copy.
6.308.
sir,
35091
0.0
535
~2131
702.09 SEP 00
SEP 20 1909
Peking.
August 31, 1909.
Benton.
10.87 /09.
It's name is
On receipt of your despatch No.161 of June 1st last
on the subject of a proposed agreement with the Chinese
authorities at Canton for the recovery of debts incurred
in Hongkong by natives of China who abscond to the main-
land, I requested His Majesty's Acting Consul General at
Canton to furnish me with a report as to the correspondence
that had passed between him and the Governor of Hongkong
on the subject. This report I now have the honour to en-
close. In his letter of March 10th Sir F.Pirgoth, the
།
Chief Justice of Hongkong, drew attention to the fact that
under the existing system of dealing with cases of bank-
ruptcy of Hongkong firms in which persone residing in
Canton were partners, foreigners could easily evade the
bankruptcy laws of the Colony, and through the medium of
their Consul in Canton could press the Chinese authorities
to recover the full amount of their debt to the prejudice
The Right Honourable,
Sir Edward Grey, Bart., M.P.
of
etc. etc. etc.