512
the terms of the Agreement of May 1911, would be
weakened by even temporary suspension of this year's
notified sales. It is thought that this last
consideration should appeal to firms having large
commitments in China,
I am to
Lord Crewe concurs in the terms of Sir Edward
Grey's proposed reply to Messrs. Sassoons' request
that His Majesty's Government should hold the Chinese
Government responsible for losses sustained by the
merchants through the breach of Treaty stipulations,
or that it should press the Chinese Government to
take the merchants' stocks of Indian opium.
observe that the magnitude of the losses complained
of is in a great measure due to the action of the
merchants themselves In representing that they hold
stocks of opium "bought from the Indian Government at
high prices" Messrs. Sassoons do not mention the fact
that the prices in question were determined by
themselves and other opium dealers on grounds which
can only be described as speculative.
They have
themselves
aw
Ved
writ