PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
།། ། །།།
C.O. 882
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
232
Meanwhile, I had received a further telegram from Sir Henry Blake, dated the 12th instant, stating that the Secretary of State for the Colonies approved his Excellency's proposed assumption of government on the 17th instant. Sir Henry Blake added that he had no objection to the Imperial Customs remaining at the stations pending the completion of other arrangements, but that he had no power to prevent them to function in British territory or waters. This was legally quite impossible.
At my interview with the Yamên on the 13th instant, I again drew particular attention to the Kowloon question, and impressed on the Ministers the fact, as I had already done at my previous interview on the 31st ultimo, that we were going to take over the territory on the 17th instant.
Their Excellencies replied that everything was more or less arranged, except the question of the Customs stations. The Ministers repeated their old arguments as re- ported to your Lordship in my previous despatch dealing with this question, and their Excellencies insisted that the Governor of Hong Kong had practically agreed to the Customs stations remaining in statu quo! I assured the Ministers that they were mistaken and informed them of the contents of Sir Henry Blake's telegram of the preceding day.
I requested them to inform the Viceroy of Canton by telegram that the government of the leased territory would be taken over on the 17th instant. The Tsung-li Yamên objected that the information they had received from the Viceroy of Canton bore a different complexion. They would, they added, telegraph instructions to him to see Sir Henry Blake and come to an understanding.
I replied that the Chinese authorities should fully understand that the govern- ment of the leased territory would be assumed by the Hong Kong authorities on the 17th instant.
The Viceroy of Canton should be told of this at once, and the necessary steps should be taken to preserve order.
I pointed out the necessity of the transfer being conducted in a friendly spirit.. After further discussion, in which the Ministers merely repeated their old objections and arguments, their Excellencies begged for a postponement of the date fixed by the Governor.
I held out no hope whatever of any such postponement. Two of the Ministers followed me to the very threshold of the Yamên, repeating in Chinese "not on the 17th."
I had the honour to report the result of this interview by telegraph to your Lordship, and on the 14th instant I received a telegram from your Lordship to the effect that the Governor of Hong Kong had been instructed to agree to the three Chinese Customs stations, which I had named in my telegram to the Foreign Office on the 8th instant, being retained until other arrangements could be made; but in no case later than October. Your Lordship added that the Governor's intention of taking over the territory on the 17th had been approved.
I was instructed to urge the Tsung-li Yamên to allow no further difficulties, and to withdraw the Customs stations referred to at the earliest possible moment.
On the same day I received a telegram from Sir Henry Blake containing the instructions which he had received from the Secretary of State for the Colonies in the
same sense.
I informed Sir Robert Hart and the Chinese authorities, and telegraphed on the 15th instant that I had carried out Your Lordship's instructions.
On Sunday, the 16th instant, I received a telegram from Your Lordship informing me that the Government of Hong Kong had telegraphed that certain matsheds which the Viceroy undertook to protect were burned at Tai-po hu on the 14th instant.
Your Lordship added that preparations were being made for ceremoniously taking over the territory on the 17th but that the Colonial Secretary had been informed that a bad spirit had been developed and disturbances were apprehended. British troops had been ordered to act with forbearance, but, if attacked, British authority must be asserted. Your Lordship instructed me to impress on the Tsung-li Yamên the necessity for adequate precautions against any trouble.
These instructions I had already foreseen and carried out in my interview of the 13th instant, but I requested Mr. Fulford to call at the Yamên at once and see the Secretaries with a view to again impressing on the Chinese Ministers the impor- tance of the two Governments acting an amicable manner. Mr Fulford com-
233
municated to them the gist of Your Lordship's telegram of the 15th and the telegram from the Governor of Hong Kong of the 18th, with reference to the burning of the police sheds at Tai-po-hu in the Kowloon extension, and the attack by a band of Chinese on the British troops sent there.
Mr. Fulford again warned them that the Viceroy of Canton should be telegraphed to and ordered to take due precautions against disturbance. The district, he added, would be taken over on the 17th instant, as I had repeatedly informed the Tsung-li Yamên, and although the British troops had been instructed to show forbearance, they would, if attacked, have to assert their authority.
The Viceroy had disavowed the mob who had burned the police shed, and it was said that they were secret society men from an adjoining district. If this were so, the Viceroy was responsible for allowing such a band to come into the leased district.
The Secretaries promised to urge the Ministers to send a telegram that very day. They remarked that the Viceroy had telegraphed that he had sent 600 soldiers to the district to preserve order.
I reported that I had carried out Your Lordship's instructions, and had informed the Governor of Hong Kong.
On the same day I received a telegram from Hong Kong stating that the mat- sheds, which the Viceroy had undertaken to protect, were burned out on the 14th instant......The Governor stated that on the 15th 100 men of the Hong Kong Regiment proceeded to Tai-po-hu to make arrangements for ceremoniously hoisting the flag on the 17th. They were opposed by a force of what they estimated to be 1,000 troops, who opened fire on them. Reinforcements had been sent out that morning under the command of the General. The situation was grave. His Excellency added
that the Viceroy disclaimed these men, who, from information received, appeared to be connected with the Triad Society from the North Sanoi district. He requested that the Viceroy be instructed forthwith to prevent incursions into British territory, and he reported that our troops had advanced and had driven the Chinese out of the shelter trenches from which they had kept up a sustained fire.
The above was confirmed by a telegram which I received from your Lordship on the following day.
On Monday, the 17th instant, I received another telegram from the Governor of Hong Kong stating that he had hoisted the British flag on the previous day at Tai-po-hu, and that the immediate removal from the territory of all the Chinese authorities and all the troops was absolutely necessary, except the Customs stations, which had been previously specially mentioned. All Chinese flags should also be removed by the 17th. His Excellency was anxious that I should have the Viceroy and Customs officers in- structed in this sense, and he added that the Imperial Chinese Customs would be in- convenienced as little as possible.
On the 18th Sir Henry Blake again telegraphed to the effect that the British troops were attacked on the 17th, had repulsed the enemy, pursued, and captured two
guns.
On the 19th instant I received a telegram from Your Lordship informing me that the Governor of Hong Kong reported that the Viceroy of Canton had declined to reply to his request, sent through Her Majesty's Consul at Canton, that Chinese officials and troops should be removed from the leased territory, and that on the 14th 600 Chinese troops were sent into Kowloon city. The presence of these troops was inconsistent with the military requirements for the defence of Hong Kong, and they could not be reconciled with the Convention of the 9th June, 1898. The Governor had been autho. rized to repeat the demand to the Viceroy that the troops should be removed by a specific
datè.
Your Lordship instructed me to urge the Yamên that stringent orders should be given to the Viceroy to remove the troops, and to impress upon their Excellencies that the results of neglect to observe the stipulations of the Convention would be serious.
I at once asked for an urgent interview with the Tsung-li Yamên, adding a request that I hoped His Highness Prince Ch'ing would be present, as I had an important communication to make with regard to Kowloon.
The interview was fixed for the following day, the 20th instant, and seven Ministers were present, but not Prince Ch'ing, who, their Excellencies said, was prevented from coming, at so short a notice, by other engagements.
69K
I acquainted the Tsung-li Yamên with the contents of Your Lordship's telegram,
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.