CO129-125 - Sir MacDonnell - 1867 [10-11] — Page 236

Hong Hong', 2.4 th October, 1867

(Ricaired 252 October)

Phong trong

of

General Chamber

koomanorce - Chairman of

(Phontas Syrie)

دیکھ کر کر

Acting Cedonial Bearetary,

(Honth to. to. Smith

Treaty of Tientsin.

)

Encloses Memorial of the Chamber to His Strace The Duke of Buckinghasse, respecting the appranching Revision of -

Enclosure in Governor Fir Richard Graves Maskonnell's Desfeatch No388 of 31 October 1867-

į

To His Grace

THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM AND CHANDOS,

Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies.

THE MEMORIAL OF THE

233

HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,

HUMBLY SHEWETH,

M 12431

Existing Treaty

to be enforced.

Obstractiveness

of Chinese

+

Ufcizia.

(1.)

That at a Special Meeting of the Chamber, convened on the 19th October, it was resolved to address Your Grace on the subject of the Revision of the Treaty of Tientsin.

(2.)

The Chamber not having received intimation from Her Majesty's Minister Pleni- potentiary at Peking that suggestions would receive consideration, it has availed itself of the offer of the Governor of this Colony, SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, To transmit the result of its deliberations to the proper quarter.

J

(3.)

In introducing the subject of Treaty revision the Chamber begs to submit that it is of paramount importance that Her Majesty's Government should, in the first place, take cognizance of the fact that in many material respects the existing Treaty is unfulfilled on the part of the Chinese Government. Your Memorialists, therefore, urge the advisability of requiring compliance with both the spirit and letter of evaded and unfulfilled provisions, as the breach of privileges accorded is a grievance long felt, increasing in intensity the longer it is suffered to remain unquestioned.

(4.)

The Chamber unhesitatingly asserts the opinion that special exception should be taken to the passive resistance with which the desire to take advantage of the more advanced privileges of British subjects is met by the Chinese Authorities in different parts of the Empire, barring the way to commercial progress and impressing the uninformed among the Chinese people with the idea that many Treaty rights are not allowed by the supreme Authorities.

(5.)

It may be presumed that unless weighty remonstrances upon the dilatoriness of the Chinese Government, in not appointing special Commissioners to inquire into the subject of appeals to Peking, be made a prelude to negotiations for further concessions, non-fulfilment of engagements will be the rule, not the exception, and that there will be constant repetition of obstructiveness on the part of subordinate Officials, stationed at Treaty ports, which resolves itself into a systematic evasion of the consideration of important matters brought to their notice by Her Majesty's Consuls. This evasion is effected by reference to Peking on a plea of inability to cope with, perhaps, no difliculty, but a simple question of privilege, which the applicant would exercise in a district or province remote from the capital, or the surrendering of persons accused by British subjects of criminal acts. Appeal gains time and gives the Chinese Foreign Office (Tsang li Yamen) the opportunity of expressing willingness to further British interests, but, at the same time, of disposing of the appeal by a declaration of a nature similar to that by which the question was set aside when first raised.

(6.)

The Chamber desires to see reform in respect of this matter, and restoration of the prestige of Her Majesty's Consuls, the apparent remedy being modification of the