- 3 -
4.
General Chan Hing-wan then begged me to
intercede with Sir Miles Lampson on behalf of
Marshal Li, and to arrange, if possible, that,
should Marshal Li escape either to the British
Consulate or to a British cruiser at Nanking, he
would be given British protection.
5. I telegraphed immediately to Sir Miles
Lampson at Peking, to Mr. Hewlett at Nanking,
and to Vice-Admiral Waistell at Shanghai,
communicating to them the information, which had
reached me from the Canton Government, and
strongly supporting the request to give Marshal Li
such British protection as might be possible.
I consider it to be very much in the interests of
Hong Kong and of British trade in South China
generally, that we should, if possible, save the
life of Marshal Li Chai-sum, for there is no doubt
that under his rule piracy and brigandage in
Kuangtung have been curbed and trade conditions for British merchants made less hazardous.
It is
also beyond doubt that the object of Marshal Li
Chai-sum in going to Nanking was to leave nothing
in his power undone to prevent a recrudescence of
civil war. I fear, however, that Chiang Kai-shek,
having got Li Chai-sum into his hands, will give
him little chance of escape.
6. I take this opportunity of informing
you that General Tang Shang-chi, who, as you will
know from paragraph 4 of my Secret Despatch of the
1st February and from enclosure No.1 in my Secret
Despatch of the 28th February, was recently living in Hong Kong, arrived in Peking on the
19th
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