BRY
Aure No. 3 in Sir John Jordan's despatch No. 266 of July 25, 1907
136
Mr. Sly to gir John Jordan. EXTRACT from private letter from His Majesty's Acting
Consul-General at Canton to Sir John Jordan.
30123
Canton. 13-5-107.
わ
tu maner
護
$
A
v betloding moanot Me te tależ
I fear that the new Commissioner will be a very
I get a good deal of inside information
great stumbling blook. and everything points to the fact that he looks at most things from the Chinese point of view, his main object being to ourry
My own dealings with him favour with the native officials.
alone have satisfied me that sensible cooperation with us under
He would not give me an his regime will probably be unattainable. atem of information in the matter of the Viceroy's action in respect to his reception at the Viceregal Yazen concerning which
I have already written you. The day before yesterday, he asked me what had been done in regard to the piracy question: ina fow brief words I put our ideas as to the Customs cruisers etc. before him. He cavilled right away, thought that in such things it was better policy to encourage the Chinese to act for them- selves. He had no belief in the use of the foreigner as
panacea for all "Celestial" ills and thought that, if a foreigner in the execution of his duty in suppressing piracy, happened
to kill another foreigner (i.e. a Portuguese Chinese) he might
He was anxious to in the eyes of the law merit punishment. know what bearing the Foreign Enlistment Act would have on the subject and seemed to fear that the position of the Commissioner was in jeopardy as he might suddenly find himself in gacl or
Bomething equally bad.
Above instances of Mr. King's attitude are not by
any means all; but are, I trust, a sufficient indication of what
we have to expect.
Judging things as they are at present, I do
not