C. O.
62
This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
4
uneasiness. It has long been a matter for wonder that the French have tolerated the position which this Annamite has acquired. He made a nominal submission after the conquest, and was then left to himself. He has a numerous body of armed retainers, who levy exactions on the surrounding country. It frequently happens too that "pirates" operating in Tonquin make use of his name, even though with no authority to do so, so that he obtains a reputation for being even more powerful than he is. Emissaries from the agitators in Annam are said to have recently visited Yen-Thé for the purpose of conferring with him. I have been assured on excellent authority that when the French Resident of Phulang-Thuong goes to visit this retired brigand, he is not allowed to bring his escort with him into the village, but has to leave it at some distance. De-Tham constantly fears that he will be captured by treachery. This rather humiliating state of affairs would have been ended long ago if the Chief could have been dealt with by the native militia alone, but the country which he inhabits is a mountainous and difficult one, and he undoubtedly has much influence among the population. A campaign would have to be undertaken and regular troops employed, and one Governor after another has preferred to leave things as they are. It is said that the Résident Supérieur, M. Morel, is endeavouring to bring De-Tham to reason. He has invited him to come and visit him. The Chief has declined on account of an indisposition, but has promised to do so after the harvest.
There is undoubtedly a spirit of unrest all over Indo-China at present, and it seems extremely unlikely that the Government finds occasion to rejoice at the disturbances in Yünnan. The authorities have recently reduced the number of European troops here, and if events in Yunnan made it desirable to send soldiers to Mongtze, for instance, to protect the French Colony there (which, however, does not seem likely), they would probably be somewhat embarrassed as at the present moment it would hardly be prudent much to deplete the garrison of Indo-China.
On the whole, then, the Chinese can hardly suspect the French of wilfully encouraging this outbreak. They will probably, however, complain on the ground of negligence. It must be remembered that this is not the first outbreak which has occurred on the frontier during recent months. In September last, the Chinese town of Tong-Hin, opposite the French town of Moncay, on the Kwangtung-Tonquin frontier, was attacked by a small body of rebels, and at the beginning of December, the revolutionaries took and held for a few days the Chinese fort at Nam-Quan on the frontier of Kwangsi, near Langson. On both these occasions, the leaders were afterwards arrested or gave themselves up on French soil, and were in due course duly deported to Hong Kong or Singapore. In the case of the attack on Nam-Quan, it seems that a considerable portion of the attacking force assembled previously in French territory.
It is, of course, difficult for the French adequately to guard their long and mountainous Chinese frontier from surprise visits of small bands of revolutionaries who assemble in twos and threes with nothing visible to proclaim their intentions, and after the revolutionaries are beaten, it is presumably impossible to prevent their taking refuge on French soil as political offenders. It must, however, be somewhat exasperating to the Chinese authorities, and if, as is probable, the rebels now operating in Southern Yunnan are defeated but escape with little loss across the frontier into Tonquin, it will not be surprising if the Chinese Government considers itself aggrieved and makes representations on the subject to the Indo-Chinese authorities.
I have, &c.
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[22283]
(No. 217.) Sir,
Received PAL 16 JUL 08 [June 29.]
SECTION 1.
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received June 29.)
Peking, May 12, 1908.
I HAVE the honour to report the further developments in the case of the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company, which formed the subject of my despatch No. 183 of the 28th April.
The representations which His Majesty's Consul-General at Tien-tsin made to the Acting Viceroy elicited the reply inclosed herewith, in which his Excellency declined to accede to the suggestion that work should be stopped by the Lan Chow Mining Company.
A day or two before this communication reached me, I received a visit from his Excellency Tong Shoa-yi, who approached me on behalf of his Excellency Yuan Shih Kai with the view of arriving at a settlement of the dispute. After a prolonged discussion, the following three points were regarded as forming the essential basis of an arrangement:
1. The regularization of the Company's position and the recognition of its title to the mining property.
2. The payment of Chang Yen Mao's claim.
3. The purchase by the Chinese Government of all the Company's land at Ching Wan Tao.
These conditions were communicated by me to Major Nathan, with a request that he would come up to Peking and let me have an expression of his views thereon. At an interview which I had with him on the 4th instant, Major Nathan authorized me to inform Tong Tajen that he was prepared to enter into negotiations on the above basis provided work at the new mine was suspended in the meantime. This discussion was communicated by me to Tong Tajen in a note, copies of which and of his reply are inclosed herewith.
Since then, I have had further interviews with Major Nathan, Tong Tajen, and Chang Yen Mao, and a good deal of preliminary discussion has taken place with a view to paving the way for eventual negotiations. These informal conversations have revealed a wide divergence of views as to the area of the mining property to which the Company are entitled; but with the exercise of patience and goodwill on both sides, it may perhaps be possible to arrive at an understanding.
It is impossible, however, to make any further progress until someone is appointed on the Chinese side with full authority to carry on the negotiations. The idea at present appears to be to entrust this duty to Mr. M. T. Liang, lately Taotai at Shanghai and now a Councillor in the Wai-wu Pu.
I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN.
0
(Signed)
T. FF. CARLISLE.
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
(No. 27.) Sir,
Consul-General Hopkins to Sir J. Jordan,
Tien-tsin, May 4, 1908.
WITH reference to my telegram of yesterday, I have now the honour to forward copy and translation of the note of the Acting Viceroy Yang to myself, mentioned in my telegram, on the subject of the view held by the Chinese authorities respecting the alleged infringement by the Lan-chow Mining Company of the mining rights of the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company, Limited.
I have, &c.
(Signed) L. C. HOPKINS,
[1819-1]