261
C.O.
42596
20 VX 03
The American Ambassador presents his compliments
to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and has
the honour to inform him that, owing to the demise of
Their Imperial Majesties the Empress Dowager and the
Emperor of China the Wai-wu-pu have requested that the
sitting of the Opium Commission might be postponed to
the 1st of February next.
The American Government, while regretting the
necessity of interfering with the programme laid down,
consider, as a mark of sympathy with the Chinese Gov-
ernment in their bereavement, that such postponement
would be desirable if acceptable to the participating
Powers.
Reid is therefore instructed to communicate
this suggestion to Sir Edward Grey and in doing so
ventures to express the hope that he will be so good
as to cause him to be informed what the attitude of His
Majesty's Government might be in this regard, so that
Mr.