My Lord:-
BERLIN.
Rec? 9012 Pro 11 MAY 17
May 5th, 1897.
264
With reference to Your Lordship's despatch No. 32 of this series of the 3rd ultimo, I have the honour to inform Your Lordship that I have received a note from Baron von Rotenham expressing his regret that the Imperial Government is unable to remove the restrictions of imports from Hong Kong.
As appears from telegrams which have lately been received here, the plague is admitted to have disappeared from Hong Kong but the infection has lately broken out in the South of Formosa and cases of plague have lately appeared in Makao and Swatow in the neighbourhood of Hong Kong. Under these circumstances the Imperial Government is of opinion that there is danger of infected articles (of the nature described in § I of the order of the 8th February) being imported into Hong Kong and from thence
The Marquess of Salisbury, K.G., &c., &c., &c.,