:
18498
767ab
Gr
75894
30
and after lunch took us to visit the points of interest in the tom, giving especial attention to the reclamation works, which have been the occasion of the recent friction with the Cantonese authorities.
4.
The strained situation described in my confiden- tial despatch of the 31st January became easier very shortly after that date owing to the great bulk of the Chinese troops being withdraw to take part in the quarrel between the Kwong-si and Yunnan forces. There are now said to be only about 1,500 Chinese infantry encamped in the hills to the north of the narrow neck of the Macao peninsula. The number is not sufficient to constitute a menace to Macao which is now garrisoned by some hundreds of Portuguese infantry and a very smart-looking force of Mozambique negroes. The Governor informed me that during January he was seriously alarmed at the situation, seeing that both Naval and Military forces were in the neighbourhood of Macao and it was considered probable that any overt action might be supported by a rising among the local Chinese; but for the present no trouble is to be anticipated. The reclamation works in the part where the Chinese authorities specially objected to them have been stopped and negotiations for delimitation are being conducted between the Chinese and Portuguese authorities through the medium of Mr. J. W. Jamieson, His Majesty's Consul- General at Canton, of whose assistance the Governor repeatedly spoke in terms of high appreciation.
So far as I can judge, there is little prospect of these negotiations resulting in a successful issue, as it seems clear that the Chinese authorities will never adopt a reasonable attitude in the matter (vide Sir J. Jorden's despatch No.62 Confidential of the 9th February). This view is strength- ened by a personal examination of the reclamation, as it is obvious that the objection taken to the works is absurd. The part of the work to which the Chinese specially objected - (though I understand that they raise objections to any reclama- tion at all) lies south of a line drawn between the northern
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