This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA,
CONFIDENTIAL.
[December 31.]
SECTION 1.
234
[42690]
No. 1.
The Chinese Engineering and Mining Company to Foreign Office.-(Received December 31.)
22, Austin Friars, London, December 30, 1907.
Sir,
I AM instructed by my Board to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th instant, and to express their thanks for the action taken by His Majesty's Minister at Peking.
As regards the final paragraph of your letter, my Board fear that their argument has not been clearly expressed, and it is therefore thought desirable to reproduce it here.
Their Imperial Majesties, the Tsung-li Yamên, and the Railway Bureau were expressly advised of the transfer, as well as of the constitution and the registration of the English Company, for the Memorial addressed jointly to the Throne by Chang Yih Mao and Li Hung Chang contains the following passage:
"Apart from the idea of adding foreign capital to co-operate in the Company there is really no other possible scheme. I accordingly jointly consulted the Commissioner Detring and the rich English merchant Moreing and a satisfactory arrangement was come to, by which it was decided to invite capital from all nations for the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company, which, together with the shares originally issued, would make up a capital of 1,000,000l., and the Company changed into a Chinese and Foreign Co-operative Limited Liability Company. An Agreement was then drawn up and a telegram was sent to London to register the Company, coming into operation from the 1st month of the 27th year."
At the foot of this Memorial the Throne added the following rescript:- "This has been noted: The said Minister must bear the whole responsibility, and let him zealously and satisfactorily manage the Company in order to protect this source of profit."
These quotations show conclusively that the Throne was fully informed of the formation of the English Company and raised no objection whatever to it. The rescript can therefore only be regarded as a ratification of the position of the English Company as owners of the property.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
ALFRED BERRY, Secretary.
[2769 kk-1]