This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
CHINA TRADE,
CONFIDENTIAL.
RECS
15418
[April 7. REG MAY 06]
SECTION 2.
137
[11939]
(No. 60.) Sir,
No. 1.
Sir E. Satow to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received April 7.)
Peking, February 13, 1906.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 299 of the 23rd December, 1905, transmitting a copy of a letter from Messrs. Burroughs, Wellcome, and Co., representing that their agents in China experience difficulty in securing the special permits stipulated for by Article XI of the Commercial Treaty of 1902 for the importation of their goods and medicines, including morphia, and desiring to ascertain whether they can enter into a general bond with the Chinese Government to cover the Treaty ports, and thereby secure a general permit.
As the provisions of Article XI of the Commercial Treaty of 1902, which deals specially with the subject of morphia, have not yet been agreed to by all the other Treaty Powers, they are not in operation at the open ports in China. The importation of morphia is at present unrestricted, and I do not think that any assistance, other than that which is always afforded by His Majesty's Consuls to British subjects in the exercise of their Treaty rights, can be given to Messrs. Burroughs, Wellcome, and Co. Doubtless the difficulties of which that firm complain would disappear if the arrangement suggested in your letter to the Board of Trade, copy of which was inclosed in your despatch No. 304 of the 27th December, 1905, were successfully negotiated.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
ERNEST SATOW.
[1951 g-2]