CONFIDENTIAL
24800 RECE [REG 9 JUL 06
(No. 132.)
Mr. Carnegie to Sir Edward Grey.~(Received July 5, 8 P.M.)
Peking, July 5, 1906, 3:40 P.M.
No official reply yet received about Whampoa. I have pressed Tong, who tells me privately that the Wai-wu Pu know nothing officially of the project. He had heard that proposal to build such a railway had been mooted by Chang (see Sir E. Satow's telegram No. 73, 18th April last year), but that other Canton Notables objected to him, and nothing was being done.
Kowloon line. I have kept pressing steadily for appointment of negotiator. At interview on 3rd July Wai-wu Pu alleged a discrepancy between the statements of Viceroy and Bland in regard to terms of transfer of negotiations to Peking, and said that Prince Ching wished to refer negotiations back to Canton. I opposed this strongly, and insisted on appointment of promised negotiator here. Wai-wu Pu said that they would see Prince again.
This morning Tong informed me privately that a telegram was sent yesterday to Viceroy to clear up the discrepancy. He hoped to be able to give me a favourable reply to the request for a negotiator in a few days, but complained that Viceroy was using his great influence at Court to obstruct.
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