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41146

No. 64.

GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN to MR. LYTTELTON.

(Received December 5, 1904.)

[Copy to Foreign Office, December 24, 1904. L.F.] [Answered by No. 68.]

(Confidential.)

SIR,

Government House, Hong Kong, November 2, 1904. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your confidential despatches of the 5th and 21st September, on the subject of the internment of the crew of the Russian Torpedo Boat Destroyer "Burni," and the arrangements made for meeting, and ultimately recovering, the expenditure thereby involved.

2. I would remind you that the internment is a military one, carried out by the military authorities, who can, in the first instance, most conveniently defray the necessary charges. It was accordingly at first intended, as set out in the 7th para- graph of the Memorandum forwarded in my despatch, No. 348, of the 23rd of Septem- ber,t that this should be done; that the expenditure should then be recovered monthly by the military authorities from the Colonial Government; and that that Government should ultimately be reimbursed from the Imperial Treasury. On receipt of your telegram of the 17th September, according to which the Colonial Government were tó recover monthly from the Treasury Chest Officer the sums which, in accordance with the above arrangement were paid monthly to the District Paymaster, it appeared simpler for the local military authorities to recover their expenditure direct from the Imperial Treasury, and this is the arrangement which the Treasury Chest Officer (District Paymaster) is following.

3. The Officer in charge of the Camp of Internment indents for funds on the District Paymaster, and furnishes monthly an account of expenditure supported by the requisite vouchers. This account is then submitted to the Colonial Treasurer, by whom it is vouched, and is then forwarded to the Imperial Treasury by the District Paymaster with his Treasury Accounts.

4. I trust that this arrangement, which is the most convenient, may be allowed to continue.

41146

SIR,

No. 65.

I have, &c..

M. NATHAN,

Governor, &c.

COLONIAL OFFICE to TREASURY,

[Copy to Foreign Office, December 24, 1904. L.F.]

[Answered by No. 67.]

Downing Street, December 10, 1904. WITH reference to the letter from this Department of the 21st of September,§ with regard to arrangements for the repayment to the Government of Hong Kong of expenses incurred in connection with the internment in that Colony of the crew of the Russian destroyer "Burni," I am directed by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton to enclose a copy of a despatch from Hong Kong on the subject.

The Lords Commissioners of the Treasury will observe from Sir M. Nathan's despatch that the arrangement which has been adopted is for the military authorities to defray the charges of the internment, and to recover the amount monthly from

↑ No. 50. ‡ No. 36.

§ No. 39.

Nos. 32 and 37.

No. 61.

the Treasury Chest Officer. As the Governor recommends this procedure, Mr. Lyttelton trusts that their Lordships will sanction its continuance.

42642

No. 66.

I am, &c.,

C. P. LUCAS.

GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN to MR. LYTTELTON. (Received December 17, 1904.)

[Copy to Foreign Office and War Office, December 29, 1904: 42642: not printed.]

(Confidential.) SIR,

Government House, Hong Kong, November 16, 1904. I HAVE the honour to transmit, for your information, in case any represen- tation is made through the Foreign Office in the matter, a copy of a letter I have received from the Major-General Commanding in South China covering a report from the Officer Commanding the camp in which the officers and men of the former Russian torpedo-boat destroyer "Burni are interned, and a memorandum of an interview which Major-General Villiers Hatton had with the Russian Sub-Lieu tenant Pini on the subject of this report.

2. This officer's request for leave to go to Shanghai to consult the Russian Admiral, who was there as a refugee, was refused by me, as it was open to Lieutenant Pini to communicate in writing with the Admiral if he thought fit.

3. The Admiral has since been sent to Russia on account of his health, and

I am informed that when passing through Hong Kong he saw Lieutenant Pini, who, acting possibly on the Admiral's advice or on that of the Russian Consul here, M. de Bologowskoy, with whom he is, of course, in free communication, has made what he considers a protest against the camp in which his men are interned being in the charge of a British military officer.

4. Lieutenant Pini is a very young gentleman, who does not quite realise the position of himself and his men at Hong Kong. Everything has been done and will be done to make this position, with the disagreeable nature of which I fully sympathise, as little irksome as possible, consistent with the Colony's duties towards the other belligerent in the present war, and I trust that if diplomatic representa- tions are made on the basis of any report received in St. Petersburgh from Lieu- tenant Pini, this may be pointed out to the Russian Government.

5. I take this opportunity of acknowledging the receipt of your telegram of the 7th instant,* of which an en clair version is annexed, with regard to the Russian sailors leaving their camp in small parties not in military formation, and of informing you that I have approved of the Major-General Commanding relaxing the present rules in the matter to the extent he thinks possible without there being risk of the men leaving the Colony, a comparatively easy proceeding in a port of the nature of Hong Kong which is always crowded with boats and foreign shipping.

6. I also take this opportunity of informing you that at the request of the Russian Consul and Lieutenant Tyrkov I made arrangements for the employment of the Russian sailors on public works in a secluded spot in the vicinity of their camp, the work to be paid for by the Colonial Government, but that when the arrangements had been completed Lieutenant Pini, who had then become the Senior Russian Officer, thought it better that his men should not avail themselves of them.

I have, &c.,

M. NATHAN,

Governor, &c.

P.S. Since writing the above I have ascertained that the Russian Admiral, referred to in paras. 2 and 3, landed from the homeward German mail on the 9th instant, and, accompanied by the former commander of the "Reshitelni," stayed for 14 hours in the refugee encampment. He did not communicate with me.

M. N.

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• No. 59.

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

LLC.O. 882

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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