authorities of liongkong, I beg to refer to their decision.
of most recent date, as mentioned in the Ministry's memorandum of November 28, that the evacuation should be
completed by the end of the year. As to the alleged acceptance by the inhabitants of the terna offered by the Governor, it is at least open to doubt in view of the petitions they adressed repeatedly both to this Ministry
and to our Commissioner at Canton, imploring protection of
their legitimate interests.
With regard to treaty stipulations, it will be readily seen, even after a cursory examination of the Convention
of June 9, 1898, that the measures contemplated by the Hongkong Government are irreconcilable with the provisions of the said Convention, as it is clearly not within the competence of British Authorities to exercise jurisdiction in the city of Kowloon which is expressly reserved for the
Chinese officials.
On the part of the colonial authorities, it might be contended that their assumption of jurisdiction was based on the Order in Council of December 27, 1899 declaring the city of Kowloon to be part and parcel of the Colony of Hongkong. without delving into the argument that the exercise of jurisdiction by tue Chinese officials in the city of Kowloon was inconsistent with the military requirements for the defence of Hongkong and the circumstances under which the Chinese officials were ousted from the said city and control over it was taken by the British Government notwithstanding the repeated protests of the Chinese Government, I cannot resist the conclusion that the Order in Council referred to does not s em to rest on sufficient legal grounds in the light of the ino-British Convention of 1898.
At a time when ino-British friendship is daily increasing and the relations of the local authorities at Canton with the
28.23a
authorities/