CO129-215 - Governor Sir Bowen - 1884 [1-4] — Page 43

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THE FRENCH AND THE ISLAND OF CHUSAN.

The announcement made in the Reator's. telegram published in another column to the effect that the Paris Press are urging the French Government to seize and occupy either Hainan, Formosa, or Chngan, as a guarantee for payment of an indemnity for the expenses of the war in Tonquin is another proof of the elation caused in the French metropolis by the news of the fall of Sontay. Elated as French journalists may be over the recent success in Tonquin, they would hard- ly, we imagine, have mentioned Chusan for seizure had they known that such seizure would furnish a casus belli to England. We will charitably conclude that the sugges- tion was made in ignorance of the conven- tion of 1846 concluded by Sir JoHN DAVIS, Governor of Hongkong, and the Imperial High Commissioner KI-VING at Bocca Tigris. Articles 3 and 4 of that convention are as follow:-

3. It is stipulated, on the part of His Maje ty the Emperor of China, that on the evacuation of Chasan by Her Britannic Majesty's forces, the said island shall never be coded to any other foreign Power.

1.-Her Britannic Majesty consents upon her part, in case of the attack of an invader, to protect Chusan and its dependencies, and to restore it to the posses. sion of China as of old; but as this stipulation pro- ceeds from the friendly alliance between the two ! nations, no pecuniary subsidies are to be due from China on this account.

The italics are ours. It will be clearly seen from these articles that Great Britain could not stand quietly by and gee Chusan invaded by the French. Moreover. it will be observed that China has engaged never to cede the island to any other foreign Power. The Chinese, in the event of the French making any descent upon Übusan, would undoubtedly fall back upon this en- gagement by the British Government to protect the island, and even the GLADSTONE Administration could not evade the res- ponsibility. We cannot believe, however, that the French Government would be rash enough to imperil the good relations exist. ing between France and England, by even seriously talking of such a step.

A correspondent signing himself "An Old China Hand," whose letter appeared in our issue of the 3rd inst., suggested that the con- vention of 1846, by which the Chinese Go- verument agreed that on the evacuation of Chusan by Her Britannic Majesty's forces the said ialand should never be ceded to any foreign power, had been abrogated by the Treaty of Tientsin. In a foot note to his. letter we pointed out that he was en- tirely mistaken, the Tientsin Treaty simply abrogating the Sapplementary Treaty and General Regulations of Trade," the sub. stance of their provisions being incorporated, amended and improved, in the treaty then Begotiated. Our correspondent based bis coutention on the preamble of the Tientsin Treaty, which states that the high contract. ing parties bad resolved to proceed to "a revision and improvement of the treaties existing between them;" but by no twisting of words can "revision and improvement of the treaties" be construed to mean the

gbrogation

abrogation of a convention which is

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in no way specifically referred to either in the preamble or text of the treaty. The existence of this convention seems to have been almost forgotten. It is not included in "Mayers' Treaties or any similar collec- tion with which we are acquainted, and it has consequently dropped out of sight, The statement that the French had their eye on Chusan has, however, given to the convention a renewed importance, and it may be interest- ing now to trace its bistory so far as it can be gathered from the Blue Books printed in con. nection with Affairs in China. Chusau hav. ing been occupied by the British in the first war, it was stipulated in the Nanking Treaty of 1842 that the island of Koolaugsoo and that of Chusan will continue to be held by Her Majesty's forces until the money pay- ments, and the arrangements for opening the ports to British merchants, be completed." In the Supplementary Treaty signed the following year it was again stipulated that. "the posts of Chusan and Koolangsoo will be withdrawn, as provided for in the treaty of perpetual peace and friendship, the moment all the moneys stipulated for in that treaty shall be paid." Soon after that time Mr. B. MONTGOMERY MARTIN, "Treasurer to the Queen at Hongkong and a member of Her Majesty's Legislative Council in China," appeared on the scene, and addressed to the Secretary of State in 1844 a Report on Hongkong and a Beport

on Chusan, and in 1845 a Minute on the British position and prospects in China. Mr. MARTIN reported very unfavourably on the island of Hongkong, He saw it as a barren rock, the residents on which had not enjoyed good health, and he failed to recognise the immense commercial development of which it was capable and which it has since under- gone, Governor Darts, in forwarding the report, expressed his dissent from it, and said: "It is fair, however, to Mr. MARTIN to observe, that his remarks were written after only a few weeks' residence, under circumstances of indifferent health. I could easily point out errors in regard to facts and conclusions (did I deem it necessary to dwell upon the subject), some of which will be apparent from the public dispatches.' Through what channel the Report on Chusan and the Minute reached the Secretary of State does not appear, nor whether they were written by Mr. MARTIN of his own motion or in compliance with a request or instructions from the Secretary of State, but at all events Governor Davis appears to have been much irritated with the report on Hongkong. Mr. MARTIN'S view was that this island was not worth re- tention, whereas the permanent occupation of Chusan was of the most vital importance, hoth from a commercial and military point of view. "In conclusion," he wrote, "there are, I respectfully submit, maoy cogent arguments of the highest state policy for our continued and permanent occupation of Chusan, and but one reason assigned for its

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