Chinese administrative division of the First Class (" Fu^" or Prefecture), under the military Lieutenant-Governor at Jehol (Ch'eng-te Fu), who is subject in civil matters to the control of the Viceroy of Chihli. The Province •of Feng-t'ien is ruled by the military Governor-General of Mukden, its system of govern- ment closely resembling that of the rest of China proper. The second, and perhaps more important, reason is afforded by the physical conditions of the country. Except for a level tract along the sea-board, the district is very mountainous, and the roads are few and bad. The mountains afford innumerable hiding-places for banditti, and the poor state of communication renders any effective punitive operations against them difficult. The crops raised in the valleys and on the lower slopes of the hills are often insufficient for the support of the population, while to the evil-disposed the wealth of the merchauts collected in the unwalled towns offers a strong inducement to forsake their husbandry for the more profitable pursuit of brigandage. Area affected in 1899. The particular outbreak which occurred in the summer of this year, and which threatened to interfere seriously with the boring operations of the British and Chinese ■Corporation at Nanp'iao, was confined to the eastern portion of the area above defined, and centred round the Manchuria frontier-line, and the towns of Ch'ao Yanc, Chin-chou, .and Ning Yuan-chou. Position of Nanp'iao Coalfield. The coalfield of Nanp'iao is situated in the very heart of this district, being distant SO miles south of Ch'ao Yang 30 miles west of Chin-chou, and 35 miles north of Ning Yuan-chou. The native workings extend along a line about 5 miles in length, running east and west. The shafts being unprovided with pumping gear, work is only carried on during the dry season, or : for about seven months in the year, from October to April. During this period over 2,000 miners from outlying districts come in to work ; but from May to September the population of the neighbourhood itself probably does not exceed 1,200, and these are distributed among twenty hamlets. "•■'■;■:.' 375 Nanp'iao a Brigand Stronghold. # Of this permanent population one-sixth may be said to be active members of the brigand fraternity, while the proportion of aiders and abettors is so large that thef local authorities complain of the difficulty of distinguishing between the- "good" and the bad men of any one village. When it is considered that the largest estimate of the brigand forces places' their number at 500 men (they probably did not exceed 400), the importance of Nanp'iao as a brigand stronghold is apparent. It is moreover excellently situated for this purpose, being entirely surrounded by mountains, among which the numberless ramifications of the valleys form the only roads, and it is also within easy striking distance of the towns situated along the line of the Shanhaikuan-Newchwang Railway. The Nanp'iao mines previous to their acquisition by the Imperial Railway Adminis- tration were worked by a native Company. The present Deputy of the Administration was formerly the agent of the Company, and took up his post at Nanp'iao eighteen years ago. At that time a gang of brigands were installed in a fortified camp on a hill over- looking the village, and for six years they prevented any work in the eastern section or the coal-field ; at the end of that time the agent, with the aid of local volunteers and a few troops, finally succeeded in driving them from their stronghold, which he destroyed and erected a temple in its place. Outbreak of 1899. No serious outbreak occurred in the neighbourhood after this until the summer ot last year when the depredations of a gang under the leadership of a man named Chao attracted the attention of the authorities. Troops were sent up from Shanhaikuan> and the brigand leader was eventually induced to surrender — he and his men being taken into the employ of the Government. This method of setting a thief to catch a thief is, a favourite one with Chinese administrators, but in this instance it failed to achieve its object, for in the summer of this year the brigands, emboldened by the success of Chao,/ and also hoping, doubtless, to see their careers rewarded at the close with military appointments, commenced operations in larger numbers than before, and under the leadership of a man named T'ien, who had formerly been lieutenant of Chao's band. It was the depredations committed by the gangs under T'ien and some eight smaller, leaders that caused Mr. Forrester, the mining engineer of the British and Chinese Corporation at Nanp'iao to leave his post, and finally necessitated the employment of a force of over 10,000 men to restore order in the country. Mr. Forrester's experience with the brigands previous to his leaving JSlanp'iao are related in his Report to the British and Chinese Corporation, which formed an inclosure in Peking despatch No. 264 of the 26th August last. The Brigand Forces. The men who thus succeeded in terrorising for over two months an area of 2,000 square miles did not number more than 400. They were peasants and miners by profession, the only educated man amongst them being the Chief, Captain T'ien, known as "the Teacher." This man lived in a small village 2-J miles from Nanp'iao, and had formerly been a schoolmaster; only 24 years of age, and possessing an intelligent and kindly disposition, he apparently quite corresponded to the gallant robber chieftain of romance. He is the captain to whose good offices Mr. Forrester refers in his Report. The brigands formed bands of from 20 to over 100 strong under separate leaders nominally subject to T'ien, but they seldom combined except to resist an attack of the soldiery. They were all mounted on the small ponies of the country and were armed with modern magazine rifles (including Mauser, Mannlichers, and Winchesters) and revolvers, the latter apparently of continental manufacture. The were well supplied with ammunition; These weapons and ammunition are said to be smuggled in junks to a small port on the coast near Kao Ch'iao and 33 miles from Nanp'iao. It is difficult to ascertain the original place of shipment, and the authorities do not seem to attach any importance to the discovery of the source of this supply, and yet without these arms the brigands would be unable to adopt their aggressive attitude. 376 The outbreak commenced in the beginning of July, by which time the crops (chiefly millet, which grows to a height of 10 to 12 feet) were sufficiently high to afford cover for the brigands in their advance in the house or village selected for attack. Their maih object was to kidnap persons known to be wealthy, and hold them to ransom. In some instances single individuals were carried off to a secure place, their friends were informed by letter of the ransom demanded, and the sum was always forth- coming. In July a man and his son were kidnapped from their house, situated within a stone's- throw of the wall of Ning Yuang Chou— a Sub-Prefectural city. The brigands demanded a sum equal to 25,000 dollars as ransom, and finally received 22,000 dollars. Market-towns and villages were also raided and a number of persons carried off to be ransomed en masse. This occurred on the 6th August at the port on the coast above referred to. On this occasion thirty men sufficed to overcome the slight resistance offered by the local militia, while forty more secured twenty of the inhabitants; these were carried off, and the total ransom exacted amounted to 50,000 dollars. Highway robbery also came within the scope of their operations, but resistance was seldom offered to these attacks, and in very few instances were lives lost. Insufficiency of Troops in the District. Up till the middle of August the only troops in the district were the garrison in the towns of Ch'ao Yang, Chin-chou,. and Ning Yuan-chou. These did not exceed 2,000 in all, and were quite insufficient for the double duty of garrisoning the towns and pursuing the brigands. They were, besides, composed almost entirely of Manchus, who, though armed with modern rifles, were deficient in courage and discipline, and thoroughly •despised by the Chinese. On the few occasions when the opposing parties met in open fight they engaged at a -distance of* not less than a mile; a large amount of ammunition was expended, and the -soldiers usually ended by retiring with the loss of a few ponies and rifles. Under these conditions it was manifestly impossible for the local authorities to afford any protection except within the towns, and many people moved into these for safety. In spite of this the provincial authorities minimized the seriousness of the situation, and the Governor-General at Mukden sent in lying reports of the successes achieved by his troops. It was not until Mr. Forrester arrived in Tien-tsin on the 10th August that the actual state of affairs became known, and pressure was brought to bear on the Viceroy of Chihli to send up troops to the disturbed district ; this he proceeded to do after the Governor-General at Mukden had reported his inability, through lack of men and funds, to ^act single-handed in the matter. Operations against the Brigands. Accordingly by the middle of August a mixed force of cavalry and infantry, with a battery of mountain artillery, amounting in all to 2,500 men, had left Shanhaikuan and proceeded northwards along the line of railway. These troops were detached from the field force stationed at Shanhaikuan, which is recruited chiefly from natives of Central China ; they are drilled in the foreign style, and are armed with magazine rifles and carbines ; they have a good reputation for discipline. At the same time more Manchu troops were dispatched southwards from Mukden, while further detachments, which were hurried from the south of Chihli and from Jehol, soon raised the number of troops in the disturbed district to over 10,000 men. The brigands were encountered in force on the 18th August near Kao Ch'iao and again on the 28th August further north ; on both occasions they lost several of their number. After this the gangs separated and fled north, but finding themselves cut off by the Mukden troops, and their ammunition failing, they endeavoured to return to their homes ; by this time the troops had formed a cordon round the district, and the remainder of the operations consisted in hunting down the fugitives. Return of Mr. Forrester to Nanp'iao. On the 25th August the Viceroy informed Her Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin that the country round Nanp'iao was safe, and invited Mr. Forrester to return there and resume 377 his boring operations at the mines. Arrangements were accordingly made for this purpose, and Mr. Forrester, accompanied by Mr. Tweed of the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank in Peking, and two assistant engineers, Messrs. Vivian and May, left Tien-tsin on the 27th August. I received instructions from Her Majesty's Charge' d'Affaires to join this party, and to report to him on the state of affairs at Nanp'iao. The party arrived at Shanhaikuan by rail on the 27th August. I visited the General in command, who stated that the troops already dispatched had driven the brigands from the neighbourhood of the mines; every precaution had been taken, and the country, he assured me, was absolutely safe. The escort arranged for by the Viceroy was, the General said, awaiting us at Chung Hou-so (40 miles beyond Shanhaikuan, and at that time the limit of regular railway communication) ; it consisted of two companies of infantry from the field force at Shanhaikuan, under a Colonel, and twenty cavalry of the Viceroy's bodyguard, specially sent from Tien-tsin. The infantry would remain at Nanp'iao until relieved by 250 cavalry which were being brought up from the south of the province. The next day the party proceeded by train to Chung Hou-so where the escort was in readiness. The men drawn up for inspection presented a smart appearance ; the two companies numbered 215 men in all and 170 rifles, comprising Mannlichers, Mausers, and a few Winchesters ; about half were provided with the new pattern short bayonet. The cavalry were armed with Winchester carbines. The force was well supplied with ammunition. On the third day Ning Yang-chou was reached. The Sub-Prefect informed me that nothing had been seen of the brigands since the arrival of the troops from Shanhaikuan a fortnight previously. This information was confirmed by the English railway engineer stationed at this place; and at the market-town of Lien Shan, which was reached the following day, the same report was received and similarly confirmed. On the fifth day the party arrived at Kao Ch'iao, a market-town 15 miles south of Chin-chou and 27 miles from Nanp'iao ; it is proposed to build a branch line from this place to the mines. The road to Nanp'iao runs in a north-westerly direction, and after 10 miles passes Hung Lou Hsien, a large mart for raw cotton and agricultural produce, where it enters the mountains; after crossing the Mauchurian frontier the road passes the small town of Nuan Ch'ih T'ang, 4 miles beyond which is Nanp'iao. The party arrived without accident on the sixth day, the 2nd September. The small native house occupied by Mr. Forrester and his assistant was found undisturbed, and the valuable boring plant at the works a mile distant was also uninjured. Work was resumed on the 3rd September, twenty-seven days having elapsed since Mr. Forrester's departure for Tien-tsin. The escort were quartered in the village, one company in the inn, and one in the house of the local tax-collector, and arrangements were made for a detachment of twenty men to be stationed at the works day and night, while a small guard was posted nightly in the courtyard of the dwelling-house. The Viceroy's cavalry returned to Tien-tsin on the 5th September, as there was no reason for retaining more than the two companies of infantry as escort. The cavalry proved very useful on the journey, and their presence as direct emissaries of the Viceroy secured the most respectful treatment for the party throughout. The discipline of the men themselves was all that could be desired. Her Majesty's Consul in Tien-tsin has brought the conduct of the officer in command to the favourable notice of the Vicoroy. State of Affairs at Nanp'iao. The brigands from the Nanp'iao district had joined in the general retreat to the north, but shortly after our return they began to find their way back in twos and threes, seeking refuse in the mountains near their homes. They turned their ponies loose on the hillside, and hid their arms secretly in the houses of others, but it was very difficult to find a hiding-place for themselves, as the whole country was now full of troops ; all the larger villages contained detachments, while other bodies scoured the country in all directions. No less than three General Officers directed these operations, which were carried out with great zeal. T'ien's home, together with a large temple on a neighbouring hill endowed by him, were destroyed by the troops, while his wife committed suicide at the bidding of the local authorities. The homes of other absent brigands were rifled, and in many cases burned, their cattle and other belongings being divided among the soldiery. Every day saw {"1049] 3 C 378 ^prisoners in twos and threes passing througla.,Nan'piao on theic way to the bead-quarters! o •the nearest General Offieeiv and once caught, a iprisoneH' qeeided; exceptionally strong ;evidenceiin his.favour or a powerful guarantor to savedbirni'ftam instant execution.. ij,j., ( Organization of Village Train-bands. But it was still difficult for soldiers strangers to the district to detect the brigand whof having succeeded in getting rid of his pony and arms, returned to his home in the guise of an honest citizen. To obviate this difficulty, and as a measure of precaution against futule outbreaks, the inhabitants of the villages were organized as train-bands. The Colonel of the escort was charged with this duty for the Nanp'iao district. 1 Tile Headmen of the twenty villages on the coalfield were summoned by him and ordered to prepare lists of all the families and their occupations in the different villages. A captain and three lieutenants were appointed from among, the Headmen:, to be responsible for the organization of the whole district, while two soldiers from the escort were told off to each village to act as instructors. The organization of train-bands is the orthodox Chines^ method of perpetuating in a district, after the withdrawal of the troops, the results obtained by recent military operations* Ostensibly a system for mutual defence against evil-doers, its real advantage in, the present instance . lay in the system of espionage which it embodied. Secret sympathizers with the brigands were compelled to join the, train- bands through fear of the suspicion which would be aroused by a refusal to do so ; while the Headmen, knowing that the whole neighbourhood was acting in concert, and supported by the presence of the military, Were emboldened to point out the brigands' whom they knew to be in hiding in , iheir villages. Attatk on a Railway Engineer. i \ it On the. 3rd September an attack was made on, the hpuse of the railway engineer (an Englishman named Griffith) stationed at Shih San Shan, 2§ miles north-east of Chin-chou ■ on the road to Mukden, by a hand of about fifty armed men ; the engineer defended rhim?elf with; a revolver whiles the Jobbers fired volleys into the house, but he was over- powered and the bouse was rifled. His. assailants theji made off, and he miraculously -^escaped without serious injury. :. This .incident was at first (Connected with the brigandage in the neighbouring districts, :»a»d.fears were entertained for the safety of the engineers pn tjhe.,line under construction /(between Ghin-chou and.Newchwang; but it proved that ;tbe outrage was the work of local had characters, who had been incited by a report that a large sum of money had reached , the engineer for the .payment of his men. Troops were , sent from Mukden for the ,protection of . the railway line, and Mr. Griffith was able to return to his work almost immediately. ■Meanwhile, Nanp'iao remained undisturbed; the leader, T'ien,, was known to be in hiding near at hand, but he eluded< every attempt at capture^and finally succeeded in /passing unrecognized through the cordon of troops surrounding the" district. He endeavoured to make his way southwards with one companion, but on the 17th September i he was arrested in the neighbourhood of Shanhaikuan. On the 15th September regular railway communication was open between Shanhai- kuan and Chin-chou, thus bringing Nanp'iao within two days' journey of Tien-tsin; and ton the 17th September, as there seemed no probability of further trouble, I left Nanp'iao, together with Mr. Tweed, and returned to Peking. Memorial by Jung Lu. ,ir , .,• On, the 9th October the Imperial assent was given to a Memorial by Jun°- Lu, Oeneralissimo of the forces in China, on the subject of the outbreak. The memorialist .gives; an account of the operations against the brigands from the commencement, and ! reports the capture and execution of T'ien and eight other small leaders./ He commends the speedy suppression of the disturbance. In. all 100 persons implicated, have beep .■executed or imprisoned, besides those killed in conflict with the troops, and the only 379 criminal of importance still at large is T'ien's lieutenant, Ku. He states that the country being now quiet, the troops will be withdrawn, but " some hundreds " of cavalry and infantry will be left at Nuan Ch'ih T'ang, under a Colonel, to superintend the organization of the train-bands in the 130 villages throughout the district, and also to secure the capture of the fugitive Ku and any others still remaining uncaught. The Memorial concludes, as usual, with the proposal to submit the names of those officers who have distinguished themselves in the late operations. In this connection the Ying Kuan (Colonel) Su, sent in command of the escort which accompanied us to Nanp'iao, certainly deserves recommendation. He showed himself most energetic in the performance of his duties both on the journey and after the arrival at Nanp'iao, while at the same time he was always willing to meet the wishes of the party in the arrangements made for their protection. The discipline of his men was good throughout, and their behaviour towards the inhabitants of Nanp'iao was such as to render their presence welcome to the latter. Conclusion. There can be no doubt that for the present brigandage in the country above- described has received a severe blow, but ifc would be rash to expect a total change in the conditions which have continued there for many years in spite of frequent punitive opera- tions. It is true that the present operations have been carried out more thoroughly than those of previous years, and this may cause a correspondingly longer period to elapse before the next outbreak ; but unless the present small and inefficient garrisons are replaced by larger and better organized forces, such as those lately sent from Sharihaikuah, the country, after the withdrawal of the troops, will be as open as before to the depreda- tions of a few well-armed men. As far as Nanp'iao itself is concerned, it may be expected that the construction of the branch railway from the mines to the main line at Kao Ch'iao (see Article 4 of the Nanp'iao Mines Agreement, inclosed in Peking despatch No. 206 of the 12th October, 1898) will do much to render the country secure. At present, however, it would appear necessary to retain permanently such an escort as is now stationed there, in order to render it a safe place of residence for foreigners, and to guard against the possibility of future interruption of the work at the mines. The accompanying tracing, taken from Waeber's Map of North-Eastern China, shows- the places mentioned in this Report. (Signed) SIDNEY BARTON. Peking, October 13, 1899. Inclosure 2 in No. 408. Map. [Not printed..] No. 409. Sir C. MacDondld to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received 'November 25.) (Telegraphic.) Chefoo, November 25, 1899. HANKOW Arbitration. I see no objection to arrangement proposed, by Russian Government. No. 410. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. C Hardinge. > (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, November 25, 1899. HER Majesty's Government accept arrangement proposed by Russian Government^ as reported in your despatch of the 14th November, in connection with Messrs. Jardiile, Matheson's land claims in Russian Concession at Hankow. fl049] 3 C J No. 411. Foreign Office to Colonial Office. Sir, Foreign Office, November 25, 1899. I LAID before the Marquess of Salisbury your letter of the 21st instant, trans- mitting a paraphrase of a telegram from the Governor of Hong Kong relative to the prevalence of piracy in the West River, and I am to suggest that Sir H. Blake should be informed that his proposal to invite the Viceroy of Canton to assist in freeing the lower portion of the river from the control of the pirates is approved. I inclose the draft of a telegram which, if Mr. Secretary Chamberlain concurs in the above suggestion, Lord Salisbury proposes to send to Her Majesty's Minister at Peking on the subject.* I am, &c. (Signed) ERANCIS BERTIE. No. 412. Mr. Balfour to Sir C. MacDonalcl. { Telegraphic. ) Foreign Office, November 29, 1899. IT has been decided by the Peking Syndicate to begin operations by constructing a railway in order to connect the coalfields of North Honan, from Ching-hwa via Wei Hui to Taokou on the River Wei, and so to reach the Grand Canal. They consider it essential the prospectus should contain a statement that they are acting within the rights conferred upon them under Article 17 of their Concession in doing so. You should press the Chinese Government to admit their interpretation, which seems correct. No. 413. Mr. Balfour to M. Cambon. Your Excellency, Foreign Office, November 29, 1899. HER Majesty's Government have carefully considered the representation which you made to the Marquess of Salisbury at your interview on the 6th ultimo with regard to the extension of the Erench Concession at Shanghae. Your Excellency then dwelt upon the comparatively unimportant nature of the extension now desired by Erance to the south of, and in addition to, the Pasinjow district, the application for which, as you were informed in Lord Salisbury's note of the 17th July, Her Majesty's Government were prepared to support, and you assured him that there was no ground for the apprehension that British owners possessing land within the proposed extension would be compelled to submit either to French law or to Erench municipal jurisdiction. Lord Salisbury consulted Her Majesty's Minister in China, who has arrived at Shanghae on his return to his post, and I have now the honour to inform your Excellency that, while maintaining the views expressed in his Lordship's note of the 17th July, Her Majesty's Government, out of deference to the representations of the Erench Government in the matter, are prepared to support the Erench application for the southern extension, as indicated on the map which you showed to Lord Salisburv in addition to the Pasinjow district, subject to the strict fulfilment of the same •conditions as those laid down in Lord Salisbury's above-mentioned note, viz. : 1. All deeds applying to British property to be registered in the British 'Consulate. 2. AU municipal Regulations to be submitted for the approval of Her Majesty's Minister before they can be enforced on British subjects. * No. 4 IS, infra. 381 3. All titles to British property which are declared in order by the British Consul- General are to be considered so by the French authorities. The same rule to apply as regards British-owned property in the French Conces- sion at Hankow. I have, &c. (Signed) ARTHUR JAMES BALFOUR, No. 414. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, November 30, 1899. FRENCH Settlement at Shanghae : Your telegram of the 21st November. A note has been addressed to the French Ambassador informing him that the French application for the southern extension, as indicated on the map shown by him to me, in addition to the Passinjow district, will receive the support of Her Majesty's Government, subject to all the conditions stated in my note to him of the 17th July being strictly fulfilled. No. 415. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Choale. Your Excellency, Foreign Office, November 30, 1899. WITH reference to my note of the 29th September last, I have the honour to state that I have carefully considered, in communication with my colleagues, the proposal contained in your Excellency's note of the 22nd September, that a declaration should be made by foreign Powers claiming " spheres of interest " in China, as to their intentions in regard to the treatment of foreign trade and interests therein. I have much pleasure in informing your Excellency that Her Majesty's Government will be prepared to make a declaration in the sense desired by your Government in regard to the leased territory of Wei-hai Wei, and all territory in China which may hereafter be acquired by Great Britain by lease or otherwise, and. all spheres of interest now held, or which may hereafter be held, by her in China, provided that a similar declaration is made by the other Powers concerned. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 416. Colonial Office to Foreign Office. — (Received December 1.) Sir, Downing Street, November 30, 1899. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 25th instant relative to the prevalence of piracy in the waters of the West River. 2. I am to request you to inform the Marquess of Salisbury that Mr. Chamberlain concurs in the telegram which his Lordship proposes to address to Her Majesty's Minister at Peking upon this subject. 3. I am to add that Sir H. Blake has been informed by telegraph that the proposal contained in his telegram of the 15th instant, viz., that the Viceroy of Canton should be invited to assist in freeing the lower portion of the West River from the control of pirates, has been approved. I am, &c. (Signed) C. P. LUCAS. 382 No. 417. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received December 2.) Sir, Admiralty, November 30, 1S09. I AM commanded by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit for the information of the Secretary of State, extracts from a letter dated 17th ultimo, from the Commander-in-chief on the China Station, relative to his visit to Tsing Tau, Kiao-chau Bay, and his intended departure for the first rapids above Ichang about 17th October. . ■< I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 417. Vice- Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. (Extract.) " Alacrity," at Shanghae, October 17, 1899. v I LEFT Wei-hai Wei in the " Alacrity " on the 10th October for Tsing Tau, Kiao-chau Bay, to pay a visit which Rear- Admiral His Royal ' Highness Prince Henry" of Prussia had for some time asked me to make, but which circumstances had hitherto prevented. My visit was necessarily a short one, arriving there at fl am. on the 11th, and leaving at 11 p.m. next day, but during that time the greatest hospitality and kindness was received by myself and officers, and we were shown over the town and territory without the slightest reserve. His Royal Highness had the greater part of the German squadron in these waters present at Kiao-chau, viz. : " Deutschland," "Kaiserin Augusta," " Hertha," " Gefion," and. "Irene." By next mail I shall send some few remarks on my visit. The "Alacrity" arrived at Woosung on the 14th and Shanghae next morning. After receiving the mail due to-day I shall leave for Hankow, and there take a river steamer for Ichang, and perhaps go as far as the first rapids above that, so as to be able to form some idea of the work to be undertaken by our river gun-boats when making the passage between Ichang and Chungking. No. 418. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, December 2, 1899. A REPORT has been received from the Governor of Hong Kong stating that on the 12th November a further case of piratical attack on a British steamer took place near Komchuk. Urge that pressing orders be sent to the Viceroy of Canton to co-operate with the Governor of Hong Kong, who proposes inviting him to assist in freeing this portion of the West River from the control of pirates. No. 419. Mr. C. Hardinge to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 4.) My Lord, St. Peter sburgh, November 26, 1899. , I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship copy of a note which, in accordance with the information contained in your Lordship's telegram of yesterday, I have to-day addressed to Count Mouravieff, acquainting him with the decision of Her Majesty's Government to accept the proposed arrangement for the settlement of the question relating to certain plots of land claimed by Messrs. Jardine and Matheson, and situated within the Russian Concession at Hankow. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES HARDINGE. ' 383 f ■Y-^- •••• T ' •■' ;■-. ji "•"•' iTOWsure in No.. 419.'-' >■■-* • -' '" K ' ! v - '"V"' ir: : Mr. C. Hardinge to Count Mouravief. M. le'Ministre, St. Petersburgh, November 14 (26), 1899. I HAD the honour to forward to Her Majesty's Government the proposal contained in Count Lamsdorff's note of the 20th October (1st 'November);; for the settlement on the spot of the question which has arisen at Hankow respecting the rights of possession of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to certain lands situated within the Russian, Concession in that town. ,,, , j , I also had the honour to inform Count LamsdorfE on the 14th instant that Her Majesty's Government proposed, before giving a reply, to consult with Sir Claude oMacDonaid, Her Majesty's* Minister) at Peking, by telegram to* Shanghae where he was expected to arrive within, a few fdays. ■■.'•.■■.■ ,.<■■; .><- ■■.>*. »t>; usvj. I : have t.nowj been instructed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform your i .Excellency that Her Majesty's Goveimment accept the arrangement proposed in Count Lamsdorff's note of the 20th October (1st November), for the settlement of this ■ question. ^ •.*,.„ : l,-..»y Vu ■ I avail, &c. •,.■■. ,, ,.,ji ;. (Signed) CHAELES HARDINGE. < !,- .- ', Sir C. Mac Donald. to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 4.) ((Telegraphic.) - ,,.,""' / , Peking, December : 4t, 1899, DURING the delimitation ., of French leased .territory at Kwang-chou-wan on the 13th November, Chinese villagers seized two Erench officers and decapitated them. The execution of a dignitary — the Prefect concerned in the murder — has been demanded by the Erench Minister, as well as the dismissal of the Canton Viceroy, who is also implicated. The Chinese' Commissioner engaged in the delimitation and the gun-boat in which he travelled- are held, by the Erench as hostages. No. 421. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received, December 5.) r (Telegraphic.) Peking, December 5, 1899. REVISION of existing Tariff. '-"--■ The* Yamen have written requesting- that a date may be fixed for commencing negotiations. Sheng Taotai and Nieh, late Taotai at Shanghae, have been appointed Commis- sioners; in conjunction with Sir R„ Hart.:. .„ , — -• .->..; .No,. 422. ,,r. , .. Mr. ChoaU to the Marquess ,of,..S < alisa,ury-.-r-{Received, December .6,) , . • . : - | Mv Lord American Embassy, London, December 6, 1899. il HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's note of the 30th November, in.which you: inform me that, after haying carefully considered, in connection with your colleagues, the proposal contained in my note of the 22nd September last, Her.. Majesjty '^Government is prepared to make a declaration in the sense desired by my Government in regard to the leased territory of Wei-hai Wei, and all territory in China which -may hereafter be acquired by Great Britain, by lease or otherwise, and all " spheres, of interest " now held, or which may hereafter be held by her in- China, provided that a^ similar declaration is made by other Powers. In acknowledging your Lordship's note, I have also, under instructions from the 384 Secretary of State, to express to. your, Lordship the gratification he feels at this cordial acceptance by Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the proposals of the United States. I have, &c. (Signed) JOSEPH H. CHOATE. No. 423. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 7.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, December 7, 1899. BRITISH lots in Russian Concession at Hankow : Your telegram of the 3rd November, repeating Mr. Hardinge's telegram of the 2nd November. I am informed by the Russian Minister that the proposals he has received respecting the Hankow Commission of Inquiry are not as detailed as those contained in your telegram. Hs is telegraphing for further details. I have pointed out to him that the proposals are those which were made by Count. Mouravieff, and that they have heen accepted by your Lordship. No. 424. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, December 7, 1899. . WITH reference to Mr. Bax-Ironside's telegram of the 22nd August last, respecting the " Kow-shing " case, inform Yamen that the Chinese Government have had ample time to consider the question of arbitration, and press for a reply. No. 425. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Foreign Office, December 7, 1899. I HAVE received Mr. Bax-Ironside's despatch of the 6th October relative to the offer of the Hong Kong and Shanghae Banking Corporation and the Yokohama Specie Bank to assist the Chinese Government in establishing an Imperial mint. I approve the action which Mr. Bax-Ironside took in the matter. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 426. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 11.) My Lord, Peking, October 20, 1899. REFERRING to my despatch of the 11th ultimo and to previous corre- spondence respecting the negotiations now in progress between the Foochow Viceroy and Her Majesty's Consul at that port for a settlement of the Kienning riot case, I have the honour to inclose copy of further correspondence which has passed between Her Majesty's Consul and the local authorities on the subject. The Kienning Notables have signed a bond to which, at the invitation of the local Chinese authorities, Her Majesty's Consul has affixed his seal, undertaking responsibility for the safety of the missionaries within the city of Kiennin<*, beyond which city the responsibility falls on the local authorities. Mr. Lloyd and Dr. Rigg were present at the signature of the bond as the repre- sentatives of the Church Missionary Society. I have approved Mr. Playfair's action as described in his despatches up to date. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. 385 Inclosure 1 in No. 426. Consul Play fair to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foochow, September 2, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that I to-day sent you a telegram to the effect that the Viceroy has met my wishes in the matter of ordering the Kienning bond to be signed by all the twenty-four Kepresentatives of the Notables. Two of these are to come to Foochow for the purpose, and the twenty-two others to do their part at Kienning before the Prefect and one of the missionaries. To facilitate this concession I met the Viceroy half-way by agreeing to waive the degradation of the chief Notable, which had at first been mooted, considering that the fact of compelling his presence at Foochow would be looked on by his class as in itself a loss of prestige and would make more for ultimate good than the qualified degradation promised. I have told Dr. Rigg that, when the bond has been signed at Foochow by the two Notables, I consider he may return to Kienning in safety and be the missionary present at the signing of the bond before the Prefect by the twenty-two others. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR. Inclosure 2 in No. 426. Consul Playfair to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foochow, September 29, 1899. IN my telegram of the 2nd instant I had the honour to report that a bond, under- taking to keep the peace towards British missionaries, was to be signed by the twenty- four head Notables in Kienning, of whom two were to he brought to Foochow for the purpose of signing before me and representatives of the Church Missionary Society. The two Notables have come and the draft of the bond has been submitted to me. Before accepting it, however, I required the authorities to inform me officially that the terms, which to me seemed somewhat vague, were understood by the authorities to extend the responsibility of the gentry to any outbreak of the populace. I received this intimation and J consider that it supplements the original wording effectually. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR. Inclosure 3 in No. 426. Draft of Bond to be yiven by Gentry. (Translation.) WE, Chang Jen-chih and Tso Yang-tseng, Notables controlling the train bands, enter into the following recognisances with the local authorities. We admit that it is our duty to restrain the Comptrollers of the twenty-four wards from molesting the foreign hospitals and the chapels of the missionaries ; and we declare that, if there be such molestation on the part of the Comptrollers of the wards, we hold ourselves answerable. In testimony thereof we have hereto set our hands this day of Inclosure 4 in No. 426. Ch'en Taotai to Consul Playfair. (Translation ) gi rj Foochow, September 27, 1899. ' I RECEIVED your letter yesterday suggesting that in the draft of the bund to b< executed by the Headmen of the Kienning gentry the words " Comptroller of th* [1049] i 3 D 386 Quarter " should be changed to " Populace of the Quarter ; " I replied, sending, for your inspection, Acting Prefect Chin's Report. At the visit which I had the pleasure of receiving from you to-day, the Acting Prefect and 1 explained to you in detail that — 1. Chang Jen-chih is the Comptroller-General of the Kienning gentry ; 2. According to the established usage of that city the Comptroller-General has authority over all the Heads of the wards ; and 3. The Heads of wards have authority over the populace of the wards. The intention of this arrangement is that they shall thus come to know all that u being said and done, and accordingly have their power of repressing disorder increased. If by any chance the people of the wards made a disturbance, the responsibility for it would fall on the Headmen, and the Comptroller-General would be unable to repudiate his responsibility. If the established rules were departed from without due consideration, it is to be feared that in future the Comptroller-General would have no power to control the Headmen, and have only the shadow without the substance of authority, which would be a departure from bis habit of careful circumspection. Your knowledge and experience must tell you that this is the case, and you cannot hold a different opinion. I am confident that the bond I sent you to be comprehensive and effectual should not be changed in form. I shall send you a further letter settling the date of signature, and in the meantime, &c. (Seal of Ch'en Taotai.) Inclosure 5 in No. 426. Consul Playfair to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foochow, October 2, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that the bond, of which I sent a copy in my despatch, dated the 29th September last, was to-day signed by the Head of the Kienning Notables and one of his colleagues in my presence and that of the Provincial Judge. Mr. Lloyd and Dr. Rigg were als > present as representatives of the Church Missionary Society. I have, (Sec. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR Inclosure 6 in No. 426. Consul Playfair to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foochow, October 3, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch, dated the 26th September last, in which I reported that I had declined to ask the Chinese authorities to allow me to affix my Consular seal to the bond to be signed by the Kienning gentry, I have now the honour to inform you that, the Chinese authorities having invited me spontaneously so to affix my seal, I have done so. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYFAIR: Inclosure 7 in No. 426. Consul Playfair to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Foochow, October 3, 1899. IN deference to the wish of the missionaries, who felt doubtful if the Chinese authorities understood their responsibility for the safety of the missionaries at Kienning to extend as far as, in my opinion, it extended, I asked Ch'eti Taotai to give me in writing a definition of the amount of responsibility devolving on the gentry and authorities severally. I have now the honour to inclose copies of his replies, which consisted of a despatch 387 dealing with the range assigned to the gentry under the bond they have given, and of a note pointing out that the responsibility of the gentry ends with the city of Kienning, beyond which it falls on the local authorities. I have, &c. (Signed) G. M. H. PLAYPAIR, Inclosure 8 in No. 426. Ch'en Taotai to Consul Playfair. (Translation.) Foochow, October 1, 1899. TESTER DA Y I had the honour to receive your despatch referring to the settlement of the Kienning case, in which you observe that there are still some points requiring elucidation, and you beg that I will give the information in writing, in order that it may be placed on record. In an earlier despatch to you I stated explicitly that the " Controller-General has authority over the Controllers, and the Controllers over the populace." As regards the hospital, chapels, missionaries, and converts of the twenty-four wards within and without the city of Kienning, the said Controllers are undoubtedly bound to exercise influence for their protection, and to prevent molestation at all times. I hare the honour to send this reply to be placed on record. (Seal of Taotai.) Inclosure 9 in No. 426. Ch'en Taotai to Consul Playfair. (Translation.) Foochow, October 1, 1899. I AM sending you, in the form of a despatch, a reply to your communication asking for an explicit declaration of what the Chinese authorities understand exactly by the protection of the " hospital and chapels at Kienning." This I wish to supplement, in order to dispel any doubts that may linger in the minds of the missionaries. When stating that the " Controller- General has authority over the Controllers, and the Controllers over the populace," I denned the precise range of their responsibility, which extends to the hospital, chapels, &c, within the twenty-four wards of the Prefectural city of Kienning and suburbs only. Beyond this, i.e., in the district cities of the Prefecture, the Controllers have no power, and therefore cannot be held to have responsibility. Outside the Prefectural city the responsibility devolves on tie several local authorities, as provided by Treaty. I shall be obliged if you will communicate what I have here written to the missionaries. (Card of Taotai.) No. 427. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 11.) My Lord, Peking, October 21, 1899. WITH reference to my despatches of the 15th May and 20th June last, I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship copy of an interesting Report which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Newchwang on the further progress of the Russian railway in Manchuria. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. [1049] 3 D 2 388 Inclosure in No. 127. Consul Hosie to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Newchwang, October 8, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that on the 30th ultimo only 20 miles of rail laying remained uncompleted between this port and Talienwan where the extensive harbour works referred to in my despatch of the 12th June, are now being pushed forward. The new town whose site has been mapped out on the south shore of Victoria Bay as the Talienwan terminus of the commercial line is to be named Dalny (Far Away). On the 23rd of September the first locomotive arrived outside the west wall of the city of Liao-yang, and the temporary wooden bridge across the T'ai-tzu Ho, about 3 miles to the north of that city, was completed, and the rails laid thereon on the 4th instant. This bridge, 600 feet long, with twenty-four spans, is substantially built, and rests on piles driven into the bed of the river by steam hammer. The embankment to the north of the T'ai-tzu is well advanced towards Moukden, and a branch line, 10 miles in length, will leave the Liao-yancr-Moukden station at or near a place called Yen-t'ai, 15 miles to the north-east of Liao-yang, and go east to the Russian coal mines at Huang-pu in the neighbourhood of the Lang Tung-kou mine worked by Messrs. Bandinel and Company. I am informed that the rails are laid at the rate of over a mile a-day ; but owing to the softness of the soil forming the embankment, wash-outs have been of frequent occurrence during rains, hindering the through tniffic of the construction trains. The wooden bridges thrown across the mountain streams which cross the track of the railway and now west into the Inner Liao, between Hai-ch'eng and Liao-yang, have hitherto been of a very temporary character, and have frequently been washed away during floods ; but strong stone piers are now being built in the direct line of the embankment, on the banks of the two main streams at A.n-shan-chan and Sha-ho-tzu, the present structures being curved out of the main track. Sha-ho-tzu is a town of some considerable size, with numerous workers in iron, and one difficulty the Russians have had to contend with up and down the line in its vicinity is the theft of railway materials, iron bolts being drawn out of rails and sleepers over night, and manufactured into other goods in the local smithies. In my despatch of the 8th May I mentioned that negotiations were being carried on with a view to obtain permission for the line to run to the immediate west of Moukden ; but they would appear to have fallen through, for the track will be 8 miles to the west of the city, and no doubt a branch line would be called for later when the advantages of railway communication were recognized. All the American locomotives brought here have been put together, and are now in full working order ; additional workshops, with a large staff of Russian artisans, have been erected on the Russian railway settlement ; and every description of railway work, including the building of passenger corridor cars, probably for the use of the railway officials, is being carried on. I have, &c. (Signed) ALEX. HOSIE. Xo. 428. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 11.) My Lord, , Peking, October 26, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of a despatch from your Lordship, inclosing copy of a letter from the Yunnan Company of the 2-Lth August, relative; to the trade between Upper Burmah and Yunnan, and directing me to furnish your Lordship with observations on the suggestions made by the Yunnan Company in this letter. Mr. H. Lyon Scott, on whose reports the Yunnan Company base their remarks, states in his notes with regard to taxation, that he had not been able to see copies of our Treaties with China in regard to the taxation of our goods sant into the country. A perusal of Article IX of tho Convention of ] 891 will show that provision has been made to obtain the same advantages for our trade between Burmah and Yunnan as those enjoyed by the French via the Red River and Men^-tzu. The establishment of a British Consulate, and of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs at Tengyiieh (Momein), will result in the settlement of several of the points 389 raised by Mr. Lyon Scott. I have the honour to inclose copy of a despatch, dated the 15th August, which I have received from Mr. J. W. Jamieson, Her Majesty's Acting Consul at Tengyueh (Momein), dealing with certain questions in this connection which are likely to arise as soon as the Maritime Customs commence operations in Momein. With regard to the question raised by the Yunnan Company as to their right to start trading at Teagyueh, Tali-fu, Hsia Kuan. Yunnan-fu, or Sui-fu, &c, I have the honour to point out that of the above-named places Tengyueh is now an " open port," and the Company is, of course, at liberty to establish its agency there. The other places named are not " open ports," and under the terms of our Treaties with China (see Treaty of Tien-tsin, 1858) British merchants are only allowed to reside at " open ports " in China. But by means of passports, or Chinese agents, the Company could trade at the towns named. Ssumao and Tengyueh have been opened experimentally to initiate a regular trade with South-Western China, and the advisability of applying to the Chinese Government to open other places will be the subject of investigation by Her Majesty's Consuls in Yunnan. The Government post of China is now being taken in hand by the Chinese Customs. A regular service has been established in all places in which they work, and the postal service of Yunnan will, I have no doubt, be supplied by them when they enter on their duties at Momein. The removal of import duties in Burmah on all goods intended for transit to Yunnan is advocated in Mr. Jamieson's despatch above mentioned, and I agree with him in his remarks upon the subject. The Chinese Government has been repeatedly urged by this Legation to permit the import of foreign salt into China. All efforts in this direction have completely failed. The result of one of these applications, made on behalf of the Salt Union of England, was reported to your Lordship in Legation despatch of the 8th April, 1894. Article XI of the Burmah Convention expressly forbids the import of salt into China, and any salt imported must have been smuggled, or have been admitted by favour of local officials. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IHONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 428. Acting Consul Jamieson to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Tingyueh (Momein), August 15, 1899. MY stay here so far has been too short to enable me to make inquiry into local conditions of trade, and I question whether, prior to joining the Boundary Commission, I shall succeed in obtaining much information of any kind, as during the rainy season all communication with Burmah is suspended, and it will take some time to break through the barrier of guarded reserve, from behind which the mercantile community seem at present inclined to revolve the, to them, novel and slightly incomprehensible idea of a Treaty port. I have invited them frankly to apply to me for such explanations as they may require, regarding the working of a foreign custom-house, and the conditions under which trade will in future be carried on, but no one has up to date responded. In going over, however, in my own mind the various points to lay before them, certain questions, which I deem it my duty to submit for your consideration without loss of time, at once presented themselves. The reasons for this apparent precipitation are that the points raised are of considerable importance, will take in all probability some little time to discuss, and that a clear understanding with regard to them ought certainly, if possible, to be arrived at prior to the opening of the custom-house, so that once the new regime is inaugurated, it may, for the first few years at least, continue to work on an uniform basis. The matters to which I refer are : freedom of trade between China and Burmah (Convention 1894, Article VIII), the collection of import and export duties on a diminished scale (Article IX), and passage of goods across the frontier. 390 In terms of the Convention the two first-named privileges expire six years after the exchange of ratifications, i.e., on the 23rd August, 1900. As it would lead to considerable misunderstanding and dissatisfaction on the part of the merchants were new rules introduced within a few months of the opening of a custom-house, it is of the highest importance, in the interests of trade, that the extension of these privileges for a further term of years be secured in advance. In order to compete with Mengtze and free our manufactures from the disadvantages under which they labour in entering Yunnan by that route, every facility possible must be afforded to goods coming into the province from Burmah. Properly fostered the trade here ought to prove a very considerable one, and it would be matter of much regret did the Governments con- cerned acquiesce in the taking of steps, which would appear to hamper it ab initio. Not only do I most strongly advocate the extension for a further period of the privileges above mentioned, but I would go further and recommend to the Govern- ment of India the advisability of taking into consideration some scheme whereby the duty-free import at Burmese sea-ports of British goods destined for through transit to Yunnan, could be secured. I have not beside me a copy of 1he Indian Tariff, but I believe it is on a 5 per cent, ad valorem basis, which, added to the Chinese import and transit dues, subjects British manufactures to an initial charge of 12^ per cent. The other matter regarding which it would be well to arrive at a clear preliminary understanding is the question of routes, by which imports and exports shall cross the frontier. In this connection Article IX of the Convention, and the addition thereto introduced by the Agreement of 1897, must be read together. Paragraphs 1 and 2 of that Article stipulate that, under certain specified conditions, only two routes — those by Manyiin and Chanlise — shall be employed, and the Agreement adds a rider that "the opening of such other routes, as the Boundary Commissioners may find to be in the interests of trade, shall be sanctioned on the same terms." Now the whole context of the Article clearly shows that the routes, with which it is meant to deal, are those converging on a foreign custom-house, and to be used by goods wishing to avail themselves of the privileges of the General Tariff of the Maritime Customs and the transit-pass system. It certainly does not apply to other routes across the frontier not connecting immediately with a foreign custom-house, as along those routes how could duties under the General Tariff be levied or transit passes be granted ? A misconception with regard to this manifest interpretation of Article IX would appear to prevail in Burmah, as, while in Yunnan-fu, Mr. Scott mentioned to the Governor-General that he had instructions to press for the opening of routes on those terms right along the frontier. As, of course, the Maritime Customs cannot be expected to maintain outstations along a frontier 200 to 300 miles long, and as without such outstations the General Tariff duty cannot be properly levied nor transit passes issued, to insist on this erroneous reading would be very prejudicial to trade. Were it put down in black and white by the Boundary Commissioners that along certain routes — not converging on a foreign custom-house — the General Tariff was to be levied, the door would be open to all sorts of abuses. A native station would at once be opened on the frontier to [attempt to collect this duty, which would probably far exceed the charges levied at existing stations farther inland, and the °-oods not being protected by a transit pass would, on arrival at these stations, have to & pay duty over again. The question of routes thus falls into two divisions: those converging on a foreign custom-house— which for purposes of this discussion is Tengyueh and those crossing the frontier generally. As regards the former, they are again subdivided into two sections, routes from Bhamo and routes from Myitkina, the two points between which and Tenoyueh the great bulk of the import and export trade will be conducted. As it has by no means been conclusively proved, by practical experience, which are the best roads between the three places, the most practical solution of the difficulty, in my opinion, would be to leave the decision as to number and location of the Customs outstations — to frank the goods as far as the Tengyueh Custom-house— entirely in the hands of the Commissioner of Customs and Her Majesty's Consul, deliberating in concert, giving them liberty to exercise full discretion in the best interests of trade and revenue. Due notice would, of course, have to be given to the merchants that if they wish to avail themselves of the privileges of the foreign custom-house they must travel by the routes selected and no other. J As regards routes crossing the frontier generally, these are, and always have been open without restriction. But m order to guard against misunderstanding, paragraph 3 391 of Article IX, which evidently has sole reference to trade coming under the cognizance of the foreign custom-house, should be modified to read as follows : — " The carrying of merchandize, with the exception of contraband, along all recog- nized trade routes crossing the frontier other than those over which the foreign custom- house may assume control, shall continue, as heretofore, free and unrestricted. Goods, however, entering or leaving China by those routes shall be unable to claim privileges under the Maritime Customs Regulations, and be subject to the ordinary duties on native trade at present in force. The question of goods entering or leaving China at the head of the railway, at present under construction, is reserved for future consideration." This, it appears to me, is a not impracticable mode of dealing with the question of cross-frontier routes, and I would venture strongly to urge the adoption of some arrangement on the lines indicated. Along the greater part of the frontier on either side extends a fringe of Shan States, which can neither be considered China nor Burmah proper, and in which con- ditions of trade and taxation are different to those obtaining in regularly administered districts. Any scheme, therefore, to regulate trade across the frontier in these parts must be drawn up on lines of extreme latitude. Under the Convention, for instance, the export of rice from China, and the importation of opium into China, are prohibited. But, in spite of this prohibition, great quantities of rice are annually exported from the Chinese section of the Shuili Railway into Burmah. and a large export trade in opium from Kokang, which is now British territory, into China, is systematically carried on. I have, &c. (Signed) J. W. JAMIESON. No. 429. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 11.) My Lord, Peking, October 30, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 20th June last, I have the honour to report that I have received a communication from Her Majesty's Consul at Newchwang dated the 23rd instant, to the effect that the ceremony of laying the last rail of the section of the Russian-Manchurian Railway between Talienwan and Newchwang via Ta-shih-cuiao was to take place on that day, and that the trunk line is now open from Talienwan to north of Liao-yang. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. No. 430. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received December 11.) My Lord, Peking, October 30, 1899. I HAVE the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship copy of a despatch which I have received from Mr. Brady, Her Majesty's Consul at Kiukiang, containing a report of a recent visit which he paid to Nanchang, the capital of the Province of Kiangsi, in Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark," and his reception by the Viceroy. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O, BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 430. Consul Brady to Mr. Bax-Ironside. (Extract.) Kiukiang, October 1, 1899. I HAVE the honour to submit the following report on my recent visit to Nai* chang, the capital of this province, in Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark," which you authorized me to make in your telegram of the 7th ultimo. 392 My reason for desiring to make the visit was that I might have an opportunity of discussing with the Governor several important questions regarding which I felt the Taotai here was exerting himself but little, or, at any rate, was not giving me satisfaction. I had had the intention for some time previously — in fact, ever since I had met the Governor in May — of officially calling on his Excellency; but I expected to be obliged to make the journey in one of the native passenger-launches now plying regularly between this port and Nanchang, when, however, Her Majesty's gun-boat arrived, and I learnt from Lieutenant-Commander Barton that the Admiral had instructed him to cruise in the Poyang Lake, I considered the opportunity too favourable to be lost, as I Avas well aware that my proceeding in the gun-boat would produce a greater effect than if I arrived like an ordinary visitor, and I therefore decided to request Captain Barton to extend his trip to the capital, a proposal he readily fell in with. Although the lake was at its highest, the native pilot whom we engaged was at first apprehensive that the gun-boat would not be able to reach Nanchang, as, owing to her size, he thought she would draw too much water and prove unmanageable at the sharp bends, which he said existed in the K'an River ; on being assured, however, that he would not be held to blame in the event of her going on shore, and that Commander Barton would take all risks and responsibility, he eventually became encouraged, and, as events proved, brought us through without difficulty or mishap. ~We left Kiukiang on the morning of the 11th September at daybreak, and entered the lake at Hukow, about 7 a.m. At 740 we passed Ta-ku-tang, one of the most important cities on the lake, and about 11 o'clock entered the K'an River, on which the capital is situated. It was at this spot that difficulties were feared, as there is a bar at the mouth of the river, which blocks further navigation to all but small craft, except when the water is at summer level. Eive feet, however, was the lowest depth found, and as we only drew 3 fcefc, no trouble was experienced, and the sharp bends of which we had heard so much turned out to be more or less mythical. The height of the river at Kiukiang, I may remark, during the time we were away was about 35 feet. Shortly after passing the bar we arrived at Wucheng, also a very large and busy city, where cargo, brought down from all parts of the province in small boats, is transhipped into large junks suitable for the Yang-tsze, and about 1 o'clock in the afternoon we reached the capital, Nanchang, where we brought up in front of the " Td-sheng," city gate. Our arrival seemed to excite but little interest ; a few boats loaded with Chinese sight-seers came off during the evening, and circulated round the ship until dark ; but the officials, strange to say, took no notice of us. I had telegraphed to the Governor previous to starting from Kiukiang, and had received a reply to say that he would receive me, and directly we came to anchor I dispatched a letter, asking at what time it would be convenient for his Excellency to grant me an interview, telling him at the same time that I should be accompanied bv Commander Barton. His Excellency fixed 2 o'clock on the following day, and inquired as to the relative rank of Commander Barton and myself, as he expressed himself anxious to °ive us the precedence to which we were entitled — a matter, I need scarcely say, on which Chinese lay much more stress than foreigners. My reply was that as we were only paying a friendly visit, I hoped his Excellency would waive all ceremony, and receive us simply according to the etiquette customary between host and guest. On the following morning I again wrote a note to the Governor, reorettinc that I should be obliged to trouble him in the matter of official chairs, but as we were^ unable to come provided with our own, and I feared there might be difficulty in procuring them in the city, I should be obliged if he would kindly instruct the Magistrate to provide them. It is usual for Chinese officials to offer to provide chairs under similar circumstances without waiting to be asked to do so, and I was surprised that the Magistrate did not at once send to acquaint us with his intention to furnish them but on receipt of my note he was instructed to ascertain how many we should require. He was told that we should want two green ones— one for Commander Uarton and the other for myself — and one blue one ; but after a considerable delay the runner returned to say that it was impossible to obtain green chairs in the city. I thereupon sent word to the Magistrate that in that case it would be impossible for me to call on his 393 Excellency the Governor. By this time it was already getting late, and past the time fixed for our interview ; hut nothing could he done until the chairs arrived. Eventually, ahout 3 o'clock, they came, but there was only one green one — the Magistrate sending his apologies for being unable to provide two — and two blue, and with these we were obliged to content ourselves, as there was no means of procuring others. Only two soldiers were sent as an escort, which I consider was paying us scant courtesy con- sidering we were calling on the Governor uf the province. The demeanour of the people as we passed through the streets on our way to the Yam en was perfectly quiet and respectful, though our appearance in uniform created no little curiosity. On arrival at the entrance of the Governor's Yamen, however, we had to pass through a crowd of some 500 or 600 people, who indulged in the usual howling, and somewhat impeded our progress by jostling our chairs ; they fell back, however, when the gates were thrown open and some soldiers appeared in uniform. We were met by the Governor, Sung Shou, who was accompanied by the Grain Com- missioner, Miao, and the Prefect of the city, Chiang, and conducted into a large reception pavilion, where the usual sweets were laid out for our refreshment. After a short conversation of a purely ceremonious nature I informed the Governor of the object of my visit. I told his Excellency that I had to complain very seriously of the way in which the Transit-pass Regulations were being ignored by the li-kin stations throughout the province, where goods were being continually stopped without any cause whatever, and I reminded his Excellency that I had spoken to him on this subject before when I had the pleasure of meeting him in Kiukiang, since when I had had to telegraph to him on two occasions to request him to have boats belonging to British subjects released. His Excellency, I admitted, had been good enough to take immediate action on receipt of my telegrams, and the boats had been allowed to pass, but it was impossible that I could be continually troubling him in this way. The Regulations, I said, had been in force for many years, and British merchants had just cause to complain if they were not carried out. Delay in the interior often meant serious loss, and if it became necessary for me to report the matter to Her Majesty's Minister, I should be compelled to recommend that a claim for damages should be made against the offending station ; I therefore asked his Excellency to issue stringent instructions to the li-kin officials so that there should be no further complaints. I then referred more particularly to a case of detention of inward foreign cargo belonging to the firm of Sheng-ho (Standley and Co.). The boat had been detained about eight or ten days at a place called Shengmi, without any reason being assigned except that no orders had been received to allow her to pass ; subsequently the charge was made that the cargo did not correspond with the transit pass, but no attempt was made to substantiate this, as only a few of the packages had been weighed, and naturally the British merchant refused to be bound by the result of so perfunctory an examination, insisting that the whole cargo should be passed over the scale before it could be proved that he was carrying goods in excess of the quantity he was entitled to carry. I informed his Excellency that this was the same case as I had telegraphed to him about a few days previously, and in regard to which he had given orders for the release of the boat. I thanked him for his prompt action, but, I said, the boat was only allowed to proceed a few miles when it was again stopped under precisely the same circumstances at Shih-ch'a, and this, I ventured to think, was a serious matter, which should be immediately inquired into. The Governor expressed surprise at this, and referred to the Prefect to know if his instructions had not been carried out, to which the latter replied that he had been informed that the boat had been released at Shengmi. It was explained that the official at Shih-ch'a had said he could not pass the boat without the Governor's orders, but I said, under those circumstances, transit passes were of no account and the Regulations of little use unless the barrier officials were made to realize that they liad to be carried out. , What the Weiyuan* at Shih-ch'a had said, in fact, to the boatman when the latter asked the reason for his detention was: "There is no complaint against you in regard to the cargo, but the Governor's orders to allow you to proceed have not been received, and until they are I cannot let you proceed." On the boatman insisting, the official said : " The other day you were only allowed to pass Shengmi after the Governor had given orders ; go and get his orders now, and then I will allow you to pass." * Deputy. [1049] 3 E 394. The Governor and. the other officials listened, attentively, , but made no remark*, and I again said that these unwarrantable detentions .caused serious loss to. merchants-, and if they recurred I should have to hold, the barrier responsible, and -report the matter to Her Majesty's Legation. The Prefect then replied that the user of ' transit passes in Kiangsi had only come in during the past ygar, and it was scarcely to be wondered at if misunderstandings of, the Regulations occurred, as the officials had had no experience of them. I objected strongly to, this view being taken, as I pointed out that every pass had an abstract of the Regulations printed on its face, so that there was absolutely no excuse. I had prepared a list of the cases of detention of transit goods before leaving- Kiukiang, and this I now produced; the Governor was at first unwilling to look at, it, but the Prefect read it, and after some conversation with the Governor they botht said that nothing Avould be gained by going into old eases -.(they had all, occurred- during the previous ten months), that ^bygones should be considered bygones," and that hereafter the Regulations should be carried out. I replied that so long as goods, covered bypasses Avere not detained at the barriers I was perfectly prepared to let bygones be bygones, but otherwise I should not consider they had been disposed of;, and as regards the case of the detention of the boat at Shengmi andShih->ch'a, I said that must be settled immediately, and the barrier told that it was not in future to wait for the Governor's instructions; I suggested that his Excellency should issue a Proclamation clearly setting forth the rules governing transit - pass , cargo^. and instructing the stations to place.no difficulties in the way of boats belonging to foreign merchants, but to release them at once after they had been examined and the cargo- found in order. I also expressed the hope that no time would be lost in adopting: tm& course, but the Governor and the Prefect both said it would take some time to get the- blocks cut and the instructions issued— perhaps two months,; they gave me an assurance, however, that in the meantime there, would be. no detention of -goods by the barriers. One of the cases the subject of complaint was in regard to the question of the 1 mode of treatment where the merchant was found, with a less quantity of goods than the transit pass which he had taken out allowed, him to bring downji though the quantity agreed with the Yun Chao.; an instance, of this had .occunred, and an, attempt had been made to prove that; it was against Regulations* &nd r therefore, the whole of *he goods were liable to forfeiture ; the officials hadi detained the boat at the last harrier and refused, to. grant her the certificate to enable her to undeEga; examina- tion by the foreign Customs prior to export, thus entailing. delay and loss to the merchant. i . In order to make this clear, I should explain that the transit pass, or " san lien tan," is merely the authority in the first* instance for the merchant: to purchase -a certain stated quantity qf native produce, in the interior. ./-When- such psoduee-iias been purchased, it and the transit pass are taken to the nearest or; first barrier, and the pass is there exchanged for what is called a " yun chao," or certificate under which the goods travel to their,, destination. Arrived..at thelast barrier, ,Le., the last before reaching the Treaty port* the " yun chao " is compared with one of the "faces "• of the " san lien tan," or transit pass, which has preceded the goods, and if the two are found to agree, and the merchandize to correspond, the latter is granted a certificate to enable the merchant to pass it through the foreign Customs for shipment by steamer. In the case alluded to it was manifest, that no fraud was committed, on the Revenue, and it might have been thought, therefore, that the explanation given by the merchant, viz., that, he had been, unable to purchase the full quantity of , merchandize for which he had taken out a pass, and was, consequently, obliged , tc» content himself with less, would have been satisfactory ; but the Kiukiang Rules did not provide for such a contingency in so many words, and the merchant was made to suffer. I suggested that, in order to obviate such blunders for the future, it would be well if the phraseology of , the Canton Rules were adopted in the instructions to be issued by the Governor ; and I gave his Excellency a copy of those Rules,, printed by the Customs, and also a copy of the transit passes in use at Samshui,both of which he- promised to consider. The Rules explain that though the merchant can bring down a less quantity of merchandize, any quantity in excess of that entered on the pass becomes liable to confiscation. I further suggested that it would facilitate business, and leave less room for misunderstandings, if the Shanghae procedure were adopted of issuing blank passes as 395 they" could then be filled in by the officials at the first barrier, when the transit passes were exchanged for the " yun chao," and the exact amount of merchandize had been ascertained. The present method I thought unsatisfactory, as the merchant had to statev before* ever he set out, the amount of goods he would bring down from the interior under each pass ; but it not unfrequently happened that he found he could not procure the quantity mentioned on the pass, and had to take what he Could get, and though the "yun chao". might be correct, the transit pass, through inadvertence or carelessness on the part of the official at the first barrier, might not have been cor- rected, and in this way trouble often arose. The -Governor thought that it would be better to amend the transit pass and affix the seal of the first barrier, but to this I remarked that any alteration of the original document led only to suspicion of its having been unauthorizedly tampered with, and therefore was inadvisable — such charges had come before my notice at Chinkiang. The Governor was averse to introducing a new system into Kiangsi, but he promised to consider my suggestions, and, if it were found to be the' practice/elsewhere, he thought there would be no objection to adopting them. He requested me to ■consult with the Taotai at Kiukiang on the point. The Governor and the two officials who were present during the interview displayed absolute ignorance of the whole question of transit trade, and repeatedly excused themselves by saying the system was new to this province, and none of them had had any experience of the working of it ; they did not even appear to be aware of the procedure which I have explained above, nor of the fact that there were special Regulations on the question, and kept on referring to the native Tariff and the Customs Rules, quite regardless of the fact that transit goods were exempt from those Tariffs, and were subject to special Regulations, commonly known as ''the Chinkiang Rules." Another matter which I discussed with the Governor was the issuing of passes, or huchaos, enabling native produce to be brought down from the interior on payment of a fixed 10 per cent, li-kin — 5 per cent, leviable at the first barrier passed and 5 per cent, at the last, the goods being allowed to pass all intermediate stations on exhibition of the Huchao. The question was raised last year by the British firm of Schiele and Byrne, of Chinkiang. who petitioned the, head li-kin office to allow it. Mr. Johnson had also written to the Taotai recommending it, a similar arrangement being in force with regard to tea, which it is no longer profitable to bring down under transit pass. It is well-known that there are many articles on which the li-kin is lighter than the transit duty, and if they can be brought down from the interior at a fixed rate of li-kin, and freed from all the vexatious obstacles generally placed in the way of goods not covered by pass, the concession may be advantageous to merchants ; and if it is only carried out in a proper spirit, it should undoubtedly tend to develop the trade of the district. The arrangement, I need hardly say, is purely optional and will in no way clash with transit passes which merchants, will naturally still be able to take out as heretofore. ■ The Governor informed me that he had given his sanction, and that the passes were, now being prepared and the rules drawn up under which they would be issued?.. The one-half of the li-kin, he said, would be payable at the first barrier and the balance at Ta-ku-tang. I thanked 'his Excellency for complying with the application of the British merchant, and then passed on to the question of the disturbances in the south of the province* in the district of Kuei-chi Btsien. I regret to say that there has lately been great friction between the Catholic converts, who are very numerous, and the non-Christian natives ; the latter have risen against the former, and serious fighting has taken place, which has resulted in con- siderable loss of life. One Catholic church was destroyed some time ago at a place called Ying T'an, and since then the rioters have burnt many houses belonging to the French Fathers and their native followers. The ill-feeling against the French Mission is widespread, and a large district embracing the country lying between I Tan°" and Kuei-chi, is disturbed and quite unsafe for foreigners to travel in. Riots have been of frequent occurrence, and still continue, Causing the China Inland Mission who work that district much uneasiness. Most of the missionaries are ladies, who foi* the most part live separately and alone, and the danger they run can scarcely be exaggerated. I thought it advisable, therefore, to call the Governor's attention to this, and requested him to see that they were given special protection during the continuance of the trouble. The Governor spoke in high terms of the Protestant missionaries, [1049 J 3 E 2 396 who, he said, never gave cause for complaint, and assured me I need have no anxiety, as the people all respected them and would not molest them. The Governor was most courteous and friendly in his manner throughout our long interview, and escorted us as far as our chairs when we took our departure. Shortly after we got on board the gun-boat he appeared with a large following on the river bank, and sent off a message asking me to excuse him coming off if I had nothing further to discuss with him, to which, of course, knowing a Chinaman's dislike to going afloat, I returned a polite answer, thanking his Excellency for his kindness, but expressing the hope that he would not trouble himself further. Later in the evening he sent Commander Barton and myself a Chinese dinner of about fifty courses. On the following morning we commenced our return journey to Kiukiang, and the same evening anchored at Nankang, a deserted-looking city now of no importance, though it still boasts of a Brigadier-General, a Prefect, a Magistrate, and other officials, all bearing testimony to the glory that has for ever departed. The next day was spent in putting the crew through their quarterly course of firing ; we anchored for the- night at Huk'ou, and on the morning of the 15th returned to Kiukiang. Apart from other considerations, I think my visit to the capital will have a very good moral effect, as it will have shown the officials that it is possible to send a gun- boat into the lake should the necessity arise. It is the first time that a foreign man- of-war has anchored off the walls of the capital — a city the inhabitants of which, as Mr. Baber has said, having withstood the attacks of the Taiping rebels, proudly boast that "where the long-haired rebels failed, the red-bristled barbarians shall not succeed." No. 431. Sir Chihchen LofSngluh to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 12.) My Lord, Chinese Legation, December 10, 1899. "WITH reference to the long-outstanding question of the " Kow-shing," on whichifc has been found impossible for the two Governments to come to an agreement, 1 have the honour to inform your Lordship that I have received a telegram from the Tsung-li Yamen, expressing their willingness to accept the proposition of Her Majesty's Govern- ment, that it be submitted to arbitration. I am now awaiting the decision of the Imperial Government as to which oi the three modes of arbitration which your Lordship, in the interview I had with you on the 2oth October, said would be agreeable to Her Majesty's Government, shall be adopted — viz., that of submitting the question at issue between the two Governments to the International Tribunal established by the Conference which recently met at The Hague, to an English Judge, or to a foreign jurist of recognized eminence and authority in matters pertaining to International Maritime Law. On learning the decision of the Chinese Government on this point, which I hope to do at an early date, I shall not fail to at once acquaint your Lordship of it, so that action may be taken in the matter without unnecessary delay. I have, &c. (Signed) LOFENGLUH. [No. 432. Manchester Chamber of Commerce to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 12.) My Lord, Manchester, December 11, 1899. THE serious obstruction to the approach of large steamers to Shanghae, due to the growth of the "Woosung Bar, has recently been under the consideration of this Chamber. So great is the impediment that many vessels are unable to enter the port, and are obliged to lie outside the bar when discharging and loading cargo. The Chamber is informed that the Shanghae General Chamber of Commerce has, at considerable expense, carried out surveys, and has prepared a scheme for the improvement of the approaches to the port under the management of a Conservancy Board with authority to collect funds for defraying the cost of the undertaking. The scheme hay been favourably regarded by the Consular Body at Shanghae, and has been 397 submitted to the Diplomatic Representatives of foreign Powers at Shanghae for their approval. I am instructed by the Board of Directors respectfully to express the hope that your Lordship will see fit to authorize Her Majesty's Minister to China to o-i ve a general support to this important project. I have, &c. (Signed) ELIJAH HELM, Secretary. No. 433. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.— (Received December 13.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, December 13, 1899. BRITISH lots in Russian Concession at Hankow. With reference to my telegram of the 7th December, the Russian Minister has now received specific instructions. The Russian Government have chosen as their senior Member of Commission of Inquiry Head Agent of the Russo-Chinese Bank here. I would suggest as ours; Mr. Wade-Gardner, Agent of the Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank at Shanghae. If your Lordship approves, it might be advisable to communicate with the head office in London. No. 434. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, December 13, 1899. BRITISH land claims in Russian Concession at Hankow. I concur with suggestion in your telegram of 13th December respecting choice of Mr. Wade-Gardner as senior member of the Commission on our side, and will com- municate with Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank on the subject. No. 435. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received December 15.) Sir, Admiralty, December 11, 1899. I AM commanded by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State, copy of a letter, dated the 16th September, from the late Lieutenant-Commander Ion P. Barton, R.N., reporting his proceedings during a cruise in Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark " in Poyang Lake. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR.. Inclosure in No. 435. Lieutenant-Commander Barton to Vice- Admiral Sir E. Seymour. Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark," at Kiukiang, Sir, September 16, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that on the 1st September I received orders from Lieutenant- Commander Chadwick, of Her Majesty's ship " Esk," to cruise as con- venient till the 20th September, and then return to Hankau. Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark '' left Hankau on the 2nd September, and arrived at Kiukiang the following day. Her Majesty's ship " Woodlark " left Kiukiang for the Poyang Lake at 5*30 a.m. on Monday, the 11th (I had intended to leave on the 7th, but owing to my having an attack of dysentery, was unable to leave till the later date), and entered the Poyang Lake at 6 - 45 a.m., and steamed through the lake on the line of soundings marked on 308 Admiralty Chart No. 2849, which is fairly accurate until " Ringdove' Channel "as reached. After that the chart is of no use at all, as the har of and the Kau River has entirely altered, in some cases nearly a mile. Before leaving Kiukiang I obtained an excellent: pilot (Chinese) from the local Steam>boat Company, which? runs steam launches during the summer to Nan Chang. We entered the Kau River at 11 a.m., and, steaming about 9^ knots; arrived at Nanchang without much difficulty at 4*45 p.m., a distance of about 47 miles from the lake. Nanchang is the capital of the Province of Kiangsi, and is a town of about 500,000 inhabitants. The junk trade from it is small, with the exception of tea in the season. Timber, however, is sent down in large quantities in strings of small rafts to get over the shallows, and is built into large rafts at Wuching. On Thursday, the 12tli September, at 3 p.m., Mr. Brady (British Consul at Kiukiang, who accompanied me during our cruise) and myself landed and called on thef Governor of Kiangsi at his Yamen, and were very well received. We stopped there about an hour and a- half, Mr. Brady satisfactorily arranging a lot of business with reference to the li-hin stations in the interior, which had been "giving much trouble owing to their stopping nearly all goods travelling under "transit passes" (transit passes stop the officials " squeezing," as the money is paid to the Ciistoms at a Treaty port). About half-an-hoUr after we returned to the ship; the Governor came down in state, and sent a message off with his card that if we wished to see him on board, or had any more business to contract, he would come off, otherwise he hoped we would excuse him. Mr. Brady having no more business to do, the Governor did not come off. We left Nanchang at 6 a.m. the following morning (13th), and proceeded down river to the Poyang Lake, and anchored off Nan-Kang at noon. Nan-Kang is a very dilapidated town, with apparently no trade. The following morning, 14th September, we got under weigh at 8 - 45, and after expending November quarter's ammunition (the present quarter's was expended in the Tung Ting Lake) we proceeded to Taku Tong, off which we stopped for about ten minutes to land a sick Chinaman belonging to Mr. Brady. Taku Tong is important from the fact that negotiations are going on to try and -obtain permission for the river steamers to call in there during the tea season, as junks full of tea during that period are delayed weeks, and sometimes a month, owing to the prevailing north-east winds and sea, which prevent them crossing the lake. We -then proceeded to Hukau, anchoring there at 12"30. " Hukau has apparently little trade, but is the dep6t for all the war junks on the Upper Yang-tsze. There is a very good camber here, inside which they lie ; there were over sixty of them inside. I was informed that about 400 of them are attached to this port. Two or three of Her Majesty's gun-boats could easily lie inside the camber at high river. General Remarks. I think any of the gun-boats of the " Plover " class could visit any of the places on the lake at high water, and probably at other times, as, steaming along line of soundings, as marked on the chart, at 9-| knots, we did not pick up any soundings until Ringdove Channel was reached. Returning, we steamed straight from point to point, and got an average depth of 3 to 5 fathoms out of the channel. Vessels should not attempt Ringdove Channel (although it has been marked by beacons, as shown on plan) without a pilot. In the Kau River the navigation is easy for the first 25 miles above Wuching, but after that the pilotage is very intricate, the river having to be crossed frequently, in one reach three times in a mile (average depth on crossings 5 to 9 feet). The river is not very narrow, and there is no difficulty in handling the ship. Our pilot informed me that the part of the lake we cruised in was called the West Lake, and pointed me out the channel (which is about a mile wide between Lao Yeh Miau and Tomin Shau)' to what is called the East Lake, which was bigger and deeper than the West Lake. Nearly all the Chinese maps carry out this statement. My pilot had not visited it and as I was a little pressed for time I did not attempt it then, but should like to try another time if I get the opportunity. I have, &c. (Signed) ION P. BARTON. 399 No. 436. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess. of Salisbuiy.~*{Received December 15.) (Telegraphic.)' . Peking, December 15, 1899. :-,;« KOW-SHlNG :" Your Lordship's telegram of the 7th December. - ; + The Yamk have infOTrhed me in writing that telegraphic dnstruc&otts-were sent to the Chinese Minister in London last month to arrange with foreign O'mce 'the mode of- -procedure. They added verbally > that they meant the mode of procedure - of the aibitfation which Her Majesty's Government "had proposed; , ■'>'■ No. 437. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, December 15, 1899. " KOW-SHING " case. Your telegram of the 15th December. A note has been received from the Chinese Minister, dated; the 10th December, stating thai arbitration in the matter, has been accepted by the Chinese Government, ahd that he is awaiting instructions as to the. nature of the Tribunal to which the case should be submitted: whether they prefer an .English, Judge, a foreign jurist of recognized eminence and authority on international maritime law, or the Tribunal recommended by the Hague Conference. You should.- press^ the Chinese Government to send instructions to Lofengluh on the point. No. 438. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. .* Sir* i;. Foreign, Office,, December 15> 1899. I HAVE receivedi Mr. Bax-Ironside's despatch of> the 30th October, inclosing a Report by Mr. Brady on a visit: to Nancbang, the capital of .the Province of J£iangsi> when he brought to ; the notice of the Governor the manner in which the Transit-pass Regulations were being ignored ,by t\m>Lirlm Stations .throughout tbe:prqvjnce>! .;bov I have read Mr. Brady's Report with interest, and I request you to inform him that I approve his proceedings. ; . .,.< . ; u. .-...., , ..-, , I am, &c. ., \„V :'-,.", M..-.fjiV (Signed) SALISBURY* 'ut-j-v.' ;!:.-■ ■- . ■■■' , '''■■> ■■ ' ' ... . '" . n; i-.ft' \ .&•.,.»• .*au-.t \ •• ■ No. 439. \' '-- -■'- ^' ;i " ; - V l>1 The Marquess'of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. ^ Sir, ■' ; ---V ~- • ■- Foreign Office, December 15, 1899. I HAVE received Mr. Bax-Ironside's despatch of the\ 20th October, inclosing copies of despatches from Her Majesty's Consul at Eoochow relative to the arrangements which, in consequence of the recent riot at Eienning, have been made for insuring the safety of the missionaries at. that place. I concur in Mr. Bax-Ironside's approval of Mr. Playfair's action as reported in his despatches. "■■•'■" ' lam, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. 400 No. 410. Foreign Office to Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Sir, Foreign Office, December 15, 1899. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 11th instant relative to the proposed establishment of a Conservancy Board for the improvement of the approaches to Shanghae. I am to inform you that a report on the subject has been received from Her Majesty's Charg6 d'Affaires at Peking, who has already been instructed to endeavour to obtain the acceptance by the Chinese Government of the scheme in question. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 441. Admiralty to Foreign Office. — (Received December 16.) Sir, Admiralty, December 14, 1899. I AM commanded by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State, extracts from a letter, dated the 6th ultimo, from the Commander-in-chief on the China Station, respecting the visit of Vice- Admiral Sir E. Seymour to the rapids above Ichang, and the patrol of the West River by Her Majesty's ships " Sandpiper," " Tweed," and torpedo-boat No. 36. I am, &c. (Signed) EVAN MACGREGOR. Inclosure in No. 441. Vice' Admiral Sir E. Seymour to Admiralty. -{Extracts.) "Alacrity," at Shanghae, November 6, 1899. THE "Woodcock," which I left at Ichang on the 29th October, and the " Woodlark " at Hankow on the 1st instant, have both been ordered to Shanghae to refit and to have some alterations made which are required for the special service they are intended for. They will be sent up to Ichang again about the end of the year to prepare for their passage thence to Chunking, and to examine the river at its low season, which is the best time to do so. I left Shanghae in the "Alacrity" on the 18th October, and arrived at Hankow on the 21st. On the following day I embarked in the river steamer "Changwo," and reached Ichang on the 24th. My flag was then transferred to the " Woodcock," and after paying official visits to the Prefect and General, I left the -same afternoon for the rapids aboye Ichang, as I wished to gain personal experience and knowledge of the nature of the work the shallow-draught gun- vessels have to undertake when making the passage between Ichang and Chungking, and to form an opinion of the equipment necessary for a steam-vessel to safely navigate these waters. The river was rather higher than usual for this time of the year, viz., 20 ft. 6 in: above low water at Ichang. t On the evening of the 26th the " Woodcock " was anchored at Ping Shan Pa in the Ichang gorge, and some miles below the first rapid. The following day she steamed through the Wui, the Shanton Ping, Tatong, and Kong Lino- Tan (or rapid), anchoring for the night below Hsin Tan, and next morning, after steamnV through the Tsin Tan, the ship was made fast at Lao Kuei Chou. Up to the present no great difficulty was experienced in passing through the rapids, although in tv/o or three places, where the current was strongest, the "Wood- cock " was at first brought up by it, but after a few minutes she gradually forged her way through. In these rapids the strength of the current did not appear to be steady but to decrease slightly at times, seemingly from a less volume of water coming down everv now and then ; and the same was surprisingly noticeable when tracking up afterwards 401 in a sampan to the Yeh Tan, the trackers waiting at some of the difficult bends round the. rocks until a favourable moment when the current slacked. With reference to the gun - boat being at times brought up while going the revolutions for 12 knots, I am of opinion that in the very curious swirls of the water found: in those places, the turbines of the " Woodcock " at times failed to exert for a short time their proper driving power. I shall probably deal with this question later on in a special letter. - The general handiness and good steaming power of the " Woodcock " were most satisfactory and encouraging. At Lao Keui Chou a sampan was taken, and I proceeded to the Yeh Tan, about 5 miles higher up, where there were between 200 and 300 junks, large and small, waiting to be tracked through, the present strength of the rapid making this a very slow operation, and necessitating the employment of several hundred trackers for each junk, the consequence being that junks were coming up faster than they could get through. I landed and walked up a hill overlooking the rapid, to get a good general view of it. The current appeared to be running about 12 or 13 knots where the river narrowed, and after striking the land on each side, the broken waters met in a V-shape a little below. This rapid would, in anything like the present state of the river (20 ft. 6 in. rise at Ichang), prevent the "Woodcock" passing through, unless aided by trackers on shore. Having attained the object of my visit, I left Lao Kuei Chou in the "Woodcock," reaching Ichang the same day, and on the following morning pro- ceeded in the river steamer " Ohangwo " to Hankow. By the courtesy of her Captain, I visited the new open port call Yochow, but which is actually at Chin-lin-chee, some 6 miles from the former town. Beyond the establishment of a Customs station, nothing has yet been done, and no European merchants are there yet. At Hankow, on the 30th, I rejoined the " Alacrity," and on the 1st instant the ship was moved to Wuchang, when I paid an official visit to the Viceroy, Chang Chih- tung, which he returned immediately afterwards. His Excellency expressed his pleasure at receiving a second visit from me, and appeared to be most cordial throughout the interviews, both at his Yamen and on board the " Alacrity." The "Sandpiper," "Tweed," and torpedo-boat No. 36 continue to patrol the West River as far up as Wuchau. No. 442. Foreign Office to Yunnan Company. Sir, Foreign Office, December 16, 1899. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that he has received a despatch from Her Majesty's Charge" dAffaires at Peking, containing his observations on the suggestions made in your letter to this Office of the 24th August last in regard to trade between Burmah and Yunnan. Mr. Bax- Ironside points out that, by Article IX of the Convention of the 1st March , 1894, between Great Britain and China, the same advantages have been obtained for British trade between Burmah and Yunnan as are enjoyed by French trade with China via the Red River and M§ng-tzu, and that the establishment of a British Consulate at Tengyueh (Momein), and the proposed installation of a branch of the Chinese Imperial Customs in that town, will bring about the settlement of several of the points raised in the report by Mr. H. Lyon Scott inclosed in your letter. As regards trade operations at Momein, Tali-fu, Hsia Kuan, Yunnan-fu, Sui-fu, &c.', Mr, Bax-Ironside observes that Momein is now an " open port," and that you are of course at liberty to establish an agency there. The other places named are not " open ports," and under the Treaty of Tien-tsin of 1858, British merchants are only allowed to reside at ' : open ports" in China. You could, however, by obtaining passports, or by employing Chinese agents, trade at the towns named. Ssumao and Momein have been opened as an experiment with a view to establishing regular trade- with South-Western China, and the question whether it would be advisable for Her Majesty's Government to apply to the Chinese Government to open other places will be investigated by Her Majesty's Consuls in Yunnan. [1049] 3 E 402 The Government Postal Service of China is now being taken in hand by the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Department. A regular service has been established in all places where that Department works, and the postal service of Yunnan will, no doubt, be supplied by the Customs Department as soon as it extends its operations to Momein. The Chinese Government has been repeatedly urged by Her Majesty's Legation to allow the importation of foreign salt into China." All efforts in this direction have com- pletely failed. Article XI of the Convention of 1894 between Great Britain and China expressly forbids the importation of salt into China, and any salt imported must have been smuggled or have been admitted into the country by the favour of local officials. This Department is not yet in possession of the views of the Government of India on the suggestions made in your letter of the 24th August, and a further communication will be made to you on the subject in due course. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 443. Mr. C. Hardinge to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 18.) My Lord, St. Petersburyh, December 9, 1899. UPON the receipt of your Lordship's telegram of yesterday, in which a telegram is repeated from Her Majesty's Minister at Peking,* to the effect that Sir Claude MacDonald had been informed by the Russian Minister that the proposals which he had received respecting the Hankow Commission of Inquiry were not as detailed as those transmitted by your Lordship, I addressed an unofficial note to Count Lamsdorff, of which I have the honour to inclose a copy herewith, in which I informed him of the statement of the Russian Minister, and asked that he would take the necessary measures to avoid any misunderstanding at Peking as to the terms of the proposal contained in his note to me of the 1st November. I have, &c. (Signed) CHARLES HARDINGE. Inclosure in No. 443. Mr. C. Hardinge to Count Lamsdorff. M. le Comte, Saint- Petersbourg, le 9 De'cembre, 1899. DANS ma note du 26 Novembre j'ai eu l'honneur d'informer le Gouvernement Imperial que le Gouvernement de Sa Majeste la Reine a accepte la proposition faite dans la note de votre Excellence du 20 Octobre (l er Novembre) relative au differend surgi entre les Consuls de Russie et d'Angleterre a Hankow. Ce matin j'ai recu une depeche de Londres suivant laquelle il parait que le Ministre de Russie a Pekin a informe le Ministre de Sa Majeste Britannique que la proposition qu'il a recue a l'egard de la Commission d'Enquete a Hankow n'est pas aussi d^taillee que celle contenue dans la note que votre Excellence m'a adressee, et dont le texte a etc" transmis a Pekin. Sir C. MacDonald a informe M. de Giers que la proposition a ete faite par votre Excellence et qu'elle a ete' acceptee par le Gouvernement de Sa Majeste la Reine. Je m'empresse de porter ce qui precede a la connaissance de votre Excellence dans 1'espoir que votre Excellence prendra les mesures necessaires pour eviter tout malentendu a Pekin sur les termes de la proposition faite par votre Excellence et contenue dans la note du 20 Octobre (l er Novembre). Recevez, &c. (Signe) CHARLES HARDINGE. (Translation.) M. le Comte, St. Petersburgh, December 9, 1899. IN my note of the 26th November I had the honour to inform the Imperial Government that Her Majesty's Government accepted the proposal made in your * No. 423. 403 Excellency's note of the 20th October (1st November) in regard to the difficulty between the Russian and British Consuls at Hankow. 1 have this morning received a despatch from London, from which it appears that the Russian Minister at Peking has informed Her Majesty's Minister that the proposal which he has received in regard to the Commission of Inquiry at Hankow is not as detailed as that in your Excellency's note to me, of which the text was transmitted to Peking. Sir C. MacDonald has informed M. de Giers that the proposal was made by your Excellency and accepted by Her Majesty's Government. I hasten to make the above communication to your Excellency, in the hope that you will take the necessary steps to prevent any misunderstanding at Peking as to the terms of the proposal made by your Excellency in your note of the 20th October (1st November). I avail, &c. (Signed) CHARLES HARDINGE. No. 444. Sir C. MqcDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 18.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, December 18, 1899. ERENCH Concessions at Shanghae and Hankow. The Erench Minister has written me an official note agreeing to the three Articles mentioned in your Lordship's note of 17th July. The cemetery and road leading thereto are to remain cosmopolitan; also the Regulations regarding the passage of British troops and arrest of British subjects on the Erench Extension are to be identical with the Regulations respecting the passage of French troops and the .arrest of Erench citizens in the general Settlement. I think the above safeguards Shanghae. The Erench Minister states that, should at any time an extension be made to the Erench Concession at Hankow, he is willing to give the same assurances in regard to it, but the Hankow Concession having been in existence since 1895, and the Municipal Regulations in force therein since May 1898, it would be impossible to apply to it the three Articles in your Lordship's note of 17th July. The Erench Minister suggests that Messrs. Warren and Bezaure should endeavour to settle Mr. Greaves' claim, and that an Arbitrator should be chosen by them in case they cannot agree. No. 445. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. ■(Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, December 19, 1899. BRITISH land claims in Russian Concession at Hankow : My telegram of the 13th December. Hong Kong and Shanghae Bank agree to Mr. Wade-Gardner acting as Senior Member of Commission on our side. No. 446. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir Chihchen LofSngluh. jy n . . Foreign Office, December 19, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 10th instant informing me that the Imperial Chinese Government agree to the claims in respect of the loss of the " Kow-shing " being referred to arbitration. I learn this decision with satisfaction, and trust that you may be able to communi- 40* cate to me, at an early date, the proposals of your Government as to the Tribunal ot Arbitrator to which the case should be submitted. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 447. Foreign Office to Indo-China Steam Navigation Company. Sir, Foreign Office, December 19, 1899. > WITH reference to my letter of the 17th August last, I am directed by the- Marquess of Salisbury to inform you that he has received a note from the Chinese^ Minister stating that his Government accept the proposal of Her Majesty's Government that the claims in respect of the loss of the "Kowshing" should be referred to arbitration. The Minister adds that he hopes to be able to communicate to Lord Salisbury,. at an early date, the proposals of his Government as to the mode of arbitration to be adopted. ' I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS BERTIE. No. 448. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received December 20.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, December 20, 1899. THE Viceroy of Canton has been ordered to Peking, and Li Hung-chang has beefi appointed Acting Viceroy of Kwangtung and Kwangsi. No. 449. Note Verbale communicated to M. Cambon. IT is understood on the part of Her Majesty's Government that, in the event of any extension of the French Concession at Hankow being obtained subsequently to this date, the following conditions as regards British property therein will be strictly observed : — 1. All deeds applying to British property to be registered in the British Consulate. 2. All Municipal Regulations to be submitted to Her Majesty's Minister at Peking before they can be enforced on British subjects. 3. All titles to British property which are declared in order by the British Consul- General are to be so considered by the Prench authorities. With respect to the British claims to land situated in the present Prench Concesr sion, which are believed to be four in number, and all of which are represented by Mr. Greaves, of Hankow, as it is understood that the validity of the titles is questioned by the Prench authorities, Her Majesty's Government consent to the question being referred to the British and Prench Consuls- General at Shanghae, and failing an agreement being arrived at by them, to an Arbitrator, by whom the matter would be decided in accordance with precedent and local usage. Foreign Office, December 22, 1 899. No. 450. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, December 22, 1899. FRENCH Concessions at Shanghae and Hankow. With reference to your telegram of the 18th December, I have given a Memo- landum to the following effect to the French Ambassador : — 405 Her Majesty's Government understand that the three conditions of my note of the 17th July will be strictly observed in the event of the French obtaining any extension of their Settlement at Hankow. Her Majesty's Government consent to the British claims in the present French Concession at that place, which are believed to be four in number, all represented by Mr. Greaves, being referred to the decision of the British and French Consuls-General at Shanghae, and, should they fail to come to an agreement, to an arbitrator who would decide the matter in accordance with precedent and local usage. £ou may support the French Minister's application for Pasinjow and the southern extension, when you have an assurance from him to the above effect. No. 451. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. Scott. Sir, Foreign Office, December 23, 1899. I HAVE received Mr. Hardinge's despatch of the 9th instant relative to the proposed Joint Commission to inquire into the titles of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to certain lots which they claim in the Russian Concession at Hankow. I approve the unofficial note which Mr. Hardinge addressed to Count Lamsdorff oii the 9th instant, asking him to take steps to prevent any misunderstanding at Peking as to the terms of the proposal made in his note of the 1st ultimo. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 452. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 25.) My Lord, Peking, November 3, 1899. ON receipt of your Lordship's telegraphic instructions of the :jth ultimo, I took an early opportunity to press the Ministers of the Tsimg-li Yamen for an assurance that no preferential rates would be allowed on the French railway which it was proposed to construct from the Tonquin frontier into China. I pointed out the serious disadvantages which would be entailed on Chinese as well as British trade, if such a thing were permitted ; and I explained that Her Majesty's Government would demand equality of treatment in the matter of railway rates in accordance with the most-favoured-nation clause of the Treaties. The Ministers had already, at a previous interview, emphatically assured me that the only French Bail way Concession that had been sanctioned was for a line from the Tonquin frontier to Lungchow, a distance of some 40 miles. They now stated that this railway would not be completed for at least three years, and that the negotiations in connection therewith had not yet reached a stage at which it was necessary to discuss the question of rates. They suggested, however, that I should address to them an official communication on the subject, so that the views of Her Majesty's Government might he placed on record. T accordingly addressed to the Yamen on the 23rd ultimo the note, ot which I have the honour to transmit a copy herewith to your Lordship. I have now received from the Yamen a reply in acknowledgment of my note, of which I inclose translation. 1 have, &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-1EONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 452. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Tsung-li YamSn. MM. les Ministres, Peking, October 23, 1899. AT a recent interview with some of the Ministers of the Yamen I alluded to the report that China had arranged with France to build a railway from the Tonquin frontier to Nanning-fu. 4 '" [1049] 3 G 106 The Ministers informed me that the railway to be built by France would extend as far as Lungchow only and not to Nanning-fu. I informed Her Majesty's Government, by telegram, of the intention of China to sanction the building of this line, and have now received telegraphic instructions in reply, tothe effect that 1 should urge the Chinese Government to give an assurance that when the railway is opened for traffic the rates charged thereon will be levied uniformly; that there shall be no differential treatment, which would be contrary to the most-favoured- nation clause of the Treaty. I have the honour to communicate to your Highness and your Excellencies this telegram from Her Majesty's Government, and would beg you to favour me with a reply. I avail, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure 2 in No. 452. The Tsung-li Yamen to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Peking, October 31, 1899. WE have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 23rd October on the subject of differential rates on the proposed railway from Tonquin to China. [Note of the 23rd October : see Inclosure 1 in No. 452.] In reply, we beg to state that, as regards the locality of the railway on the China- Tonquin frontier, it has now been arranged to construct a line as far as Lungchow. but that there has not yet been time to arrange as to what rates are to be charged. The note under acknowledgment has been placed on record, and when the time comes for the railway to be opened, this question can then be discussed and settled. (Seal of Yamen.) No. 453. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received, December 25.) My Lord, Peking, November 7, 3 899. WITH reference to my despatch of the 5th July last relative to the opening of San-tu-ao as a trade mart, I have the honour to inclose copy of a despatch, dated the 2nd instant, addressed by the doyen of the Diplomatic Body, at the request of his colleagues, to the Tsung-li Yamen. The doyen, in this letter, informs the Chinese Government that the proposed wharfage tax cannot be levied on the foreign trade of the port, without the consent of the Representatives of the Treaty Powers. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 453. M. de Cologan to Tsung-li YamSn. Votre Altesse et yos Excellences, . Pe'kin, ce 2 Novembre, 1899. LE Commissaire des Douanes a Foochow, sous le contr61e duquel est le port voisin de San-tu-ao, ouvert au commerce par le Gouvernement Chinois, publia un Avis au mois de Mai dernier, d'apres lequel on exigerait aux importations et aux exportations les droits du tarif, plus une taxe additionnelle de 2 pour cent sur les memes comme droits de quayage. Je suis charge" par meshonorables collegues d'informer votre' Altesse et vos Excel- lences que le Corps Diplomatique est dispose", comme il l'a prouve" r^cemment dans le cas de Tien-tsin, a considerer I'opportunit^ de quelque taxe additionnelle moderee et justrfiee,' LOT mais qu'il ne saurait admettre qu'on exige de la navigation ou du commerce des impots superieurs a ceux qui ont 6t$ fixes par les Traites. Par consequent la surtaxe de 2 pour cent sur les droits de douane, dtablie a San-tu-ao, ne doit pas exre paye" sans le consent's ment du Corps Diplomatique. C'est une question de principe. Veuiliez, &c. (Signe) B. DE COLOGAN.' (Translation.) Your Highness and your Excellencies, Peking, November 2, 1899. IN May last the Commissioner of Customs at Foochow, who has under his control the neighbouring port of San-tu-ao, opened to trade by the Chinese Government, published a notice to the effect that duties at the rate fixed by the tariff would be charged on imports and exports, and that they would be subject also to an additional payment of 2 per cent. a\a wharfage due. I am charged by myNhonourable colleagues to inform your Highness and your Excellencies that the Diplomatic Body is prepared, as shown lately in the case of Tien-tsin, to consider the advisability of some moderate and justifiable additional tax, but that it cannot allow duties in excess of those fixed by the Treaties to be imposed on navigation or commerce. Consequently, the additional tax of 2 per cent, in excess of the customs duty established at San-tu-ao must not be paid without the consent of the Diplomatic Body. It is a question of principle. : I have, &c. ■' (Signed) B. DE COLOGAN. No. 454. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — {Received December 25.) My Lord, Peking, November 12, 1899. IN continuation of my despatch of the 30th ultimo on the subject of the progress of the Russian-Manchurian Railway, I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship copy of a further despatch which 1 have received from Her Majesty's Consul, Newchwang, dated the 2nd instant, in which he reports that the southern section of the trunk line will be completed by the close of this year. j Jl£tVG &C (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. Inclosure in No. 454. Consul Hosie to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Newchwang, November 2, 1899, I HAVE the honour to report that the line between Port Arther and Talienwan will be completed in a fortnight, only 1 1 miles of rails remaining unlaid yesterday ; that rails are now laid to within 13 miles of Moukden, and that it is confidently anticipated that the whole of the southern section of the trunk line from Port Arthur to T'ieh-ling, 40 miles north by east of Moukden, will be in working order by the end of December. I have, &c. (Signed) ALEX. HOSIE. No. 455. , Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 25.) My Lord, Peking, November 13, 1899. DURING my recent visit to Wei-hai Wei the question of the delimitation of the boundary of the leased territory was discussed. I have now the honour to inclose [1049] 3 G 2 408 copies of correspondence which lias since passed between Colonel Dorward, R.E., Commissioner of Wei-hai Wei, and this Legation on the subject. Your Lordship will see from Colonel Dorward's letter of the 26th October that Major Penrose, commanding the Royal Engineers at Wei-hai Wei, came to Peking, bringing with him a map made after a detailed survey of the territory. In my reply to Colonel Dorward of the 3rd instant, I have described the attitude of the Tsung-li* Yamen towards the proposed delimitation. The Ministers mentioned that they could take no steps in the matter before consulting the Governor of Shantung. It was. accordingly arranged that the Yamen should write to the Governor of Shantung, and on receipt of his reply, communicate further with Her Majesty's Legation. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IBONSIDE. Inclosure 1 in No. 455. Commissioner Dorward to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Sir, Wei-hai Wei, October 26, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform you that I have received telegraphic instructions from England to proceed with the delimitation of the frontier here in consultation with you. The instructions state that the assent of the Chinese authorities must be obtained for any deviation from the Conventional line. I have, therefore, directed Major Penrose, Commanding Royal Engineers here, to proceed at once to Peking, and wait upon you there. He will take with him the map of the leased territory with the Conventional and the proposed boundaries marked on it, and all correspondence on the subject. Major Penrose's views on the subject of the boundary can be accepted as iry own. I have, &c. (Signed) A. R. E. DORWARD, Colonel, Commissioner, Wei-hai Wei. Inclosure 2 in No. 455. Mr. Bax-Ironside to Commissioner Dorward. Sir, Pelting, November 3, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th ultimo, on the subject of the delimitation of the Wei-hai Wei frontier, which only reached me yesterday. I took the opportunity of Major Penrose's visit to Peking to discuss this matter with the Tsung-li Yamen at an interview on the 31st October. Major Penrose accompanied me to the Yamen, and, with the help of his map, I explained to the Ministers the nature of the proposed delimitation. I urged the necessity, in the interests of both countries, of a strictly defined boundary line, in order to prevent constant misunderstandings and difficulties, and I suggested that the Governor of Shantung should be instructed to appoint a Commissioner to arrange the exact frontier with the British authorities at Wei-hai Wei. The Ministers declared that they were unable to decide anything in this matter without consulting the Governor of Shantung. They would, however, lay my proposals before the Governor, and would let me know the result.' On receipt of the promised communication from the Yamen, I shall have the honour to address you again on this subject. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE. 409 No. 456. Mr. Ba.r-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 25.) M y ^$> Peking, November 13, 1899. WITH reference to the opening to international trade of the port of Yochow, in the Province of Hunan, which was notified to Her Majesty's Minister by the Chinese Government on the 31st March, 1898, I have the honour to inform your Lordship that I have received a despatch, dated the 11th instant, from the Tsung-li Yamen, stating that the port of Yochow will be this day effectively opened by the establishment of a branch of the Imperial Maritime Customs. I have, &c. (Signed) H. O. B AX-IRONSIDE.. No. 457. Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 25.) My Lord, Peking, November 13, 1899. IN accordance with the instructions contained in your Lordship's despatch- of the 16th September last, 1 inquired of the Inspector- General of Chinese Customs whether his Department would be prepared to establish leading marks to facilitate navigation in the more difficult parts of the Yang-tsze River between Ichang and Chung- king. I have the honour to inclose copy of Sir Robert Hart's reply, dated this day, to the effect that the establishment of the necessary marks will be taken in hand as soon as trade and its requirements are of sufficient value nnd importance there to warrant the expenditure. L have &c. (Signed) H. 0. BAX-IRONSIDE. lnclosure in No. 457. Sir R. Hnrt to Mr. Bax-Ironside. Inspectorate-General of Customs, Peking, Sir, November 13, 1899. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge your note inquiring if the Customs would be prepared to establish leading marks to facilitate navigation between Ichang and Chung- king, and to state, in reply, that the establishment of necessary marks, &c, on that part of the Yang-tsze will be taken in hand as soon as trade and its requirements are of sufficient value and importance there to warrant the expenditure : up to the present the carrying trade has been done by junks, and the natural land marks are so prominent that the trackers do not need more for their guidance. I have, &c. (Signed; R. HART, Inspector-General of Customs. No. 458. Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 27.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, December 27, 1899. FRENCH Extension at Shanghae : Your Lordship's telegram of 22nd December, The French Minister has given me the necessary assurances, and I have written to-day to the Yamen withdrawing my protest. 4X0 No. 459. • -: Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received December 27.) (Telegraphic.) Peking, December 27, 1899. CLAIMS of British subjects to land in French Concession at Hankow : Tour Lordship's telegram of 22nd December. The French Minister has telegraphed to Hankow that no steps are to be taken respecting the land claimed by Mr, Greaves until the latter arrives to state his case to the British and French Consuls-General. No. 460. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, Foreign Office, December 30, 1899. I HAVE received Mr. Bax-Ironside's despatch of the 13th ultimo relative to the delimitation of the territory leased to Her Majesty's Government at Wei-hai Wei. I approve the action taken by Mr. Bax-Ironside in regard to this matter. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 46]£ The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald. Sir, ,-: Foreign Office, December 30, 1899. I HAVE received Mr. Bax-Ironside's despatch of the 3rd ultimo, reporting the steps which he took to obtain from the Chinese Government an assurance that no preferential rates would be allowed on the projected railway from the Tonquin frontier to Lungchow. I approve the note which Mr. Bax-Ironside addressed to the Tsung-li Yamen on the subject on the 23rd October. You should continue to press for the assurance desired by Her Majesty's -Government. I am, &c. (Signed) SALISBURY. No. 462. M. Cambon to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received January 16.) M. le Marquis, Ambassade de France, Londres, le 15 Janvier, 1900. J'AI l'honneur d'accuser reception a votre Seigneurie du Memorandum qu'elle a bien voulu me faire parvenir, le 22 Decembre dernier, au sujet du Reglement a appliquer dans la Concession Franchise de Hankeou, dans le cas ou elle viendrait a subir des accroissements. Mon Gouvernement, a qui je n'avais pas manque 1 de l'adresser, me charge de vous faire savoir qu'il donne son adhesion aux quatre points resumes dans ce document. II demeure, du reste, bien entendu entre les deux Gouvernements que, dans le cas ou la Concession Britannique recevrait un agrandissement par la suite, les conditions ci-apres enoncees seraient appliquees en ce qui concerne les terrains appartenant a des Francais et se trouvant situe's dans la zone qui serait englobe'e dans la Concession An"-laise : 1. Tous actes s'appliquant & des proprietes Franchises seraient enregistres au Consulat de France. 2. Tous les Reglements Municipaux seraient soumis au Ministre de France a Pe"kin ayant de pouvoir etre appliques a des citoyens Francais. 3. Tous les titres des proprietes appartenant a des Francais reconnus valables par le Consul de France seraient acceptes comme tels par les autorites Britanniques. Veuillez agr^er, &c. (Signe) PAUL CAMBON. ■ill (Translation.) M. le Marquis, French Embassy, London, January 15, 1900. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the Memorandum which your Lordship was so good as to communicate to me on the 22nd December, 1S99, on the subject of the Regulations to be applied in the French Concession at Hankow in the event of any extension of that Concession taking place. My Government, to whom I did not fail to transmit the Memorandum, have instructed me to inform you that they accept the four points stated in it. It is, moreover, agreed between the two Governments that, in the event of the British Con- cession being extended hereafter, the following conditions will be applied as regards any land belonging to Frenchmen which may be situated within the territory added to the British Concession : — 1. All deeds applying to French property to be registered in the French Con- sulate. 2. All Municipal Eegulations to be submitted to the French Minister at Peking before they can be enforced on French citizens. 3. All titles to French property which are declared in order by the French Consul are to be so considered by the British authorities. I have, &c. (Signed) PAUL CAMBON. MM