(Translation.) Sir,
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Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
The Board of Foreign Affairs to Consul Brady.
September 7, 1904. THE Deputy, Lü Ssu Ma, whom we appointed yesterday to discuss with you, in a personal interview, the various cases of seizure of camphor from British merchants, has now reported to us your proposal that all the cases reported by you to His Britannic Majesty's Minister, as well as the two seizures at Suikow of camphor, valued, in the one case, at 300 dollars, and in the other at 1,900 dollars odd, should be settled by the payment, including the value of the camphor and compensation, of 30,300 dollars, and that the matter should be considered closed; but that not the least fraction of this amount would be abated.
We consider that, in view of the magnitude of this sum, and the fact that his Excellency Viceroy Li is handing over charge on the 10th instant and will therefore not be able to attend to the matter, it will be necessary to wait till the new Viceroy takes over the seals, when we will lay your proposal before him, and ask his instructions. For the present, the final settlement must be postponed.
We have, &c.
(Cards of the Members of the Foreign Board.)
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ment that I consented to discuss the question with him. The terms which we agreed upon after a most friendly interview were that compensation to the amount of 30,300 dollars should be paid in full satisfaction of all claims, that the Agreement should be confirmed in writing the following day, and that on the day after that the money should be handed over to me, &c.
successor.
To my great astonishment, however, I yesterday received a letter from the Foreign Board in which I was informed that, as the claim amounted to such a large sum and your Excellency was on the point of handing over the seals of office, there would not be time to settle the matter, and therefore it would have to remain over until the arrival of your I immediately telegraphed to his Excellency the British Minister acquainting him with what I considered a gross breach of faith on the part of the Foreign Board, and I have now received his instructions to inform the Board that the arrangement come to between the Hai Fang Ting and myself must be carried out, and that his Excellency cannot consent to any delay; and, further, that unless payment is made at once he will address the Chinese Government on the subject.
I have already communicated the above instructions to the Foreign Board, but I think it is only courteous to acquaint you at the same time, and I trust your Excellency will take note accordingly and favour me with a reply so that I may know how to act.
I have, &c. (Signed) HERBERT F. BRADY.
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Consul Brady to the Foreign Board,
(No. 47.) Gentlemen,
Foochow, September 9, 1904. REFERRING to your letter of the 8th instant (7th moon, 28th day), on the subject of the arrangement come to between the Hai Fang Ting and myself in regard to the claims of the British merchants for losses sustained by them through the wrongful seizure of their camphor by the local officials in the interior, and to your intimation that as the amount of the compensation is so large the determination of the question must await the arrival of the new Viceroy, I have the honour to acquaint you that I have been instructed by His Majesty's Minister to inform you that his Excellency cannot consent to any delay in the payment of the sum agreed upon, and that unless it is made at once he will be obliged to address the Chinese Government on the subject.
I take this opportunity to draw your notice to the term used in your letter to designate the British Minister. As you cannot but be aware, the expression is considered objectionable and has long been disused in official correspondence; moreover, the omission to give it the customary elevation is a breach of courtesy which I am prepared to put down to inadvertence in the present instance, but which I trust I shall not have occasion to call attention to again.
Trusting you will favour me with a prompt reply. I have, &c.
(Signed) HERBERT F. BRADY.
(No. 48.) Sir,
Inclosure 4 in No. 1.
Consul Brady to Viceroy Li.
Foochow, September 9, 1904.
I HAVE the honour to inform your Excellency that I received a communication from the Foreign Board on the 4th instant, acquainting me that the Hai Fang Ting had been specially deputed to arrange with me the question of compensation to be paid by the Chinese Government to the British merchants for the losses sustained by them through the wrongful seizure of their camphor by the local officials in the interior. It appeared to me at the time that the matter was of sufficient importance to be undertaken by the Board itself, instead of by an official of the rank of the Hai Fang Ting, but, being anxious to come to an amicable settlement of these long outstanding claims, I raised no objection on that score, merely demanding an assurance from Mr. Lü that he really was fully empowered to arrange terms. My fear was that any settlement we might come to might be repudiated if the Board subsequently disapproved of it; and it was only after I had received distinct assurances from the Hai Fang Ting that he did possess authority to conclude an arrangement.
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