CO882-(6-8) — Page 56

41555

476

No. 309.

GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN to THE EARL OF ELGIN. (Received 3.18 p.m., November 10, 1906.)

(Paraphrase.)

TELEGRAM.

[Copy to Foreign Office, November 14, 1906. L.F.]

With reference to your telegram of November 1st.* British Minister reports the signature to-day of the Canton-Kowloon Railway Agreement.

41639

No. 310.

FOREIGN OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received November 12, 1906.)

The Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, and, by direction of the Secretary of State, transmits herewith copy of the under-mentioned paper. Foreign Office,

November 12, 1906.

477

I will bring this question to the attention of Sir John Jordan as soon as possible after his arrival in Peking.

The Right Honourable

Sir Edward Grey, Bart., M.P.,

&c.,

&c.,

&c.

I have, &c.,

LANCELOT. D. CARNEGIE.

42122

No. 311.

FOREIGN OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received November 15, 1906.)

The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, and, by direction of the Secretary of State, transmits herewith copy of the under-mentioned paper.

Foreign Office,

November 14, 1906.

REFERENCE TO PREVIOUS LETTER. Foreign Office, November 12, 1906.*

DESCRIPTION OF ENCLOSURE.

Name and Date.

Subject.

Mr. Carnegie, Peking, No. 376, September 9, 1906 Canton-Kowloon Railway.

DESCRIPTION OF ENCLOSURE.

Name and Data.

Subject,

Sir J. Jordan, Peking, No. 382, September 19

Canton-Whampoa Railway Scheme.

Enclosure in No. 311.

(No. 376.) SIR,

Enclosure in No. 310.

Peking, September 9, 1906.

WITH reference to my despatch, No. 368, I have the honour to state that at an interview with Prince Ch'ing yesterday I pressed for an answer to my two last notes of August 13th and September 5th, on the subject of the Whampoa Railway project.

His Highness said that the scheme to construct a railway from Canton to Wham- poa originated many years ago, before the Canton-Kowloon Preliminary Agree- ment was concluded, and was thought of in consequence of the plague epidemic in the 'nineties. The idea was to diminish the congestion of Canton City, and by means of a railway to induce residence at Whampoa when the river offered better facilities. He refused to admit that this short line of some miles had anything to do with the Canton-Kowloon Railway.

I reminded His Highness that under the Corporation's agreements the latter were entitled to object to rival railways; pointed out that this Whampoa line would run for a part of its course along the route of the Canton-Kowloon Railway; and insisted that it must detract from the value of the Coporation's Concession. The Prince refusing to admit this. I urged that after all the Canton-Kowloon Railway was partly Chinese, and that it was only rational from the point of view of economy and efficiency, apart from the stipulations of the agreements, that an important branch line connecting with the Chinese section should be constructed and managed by the same administration as the main line.

His Highness turned a deaf ear to all arguments, and merely repeated that he could not interfere with the Whampoa Scheme, which was a separate matter alto- gether from the Canton-Kowloon Railway.

(No. 382.)

SIR,

Peking, September 19, 1906. WITH reference to Mr. Carnegie's despatch of September 9th reporting the result of an interview with Prince Ch'ing on the subject of the Whampoa Railway project, I have the honour to enclose, for your information, copies of a despatch, dated August 21st, received from His Majesty's Consul General at Canton, and of a note which I addressed to Prince Ch'ing on September 17th.

The official Proclamation issued by the Viceroy of Canton, a translation of which is enclosed in Mr. Mansfield's despatch, disposes of Prince Ch'ing's disingenuous explanation of the nature of the scheme, and places it beyond doubt that the trace of the proposed Canton-Amoy Railway must run for a considerable distance along the route of the Canton-Kowloon line.

I have requested His Highness either to move the Viceroy of Canton to abandon the project we object to, or to accord me an interview at an early date for the purpose of stating the views of His Majesty's Government.

The Right Honourable

Sir E. Grey, Bart., M.P.,

&c.,

(No. 40.)

SIR,

&c., &c.

I have, &c.,

J. N. JORDAN.

His Majesty's Consulate-General, Canton, August 21, 1906. REFERRING to my telegram, No. 24, of the 17th instant, I have now the honour

to forward copy and translation of a Proclamation by the Viceroy from which it

• No. 905.

• No. 310.

† Bee No. 291.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

ETERNIC.O. 882

| | | | | | | | | | | |

6 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO