[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
748
CHINA TRADE.
CONFIDENTIAL.
C.O. 11308
[March 1.]
SECTION 1. Res 1 APR 09
[8044]
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received March 1.)
(No. 66.) Sir,
Peking, February 11, 1900,
I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith a copy of a despatch which I have received from Sir Alexander Hosie reporting the opening sitting of the Inter- national Opium Commission at Shanghae on the 1st instant.
You will observe that Sir Alexander Hosie comments at some length on the address delivered by the Viceroy, his Excellency Tuan Fang, of which I inclose a copy taken from a Shanghae newspaper, and which covered more ground than had been expected. As you are aware, the Wai-wu Pu had assured me that his Excellency would merely preside at the opening of the Commission, when he would deliver an address of welcome, and the Chinese Commissioners evidently expected that the Viceroy's speech would harmonize with the instructions they had received from their Government to initiate no proposals or suggest any policy. It would seem clear from the statements made to the British Commissioners by the Chinese Delegates that the portion of his Excellency's address advocating the establishment of a Government monopoly and the removal of Treaty restrictions came as a surprise to the latter and had been inserted at the last moment.
I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN.
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Sir,
Sir A. Hosie to Sir J. Jordan.
Shanghae, February 1, 1909.
I HAVE the honour to report that the International Opium Commission com- menced its sittings to-day at 11 A.M., when the Commissioners of thirteen Powers assembled in a room set apart for the purpose in the Palace Hotel. In addition to the eleven countries which had agreed to send Representatives, Austria and Italy have each deputed a Delegate. Turkey was not represented. A list of the Commissioners is inclosed.
*
His Excellency Tuan Fang, who arrived on the evening of the 30th ultimo from Nanking by train, opened the Commission by reading a speech, in which, while welcoming the Commissioners, he dwelt at great length on the question of the necessity of the Chinese Government making opium, foreign and native, an official monopoly, quoting the opinion expressed by Mr. Leech in China No. 1 of 1908 (p. 32) that, Whether China can completely obtain the goal she seeks without Government At the control of opium, both native grown and imported, is somewhat doubtful.” outset his Excellency stated that the Imperial Decree of the 20th September, 1905, had fixed the term of ten years for the suppression of opium; that in some parts the production had already been reduced 80 per cent.; that in certain provinces cultivation would be abolished during the prosent year; and that total suppression would be effected in two or three years, in which case a monopoly of foreign opium was desirable in order to eradicate the evil. His Excellency commended this matter to the serious consideration of the Commission. What purported to be an English translation of the address was read by an interpreter. His Excellency definitely stated that he was expressing the views of the Chinese Government on this subject.
It had been rumoured that his Excellency's address would deal with the question of monopoly, and, in view of the promise of the Chinese Government, contained in your despatch to the Foreign Office No. 20 of the 12th January, that "China had no intention at present of putting forward any definite proposals," the Chinese Commis- sioners were approached and Mr. Liu Yuk-lin wrote to Sir C. Clementi Smith yesterday evening that the question of a monopoly would not be touched upon by his Excellency,
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