[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[2701]
[January 25.]
SECTION 3.
[AMENDED COPY]
No. 1.
(No. 566.) Sir,
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.(Received January 25, 1908.)
Peking, December 7, 1907.
IN my telegram No. 201 of the 19th ultimo I had the honour to inform you that Jui Taotai at Shanghe had intimated to His Majesty's Consul-General there that the late Taotai Yuan was prepared to pay a sum of 50,000 dollars (£5,416 7s. 4d.) in full payment of all British claims arising out of the riot of December 1905; and considering that Taotai Yuan had been punished by exclusion from office for nearly two years, and there had been a marked improvement in the relations between Chinese and foreigners at Shanghae, I recommended that the offer should be accepted.
Your telegram No. 125 of the 20th November, while authorizing His Majesty's Consul-General to accept the proposed settlement, added that it seemed desirable that there should be some official record of the terms, and suggested that this might be done by my notifying the settlement to the Chinese Government,
Sir Pelham Warren, to whom your views were duly communicated, subsequently reported, in a despatch copy of which I have the honour to inclose, that he had received a letter from Jui Taotai forwarding, on behalf of his predecessor, Yuan, a draft for the sum claimed. Jui Taotai was careful to explain that the settlement was a private one; but as the money was admittedly paid by Yuan, who thus accepted responsibility for his action, the point, as Sir Pelham Warren observes, is of no great importance. At any rate, I have notified the settlement officially to the Wai-wu Pu in a letter, copy of which I have the honour to transmit to you herewith.
I have approved Sir Pelham Warren's suggestion that the equitable distribution of the money should be arranged by Mr. H. P. Wilkinson, the Crown Advocate, who has had much experience in dealing with similar claims.
The accompanying copy of an article from the "North China Daily News" indicates the satisfaction with which the settlement of this long pending question has been received there.*
I have, &c.
(Signed)
J. N. JORDAN.
(No. 134.) Sir,
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Consul-General Sir P. Warren to Sir J. Jordan.
Shanghae, November 27, 1907.
I HAD the honour to address a telegram to you yesterday stating that Jui Taotai had paid to me, on behalf of his predecessor, Yuan Taotai, the sum of 50,000 dollars in full settlement of all claims for losses sustained by British sufferers in connection with the Mixed Court riots of December 1905.
I now inclose a copy of Jui Taotai's letter forwarding me the money, and I have the honour to request your instructions as to the manner in which the claims should be dealt with.
As it will probably appear to you necessary to appoint a special officer to scrutinize the various items and arrange for the equitable distribution of the money, I beg to submit to you the name of Mr. H. P. Wilkinson, the Crown Advocate, as the most suitable and experienced officer for the purpose.
You will notice that in Taotai's letter emphasis is laid on the fact that the settlement is a private and not an official one. In view of the fact that the indemnity has been paid by Yuan Taotai himself, on whom the real responsibility for the riots rests, the point appears to be of little importance.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
PELHAM L. WARREN.
* Not printed.
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