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(Confidential.)

136

Enclosure in No. 134.

CONFERENCE held at the Foreign Office, October 9th, 1902, to report upon the following questions:-

(i) What force should be maintained in North China (including Wei-hai-Wei) and at Shanghai for the next two years?

(ii) What should be the constitution of this force?

(iii) Which department of the State is to be responsible for its Administration and for the provision of the funds needed?

PRESENT:

Lieutenant-Colonel 'Altham, representing the War Office.

Sir F. Bertie, representing the Foreign Office.

Mr. C. P. Lucas, representing the Colonial Office.

Mr. F. Whitmore Smith, representing the India Office.

Colonel Altham said that His Majesty's Minister at Peking had reported in his telegram of September 30th, that the present strength of the British forces in Chihli was as follows:-

Half Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers,

Royal Artillery

Two Indian Infantry Battalions

399

53 1,497

1,949

or in round numbers 2,000 fighting men; Sir E. Satow gave it as his opinion in the same telegram that this force would be necessary for two more years; and, as this opinion was shared by the General Officer Commanding, that number presum- ably must be taken as the strength which should be maintained.

Sir F. Bertie concurred, and stated that in Lord Lansdowne's opinion it was essential that of this force a half battalion should continue to be British troops.

Colonel Altham said that there were military objections to detaching per- manently a half battalion from Hong Kong for service in North China; such detachment not only tended to diminish the efficiency of the unit, but was also a serious deduction from the garrison of the naval base. For these reasons it might perhaps be considered preferable to allot a whole British battalion to North China, leaving the Hong Kong garrison intact. Sir F. Bertie replied that there would be no objection to this on the part of the Foreign Office. He presumed that if the other Powers were to make a reduction, we should, as proposed by Sir E. Satow, concentrate at Wei-hai-Wei.

Colonel Altham said that this would probably be desirable, having regard to the number of troops which the Germans kept at Kiao-Chau and to the large French force at Tonquin, alluded to in His Majesty's Minister's telegram of September 30th. With regard to Wei-hai-Wei, Mr. Lucas said that it had, as Colonel Altham knew, been decided at a previous conference that a complete withdrawal of troops should take place, but that in view of opinions since expressed by Mr. Lockhart and General Dorward, the Colonial Office now considered that some garrison would be desirable. Sir F. Bertie again pointed out that it was suggested by Sir E. Satow that Wei-hai-Wei should be made use of as a depôt at which troops withdrawn from North China could be stationed in order that we might be prepared for emergencies. Mr. Lucas said that this would suit the Colonial Office.

Some discussion then took place as to the disposal of the Chinese Regiment, which is now at Wei-hai-Wei with a strength of 550 men, its disbandment having been temporarily suspended by the War Office. Mr. Lucas expressed himself in favour of the retention of the corps.

Colonel Altham enquired as to the possibility of employing it in Chili; Sir F. Bertie expressed an emphatic opinion that this would be most undesirable from a political point of view, and would be certainly strongly objected to by the Chinese Government; it was true, he said, that the regiment had done good service in Chihli in 1900; that was, however, no argument in favour of its employment there now, as the Chinese Government did not at that time come into the question.

137

The question of the employment of the Chinese Regiment at such stations as Hong Kong, Singapore and Mauritius was mooted by Mr. Lucas, but it was agreed that this was outside the terms of reference of the Conference.

Mr. Lucas then said that the gist of the views held by the Colonial Office was: (i) That there should be some garrison at Wei-hai-Wei; (ii) That this garrison should not be wholly Chinese. He added that although he considered that it would be unwise to give up the Chinese Regiment altogether, yet as far as Wei-hai-Wel itself was concerned, the most advantageous course would be to place 200 white

troops there.

Colonel Altham said that he supposed that if at a future date a complete evacuation of North China took place, Wei-hai-Wei might also be evacuated.

The Conference decided to submit for consideration the following alternative compositions of the force to be maintained in Chihli, including the Legation Guard :-

(A)

One Battalion British Infantry (nominally 1,000) actually Royal Artillery

Two Indian Infantry Battalions

Deduct 200 (British or Indian) for Wei-hai-Wei

Total North China garrison

700

53

1,500

2,253

200

2,053

This project contemplates the disbandment of the Chinese Regiment.

North China :-

(B)

Half Battalion British Infantry

Royal Artillery

Indian Infantry Battalions

Wei-hai-Wei :-

Four companies Chinese Regiment

400

53

1,500

1,953

400

Alterna- tive com- positions

of force.

In view of the fact that the negotiations as to the evacuation of Shanghai by Shanghai

the Powers are still pending, it is considered that the British force of one Indian Garrison. battalion now at Shanghai must be maintained there for the present.

Mr. Whitmore Smith said that it was the desire of the India Office to hand Responsi- over all responsibility at the earliest possible date. Colonel Altham said that the bility for War Office was bearing the expense of maintenance, and unless the India Office mainten- were prepared in future to find the money, it was desirable that the War Office Bancial should have control.

ane- and

adminie.

It is therefore recommended by the Conference that the War Office should be tration. responsible for the Administration and the provision of the funds needed.

9641

E. A. ALTHAM. FRANCIS BERTIE.

C. P. LUCAS.

F. WHITMORE SMITH,

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