33
discussed this proposal with Sir F. Aglen who was much
agitated over the whole situation as regards the Custom.
and who expressed profound disagreement with the whole
policy of his Majesty's Government towards the Canton
taxes. Sir F. Aglen, considering that his hands had bea
already unfairly forced by our action at Canton, agroel
to afford the Cantonese, if they applied therefor, the
opportunity of inspecting the relevant documents concern-
ing British goods and British vessels, in so far as this
could be done without giving information about goods or
ships of other Powers, unless and until he had been as- sured that the latter had accepted our position and
followed our lead. As regards the loan of a room in the
Customs house he would only say that he would view with
the gravest concern the introduction into his Custom
houses of Canton tax collectors, as being in effect boy-
sott pickets in another guise, not only on account of
the principles at stake, but also because of the danger
that their presence might contaminate his Customs staff. (Peking Telegram to Foreign Office No. 454 of 23rd Nov-
ember).
38. At a meeting of the diplomatic body in Peking on the 23rd November the senior Minister suggested that
the senior Consul at Canton should be instructed to leave
a memorandum with Comrade Eugene Ch'en reiterating the
declaration contained in the senior Consul's note of the
5th November and adding that it was not for him to criticize or discuss the contents of Ir. Ch'ên's letter
or the customs and usages by which official correspon- dence was normally carried out. Consequently he would
have to transmit the communication contained in the nobo
of
143