304
In the course of the discussion which took
place I insisted that the questions raised were,
from the point of view of international law and
extraterritorial usage, of such delicacy that,
were one to attempt to take action in the sense
desired, the conceivable post ballum complica-
tions which would arise in every foreign conces-
sion throughout China would be of a most serious
nature. That it would not be physically possible
for me to expel the German Consul nor restrict
the freedom of movement of his nationals and that
even could I do so, it would not be possible to
prevent their moving into the city or across the
river. That to establish a censorship at the
telegraph office on 3hamien would be futile, 80
long as telegrams could be despatched from the
Central Office on the Chinese bund and that it
must be manifest that no control could be exer-
cised over the despatch of German closed mail-
bags or other correspondence handed to the Chi-
nese