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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

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No. 226.

GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN to THE EARL OF ELGIN.

(Paraphrase.)

(Received 5.20 p.m., March 18, 1906.)

TELEGRAM.

Your despatch of 8th February.* In spite of official instructions from (Waiwupu?) the Viceroy of Canton cannot be induced to negotiate with regard to Canton-Kowloon Railway. The time seems to have come for His Majesty's Govern- ment to make the strongest possible representations to the Chinese Government even to the extent of urging the removal of the Canton Viceroy and reminding it of how in 1899 it became necessary to occupy Sham Chun beyond the New Territories of Hong Kong, on account of the duplicity of the then Viceroy of Canton.

It should be pointed out that this Government has every desire to uphold Chinese sovereign rights, and that it has given striking proof of this desire by advancing money for the redemption of the Canton-Hankow Railway, and that it would, in the case of the Canton-Kowloon Railway, accept any reasonable modifica- tion of the preliminary agreement which may be arranged in friendly negotiations between the corporation and the authorities, but that His Majesty's Government, being confident that the Government of China desire to give effect to their above- mentioned solemn engagement, cannot accept any further delay in the negotiations for the construction of this railway.

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SIR,

No. 227.

FOREIGN OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received March 23. 1906.)

[Answered by No. 232.]

Foreign Office, March 22, 1906. WITH reference to the letter from this Office of the 15th [? 16th] ultimo,† 1 am directed by Secretary Sir E. Grey to transmit to you a copy of a telegram which has been received from His Majesty's Minister at Peking reporting the further representations that have been made to the Wai-wu-pu and the Viceroy at Canton respecting the Canton-Kowloon Railway negotiations.

Sir E. Satow also repeats a telegram from His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton, stating that the Viceroy has been directed to appoint delegates and negotiate, and that His Excellency desires the British and Chinese Corporation to send a representative to Canton.

A letter has been addressed to the Corporation informing them of the terms of the telegram addressed to the Viceroy by the Wai-wu-pu and of the substance of the Edict.

The telegram of March 18th from the Governor of Hong Kong to the Secre- tary of State for the Colonies, to which Sir E. Satow refers, will no doubt be communicated to this Department in due course.

I am, &c.,

Enclosure in No. 227.

Sir E. SATow to Sir EDWARD GREY. (Received 12.30 p.m., March 20.)

(Confidential.)

(No. 53.)

Canton-Kowloon Railway.

F. A. CAMPBELL.

Peking, March 20, 1906, 12.40 p.m.

My telegram No. 13 [of 7th February), and Governor of Hong Kong's telegram of 18th March to the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

* L.F. transmitting copy of No. 199.

+ No. 217.

‡ No. 226.

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In consequence of pressure here, Wai-wu Pu sent Viceroy of Canton a satis- factory telegram on the 23rd February, requiring renewal of negotiations with the British and Chinese Corporation on the basis of preliminary Agreement. Learning from His Majesty's Consul-General that the Viceroy had done nothing on this telegram, I spoke to the Wai-wu Pu on 9th March, and they promised to press Viceroy again. I instructed Consul-General on f0th March to address a note to the Viceroy, asking for immediate resumption of negotiations, and to tell him if he failed to do so I should consider advisability of recommending His Majesty's Government to instruct Consul-General to break off relations with him.

On 19th March His Majesty's Consul-General telegraphed as follows:-

"Viceroy to-day writes that he has received an Imperial Edict to appoint delegates and negotiate. He desires Corporation to send representa- tive to Canton.

"I have communicated this to Hong Kong."

Representation suggested by the Governor of Hong Kong seems unnecessary for the moment.

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No. 228.

GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN to THE EARL OF ELGIN.

(Received March 24, 1906.)

(Confidential.) MY LORD,

Government House, Hong Kong, February 23, 1906. REFERRING to Mr. Lyttelton's confidential despatch of the 24th March, 1905,* transmitting for my information copies of correspondence on the subject of the survey of the section of the Canton-Kowloon Railway within British territory, I have the honour to inform your Lordship that Mr. J. C. Bruce, Chief Surveying Engineer, and Mr. F. W. W. Valpy, Assistant Surveying Engineer, who arrived here on the 16th June, 1905, having completed the preliminary survey and final location and pegging out of the line from Kowloon to the Lo Fu Ferry in accordance with the instructions given to Mr. Bruce by Sir John Wolfe Barry on the 10th May, 1905, and to my satisfaction, have applied for and received my permission to return to England by the S.S. "Délhi" which leaves here to-morrow, and takes this despatch. 2. Mr. Bruce has, I considered, carried out the duties with which he was entrusted well and expeditiously.

3.

Mr. Valpy has applied to be employed on construction work when this is put in hand under the Consulting Engineers, and I should be glad if his application can be acceded to.

4. Mr. Bruce is leaving behind him in addition to copies of the plans, sections and estimates communicated to you in my confidential despatch of the 20th October, 1905,† cadastral plans showing the land required for the railway. All of this land to the north of the Kowloon Hills, and most of it to the south of those hills, has already been resumed. When the resumption is complete I will report to your Lordship fully with regard to it.

5. The sections finally settled for the 7 miles of line from Tai Po to the Lo Fu Ferry, the construction of which by local labour is proceeding satisfactorily under the Public Works Department, are in the hands of that Department. Full working drawings and a detailed estimate for the whole line will no doubt be received in due course from the Consulting Engineers, and a complete account of the cost of the survey from the Crown Agents.

6.

As no action has hitherto been taken on the 14th paragraph of my confi- dential despatch of the 20th October, 1905,† I presume that the Consulting Engineers are awaiting the return of Mr. Bruce before appointing a Chief Resident Engineer and taking the other steps necessary to commence the construction of the main part of the line. As indicated in my previous despatches the piercing of the tunnel through the Kowloon Hills is the part of the work which will delay the completion of the section of the railway in British territory, and probably of the whole project

L.F. transmitting copy of Enclosures in No. 73.

↑ No. 171.

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