40
containing these instructions, which were communicated to
bosob Part 1. the Colonial Office in Foreign Office letter No. F 1088/11/10
(41)
_D0 - (26)
of March 20th and as Sir Austen Chamberlain understands,
were then forwarded forthwith to the Governor of Hongkong
for his information, is enclosed herein.
4. It was not intended, however, that Sir C. Clementi
should divulge the text of the treaty to anyone outside the
circle of his official advisers, or that he should intervene
in the course of policy laid down by His Majesty's Government
in pursuance of their general plan of Treaty Revision by
slow and safe stages.
5. As regards the actual conduct of the negotiations
with the Chinese Government, Sir M. Lampson alone is
responsible. Unless that position is fully understood by all
officers of His Majesty's Government and unless the highly
confidential character of the instructions which are sent to
Sir L. Lampson in connexion with such negotiations is
recognised and scrupulously respected by all to whom the
tenor of any such instructions may have been communicated,
the public interest is liable to suffer injury. The action
taken by Sir Cecil Clementi on the receipt of the copy of
h.. Sir Austen Chamberlain's despatch containing His Majesty's
Government's instructions to Sir L. Lampson and referred to
in paragraph 3, appears to the Secretary of State to be
Pol
inconsistent with those well-established principles and he key
cannot put regard as unfortunate the Governor's inconsiderate
haste to consult with the three Chinese members of the
Legislative
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