}
losure No.3.
losure No.4.
losure No.5.
flosure No.6.
Blocure No.7.
Hosure No.8. losure No. 9
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some means would be found to arrive at a compromise which
would satisfy both Dr. Sun and the Powers who are interested in the Customs question.
3.
Mr. Ch'en returned to Canton expressing the
hope that some such compromise might be found, He returned
on the 11th December and handed me the enclosed statement.
The words "in deference to Sir Reginald Stubba's views" mean
nothing. I had expressed no views, except as indicated
above, and the phrase is, I think, inserted in order to save
Dr. Sun's face by affording some apparent ground for a
reduction of his claims.
4.
On the receipt of this statement I replied
to Dr. Sun in the letter of which a copy is enclosed and
sent my telegrams of 11th and 12th December to His Majesty's
Minister and to Your Grace, The Minister replied in a
telegram of 13th December, of which a copy is enclosed,
together with a copy of the telegram of 11th December to
which he refers.
I enclose also a copy of my reply which was
based on information obtained from Mr. Ch'an at his second
interview with me.
Up to the present time the situation remains
undecided and it is impossible to forecast developments.
5.
I think it desirable in this connection to
send to Your Grace copies of semi-official correspondence with Sir J. W. Jamieson, His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton. It is obvious that the Consul-General considers
that I have travelled out of my sphere in taking any part in this discussion and it is very probable, I think, that His Majesty's Minister at Peking will take the same view. I trust that Your Grace will not.
In the matter of Chinese politics, I have
as an individual certain tepid preferences and certain views and theories which would not interest anybody but myself,
As