། ། ་།
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 882
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE | COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
10511
SIR,
140
No.137.
COLONIAL OFFICE to MR. ARNOLD WHITE (NAVY LEAGUE).
Downing Street, May 2, 1899.
I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to acknowledge and to thank you for your letter of the 25th ultimo, enclosing copies of telegrams from the Hong Kong Branch of the Navy League, relative to the boundaries of the territory recently leased from the Chinese Government, together with a memorandum and a map.
11007 8.
11191.
No. 188.
I am, &c.,
C. P. LUCAS.
MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GoVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE. (Sent 5.55 p.m., May 3, 1899.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by No. 139.]
REFERRING to your telegram of April 26th,† are soldiers still in Kowloon ?
No. 139.
GOVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE to MR. CHAMBERLAIN. (Received 6.41 p.m., May 4, 1899.) TELEGRAM.
In reply to your telegram of yesterday's date,‡ there are still 200 native soldiers in Kowloon City.
11401.
No. 140.
GOVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
(Received May 8, 1899.)
[Answered by No. 169.]
(No. 87.) SIR,
Government House, Hong Kong, April 7, 1899. WITH reference to my despatch No. 82 of 1st instant, § I have the honour to
t,§ inform you that on the 2nd instant I proceeded at 5.30 a.m. to Canton in Her Majesty's ship "Fame" and arrived at 10 o'clock, the Viceroy having informed the Consul that he would receive me at 11 a.m. I was accompanied by Mr. Stewart Lockhart, Colonial Secretary, and the members of my staff. On proceeding from the Consulate to the Viceroy's Yamen I found that preparations had been made for my reception that I did not expect. The streets for the two miles or so between the Consulate and the Yamen had been washed and cleaned, and were lined with troops throughout the entire distance. There were between 1,600 and 1,800 men, armed with muzzle loaders and rifles of various patterns, in addition to which a large proportion carried revolvers. I noticed that all the arms were quite clean and apparently well kept. The streets were de- corated with flags on long poles, and there were dense crowds, who were perfectly
‡ No. 138.
• No. 120.
↑ No. 127.
No. 135.
141
respectful. I was received by the Viceroy with the usual ceremonies, and at once entered upon the business of my visit, Mr. Pitzipios, the Vice-Consul, interpreting most admirably.
After some preliminary observations, he remarked that the friendship between England and China had been of long standing, on which I assured him that England was China's best friend, and it was with the most friendly feelings that I had done myself the honour of visiting him to request his immediate attention to certain acts of intimidation, and attempts to lead the people of the leased territory astray by an inflammatory placard that had been posted in many villages, a copy of which I handed to him with the name of the person who had written it. Knowing the friendly feelings of His Excellency, and feeling that he would take immediate action, I had determined to bring the matter personally to his notice, rather than telegraph to London and Pekin that disorder was threatened in his province. I therefore requested that the writer of the placard should be made answerable and punished.
He answered that he could not possibly find the person who wrote the placard. To this I demurred. He said I did not know China, or I would realize the difficulty. I answered that I knew China sufficiently to know that if His Excellency wanted to find any person in his province, that person would be forthcoming. He said the name given might not be the real culprit. Who did I want punished! I answered that I had not come to him to demand the punishment of any person, but to insure that the terri- tory leased in extension of Hong Kong should not be allowed to become a prey to agitators, pending the taking over of the territory by me, that I had postponed the taking over of the territory to the 17th instant, for the purpose of having matsheds erected in which to house the officials and police who would be stationed there while proper houses and barracks were being built, and to give him time to arrange the stations for the Customs now that the boundary had been settled. On this His Ex- cellency said that there was no occasion for erection of new Customs stations, as the Customs would remain where they were. I answered that such a course was impos- sible. He said this country is only leased; it is China, and there is nothing about Customs in the Convention. I answered that whether leased, lent. or ceded, as soon as the British flag is hoisted it becomes for the time as effectually British territory as Government House, Hong Kong, and the Chinese Customs flags must be hauled down. I pointed out that all the waters of Mirs Bay and Deep Bay, as well as the coast-line to the south becoming British under the Convention, it was impossible that the Chinese Customs authorities could act, as even if a vessel were found in these waters with con- traband on board, she could not be seized for having them in Chinese waters or terri- tory, and if resistance were offered to search and life was lost, the Customs officers would be put on their trial for murder in the Courts at Hong Kong. He demurred at this, declaring in such a case that they would be tried in China; that if the Customs were to be moved, the Convention was at an end; that the boundary question was not. yet settled, as he had not signed the delimitation, and other arguments. I pointed out to His Excellency that the provisional boundary had been settled by two officers regularly accredited and gazetted in Hong Kong and Canton, and was therefore in accordance with the Convention, and that timely measures are not taken by him for the pro- tection of that frontier China must suffer serious loss of revenue by smuggling.
His Excellency then said "it is not in the Convention, I cannot remove them." I answered, "it is not necessary for Your Excellency to remove them. Sir Robert Hart will arrange for their removal, or the Imperial British Government will have to do it." "Hart," he said, hotly," what thing is he (Shemmo tung hsi) that you should mention him." I said I assumed that he was acting under the authority of the Imperial Govern- ment. He said, "If you insist on this then all is at an end. The Convention is at an end, and there is no boundary."
CG
'Your Excellency is mistaken," I answered. "The Convention has been made by the respective Imperial Governments. Neither you nor I can alter that." "Is it then agreed that the boundary is as delimited," he asked. I said, "It is." (I had received the telegram from Pekin that any further extension had been firmly declined.)
I then called His Excellency's attention categorically to my complaints. I said the people who were erecting the matsheds had been threatened, and were obliged to cease working, and that this inflammatory placard handed to him was being extensively posted. I had no wish to use language that was not of the most friendly character, but I felt it my duty to call upon him to take, without delay, the necessary steps, first to have the placards removed, and the person who wrote them brought to justice; second, to supply ample protection for the parties working on the matsheds; third, to supply