248
whether either side ever contemplated that steamers would clear
from Hongkong for inland ports outside the two provinces in any
numbers, the concession is not actually of much value.
9.
As described in paragraphs 7 9 of Sir Cecil Clementi's
despatch, the whole draft agreement was considered very carefully,
clause by clause, and extensive amendments were made in it upon
the recommendations partly of British and partly of Chinese
merchants. They are clearly to be seen by a comparison of
Enclosures 3 and 4 to Sir Cecil Clementi's despatch. The
amendments proposed, other than in Article 5, are concerned
purely with privileges sought for Hongkong manufactures and
the transit trade through Hongkong.
In my opinion the comments
on the net results of these amendments made by Sir Cecil Clementi
in the last paragraph of his despatch are truly representative
of the feeling of himself and of the Hongkong officials and
merchants who were present at the Conference, arrived at after
very careful consideration and free discussion. The Hongkong
mercantile representatives at the Conference, British and Chinese,
definitely gave their assent to the proposition put to them twice
very clearly at the close of the discussions that they, on
behalf of the interests they represented, held that the Agreement
in the form in which it is now reprinted is acceptable to them,
and that they regard it as beneficial to the Colony.
9.
Before the final questions were put to the Conference,
I stressed the desirability of going as far as Could be consid-
ered reasonable and safe in the endeavour to secure a working
arrangement with the Chinese Maritime Customs which would obviate
chances of friction, and which would tend to reinforce a feeling
of solidarity rather than antagonism between Hongkong and Canton,
which feeling would react on the general relations of Britain
with China. I found that the members of the Conference, and
especially the Chinese members, fully realised that failure to
negotiate