CO129-219 Foreign Office 1884 — Page 94

A taking away from France that which the had got, and giving to China a province which she has never possessed.

He said the policy of the French Goot, and that which he had personally

follows;-

advocated, was as

The French would take Backing and Sentag.

There they would stop their military Operations, organize the Delta extinguish all piracy on the rivers, and open up the country

to the commercs nations. They would repel any

of

all

were

Chinese attack, but they were determined not to declare war against

to direct any maritime

China, or

Operations against her unless the

Chinese fleet took the initiative.

I

સી)

93

It was their fixed intention not to interfere with the important commercial interests of England and the European Powers, and of the United States.

Once inpossession of the Selter, they would wait, which he thought might be for some time, for further overtures of the Chinese, when the French Government would be ready, unless China pushed matters bextremes, to offer similar terms to those they had already offered.

I am te

(signed) for wille

然