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:
No.
NUMBER AND DATE SHOULD DE QUOTED IN REFERENCE
TO THIS LETTER
Confidential.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONGKONG
$6939/Q
40 690019
16-30/19
My Lord
REST
15394
R: 25 MAR 0
Tebuary 6th 1920,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of your Lordship's confidential despatch of November 28th
1919 and confidential despatch of December 17th 1919 on the
subject of the relations between Portugal and China with
regard to the Port of Macao.
(2) I regret that by an oversight I have not yet explained
the circumstances in which I despatched my telegram of 16th
of November; the facts are these.
Senhor H. Correa da Silva the Governor of Lacao paid me a short
visit early in November during which on more than one occasion
he spoke of the reclamation works which bis Goverment was
carrying on in the harbour of lacao and said that the Chinese
were trying to make trouble, claiming that the Portugese were
encroaching on Chinese territory.
Senhor da Silva left on the IIth of November.On the 14th I
was visited by Captain Magalhaes Correia the harbour master
of liacao who had been instructed by the Governor to show me
a cypher telegram dated November 12th which he had received
from Lisbon. Literally translated this telegram ran as follows
"The Chinese Kinister protests against harbour works.
Government decides ought not to stop them. Some
action by China possible.It will be convenient to
be prepared. In case of difficulty you can have
recourse to Hongkong as British Government promises
possible help if wanted".
97