12
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
When finances are in a more prosperous state and soldiers are no longer in arrears with pay we will be guided entirely by the orders of the Tuchun.
Until these conditions prevail, we would implore you on our behalf to arrange that for the present no large number of troops be stationed here, so as to prevent the public being terrified at merely hearing of them,
We would ask that our requests be forwarded to the Tuchun.
Ichang [undated].
(Sent about July 1.)
Enclosure 10 in No. 1.
Resolutions Passed at General Meeting of Foreign Community.
AT a public meeting of the foreign community of Ichang, held on the 5th July, 1921, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted :-
"1. Whereas Ichang has been looted on two occasions with an interval of little over six months, and as much damage was done to the property of the merchants and inhabitants of this city, this public meeting of the foreign community expresses its deep sympathy with the merchants and others who have suffered."
It was agreed that a copy of this resolution should be sent to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
2. Whereas this city of Ichang has been looted on two occasions with an interval of little over six months, and the depredators on both occasions were the troops of the Chinese Government, and on both occasions there was much loss of foreign property, while foreign life was placed in jeopardy, it is hereby resolved that this public meeting of the foreign community of Ichang condemns these outrages, and requests the foreign Ministers in Peking to take steps to see that soldiers are not allowed to be stationed within a radius of 30 miles from this port. If it should happen that troops require to pass through this port, that they be disembarked on the side of the river opposite to the city, and not be permitted to remain longer than thirty-six hours.”
"3. Whereas this city of Ichang has been looted on two occasions within an interval of little over six months, and the depredators on both occasions were the troops of the Chinese Government, and as this is sufficient evidence to prove that the Chinese Government cannot control its troops, and as on both occasions foreign property was considerably damaged, and foreign lives were endangered, it is hereby resolved that this public meeting of the foreign community of Ichang requests the Ministers at Peking to take steps to secure an international settlement at this port."
It was resolved that the second and third resolutions be submitted to the consuls of the countries represented at this meeting, with the request that they be forwarded to their respective Ministers.
THOS. R. KEARNEY,
Chairman of the Meeting.
CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
F 537/537/107
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Ree? 15 MAR 22!
No. 1.
[February 6.]
SECTION 3.
Sir B. Alston to the Marquess Curzon of Kedleston.-(Received February 6.)
(No. 740.)
Peking, December 20, 1921. My Lord,
IN my telegram No. 242 of the 21st June I had the honour to report to your Lordship that Ichang, a treaty port on the Yang-tsze River, situated on the borders of Hupeh and Szechen, had been looted by mutinous Chinese soldiery on the 4th June, and that serious damage had been done to foreign property, though fortunately to foreign life had been lost.
Little over six mouths had therefore elapsed since the similar outbreak at Ichang in Noveniber of last year, reported in my despatch No. 46 of the 28th January, 1921, and the looting of a treaty port by Government troops twice within such a short period is an event without parallel since the opening of this country to foreign trade.
The absence of any responsible Government from which redress for the past or guarantee for the future could be obtained rendered satisfactory action difficult, and it was not until May last, when the late Military Governor of Hupeh visited Peking, that an opportunity occurred to bring a warning home to the guilty party. During my absence at Shanghai Mr Clive, accompanied by the Chargés d'Affaires of Japan and the United States, called on General Wang Chan-yuan to protest against the delay in compensating the foreign merchants for their heavy losses and against the callous disregard of consequences which he bad shown by his leniency towards the mutineers, and especially by reappointing to Ichang the general who had failed to control the latter,
General Wang, after attempting to shift responsibility to the Central Govern- ment--which he admitted to be impotent in Hupel-finally agreed to remove the discredited commander within one month, and to proceed at once to a joint assessment of the foreign losses.
The Military Governor had barely returned to Hankow (Wuchang) when the second outbreak occurred at Ichang, followed a few days later by a mutiny at Wuchang itself.
These renewed outbreaks proved the undoing of General Wang, whose removal was demanded by the province, and the efforts of the Central Government-dictated by the northern military party-to support him have now resulted in the resumption of civil war in the Yang-taze (see my despatch No. 507 of the 1st September), and the claims in respect of foreign losses at Ichang and Wuchang will now have to be added to the long list of unsatisfied demands which has been steadily accumulating ever since the last batch of civil war claims were met out of the Reorganisation Loan of 1913.
More pressing, however, than the question of pecuniary compensation for past losses is that of safeguards against future danger to foreign life and property, for unpaid troops swarm-in the neighbourhood of treaty ports throughout the country, and now that the looting of defenceless merchants has become a recognised means of meeting military expenditure, the difficulty of maintaining that degree of immunity for foreign property which prevailed during the earlier civil war period in China has correspondingly increased.
The details of the outbreaks at Ichang and Wuchang are given in reports from His Majesty's consuls, copies of which I had the honour to transmit to your Lordship in my despatches Nos 361 and 363 of the 28th and 29th June respectively. At Ichang, where there is no foreign settlement, the foreign residents were exposed to grave personal risk, while foreign property of considerable value was once agaiù looted.
As soon as the trouble started on the 4th June a party of thirteen men and two officers was landed from H.M.S. "Guat" for the purpose of guarding the custom- house, which was the general rendezvous agreed upon in the event of trouble, and of escorting foreigners to the ships, should this course become necessary. The trouble
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