CO885-9 — Page 173

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

19

Reference :-

885

9

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

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

::

Wogunde

German

"

Enclosure 2 in No. 185.

FRENCH NEUTRALITY,

AS INTERPRETED IN INDO-CHINA.-THE CENSORSHIP OF PRESS CABLES.-MANY TRANSPORTS STILL AT SAIGON.

[By our Special Correspondent.]

Saigon, May 2, 1905.

ON the 1st May, I cabled you briefly that the Government of French Indo-China had eliminated eight words from a telegram I had despatched to you on the 29th ultimo, and had refused to forward a long telegram handed in at the telegraph office on the 30th ultimo,

The first notification I received that my messages had not been despatched to you, or to London and New York, was conveyed in a note I received on the 1st instant, from the Director

of French Telegraphs at Saigon, who desired me to call and see him concerning the said telegrams.

I was able to see him at 10:30 A.M. in his office, and he said that, acting under instructions from M. Beau, the Governor-General of Indo-China, and under the powers given him by Article VII of the St. Petersburgh Telegraph Convention, he regretted that he found it necessary to delete eight words from my cable of the 29th ultimo, and to decline to send cables accepted by the telegraph office on the 30th ultimo.

my

Article VII of the Convention is as follows:-"Les Hautes Parties Contractantes se réserveut la faculté d'arrêter la transmission de tout télégramme privé qui paraîtrait dangereux pour la sécurité de l'État ou qui serait contraire aux lois du pays, à l'ordre public ou aux bonnes

mœurs.

"1

The words deleted from the Saturday's telegram were as follows:-"There are four Russian transports moored off Saigon taking in coul." These words, or the fact which they announced. the French authorities thought to be either "dangerous to the State" or "to public order" or "to good manners." Therefore they were expunged, and the money I had paid for their trans- mission, by the British cable at Cape St. James, returned to me.

The telegram which the authorities had refused to despatch was a brief summary of my experiences at Camrang Bay, where I had spent five days, and of facts which are public property in Saigon. I will now give the message which the French refused to transmit to the British cable station at Cape St. James, and, further, would not consent to the Cable Company telegraphing it, that station being under the control of the French Government.

Saigon, April 30, 1905.

My visit to Camrang and my personal, observations have convinced me that without French assistance in allowing the Balticans to rendezvous there and to receive the fullest supplies of coal, cattle, water, fresh and other provisions, and to make full use of the French telegraphs, the Balticans would have been in sad straits, for when they all arrived on the 15th April "they were dangerously short of all supplies.

The fact that Cainrang is a magnificent bay, and is held as a Concession by the Marquis de Bartélemy and Marquis de Pontalis, who, as concessionnaires, are allowed to receive cargo and to tranship it without same passing through the Customs, suggests a prearrangement with the knowledge of the French.

Immense quantities of coal and stores have been stored at Saigon, with the full knowledge of the French authorities, for the Balticans for months past, and kept ready for transhipment. The reprovisioning of the Balticans was openly proceeded with under the direction of Prince Lieven, the captain of the interned Russian cruiser "Diana," assisted by the Russian naval contractors, Ginsberg and Co. (Mr. Mesa), who arrived at Saigon. The captains of vessels, French and German, were paid enormous sums for the transhipment of stores from Saigon to Camrang.

Admiral de Jonquières was present in the cruiser "Descartes" at Camrang during nearly the whole of the time when the Balticans were replenishing, and no attempt was made the French Government to check same until I wired home what was actually occurring. Then about the 23rd April Admiral de Jonquières advised the Russians to cease and to hasten and leave. He left for Nhatrang, and arranged with an agent at Camrang to wire him when the Russians left; they, instead, continued operations, and an average of three transports arrived daily, and Russian men-of-war entered the harbour, coaled, and departed, using the harbour as a base. Admiral de Jonquières returned on the 24th, after further remonstrances from Japan, aud the Russians left on the following morning, being thus allowed ten days in which to receive the fullest supplies, and they left only when the transports were empty.

I personally boarded the French steamer “Quangnam," which was full of contraband, and was unloading under the superintendence of two Russian paymasters. Junks and boats were carrying the same to Russian cruisers in the presence of the "Descartes.” This assistance ar- stretched neutrality enabled the Russians to proceed and to intercept international steamers en route. The Russians are now fully stocked with everything, thanks to French assistance and in being allowed to convert Camrang Bay for ten days practically into a Russian naval base. The action of the French is in striking contrast to that of the British at Hong Kong and Singapore, who are stopping any steamer having the slightest suspicion of carrying contraband.

[1185]

Q 2

At Djibuti!

(reported by Aden Correspondent,

**London Daily Mail").

Arrived Batavia

(reported by His Britannic Majesty's Consul).

Left Batavia

(reported by

His Britannic Majesty's Consul).

Mar. 22, 1905

Apr. 16, 1905. Apr. 19,

18, 1905 ..

11

11

May 6, "

.. May 10,

Apr. 19, "

German .. Mar. 22, 1905

44

22,"

..

..

..

Mar. 22, 1905

22,"

Mar. 22, 1905

Mar. 22, 1905

22, "

15

Mar. 22, 1905

=

..

...

སྨོན་ ུ་རུ་ཚང། མཐའ

..

..

:

...

TZ

Apr. 15, 1905

29,

.. Apr. 28, 1905

10,

..

...

:

In Harbour of Indo-China

(reported

by Correspondent,

"South China

Morning Post").

Further Movements and Remarks,

Arrived Batavia from Shanghai; reported up river at Saigon.

Kamranh Bay, Apr. 29.

Apr. 29, 1905. Reported empty bati, Mar. 22, for Diego Garcia; left Batavia for

May

A

..

3, 1903

5, *

:

Sailed from Djibutil,

Saigon, May 10; departure reported to. Foreign Office, see Outside Cape St. James with cargo, May 3. Secret despatch of Mar. 29. 1905.

Left Cardiff, Feb. 8; discharged cargo at Kamranh Bay, leaving there, May 5, and arriving Hong Kong, May 8 (under observation). At Hong Kong with cargo of flour (under observation).

Left Hong Kong with cargo of coal, Apr. 6; arrived Batavia from Ilong Kong.

Apr. 30, 1905 .. Reported on May 17, captured by Japanese off Pescadores.

Apr. 29, 1905 ..

..

..

Arrived Batavia from Singapore: believed to have arrived Iloilo Apr. 29. and to have left for Saigon, May 1.

At Hong Kong with cargo of four (under observation).

At Hong Kong with cargo of coal (under observation).

9, 1905. Outside Cape St. James with cargo, May 3.

..

19, 1905.. Apr. 29, 1905

28,"

26,

17

May 3, 1905 Apr. 29,,,

Apr. 30, 1905 ..

At Hong Kong with cargo of coal (under observation).

.. Empty at Cape St. James, Apr. 29, 1905, after discharging at Kamranh Bay,

At Hong Kong with cargo of coal; cargo for sale; (under observation).

Outside Cape St. James with cargo, May 3.

Names of vessels that have visited Hong Kong are in italics.

Name of Ship.

..