This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Governmen
RECO
25 ? MY I [December 16.]
144
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[43193]
No. 1.
Foreign Office to Admiralty.
SECTION 3.
Sir,
I AM directed by Secretary Sir E. Grey to send you herewith a copy of a
Foreign Office, December 16, 1910. despatch from His Majesty's chargé d'affaires at Peking,* with reference to the Whangpoo Conservancy Works and the question of appointing a successor to M. de Rijke, the engineer-in-chief, who has now left Shanghai.
The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have already received, in a letter from this department of the 14th ultimo, a copy of the report on M. de Rijke's scheme which was drawn up by Sir J. Wolfe Barry, Sir W. Matthews, and Mr. Lyster under instructions from the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce. The conclusion at which these experts arrived was, as their Lordships are aware, that a considerable portion of M. de Rijke's scheme might be dropped, at any rate for the present. Those parts of the scheme which still require to be carried into effect are not held to require the services of so eminent an engineer as M. de Rijke himself, and the latter, as mentioned above, would appear already to have left Shanghai of his own accord, though under his agreement he could have claimed to remain on till June 1911. There would consequently seem to be no possibility of securing the retention of M. de Rijke's services, to which, as stated in your letter of the 20th August last, their Lordships attached considerable importance.
In the exercise of their right under the Whangpoo Conservancy Agreement of 1905, the Chinese Government have now proposed, as successor to M. de Rijke, a Swedish engineer, M. Heidenstamm. This gentleman has, however, not yet proved himself to be possessed of the qualifications necessary for the post, and the diplomatic body at Peking, to whom the appointment was submitted, have, at Mr. Max Müller's suggestion, informed the Chinese Government that they are prepared to consider the claims of any candidate put forward by the latter, provided that his qualifications for the post are satisfactorily proved and that his contract shall be only for one year.
The Lords Commissioners will see from Mr. Max Müller's despatch that the attitude on this question of certain members of the diplomatic body is uncertain, and, as the decision is by majority, and unanimity is not requisite, the danger would appear to exist that the consent of the diplomatic body may be given to the appoint- ment of the nominee of the Chinese Government, even though his possession of the necessary qualifications is in doubt.
In these circumstances Sir E. Grey is of opinion that the only course to adopt is to instruct His Majesty's Minister to oppose the appointment of M. Heidenstamm if his technical attainments appear to be insufficient, and to use his best endeavours to induce his colleagues to take up the same attitude. If, on the contrary, the nominee of the Chinese Government should be able to produce satisfactory evidence that he is properly qualified for the post, Sir E. Grey does not see that there is any strong reason for insisting upon his contract being only for one year, as suggested by Mr. Max Müller.
The Lords Commissioners will observe that certain of the foreign representatives are strongly opposed to the selection of an engineer by the three British experts who drew up the report alluded to, and Sir E. Grey presumes that no useful purpose would be served by directing Sir J. Jordan to make any suggestion in that sense, or by attempting to secure the nomination of a British subject as M. de Rijke's successor.
With a view to assisting His Majesty's Minister, Sir E. Grey would propose at the same time to inform the other Governments interested of the instructions being sent to Sir J. Jordan, and to request them similarly to instruct their own representatives at Peking.
Sir E. Grey would be glad to learn whether the Lords Commissioners concur in the course of action suggested,
I am, &c.
* Mr. Max Muller, No. 411, November 11, 1910.
F. A. CAMPBELL.
11810 -
-3]