CO537-3711 — Page 97

COPY

CONFIDENTIAL

(7280)

No. 81

My Lord,

Loh Feng Luh to the Marquess of

alisbury

(Received November 15)*

Chinese Legation, London, Nov. 14, 1899.

WITH reference to the note which your Lordship did me the honour to address to me under date of the 24th ultimo, I beg leave to inform you that I have received a telegram from the Tsung-11 Yamen instructing me to convey to your Lordship the expression of their gratification on learning that you were in communication with Her Majesty's Secretary of state for the Colonies, respecting the arrangements to be made with a view to the retrocession of the town of Sanchun to China.

At the same time, I am to express to you the concern of the Imperial Government on hearing of the hesitation of Her Majesty's Government to allow the Chinese authorities to resume the control of the city of Kowloon. The Imperial Government hope that, on further consideration, Her Majesty's Government will see their way to a solution of the question which would avoid the committal of what would manifestly be a violation of a Convention which was concluded so recently as the 9th June last; and they are the more solicitous of this because of the prejudicial effect to Chinese interests, which would result from any failure on the part of China to maintain the integrity of the Convention.

"

In the lease to Russia of Port Arthur and Talienwan there is a stipulation, with respect to the city of Minchow, similar to that referring to the city of Kowloon, contained in the Convention for the extension of the Colony of Hong Kong, and the Imperial Government are apprehensive lest any departure from the conditions on which Great Britain obtained lease of the Kowloon Peninsula should be made a plea for a similar violation on the part of Russia of the agreement with regard to Port Arthur and Palienwan.

I hope your Lordship will appreciate the gravity of the last-mentioned consideration, and abstain from any action with regard to the city of Kowloon, which would be likely to create difficulties for the Imperial Government with the Government of Russia.

I have, etc.

(signed)

LOH FENG LUH

As the Chinese Minister had been informed repeatedly that Her Majesty's Government could not comply with the wishes of the Chinese Government in the matter of the resumption of jurisdiction in the city of Kowloon, it was decided to leave the Chinese note of 14th November, 1899, unanswered.

6.