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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O.882/11
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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5. The second objection taken in the Foreign Office telegram to a resort to force is that." such action would unite the Chinese against the British and lead to a revival of the boycott through- We out the country." In our opinion this objection is valid. believe that it is now too late for Great Britain by herself alone to take effective warlike action in Kuang-tung without incurring a grave risk of imperilling our future trade relations with China generally and especially with Canton. I have repeatedly dwelt upon this point already, and I refer you to the 4th paragraph of my secret despatch of 24th December,* the 6th paragraph of my secret despatch of 6th January,† the 5th and 6th paragraphs of my secret despatch of the 14th January, the 5th paragraph of my secret despatch of the 26th January,§ and the 2nd para- graph of my secret despatch of 2nd February. We, therefore, agree with Sir R. Macleay and Sir J. Jamieson in deprecating a resort to actual hostilities for the time being. The present posi- tion is, however, very critical and it may well be that, even at the risk of imperilling future trade relations with China, Great Britain will be obliged before long to take independent warlike action in Kuang-tung. In that event I invite special attention to my secret despatch of the 19th January,** in which I discussed the annexation of the New Territories of Hongkong and the réctification of the British frontier at Sha-t'au-kok.
Blockade.
6. If a blockade of the West River delta were undertaken hy Great Britain alone, there would, we think, be the same risk of imperilling our future trade relations with China as in the case of actual hostilities in Kuang-tung, with the added risk of fric- tion between the principal Maritime Powers and Great Britain. We do, however, think that it would be of advantage to press the representatives of the principal Maritime Powers in London very strongly to take concerted action now. It was suggested in my telegram of the 26th January†† that the League of Nations might be induced to censure the Canton Government for its defiance of treaty rights, and that, should such censure he ignored, the Maritime Powers might agree to boycott Kuang- tung until the anti-British boycott in Kuang-tung is removed. We are also of opinion that action should be taken under article No. 7 of the Washington Nine Power Treaty in view of the fol- lowing facts:(a) British merchants are not allowed to trade with Canton; (b) other nationals are allowed to trade with Canton provided they do not sell British goods; (c) British shipping is denied facilities at Canton; (d) the shipping of other nationals is granted facilities at Canton, provided that it avoids Hongkong and does not carry British goods. If concerted action were agreed upon by the principal Maritime Powers, there would be no difficulty in intercepting and detaining Russian ships. In fact, as you will see from my telegram of the 6th December,‡‡ Admiral Sir E. Alexander-Sinclair has informed me that the patrol of the West River delta instituted prior to last December by Admiral Li Ching-hsi prevented several Russian ships from reaching Canton.
No. 3.
† No. 4. TC5561/26; not printed.
+ C2166:28; not printed,
1 No. 5.
$ No. 6. **C 4450 26S: not printed. ‡‡54870/25; not printed,
>
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7. It is certainly the case that Canton has actually closed the open door against the British and that the Treaties of Nanking and of Tientsin have been broken both in letter and in spirit by the de facto Canton Government. I propose to deal with this point fully in a public despatch, but in the meantime the follow- ing is a brief indication of the flagrant manner in which treaty rights have been violated:-
(i) Treaty of Nanking.
Article 2-China agrees that British subjects, with their families and establishments, shall be allowed to reside, for the purpose of carrying on their mercantile pursuits, with- out molestation or restraint, at the city and town of Canton. But the Canton Strike Committee maintains pickets round Shameen and confiscates any articles carried by any nationals from the native city either to the British or the French con- cession. British subjects passing from Shameen into the native town of Canton or from the native town to Shameen are constantly molested by strike pickets.
Article 5. China agrees to permit British merchants, at all ports at which they may reside, to carry on their mercan- tile transactions with whatever persons they please. But the Canton Strike Committee, by means of its pickets, prevents British merchants from carrying on any mercantile trans- actions whatsoever at Canton. The pickets prevent all import of British goods and enforce this by forfeiture.
Article 10.-China engages that, when British merchandise shall have once paid at Canton the regulated customs dues, such merchandise may be conveyed by Chinese merchants to any province or city in the interior of China. But the Canton Strike Committee, by means of its pickets, prevents Chinese merchants in Canton from handling any British merchandise.
(ii) Treaty of Tientsin.
Article 11.-China agrees that British subjects may fre- quent the port of Swatow, carry on trade with whomsoever they please and proceed to and fro at pleasure with their vessels and merchandise. But the Canton Strike Committee, by means of its pickets, prevents British subjects from trading at all in the ports of Swatow and maintains rigorously the rules for coast shipping, a copy of which forms enclosure No. 4 in my predecessor's confidential despatch (3) of 21st August.*
Article 13.-" The Chinese Government will place no restrictions whatsoever upon the employment by British But subjects of Chinese subjects in any lawful capacity." the Canton Strike Committee, by means of its pickets, pre- vents by torture and death any Chinese from serving in any capacity the British residents at Canton or Swatow, including H.M. Consul-General at Canton and H.M. Consul at Swatow.
* 42959.25; not printed,
F