36
I am to state, for the information of the Marquess of Lansdowne, that this Department is in communication with the British and Chinese Corporation on the subject, but that Mr. Lyttelton is not yet in a position to state with confidence that these negotiations will have a satisfactory result.
Lord Lansdowne is aware that the construction of this railway is regarded by all classes in Hong Kong as of great importance to the Colony, and that much irrita- tion has been expressed at the failure of the Corporation to take further action since the date of their provisional agreement with the Chinese Government.
Mr. Lyttelton has no knowledge of the nature of the financial support possessed by Mr. Davis, and he would be obliged if Lord Lansdowne would communicate to him any information on the subject which may be in the possession of the Foreign Office. Should it appear that Mr. Davis is in a position to carry to a successful issue an undertaking of the nature in question, and should he be in other respects worthy of confidence, it would seem preferable not to give him a final reply until the negotiations with the Corporation are further advanced.
57
the issue of the 15th instant, to the effect that a treaty has been concluded between the Portuguese and Chinese Governments, affecting Macao and its relations with the Kwangtung province, and also that a contract has been signed for the construc- tion of a railway from Macao to Sungshui by a China-Portuguese syndicate.
Mr. Lyttelton would be glad to know if the Marquess of Lansdowne has any information on these subjects, and especially on the latter, which may be of serious importance to Hong Kong.
39760
No. 39.
I am, &c.,
C. P. LUCAS.
GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN to MR. LYTTELTON. (Received November 21, 1904.)
37759
(Confidential.)
No. 36.
I am, &c.,
(Confidential.)
H. BERTRAM COX.
SIR,
FOREIGN OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.
(Received November 4, 1904.)
SIR,
Foreign Office, November 3, 1904. I LAID before the Marquess of Lansdowne your letter, 36750/1904, of the 29th ultimo,* requesting to be furnished with information as to the nature of the financial support possessed by Mr. E. Davis, who wishes to obtain the concession for the construction of a railway from Canton to Kowloon.
I am directed by His Lordship to state, for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, that the whole of the capital which Mr. Davis can command is understood to come from Belgium but that, according to a statement made by him at this office, if the concession is given to him the control of the undertaking would be vested entirely in British hands.
[Answered by No. 53.]
Government House, Hong Kong, October 18, 1904.
I HAVE the honour to confirm the telegram I sent you on 15th October,* of which the en clair version was as follows:-
16
What reply can I give to enquiries being made respecting progress of
negotiations for construction of railway to Canton?"
2. In explanation of this message I transmit, for your information, the enclosed copy of a letter on the subject from the Chairman of the Hong Kong Branch of the China Association, who has been informed that negotiations are proceeding in London with the British and Chinese Corporation.
3. I trust that before you receive this despatch the railway engineer asked for in my telegram of the 3rd September, to demarcate lands required for railway buildings, &c., and to further consider alternative routes for the line in British territory, will have left for Hong Kong, otherwise I fear that even when a final agreement has been concluded with the Corporation there will be considerable delay before construction work can actually be put in hand. In the meantime, the develop- ment of Kowloon is kept back owing to it being out of the question for the Govern- ment to part with land which may possibly be required in connection with the railway.
I am, &c.,
F. A. CAMPBELL.
'I have, &c.,
M. NATHAN,
Governor, &c.
35628
No. 37.
MR. LYTTELTON to GOVERNOR SIR M., NATHAN, (Sent 12.5 p.m., November 12, 1904.) TELEGRAM.
My telegram of 18th October. See memorandum sent to you privately 28th October. Send by telegraph your observations as soon as possible.
38877
No. 38.
COLONIAL OFFICE to FOREIGN OFFICE. [Answered by No. 41.]
SIR,
Downing Street, November 16, 1904. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton to state that his attention has been called to a telegram from the "Times" correspondent at Shanghai, which appears in
‡ Eastern No. 91.
§ See (2) in No. 43.
• No. 35.
† No. 3.
SIR,
Enclosure in No. 39.
China Association, Hong Kong, October 12, 1904. I HAVE the honour to request that you will be so good as to lay the following expression of opinion from this Committee before His Excellency the Governor.
On the 18th May last, when you were administering the Government, you ́ considerately received this Committee as a deputation from the China Association to lay their views on the question of the construction of the projected Kowloon- Canton Railway before you. On that occasion you undertook to communicate the proceedings at the interview to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and to make known to the Committee his reply, if possible, or the substance of such reply, when received.
1
When addressing the Council on the day of his arrival in the Colony, His Excellency the Governor announced that he hoped devoutly that during his adminis tration he would see the completion of the railway from Kowloon to the interior, and the colonists naturally concluded that not only was Sir Matthew Nathan strongly in favour of the early prosecution of this important work, but that His Excellency had come out with some definite instructions in connection therewith, subject, of course, to the conclusion of certain negotiations understood to be then proceeding with the British Chinese Corporation. The Committee, therefore,
No. 32.
↑ No. 31.
IHRNS
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
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