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Legislative Council in Hongkong, the Committee of the
General Chamber of Commerce and the Committee of the
China Association on a document of so highly confidential
a character. Sir C. Clementi took this action, moreover,
without the preliminary precaution of telegraphing to
Sir l. Lampson in order to ascertain whether there was any
objection to his doing so. Had he taken this necessary
precaution it would have been explained to him that the
action which he contemplated would interfere with
Sir M. Lampson's liberty of action, and hamper him in
the carrying out of his instructions.
6.
As it is, Sir M. Lampson has been placed in the
embarrassing position of having to protest against the
action of a fellow-official, with whom he is personally
on the most friendly terms and has had to address to
Sir Austen Chamberlain his telegrams of May 3rd and
Enc (a) (b; May 14th in which he complains that his liberty of action
has been compromised by Sir C. Clementi taking it upon
himself to communicate the draft treaty to the Hongkong
merchants without prior consultation and before Sir E.
Lampson had taken the Shanghai merchants into his confidence
on the subject. This also has deprived Sir M. Lampson
of the advantage of an element of surprise in dealing with
the Chinese authorities. Nor is this the first time that
Sir C. Clementi has gone further than is safe in communicating
to others confidential documents forwarded to him for his
personal guidance. Mr. Amery will remember the circum-
stances which led up to the despatch of the telegram
enclosed