From.
1 WI
Finister. I to i.k.
Pekin
14849
April 28 1908.
To-
On January 29th. dn. 11, Chinese Minister in London,
note from the British Foreign Office informing him of the issuance by the Hongkong Government of
a Special Ordinance prohibiting the publication of any seditious matter calculated to create tumult or disorder in this.
This Ordinance is as follows:-
*** Any person who within the colony
prints, publishes, or offers for sale any printed or written newspaper or book or other publication containing matter calculated to excite tumult or disorder in China or to excite persons to arise in China
shall be liable to imprisonment with or without hard labour or to a fine.
*** Promulgated on October 11th, 1907.
For evil purposes, from every place kept on foot in a place under the jurisdiction of our
Government, Foreign Power &c.
then issue seditious publications calculated to disturb the
peace of the country, for most part, proceedings are decidedly on the footing to be harmful to the British
and Chinese Governments,
who,
in
all the high
Government,
Their sincere desire for friendly international relations, have strictly prohibited the practice and have found a high deterrent, as provided in the Special Ordinance in Hong Kong under the form of imprisonment with or
without hard labour
and fines.
This class of evil doctrine is, however, to be found in large numbers everywhere and not merely in
Hong Kong and I
wish to enquire whether similar prohibitory enactments have been promulgated in the British Colonies in the Straits (Settlement) and other places near Chinese territory.
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