CO537-3707 — Page 111

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when the Convention was made. It appears that Kowloon City

was at that time an enclosed area, surrounded by a stone

wall forming as nearly as possible a parallelogram measuring

700 feet by 400 feet. It had at that time a total Chinese

population of about 744 persons, the garrison amounting tò

544 and the civilian population to 200. The civilian population

was dependent upon the military and, according to a report

dated 8th October, 1898, by Mr. Stewart Lockhart, the civilian

population would be sure to follow if the military were to

remove. The Chinese officials stationed within Kowloon City

at the time of the Convention were (with the exception of

one civil officer, a deputy magistrate) military officers,

the head of whom was the Colonel-in-Command. This officer

was chief military officer in the district of San On, now

known as Po.On. His jurisdiction was purely military in

character, extending over the whole district of San On and

the islands adjacent thereto. The garrison under the command

of this, Colonel was maintained for the defence of the district

of San On, and the adjacent islands. The deputy magistrate

resident within the city exercised a somewhat extensive

jurisdiction not confined to the city but comprising a large

portion of the area leased by the Convention to Great Britain.

The Chinese Government, in the course of the various cr

communications which have passed in relation to Kowloon City,

have relied upon the circumstances that other not dissimilar

treaties were made in 1898 and 1899 with Great Britain, Germany,

Russia and France in relation to other Chinese territory.

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They have contended that they were "unable to resist the

successive rival demands from the Powers who were seeking a.

sphere of influence on the Asiatic mainland." This may well

have been an accurate description of what was taking place,

the Chinese Government endeavouring so far as they could to

save face by retaining at any rate some measure of token

or real jurisdiction in relation to some of the territories

comprised in the leases. It is not thought, however, that

any other deduction can be made from the terms of these other

treaties helpful for the solution of the question of whether

this dispute should be taken to arbitration.

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