No. 55.
162
Mr. O'Conor to the Earl of Rosebery, (Received April 19.)
(No. 44.) My Lord.
THE Tsung-li Yamên Ministers, Sun, Liao, and Hsü, called at the Legation yesterday to inform me that an Imperial Decree had been issued approving the Opium Agreement and the Chefoo Convention, and that the Imperial ratification of these instruments would shortly be sent to London by special messenger.
Peking, February 11, 1886.
The delay that had occurred in issuing this Edict had been caused by the hesitation of the German Government in acceding to the Convention. The German Minister having now signified his consent to its stipulations, the Decree had at once been issued, and the Chinese Government were glad to profit by this opportunity to express their sense of the manner in which Her Majesty's Government had acted throughout in this opium question, and of the friendly assistance which I had rendered the Yamên in their negotiations with the German Minister.
The Ministers proceeded to say that they would be much obliged if I would inform your Lordship by telegraph of this Decree, and of their desire for the appointment without loss of time of a Commission at Hong Kong, to consider the details to be arranged, with a view to giving effect to the Agreement. The Chinese Government would, the Ministers said, appoint very shortly a Chinese Commissioner, and they hoped Her Majesty's Government would on their side appoint a Consular officer to meet their Commissioner and the Delegates of the Hong Kong Government.
I promised to transmit to your Lordship the message of the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamên.
In doing so, I ventured to inquire of your Lordship whether this Commission would also be empowered to consider the questions referred to in the VIIth Article of section 3 of the Chefoo Convention for devising a system to enable the Chinese Government to protect its revenue without prejudice to the interests of the Colony of Hong Kong.
In the course of conversation yesterday, the Ministers alluded to the proposal made by the Marquis Tsêng that Chinese opium hulks should be allowed to be stationed in the Hong Kong waters to collect the opium tax, and gave me to understand that the Marquis had telegraphed that he thought Her Majesty's Government would agree to the proposal. They did not, however, dwell on this subject, nor did they appear very clear as to the meaning of the telegram from the Marquis Tseng.
The Ministers made no concealment, however, of the keen anxiety with which they looked forward to the settlement of the working details of an Agreement which they regard as certain to prove a prolific source of revenue to the Central Government.
It is evident, indeed, that the acceptance at the present moment either of the hulk scheme or of any other plan which would practically secure the execution of the Agreement within a short time would relieve the Chinese Government from a great deal of anxiety. But if so, it would deprive us of the hold over the Chinese Government, which we may be able to turn to profitable use while the opium negotiations are in course, and a satisfactory settlement is still under consideration.