3
[2646]
(No. 2.) Sir,
I
No. 14.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received January 20.)
Peking, January 3, 1913.
I HAVE the honour to forward to you herewith a copy of a note from the Wai-chiao Pu on the subject of the payment in sterling in London of sums due on account of the foreign loans of China.
The Ministry of Finance, realising the loss on exchange caused to China by the present system of paying out large sums in silver at Shanghai, desired to substitute for that system an arrangement whereby the service of the foreign loans could be effected on the due dates by sterling payments in London. After considering the matter, the Diplomatic Body decided that the question was one which was regulated by the several loan agreements, and could therefore only be settled by direct arrangement with the holders of the bonds. This decision was accordingly conveyed to the Wai-chiao Pu on the 2nd instant in a memorandum drafted by the French Minister.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
Enclosure in No. 14.
Wai-chiao Pu to Sir J. Jordan.
(Translation.) Sir,
Peking, November 28, 1912. IT has hitherto always been the practice for China, when making payments in respect of her foreign loans, to do so in silver, delivering it at the current sterling rate of exchange, for transmission, to the Shanghai branches of the various banks concerned.
The Ministry of Finance now propose, in order to avoid loss by exchange, to make payments at the due dates in sterling to the correspondents of the several banks on the spot in London, instead of having to deliver for transmission through the three banks in Shanghai.
I venture to think their Excellencies the foreign representatives at Peking will readily approve an economical scheme of this nature, and have the honour, therefore, M. le Doyen, to request the favour of an early reply from the diplomatic body to facilitate the issue of instructions to the inspector-general, the Ministry of Finance, and the banks concerned to concert the necessary measures.
In regard to last year's joint scheme in eight articles for the appropriation of customs revenues for the service of foreign loans, I have the honour also to state that, with the exception of the slight modifications occasioned by the procedure suggested above, that scheme will continue to have effect.
[4518)
No. 19.
I have, &c.
(Seal of Wai-chiao Pu.)
(No. 19.) Sir,
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received January 30.)
Peking, January 14, 1913. I HAVE had the honour to report by telegraph the attack by armed robbers near Luchou on a party of Canadian Methodist missionaries. The attack which took place on the 2nd January resulted in the death of John Jolliffe, the infant child of one of the missionaries. One of the robbers was captured during the attack and strong representations were made to the local authorities by the acting British consul-general at Chengtu, urging them to adopt energetic measures for the capture of the remaining members of the gang and for the general suppression of brigandage in the district. In an interview with the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the afternoon of the 8th instant, I called his attention to the facts of the case and on the following day I addressed an official memorandum to the Wai-chiao Pu requesting that the most stringent instructions might be sent to the provincial authorities to effect the capture of the culprits and to deal with the case in a prompt and effective manner. I also instructed the acting British consul-general at Chengtu to send a representative
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