8
No. 2.
Frontier Treaty between France and China. Sent home in Mr. Alabaster's No. 13 of August 17, 1887.--(Received at the Foreign Office, September 19.)
(Translation.)
WHEREAS on the 9th day of June, 1885, His Majesty the Emperor of China and the President of the French Republic dispatched Commissioners personally to fix the boundary of China and Tonquin, and these Commissioners having returned on the completion of their labours, and His Majesty the Emperor of China having deputed Ching, Prince of the Second Order, President of the Tsung-li Yamên, and Sun, Minister of the Tsung-li Yamên, Senior Vice-President of the Board of Works; and the President of the French Republic, M. Constans, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, several times Minister for the Interior, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Peking, to be Plenipotentiaries to effect a permanent and satisfactory settlement of the boundary question, the Arrangement arrived at by these Plenipo- tentiaries is as follows:-
I. The Reports of the Delimitation Commissioners of the two countries, and the Maps of the frontier constructed by them, under their respective hands and seals, having been duly compared, are hereby approved.
II. Those points regarding which the Delimitation Commissioners are not in accord and those points contained in the final clauses of Article III of the Treaty of the 9th June, 1885, which require alteration, have been settled in the three following Articles:
1. It is agreed, in reference to the boundary of the Province of Kwang-tung, as the Commissioners decided, that those places to the east of Mangkai and in a north-east direction, which have been under discussion, shall fall under the jurisdiction of China; that those islands which lie to the east of the red line laid down by the Delimitation Commissioners (such red line in a southerly direction directly crossing the hilltop to the south of Ch'a-Kuo-hsieb,* and constituting the boundary-line] shall fall to China, and that the Island of Chiu-t'ou-shan, called in Annamese Gotto, and the other small islands, shall fall to Annam.
Should Chinese criminals escape to the Gotto and other islands, the French authorities shall, in accordance with the XVIIth Article of the Treaty of the 25th April, 1886, search for, arrest, and deliver them up.
2. With reference to Chart No. 2, dealing with the frontier of Yunnan and Annam, from Kou-t'on-chai on the left bank of the Hsiao-tu-chou River, and marked on the Map with the character P, from west to east for a distance of over 50 li, and Chü-cha-hsieh, also called Chu-chiaug-hsieh, Chu-mei-hsiel, and Chiang-fei-hsieh, also called Cha-fei- hsich, shall belong to China. Viu-p'êng-hsieh, to the south, shall belong to Annam. From the character 2 to the character A, from west to east, the frontier of China and Annam crosses two rivers, which unite and enter the Ta-tu-chou River, also called the Hei Ho, from south-east for a distance of about 15 li to Nan-tan, to the north of the character T. Nan-têng-ho, Man-mei, Mêng-tung-shang-ts'un, Meng-tung-shan, Mêng. tung-chung-ts'un, and Mêng-tung-hsia-ts'un, which lie to the south of the frontier-line as laid down in the Chart from the character T north-east to Mêng-tung-hsia-ts‘un, All to the south of these fall to China. marked with the character, fall to Annam.
From Mêng-tung-bsia-ts'un, marked, across the Ching-shui-ho at its junction with the Ta-ho, marked E, the centre of the river shall form the boundary. From to the centre of the Ta-ho shall form the boundary. Chuan-t'ou, which lies to the west of the river, falls to China, while Pien-ma-chai, to the east of the river, falls to Annam. From northwards to, passing Lao-yi-k'an to Pai-shih-ai, shall be equally divided between China and Annam. To the east of Pai-shih-ai and Lao-yi-k'an will fall to Annam; to the west, to China, that is, from the character northwards by way of Pien- pa-chia to the centre of Pei-pao and the east bank of the small river which enters the Ta-ho straight to Kao-ma-pai, marked on the Map with the character E, and to the end of the Delimitation Commissioners' Chart No. 2.
3. On Chart No. 5 of Yunnan and Annam the boundary, starting from Lung-po-chai, crosses the Lung-po River to the point where the Ching-shui River enters the Lung-po River, and marked on the Map with the character P, and from north-east to south east as far as the junction of the Mien-shui-wan with the Shai-chiang River, and marked on the Map with the character Z., By this boundary the Ching-shui and Mien-shui-wan Rivers fall to China. From the character Z the boundary runs straight west to the Têng-tiao * Ch'a-Kuo-hsieh is called in Chinese Wan-chu, and lies to the south of Mang-kai, and to the south-west of Chu-shan.
9
River to the south of Ta-shu-chiao. To the south of the boundary-line on the Chart falls to Annam; to the north to China. From the character to the junction of the Chin-tzu River with the Têng-tiao River, the centre of the river constitutes the boundary. From T it crosses the Chin-tzü River for a distance of over 30 li, and westward to the character on the Map. This boundary stretches eastward of Mêng-pang-tu to the small river which flows into the Hei-chiang to the character on the Map. The centre of the river between the character and forms the boundary. Westward of E, the centre of the Hei-chiang constitutes the boundary.
This is in accordance with the Maps constructed by the Delimitation Commissioners as well as by the boundary-line marked as above.
The Chinese local authorities and officers deputed by the Resident of the French Republic in Annam shall jointly erect boundary stones.
The boundary Maps now signed are made out in duplicate, each consisting of three sheets, and have been duly drawn up, signed, and sealed by the Plenipotentiaries of the two countries. The red line denotes the new boundary. The Maps of the Yunnan boundary are, for convenience of reference, marked with the French letters (a), (b), (c), &c., and the Chinese character P, &c.
Correspondence between the Minister for France and the Tsung-li Yamén explaining certain points on the New Treaty.
(Translation.)
The Prince and Ministers to the Minister for France,
On the 25th April, 1886, the Prince and Ministers discussed with the Minister for France nineteen Regulations for the conduct of the frontier trade between China and Annam, and, on the 9th June, 1885, a new Treaty of ten Articles between China and France was concluded. Both parties have, after consultation, agreed that the Treaty and Regulations are in some parts wanting in explicitness and that slight modifications are required in some parts, and they have accordingly concluded a Special Commercial Treaty of ten Articles and a Special Treaty of four Articles dealing with frontier affairs. These have been translated, signed, and sealed; but there are three points that require to be clearly and distinctly stated on both sides :---
1. By the previous Treaty, China might appoint Consuls at the chief towns in Tonquin. This matter having been under discussion by both parties, China consents that the appointment of such Consuls shall be temporarily delayed until both countries are agreed that the state of the country permits of such appointment.
2. When China appoints Consuls to Hanoi and Haifong, France shall be at liberty to appoint Consuls to the capitals of the two Provinces of Yünnan and Kwang-si.
3. Lung-chow, Mông-tzu, and Man-hao, to which China agrees that France may appoint two Consuls and a Consular officer respectively, are only overland trading centres, and settlements such as those at Shanghae and other open ports will not be allowed.
These three points, although not inserted in the Special Supplementary Treaty, will be respected equally with the contents of the Treaty itself.
The Prince and Ministers have the honour to request that the French Minister will be pleased to reply to this special despatch so that the reply may be placed on record.
(Translation.)
The Minister for France to the Prince and Ministers.
The Minister for France has the honour to acknowledge the receipt on the 23rd June, 1887, of a despatch from the Prince and Ministers stating that there are three points, not contained in the Supplementary Treaty, which it is now proposed to modify.
[Quotes the Yamên's despatch.]
The despatch under acknowledgment affords satisfactory proof that, at the time that both parties were discussing and concluding terms, there was perfect agreement between the Minister for France and the Prince and Ministers regarding the three points mentioned above.
X
438