39
encl. e)
possible, any premature discussions on the thorny question
of extraterritoriality. The Board of Trade, in consul-
tation with this department accordingly prepared a draft
commercial treaty which aimed at maintaining without
addition or diminution the present privileges enjoyed
under existing treaties, so far as they have not been
affected by the treaty of December 20th of last year.
In his telegram No. 379 of the 30th April, a copy of
which is enclosed, Sir Miles Lampson urged that the
prospect of the immediate raising of the extraterritorial
question made it desirable that he should be given discretion
to present the final draft to the Chinese Government at a
very early date.
3. The final draft of the treaty was settled by the
Board of Trade and Foreign Office in consultation with the
Colonial Office and the other departments concerned, but
without prior consultation with commercial interests either
in this country or in Shanghai. In accordance with the
decisions taken at the interdepartmental meeting referred
to in the letter addressed by the Board of Trade to the
водов b0806. Pats Foreign Office (C.R.T.878/29 of the 28th February last -
(24)
copy of which was sent to the Colonial Office), the final
draft was forwarded to Sir M. Lampson with instructions that
he should now take whatever steps he in his discretion
might consider most suitable to initiate negotiations with
a view to the conclusion of a commercial treaty on the
basis of the draft. A further copy of the despatch
containing