request me to recommend the Viceroy to yield;
force would, he said, he used unless he did so,
but he did not indicate its nature or direction.
I have not complied with this request as I
did not think it advisable.
257
When Mr. Volpicelli called on me yesterday
morning to make the above request, he was extremely
frank and I gathered that the Italian Minister had
practically instructed him that, unless the Viceroy
speedily recognized an agreement entered into by
Messrs. Chen Yen Tai, a Chinese firm, with the Hong
Kong Italian firm of Nervegna and Company, the
principal condition of which seems to be that in
consideration of an advance of $25,000, Messrs.
Nervegna and Company should be entitled to a half
share of the profits of the Chinese firm in
China and was prepared to enforce payment, the
Viceroy himself and Provincial Government would be
held responsible and force would be used. The
case is a very intricate one, the merits of which
I do not profess to judge, but I believe that the
Chinese