CO882-(4-5) — Page 536

.8558.

111

No. 91.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GOVERNOR SIB H. A BLAKE

(Sent 3.40 p.m., April 8, 1899.)

TELEGRAM.

In answer to your telegram of April 6th,* as at present advised cannot sanction exemption Ordinance No. 21, 1896.

8816 S.

No. 92.

FOREIGN OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.

+

(Received April 1899.) [Answered by No. 99.]

SIB,

Foreign Office, April 7, 1899. I LOST no time in communicating with Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies in regard to the objections of the Imperial Chinese Government to withdraw the Chinese Customs stations from the territory leased to Great Britain near Hong Kong, which were stated in the telegram from the Taungli Yamên communicated by you on the 11th ultimo.

I have since received telegrams from Her Majesty's Minister at Peking on the same- subject.

I now have the honour to point out that the proposal that the Hong Kong Govern- ment shall collect the Chinese Opium Revenue has been made in the interests of the Chinese Government and with a view to checking smuggling, and avoiding the difficulties which it has occasioned in the past.

Her Majesty's Government desire to reciprocate the friendliness shown by the Chinese Government'in granting them a lease of the territory adjoining Hong Kong, and they see no arrangement so effective as the one now proposed for carrying out their pledges as to facilitating the collection of the Customs Revenue and preventing

mugging.

With regard to the statement in the telegram from the Yamên that in the Convention for the extension of Hong Kong it is especially stipulated that within the City of Kowloon the Chinese officials now stationed there shall continue to exercise jurisdiction, I have to observe that the reference to Kowloon City in the Convention does not appear to have special bearing on the Customs question, and that the Customs station is apparently outside the city.

Her Majesty's Government consider that there are grave objections to the maintenance of the Chinese Customs stations in territory 'under British administration, and to the patrolling of the coasts of that territory by Chinese cruisers. Such an arrangement would be likely to lead to friction between the authorities of the two Governments, and considerable loss of Revenue.

Under these circumstances Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Peking has been instructed to inform the Chinese Government that Her Majesty's Government regret that they cannot agree to the maintenance of Chinese Customs stations in Hong Kong, or in the territory recently leased to Great Britain.

Sir Chihchen Loh Feng Luh, K.C.V.O.,

&c., &c., &c.

I have, &c.,

(Confidential.)

SIB,

Foreign Office, April 8, 1899. WITH reference to my letter of the 5th instant, relative to the Hong Kong extension, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you, to be laid before Mr. Secretary Chamberlain, a copy of a telegram which has been received from Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Peking, from which it will be seen that Sir Robert Hart, the Inspector-General of the Imperial Maritime Customs, is anxious that certain stations of the Chinese Customs on the islands near Hong Kong should be allowed to remain until October, by which time he expects to have new stations built elsewhere and the local service reorganized.

I am to state that it would seem to Lord Salisbury desirable to meet the wishes of the Chinese Authorities in the matter, more especially, as it would appear from Mr. Bax Ironside's telegram, that no further objection will be raised to the removal of the Chinese Customs from Hong Kong and from the leased territory.

Enclosure in No. 92.

I am,

&c.,

F. H. VILLIERS.

Paraphrase OF A TELEGRAM FROM Mr. Bax-IRONSIDE,

D. 1.50 p.m., R. 2.10 p.m., April 8.

April 8. No. 93. Inspector-General Chinese Maritime Customs wishes me to inform your Lordship that, although former negotiations with Hong Kong referred only to opium, the Customs stations on the islands near Hong Kong collect large revenues in general merchandise, and their sudden withdrawal will cause serious financial embar rassment, and even the interests payable on foreign loans may be affected.

The stations at Changchowe, Capsimoon, and Fotowchow are on the islands, four or five miles from Hong Kong, Sir R. Hart hopes that these stations may be allowed to operate there as before until next October, by which time he expects to have reorganised the local service and built new stations elsewhere,

Nos. 76 and 79.

• No. 88.

† No. 86.

PUBLIC RECORD

OFFICE

Reference :-

TTTTC.O. 882

5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO