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to the scene of the crime and to hold an inquest on the body of the murdered child, He has since informed me that the representative in question was leaving Chengtu on the 10th instant and was being provided with an escort by the Provincial Secretary for Foreign Affairs. The latter had also called in person at the consulate and bad expressed his regret at the commission of the crime.
I have now received from the Wai-chiao Pu a memorandum, translation of which I have the honour to enclose herewith, containing expressions of regret on behalf of the Chinese Government and informing me of the instructions sent to the provincial authorities for the capture of the robbers responsible for the murder.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
Enclosure in No. 19.
(Translation.)
Note communicated to Sir J. Jordan by Wai-chiao Pu.
THE Wai-chiao Pu were apprised by His Majesty's Minister in person of the shooting by robbers in Szechuan of the child of a British missionary proceeding from Chungking to Chengtu, and Sir John Jordan requested them to send instructions for the punishment of the criminals. They at once telegraphed to the Tutu of the province, whose reply states that, according to a telegram from the magistrate of Fu Shun district, a British missionary, Jolliffe, with his family, entered his jurisdiction under escort provided in Lu Chou. Their boat, moored at Huang Ko Wan, was raided by robbers in the middle of the night of the 3rd instant. Dr. Cox, travelling with the party, opened fire and killed one of the robbers. The rest of the gang evaded arrest by shooting, and mortally wounded the missionary's infant son, John Jolliffe. Hearing the noise militia guards collected and captured one, Tang Hsing-fa, the leader of the robbers, the rest of whom made good their escape. The Tutu adds that he is instructing the district magistrate to have the captured robber, Tang Hsing-fa, brought up for trial, and deal with him with the utmost rigour; he is also sending immediate orders throughout the province to take all possible steps for the arrest of the escaped robbers, who must be captured and brought to trial without fail.
The Wai-chiao Pu regard with the deepest regret this encounter of British missionaries with robbers in Fu Shun district, and the wounding, mortally, of the Rev. Mr. Jolliffe's infant son. They are telegraphing to the Tutu of Szechuan to effect as soon as possible the capture of the escaped robbers. Meanwhile they have the honour to communicate the above information.
Peking, January 11, 1913.
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No, 21.
(No. 27.) Sir,
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received February 4.)
Peking, January 20, 1913. IN my despatch No. 55 of the 30th January, 1912,* I had the honour to forward a copy of the instructions issued by the Diplomatic Body to the International Bankers' Commission at Shanghai, which was formed to arrange for the due payment out of customs revenues of the foreign debt charged thereon. Article 6 of these instructions reads as follows:-
"If normal conditions are not restored by the end of 1912, then at that time an account shall be taken of the surplus available for the indemnity, and such account shall be sent to the Diplomatic Body for their decision as to its disposal."
The secretary of the International Bankers' Commission forwarded to me, as dean, an account dated the 4th January, 1913, showing a balance on the 31st December, 1912, to the credit of the combined loan service accounts in the three custodian banks of Shanghai of 10,268,202.59 taels, a sum which was subsequently corrected to 10,273,682-09 taels. On receipt of this account on the 8th instant, I immediately circulated it among my colleagues and called a meeting for the 16th instant to discuss the disposal of this surplus.
* See "China, No. 3 (1912),” No. 113.
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