330
DRAFT.
Hankow for the purpose of submitting pro-
posals for a loan. The French Consul-general
further complicated matters by asking the
Vicoroy to receive "the Director of the
Banque de l'Indo-Chine, M. Casenave,'
" who
"had come to Hankow accompanied by an English-
man named Bland, having some business to dis-
cuss personally with "the Viceroy. The
Viceroy appears to have refused to hold any
communication with K. Casenave, and the
only result of Mr. Bland's ill-advised action
was to prejudice the whole negotiations.
The British Consul General endeavoured to re-
move the Viceroy's suspicions by officially
communicating to him the substance of a
Memorandum by Mr. Bland, the terms of which
are important in view of what has since
occurred