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APPENDIX No. 1.

MEMORANDUM SUGGESTING A SPECIAL DECORATION FOR CHINESE BRITISHI

SUBJECTS.

(Enclosure in Confidential despatch of 21st February, 1907, from the Governor of the Straits Settlements.)

•

(Confidential.)

In Singapore, as well as in Hong Kong, there are many prominent citizens of Chinese race, nearly all of them British born, who have rendered services to the community, not only by liberal gifts for public purposes, but by supporting the Government in the maintenance of law and order and by assisting it to keep in some measure in touch with the feeling amongst the Chinese population.

2. These services are often of the greatest value to the Administration and if they were rendered by Europeans would be suitably recognised by appointment to the Order of St. Michael and St. George, or by knighthood. But there is something incongruous in the wearing of a strictly European decoration on the loose fitting garb of a Chinaman, and there are usually so many pressing and more appropriate claims from the Service that it is difficult to press effectively the claims of Chinese.

3. There is a further consideration that it is highly desirable to encourage the sentiment of pride in British nationality amongst our native-born or naturalised Chinese, to whom we have to look largely for the exploitation of the resources of the Colony and the Malay States. There has been more than one instance lately of wealthy and public spirited Chinese here proceeding to China, where they have been made much of by the Chinese authorities and have come back with Chinese titles or decorations for which they bave paid handsomely. With the awakening of national feeling amongst the Chinese, this is likely to increase, and may extend even to the men who have hitherto been proud of being able to claim generations of British ancestry.

4. If some special decoration for Chinese British subjects who have rendered distinguished service to the public could be given by His Majesty, it would not only greatly facilitate the task of government in Hong Kong and this Colony, but would help to cultivate and strengthen the feeling which we wish to maintain and encourage—that they are not here as strangers in the land owing loyalty elsewhere, but that they are here as permanent citizens and fellow subjects of His Majesty, and that special manifestations of loyalty and public spirit on their part will be as readily and fully recognised as those rendered by His Majesty's European subjects.

JOHN ANDERSON.

He added that the Ceylon grant of "native rank different circumstances.

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was not a good parallel, owing to the (This, of course, is perfectly true. The Ceylon native rank is a survival or revival of native custom.)

His own suggestion was that a University should be established which could give degrees and diplomas in Western subjects. "Titles granted for proficiency in learning would be of real value and would surpass in their effect any such honorary distinctions as have been suggested.”

This letter was referred to Sir C. Mitchell, with a remark that Sir C. Smith's opinion seemed to Mr. Chamberlain to be sound.

Mr. Hare pointed out that Sir C. Smith was confusing, in the Dutch cases, two classes of title, one of which conferred rights and duties and the other of which was merely honorífic: that there was no ground for asserting that the grant of rank would be used for "squeezing" purposes. He differed entirely from Sir C. Smith on the question whether the grant of a decoration would attach the Chinese to Great Britain and ridiculed the notion that an order confined to Chinese would be lightly valued. (He did not, as he might have done, observe that Sir C. Smith's proposal for a University missed the point. The real question was one of giving honorific distinctions for good service to the Government or the community. A degree obtained by proficiency in some branch of learning is obviously quite another thing.)

Sir C. Mitchell agreed with Mr. Hare and advocated the establishment of an order for the East.

Mr. Chamberlain, however, did not approve the idea of a new order, observing: "If natives are worthy there is no reason why they should not be recommended for the C.M.G."

Sir C. Mitchell was so informed.

The matter was raised again by Mr. Hure in 1903. He called attention to the numerous services rendered to the Government by Chinese, referred to the growth of Western habits and ideas among them, and again advocated some scheme of honorific distinction. He was now in favour of an order for meritorious unofficials in all Colonies, and expressed the opinion that the Chinese would value such an order highly, and would be much more gratified by receiving a distinction from the King than by receiving rank or title from a Colonial Government.

This paper was never really disposed of. Mr. Lyttelton wished to have a conference on the subject but never found time.

Sir J. Anderson, Governor of the Straits, raised the question again (apparently in ignorance of the previous correspondence) in a private letter to Mr. Luens, of August 16th, 1905. He suggested that Chinese should be rewarded by a gift of some sort of decoration "like the gorgeous collars they used to give to West African chiefs."

In 1907 Sir J. Anderson forwarded a memorandum, of which a copy is appended. No action was taken on his proposal.

The question was again brought forward in the House of Commons by Sir Hildred Carlile in November, 1912.

Appendix No. 1.

290

APPENDIX No. 2.

PROPOSED DECORATION FOR NON-EUROPEANS,

Precis of official correspondence.

In 1896 the late Mr. G. T. Hare, Protector of Chinese, Straits Settlements, suggested that, in order to lessen the influence of the Chinese Government over those Chinese who are domiciled in the Straits, Federated Malay States, and Hong Kong, some distinction in the nature of a title or a decoration should be conferred on meritorious Chinamen. He pointed out that British-born Chinese thirsted for "honorific titles, red buttons, and peacock feathers," and not being able to get them from the British Goverument obtained them instead from China by purchase, the result being that the influence of China-not always very desirable in its effect was strong among men who should be encouraged to forget their connection with China and to remember that they are natives of a British Colony. He drew attention to the fact that Chinese attach more importance to such things than Europeans; that the Dutch Judies Govern. ment distributed titles and medals to Chinese, which were much sought after, and that even the descendants of a C.M.G, enjoyed an extraordinary amount of "face" from their ancestor's decoration.

Sif C. Mitchell, endorsing Mr. Hare's views, proposed that the Governors of the Straits and Hong Kong should be allowed to grant degrees of rank to Chinese somewhat on the lines of the native rank " grantable by Governors of Ceylon.

This paper was referred to Sir C. Smith, who replied by a very hostile criticism.

He stated that it had formerly been the custom for the principal Chinese in each settle- ment to receive the title of "Captain China." This officer had certain powers and acted as intermediary between the Government and the Chinese, but it was found that these powers were liable to abuse, and the Captains China censed to exist. Sir C. Smith regarded this as a convincing argument against the grant of rank, adding that in the Dutch cases to which Mr. Hare alluded certain powers and responsibilities were attached to the titles and that such a system would not be suitable to a British Colony, and that any grant of rank or title would be liable to be used as a means of oppression by the possessor.

He argued further that no Chinaman would become more attached to England and more detached from China because he received a British decoration, that the C.M.G. was valued mainly because it was valued by British officials, and that an order confined exclusively to Chinese would probably not be highly esteemed.

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

NCO. 885

23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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