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18628.

308

No. 224.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GOVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE.

(Sent 10.35 a.m., July 18, 1899.)

TELEGRAM.

[See No. 225.]

Referring to my telegram of 17th July, Law Officers advise that contention on behalf of convicted Chinese is not justified in law. No foundation for argument based on word jurisdiction, leased territory became British territory, and the Queen was at liberty to provide that Hong Kong law should apply therein.

18608.

No. 225.

GOVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE to MR. CHAMBERLAIN. (Received 11.30 a.m., July 18, 1899.)

TELEGRAM.

[See No. 224.]

In reply to your telegram of yesterday's date, shall I have answer before date proposed for execution; if not certain, I should name 14th August, as if sentence is to be carried out reprieve would have bad effect.

309

the Basel Mission at Li Long, respecting suspicious proceedings on the neighbouring Chinese, and reporting the measures which have been adopted to protect

part

of the

the mission.

I approve of the steps which you have taken in the matter.

16384

(No. 136.)

No. 228.

I have, &c.,

J. CHAMBERLAIN.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GOVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE.

Downing Street, July 21, 1899.

SIB,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your confidential despatch of the 27th May last, which need no longer be treated as confidential, relative to the pro- posed engagement of a staff of trained surveyors for the survey of the new territory, and to thank you for the explanations with which you have furnished me on this subject.

2. I am willing to approve the proposed expenditure for this purpose, not ex ceeding $31,000.

17754/8.

I have, &c.,

J. CHAMBERLAIN.

19000 S.

No. 229.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GOVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE,

SIR,

(Confidential,)

No. 226.

FOREIGN OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received July 20, 1899.)

Foreign Office, July 19, 1899. I LAID before the Marquess of Salisbury your letter of the 13th instant, inclosing a copy of a despatcht from the Governor of Hong Kong, dated the 26th of May, respecting the attack which was said to have been contemplated by Chinese from the Tung Kun district upon the British forces in the territory recently occupied near Kowloon.

With regard to the opinion expressed at that date by the Governor as to the difficulty of receding from the position at Sham Chun, I am directed by Lord Salisbury to say that he adheres to the views which were stated in my letter of the 24th of June, and which have been communicated to the Chinese Government, viz.: that the territory now held by the Hong Kong Government outside the Conventional Extension must be retained for the present, and that the attitude of Her Majesty's Government in regard to that territory will greatly depend upon the conduct of the Chinese Government in other matters now under discussion at Peking.

17781.

SIR,

(No. 185.)

No. 227.

I

am, &c..

FRANCIS BERTIE.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GOVERNOR SI H. A. BLAKE.

Downing Street, July 21, 1899.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatches Nos. 129 and 138 of the 31st May and 9th ultimo,§ forwarding a letter from the Rev. Hart Schaub, of

• No. 221.

↑ No. 201.

† 16579: not printed.

Nos. 208 and 215.

(Confidential.)

SIR,

Downing Street, July 21, 1899.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your confidential despatch of the 9th ultimo,f respecting the rumoured intention of the inhabitants of the Tung Kun district to attack the German Mission Station at Li-Long.

I have, &c.,

15079.

No. 230.

J. CHAMBERLAIN.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN to GOVERNOR SIR 'H. A. BLAKE. (Confidential.)

Downing Street, July 25, 1899.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your confidential despatches of the 13th and 27th May, respecting the resistance on the part of the Chinese population to the British occupation of the new territory.

2. I concur in the view which you express in paragraph 3 of the earlier of these despatches as to the inadvisability of any attempt to punish the ringleaders in the dis- turbances. At the time of their offence the persons who stirred up the population to resist the occupation of the territory owed no allegiance to Her Majesty, and were not in British territory. They could therefore, in any case, it appears to me, only be dealt with a prisoners of war, and it would obviously be most impolitic under the cir- cumstances, to adopt severe measures against persons so situated.

I am, &c.,

J. CHAMBERLAIN.

• No. 203.

† No. 216.

‡ Nos. 186 and 204.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TINC.O. 882

5

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON