This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
F 326/81/10]
No. 1.
[January 28.]
SECTION 10.
Mr. Clive to Fart Curzon.—(Received January 28, 1921.)
(No. 756.)
Peking, November 23, 1920. My Lord,
WITH reference to my despatch No. 725 of the 3rd November, I have the honour to transmit to your Lordship, herewith a copy of a further report from His Majesty's consul general supplementing the information already furnished in regard to the recent hostilities in Kwangtung and recording the services rendered by various British and foreign officers on the spot.
consider that Mr. Golle acquitted himself extremely well in the difficult circumstances in which he was placed by the conflict between the rival parties, and I should be glad to be enabled to convey to him your Lordship's approval of his conduct. The work performed by Mr. Vice-Consul Sly also appears very commendable.
I have the honour to enclose a copy of a despatch* which I have addressed to Mr. Goffe on the subject of his report.
Enclosure in No. 1.
I have, &c.
R. H. CLIVE.
(No. 98.) Sir,
Consul-General Goffe to Mr. Clive.
Canton, November 2, 1920. I HAVE the honour to enclose herewith copies and translations of Ts'en Ch'en Hzuan's circular telegram dissolving the Military Government* and General Mok's proclamation cancelling the independence of the province, which mark the end-at least for the present-of the Kwang-si régime in Kwangtung Province. Hadithese documents heen issued weeks before-as I repeatedly urged-the issue might have been different; but neither Mok nor Ts'en had the breadth of vision requisite for such a step, and they clung to power until the situation became irretrievable and flight was their only resource.
My telegrams will have kept you informed of the course of events during the past two months, and it only remains for me to bring a few minor details to your notice.
His General Ch'en is arriving this morning from Sheklung, and it is expected that he will at once nominate new officials to fill the posts vacated by the Kwang-si men. troops are not under very good discipline, aud since their arrival there has been a certain amount of looting and gruesome stories are told of their cruelty; this is in marked contradistinction to the behaviour of Mok's retreating army, who, although on the march for days practically without any food, left the city entirely unmolested. During the last few days there has been fighting at Wongsha and Tungshan, above and below Shameen respectively, as well as in the city, partly due to misunder- standings and partly to the forced disarmament of those of the Kwang-si troops, who were left behind: but this state of affairs is not likely to last long, and that public confidence is being restored is shown by the large numbers of refugees who are now returning from Hong Kong. The exodus to the colony was unprecedented, whole streets being entirely evacuated. I am informed that the chief cause of apprehension was the threatened bombing of the city by aeroplanes.
A humourous element in the situation was the fact that the armed police in the city, who are under the command of Wei Pang Ping, continued to function after their When I decided to clear the creek commanding officer had declared against Mok. behind Shameen, I asked Mok to order the police to do it, but he replied that he could not comply with my request as the police were under the orders of Wei, and ou my applying to the latter he said he could not assist me, as Mok's troops refused to allow Eventually I bad it cleared, without any his water police to enter the creek.
[5364 er -10]
• Not printed.
366