Sir R. Hart's Proposals of 1898.
SECTION 5 (a)
64
273
The proposals made by Sir Robert Hart in
pursuance of the assurance given by Sir C. MacDonald
to the Tsungli Yamen in a letter dated June 10, 1898,
when the Hong Kong Extension Agreement was negotiated,
to the effect that the Hongkong Government would take
all possible precautions to prevent the newly leased
territory from being used as a base for smuggling into
China, are stated in the foll wing letter which he
wrote to Sir C. MacDonald on June 27, 1898. They
were referred to by Mr. Maze, when he approached the
Hongkong Government last July, as a basis for the
agreement now sought by the Chinese Government. Sir
R. Hart's proposals met with strong opposition in the
Colony and were never given effect to at the time.
Sir R. Hart to Sir C. MacDonald.
Inspectorate General of Customs,
Peking, June 27, 1898.
sir,
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your
Excellency's despatch of the 24th June, informing me
that you have received a communication from Her Majesty's
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, asking you, in
view of the recent leasing to Great Britain of part of
Kowloon peninsula and the adjacent islands, what
arrangements the Imperial Maritime Customs of China
would propose, and where stations would be placed, and
in reply to state in the following numbered paragraphs
what, in my opinion, will be necessary in and around (Hong Kong