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(This Document is the Property of His. Britannic Majesty's Government.]
CHINA TRADE.
CONFIDENTIAL.
pleasi
No. 1.
465
[March 11.]
SECTION 3.
(No. 17.) My Lord,
Sir E. Satow to the Marquess of Lansdowne.--(Received March 11.)
Peking, January 14, 1905. IN continuation of my despatch No. 425 of the 10th December, I have the honour to report that at a meeting of the Diplomatic Representatives of the Powers who were Parties to the Protocol of the 7th September, 1901, the note from Prince Ch'ing relative to the new proposals for the Whangpoo Conservancy was discussed, and a Committee, consisting of my American, French, and German colleagues and myself, was appointed to prepare a counter-draft. I have the honour to inclose an extract from the procès-verbal of the meeting relating to this question, and also a copy of the counter-draft prepared by the Committee, which has now been approved by all the Representatives concerned. I add also, for convenience of reference, a copy of the English text from which the French version was derived.
The foreign Representatives are all of opinion that before communicating the counter-draft to the Chinese Government it must receive the approval of their respective Governments, and I have the bonour to request that I may be informed by telegram whether His Majesty's Government would be disposed to accept the scheme embodied in it in place of the provisions of the Protocol, it being always understood and agreed that, if China neglects to provide the promised funds or to carry out any other essential provision of the present scheme, the stipulations of the Protocol will immediately revive in full force.
To complete the papers, I beg to inclose a letter from certain firms and public bodies at Shanghae forwarding a Memorandum drawn up by Sir Robert Bredon, and of the reply returned to it by the doyen of the Diplomatic Body on behalf of the Representatives concerned. The most important point in the Memorandum was the suggestion regarding the engagement of the well-known hydraulic engineer, M. de Rijke, but we did not consider that it could be usefully introduced into the Agreement which is proposed as a substitute for the stipulations of the Protocol.
(Signed)
have, &c.
ERNEST SATOW,
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Extract from Procès-verbal of Meeting of Diplomatic Body, held December 14, 1904.
Le Doyen.Au mois de Juin le Gouvernement Chinois a proposé de faire lui-même et à ses frais les travaux d'amélioration du cours du Whangpou, en excluant la Commission prévue à l'Annexe 17 du Protocole Final.
Le Quai-ou Pou nous a envoyé récemment à ce sujet de nouvelles propositions, en douze Articles cette fois.
Une dépêche ci-annexéc m'a été adressée hier soir de Shanghaï, à l'issue d'une réunion qui a eu lieu à ce sujet, et un Mémorandum doit nous être remis.
M. Dubail. Je ne peux pas prendre en considération un projet qui n'est pas présenté par le Gouvernement Impérial.
Sir Ernest Satow.-Ni moi non plus pour le moment. Nous nous occuperons plus tard de l'opinion publique de Shanghai.
Mr. Conger.--Mon Gouvernement a toujours tenu à ce que les Chinois exécutent le Protocole Final intégralement, mais le travail projeté pour l'amélioration du Whangpou est une chose si importante, sa prompte exécution est si nécessaire, que j'ai reçu l'instruction d'accepter la première proposition qui nous a été faite par le Gouvernement Impérial, pourvu que des garanties suffisantes nous soient données relativement à la prompte et bonne exécution des travaux.
Les nouvelles propositions qui nous sont faites n'apportent pas de grandes modifi- cations aux premières. Je crois pouvoir les accepter, en demandant seulement que
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