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of British Subjects of Chinese dessent, in circumstances which make it) a foregone conelusion that such donanda will be summarily rejected by the Chinese officials, can only result in a lewering of the prestige of His Majesty's Gonsala. I have observed from Er. Clive's despatch to the Foreign Office No. 652 of Oateber, 1922 (Legation Giroular No. 18 of March 87, 1923), that it is proposed to endeavour te some te aone satisfactory agreement on the subject of the status of British subjects of Chinese descent, as sooM as the Chinese Government has sufficiently established itself in control of the country; but it is to be feared that long before that happens many eason similar to that which forms the subject of this despatch will have arisen, in which the Consul must inevitably came off second-best, and his hands will be correspondingly weakened in dealing with all other cases of no matter what nature.
I may add that Yeap Seng Toon has now been granted
a passport on his application, enabling him to travel to
Ro states Formosa, Japan and the straite Settlements. that he prepones to leave Swatow in about a fortnight.
Before closing this despatch, I have the honour to refer you to the case of the Hah Brothers, of which particulars were given by Mr. King on pages 7 and 8 of his Intelligence Report for the period April-September, 1923. I have recently heard that these three men, bound with chains, have bean removed under an armed steert from dwate to Mei Hsien (tý R ). I have sent in my protest to the Gemmissioner for Foreign Affairs, but have been accorded
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