No. 25711.
The Under-Secretary of State,
Foreign Office,
London.
Confidential.
C 28590
1. 6 AUG 08
FOREIGN OFFICE
239
August 1908.
for 23542
21528
Sir:-
I am directed by Secretary Sir Edward Grey to acknowledge the receipt of your letter 23542/1908 Confidential of the 23rd ultimo, enclosing a copy of a despatch from the Governor of Hongkong with regard to the Canton-Hankow Railway.
Commenting on the subject of the inclusion of the French Group in the negotiations for this concession, Sir F. Lugard alludes, in paragraph 5 of his despatch, particularly to four points under the headings of (a) (b) (c) and (d). With respect to these points, I am to offer the following observations:-
(a) As regards the deadlock which His Excellency complains has been produced, it is barely possible, according to all previous experience, to avoid so-called "deadlocks" from time to time in all Chinese railway negotiations, but in this case the
The Under Secretary of State,
Colonial Office.
fault...