[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
and that it was therefore proposed to arrange a loan with the various foreign banks. This arrangement having been sanctioned by Imperial decree, a further telegram was subsequently received from the southern superintendent of trade, stating as follows:---
"I have deputed a representative to negotiate an agreement with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank and the Banque de l'Indo- Chine, whereby the sum of 3,000,000 Shanghai taels will be borrowed, at 7 per cent. per annum.
The interest is to be paid half-yearly, while the repayment of the capital by an annual instalment will be spread over a period of six years. amount derived from the additional tax on salt in the provinces of Hunan, Hupeh, Kiangsi and Anhui, will be specially hypothecated for the loan."
The
Your Highness' board accordingly addressed the Board of Finance, and have now received a reply stating that the arrangement may be carried out, and your Highness asks that I will instruct the bank in question to act accordingly.
I have duly communicated the contents of your Highness' note to the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, which informs me that clause 8 of the agreement arranged with the Viceroy of the Liang Kiang provinces contains the following stipulation :-
"As officially communicated by the Wai-wu Pu to the legations concerned, the Viceroy of the Liang Kiang provinces is authorised to guarantee, on behalf of the Imperial Chinese Government, and he does hereby guarantee under his official seal, that payment of interest and repayment of principal of this loan shall be duly made."
I am therefore requested by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank to enquire if the authorisation conveyed by your Highness' note of the 10th November is to be understood to cover the stipulations contained in the foregoing clause.
Sir,
I avail, &c.
Enclosure 3 in No. 1,
Prince Ching to Mr. Max Müller,
W. G. MAX MÜLLER.
Peking, December 8, 1910.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the note of the 17th November, 1910, on the subject of the loan of 3,000,000 taels, Shanghai weight, concluded with the representative deputed by the southern superintendent of trade.
In that note it is stated that, according to information received from the bank, clause 8 of the agreement arranged with the Viceroy of the Liang Kiang provinces contains the following stipulation
*
"As officially communicated by the Wai-wu Pu to the legations concerned, the Viceroy of the Liang Kiang provinces is authorised to guarantee on behalf of the Imperial Chinese Government, and he does hereby guarantee under his official seal, that payment of interest and repayment of principal of this loan shall be duly made."
At the request of the bank enquiry is made if the authorisation conveyed by my note of the 9th November is to be understood to cover the stipulation in the foregoing clause.
We have the honour to reply that the present loan arranged with the various foreign banks by the southern superintendent of trade has been sanctioned by Imperial Decree, that is to say, that his Excellency is authorised to guarantee, on behalf of the Government, that payment of interest and repayment of principal of this loan shall be duly made.
We have the honour therefore to state that the stipulations contained in clause 8 of the agreement are acceptable, and to communicate the above for the information of the bank.
We avail, &c.
286
C O
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
3447
CONFIDENTIAL.
[January 16.]
SECTION 1.
# 3 FEB 1!
[1679]
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received January 16, 1911.) (No. 473.) Sir,
Peking, December 29, 1910. WITH reference to your telegram No. 159 of the 16th instant, relative to the northern section of the Burmah-Yünnan frontier, I have the honour to enclose the copy of a note which I have addressed to Prince Ching in reply to his communication of the 10th December, translation of which was forwarded to you in my despatch No. 451 of the 14th December.
Your Highness,
Enclosure in No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Prince Ching.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN,
Peking, December 17, 1910. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Highness's note of the 10th instant, with reference to the northern section of the Burmalı-Yünnan frontier, and communicating a telegram received from the Viceroy of Yunnan. Your Highness in this note urged the necessity of appointing officials to conduct a joint delimitation, and requested that the dispatch of troops across the frontier should not be permitted.
I accordingly reported the contents of your Highness's note, by telegraph, to His Majesty's Government, and I have now been instructed to state that they are not able to consider any question of joint delimitation so long as the Chinese Government refuses to discuss any settlement of the frontier on the basis of the boundary which was notified to your Highness by Sir Ernest Satow in his note of the 1st May, 1906. However, as regards customary presents and dues levied on the western side of the proposed boundary, His Majesty's Government will always be ready to negotiate an agreement for compensation therefor. His Majesty's Government add that they do not intend to dispatch troops to cross the declared frontier on the watershed.
In addressing the above reply for your Highness's information, I avail, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
[1850 q-1]