¡
Sir,
22-24
Enclosure 2 in No. 43.
Sir J. Jordan to Managers of Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank and Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China.
Peking, April 8, 1913.
I BEG to refer you to the letter of the 26th March which the secretary of the International Bankers Commission addressed to the dean of the Diplomatic Body, proposing certain alterations in the instructions conveyed to you in my letter of the 30th January, 1912, and to inform you that the Diplomatic Body have agreed to cancel Clause 6 of the letter of the 30th January, 1912, and to add to Clause 2 the following sentence :—
"but as soon as the service for the current year of all loans contracted before 1900 is provided for by funds in these banks, then the surplus shall be divided the end of 1913 amongst the banks having charge of the indemnity service." pro
Which clause will then read as follows:-
44
ratâ till
The banks chiefly interested, viz., the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank, and the Russo-Asiatic Bank, shall be custodians of the customs funds at Shanghai, but as soon as the service for the current year of all loans contracted before 1900 is provided for by funds in these banks, then the surplus shall be divided pro rata till the end of 1913 amongst the banks having charge of the indemnity service."
I have, &c.
[19283]
No. 44.
J. N. JORDAN,
(No. 149.) Sir,
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received April 26.)
AS I had the honour to inform you in my telegram No. 84 of yesterday, the first
Peking, April 9, 1913. Parliament of China was formally inaugurated yesterday morning. I beg to enclose the translation of a note from the Wai-chiao Pu requesting that this intelligence may be conveyed to His Majesty's Government.
Although the event passed off smoothly and everything is quiet on the surface, there is a strong under-current of friction and an apprehension of possible trouble. It is when the formalities have been concluded and the two Houses proceed to business that the trial of strength will take place. Yuan Shih-kai will in all probability be elected President of the Republic, but an attempt will certainly be made, in framing the constitution, to reduce his powers to a minimum. He may then have to choose between accepting an ornamental position and asserting his claim to a real share in the government. The impression at present is that he will have the support of the military leaders in adopting the latter course.
I have, &c.
Enclosure in No. 44.
J. N. JORDAN.
(Translation.) Sir,
Mr. Lu Cheng-hsiang to Sir J. Jordan.
April 8, 1913. THE Parliament of the Republic of China having been formally established and inaugurated with this day's ceremonies, I have the honour to inform your Excellency accordingly, and to request that you will communicate the above to His Majesty's Government.
I avail, &c.
(Seal of Wai-chiao Pu.}
See "China, No. 8 (1912)," No. 118.
231