We are certain that China will agree if the ... doesn't and ...
As it is decided not to build ..., our view is that the expenditure ...
Always write ...
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Coup de grâce ... Brown away.
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... which die Colimate ... traffic receipt ... of ... the ... hin in waste, recommending ... Constitution of the line ... in ... any ...
17.1 ... I agree C.Pd. ... Jaguar ... 18/1 ... 17 ... 1911.
Extract from letter dated 16/12/01 from Sir Robert Hart:
There were no points in Fiddes' railway proposals of 25/10/04 with regard to which it was worthwhile my delaying negotiations. It has since occurred to me that it might be as well to insert in paragraph 13(g) of the memorandum, when it is embodied in an undertaking of the Chinese and Colonial Governments, a proviso which would leave the Colony free to construct in the future any tramways or railways that it might consider necessary for the development of its own territory. The Colony will obviously not compete against its own railway to the frontier but should not run any risk of being interfered with in making branch lines to the railway or short lines to any points on the shore to which it may be desirable to give access from the interior of the new Territory.
I sincerely trust you will not give way to Sir Cecil Clementi Smith's proposal for a narrow gauge. We want the line to be eventually an outlet from the interior of China and not merely to take local traffic.
I hope you will not consider it necessary to wait for the acceptance of the "Joint Working" and "Final Loan" Agreements before sending out an engineer for determining the trace and preparing the estimates of our section of the line.
This work will take some time and should not be rushed. It will quiet people's minds here to know that it is in hand. As it is, I am commencing to "lose face" over the non-commencement of this railway.