C243 맥빵10
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL
RECE
[For 10
SECTION 2.
!
[4352]
(No. 25.) Sir,
No. 1.
Sir J, Jurdun to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received February 7.)
Peking, January 15, 1910. I HAVE the honour to report that General Machado, who arrived here on the 25th December, left for Europe on the 11th instant without having accomplished anything by his visit to Peking.
General Machado called on the Wai-wu Pu on the 5th instant, and was received by Liang Tun-yen, who, departing from the usual custom at visits of ceremony, entered into a somewhat heated discussion of the Macao question. He commented upon the vague terms of the 1887 treaty, which had, he said, been badly drawn up, and did not hesitate to express the view that the Portuguese would do well to make the peninsula of Macao the centre of their trade, and abstain from all interference with, or occupation of, the surrounding islands.
General Machado dissented from this view, and cited the various memoranda which he had presented to the Chinese commissioner as evidence of the rights which the Portuguese had acquired over the islands. Liang ta-jên, however, disclaimed all knowledge of the contents of these documents, and stated that nothing but telegraphic reports had reached the Wai-wu Pu from the Chinese commissioner, Kao Erl-chien, who had been obliged through illness to return to his home in the south. They proposed to await the arrival of the commissioner in Peking before taking any further action in the matter.
On the day following this interview the grand secretary, Na-t'ung, sont Mr. Liu Yi-lin, a councillor of the Wai-wu Pu, with a message to me on the subject. It was to the effect that the Chinese Minister to France, Liu ta-jên, who had negotiated the arrangement at Lisbon for the appointment of the Delimitation Commission, had been recalled by the Wai-wu Pu, and that as soon as he reached Peking they hope to come to some decision on the question.
A day or two later I again saw Liang ta-jên, and reasoned for some time with him in favour of accepting arbitration. He spoke in the sense of the language he had already used with General Machado, but implied that once the local excitement over the question had subsided, the Chinese Government might be prepared to reconsider its decision. On my pointing out to him the serious risks which were involved in keeping the question an open one, he assured me in positive terms that the Chinese Government had taken the most stringent steps to prevent any misunder- standing with the Portuguese authorities at Macao. Not only had the Viceroy received telegraphic instructions to the above effect, but special officers had been posted in the districts adjacent to Macao to see that no action was taken which could in any way be construed as provocative.
The feeling of people unconnected with the question at issue has been that China has acted unreasonably, and has made a mistake in refusing the Portuguese offer of arbitration.
The American chargé d'affaires and the Times" correspondent, Dr. Morrison, have both expressed these views to the members of the Wai-wu Pu, but without in any way affecting their decision. The enclosed memorandum of an interview which the latter had with Liang ta-jên may be of interest as showing the standpoint from which the Chinese approach the question.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
ļ
Enclosure in No. 1.
Memorandum of Interview between Dr. Morrison and Liang Tun-yen,
I SAW Liang Tan-yen this evening and had a long talk with him. He was in good spirits, and looked fresher and stronger than I have seen him for a long time
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