British Legation,
45083
Peking.
to Hongkong)
August 10, 1916.
RECA
REG 21 SEP
568
My Lord,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Lordship's despatch Re. 114 of the 23rd ay last regarding the dispute between China and Fortugal on the question of jurisdiction over certain islands in the neighbourhood of Kacao. You desire an expression of my opinion as to whether I could usefully intervene in arranging a #ettlement or, alternatively, whether any representations which Kia sjesty's Coverment might make at Lisbon would be calculated to lead to any useful
result.
I had hoped, before replying to Your Lordship's enquiry to have had an opportunity of consulting my Fortu- guere Collesque on the subject, but K, de Freitas har been continuously absent fra: Feking at the seaside since
the receipt of your despatch and I am obliged to reply without having the benefit of his opinion.
·
But from conversations which I had with him after his return from the Lission to sono which I had the honour to report in my despatch No. 8 of January 5, 1915, I feel convinced that no useful purpose would be served by attemp- ting to revive the vezed question of the boundaries of
acao with the present Chinese Government. The negotia- tion which took place in 1908-09 under the direction of General achado and in which I was privileged to partici- pate showed umistakably the marked divergence of view
which
The Right Honourable
Viscount Grey K.G.,
etc., etc., ato.
Page 570Page 571