(This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.)
435
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[38685]
No. 1.
[November 17.]
SECTION 12.
C. O.
48055
99 CC 06
Yunnan-fu, October 3, 1906.
Consul-General Wilkinson to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received November 17.):
I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a despatch which I have addressed to the Government of Burmah on the subject of the proposed railway reconnaissance east of Tengyich.
I have, &c.
(Signed) W. H. WILKINSON.
(No. 25.)
Inclosure in No. 1.
Consul-General Wilkinson to Government of Burmah.
(Confidential.) Sir,
Yunnan-fu, October 2, 1906.
ON the 1st ultimo His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires telegraphed to me to say that the Government of India proposed to instruct engineers to carry out the reconnaissance for a railway east of Têngyüeh, after the rainy season, without further authorization by the Chinese authorities. Mr. Carnegie asked my opinion of the proposal, and inquired whether I considered it advisable or necessary for him to inform the Chinese Government of the intended survey. He added that nothing had been said to them respecting the survey of the Bhamo-Têngyüeh route last year.
I replied on the 3rd, reporting that I did not think there was any need to inform the Peking Government; the Yunnan Government have the power to agree to a survey, and have agreed. Moreover, the Governor-General quite expects that the survey will take place this year.
I considered that the best course, in order to settle all questions of rival routes and their practicability, would be to send one party viâ Têngyüeh to Tali, and another thither along the Tongking-Yunnan Railway route. The two parties would meet at Tali, and proceed together to Kunlong Ferry.
On the 22nd ultimo Sir John Jordan telegraphed to me that my telegram of the 3rd (paraphrased above) had been repeated to the Foreign Office, when Mr. Carnegie had added that he also considered communication to the Chinese Government as unnecessary. The Viceroy of India had now repeated to Sir John a telegram from the Secretary of State, dated the 14th September, in which the proposed orders to reconnoitre beyond Tengyueh without further Chinese authorization were approved. The engineers would act in consultation with the Consular authorities. This telegram had been also sent to your Government.
On the 26th I telegraphed to you through the Acting British Consul at Têngyüeh to say that His Majesty's Minister had repeated to me the Secretary of State's message of the 14th September approving of reconnaissance beyond Têngyüeh, the engineers acting in consultation with the Consular authorities. I asked whether your Government would not send a second party via Tongking, as suggested in the last two paragraphs of my despatch to you of the 5th August.
I received last night, through Mr. Ottewill, your telegram of the 30th, saying that the Lieutenant-Governor does not propose to send a party via Tongking. It is proposed that Mr. Lilley, with one executive and two assistant engineers, should start from Bhamo on the 1st January, and carry out a reconnaissance from Têngyüeh to Tali. The Lieutenant-Governor presumes that the Chinese authorities will take steps for the protection of the party, and will assist in the provision of supplies, and that His Majesty's Consul at Têngyüeh will make such arrangements as may be necessary in communication with the Chinese authorities.
I have this morning replied, through Têngyüeh, that, in my opinion, the party should start at least one month earlier, seeing how extraordinarily difficult is the country to be surveyed. An engineer of electric railways ought to accompany them. No further formal intimation about the reconnaissance should, I consider, be given to the ...
[2226 r-12]
Page 435
...
...
Page 436