[This Document is the Property of Her Britannic Majesty's Government.]
BURMAH.
CONFIDENTIAL.
185
No. 1.
10
[December 23.]
SECTION 3.
C.0.
907
Sir N. O'Conor to the Marquess of Salisbury-(Received December 23. REGIA 96
(No 409.) My Lord,
Peking, October 26, 1895.
I THOUGHT it advisable to communicate confidentially without loss of time to the Privy Councillor Wêng Tung Ho the substance of your Lordship's telegram No. 135 of the 23rd instant, and accordingly called at the Yamên yesterday afternoon. His Excellency received the communication fairly well, but evidently he did not at all like the idea of retroceding Kokang, and expressed the belief that Her Majesty's Government would not, after giving it to China, now insist upon taking it back.
I told his Excellency that I had warned the Yamên months ago that they would have to pay for the breach of the Burmah Convention, and that I now felt sure that the only chance of a territorial abatement of your Lordship's demands was by opening the West River to foreign trade, and that I regarded the alternative suggested by your Lordship as a signal proof of your desire to obtain satisfaction in a direction which, while benefiting British trade, would at the same time benefit China herself. I also put before his Excellency the opportunity now afforded of saving territory for China by timely and wise concession in regard to the West River. I urged, moreover, the special advantages of the proposal to the Imperial Government, who would thereby receive a large addition to their revenue, which would be available for the introduction of the many reforms that were imperatively required for the safety, and even the existence, of the Empire.
His Excellency said that the question was a very important one, which could not be lightly or hastily dealt with, that he had received no information on the subject from Kung Ta-jên, but that as soon as he did so it would be considered by the Privy Council, and the Viceroy of Kwangtung and Kwangsi asked to report upon it. Meantime, he hoped the matter would be treated as very confidential, so as to prevent the interference of other Powers, which would make a direct arrangement with Her Majesty's Government more difficult.
I said that I fully understood that the question would have to be carefully considered, although the subject was one very familiar to them, and had been already strongly supported, I knew, by the German Government, and I believed the Japanese were also interested.
His Excellency replied that it had not only been mentioned by myself and the late German Minister on several occasions, but that it was lately mooted also by the Japanese Minister.
The discussion of the question, carried on in a friendly spirit, lasted about half-an-hour, and I gathered the impression that his Excellency was not unfavourably disposed to accept the proposal, although at the beginning he showed the same objection that the Yamên invariably evince to any innovation, while at the same time the fear that it was the only means of saving Kokang appeared to act as a powerful leverage.
I had the honour to send your Lordship by telegraph this morning a brief summary of the above, and I ventured to add that I thought it would be well to fix a definite time within which the West River should be opened to foreign trade rather than leave it as merely accorded in principle, which I thought would be likely to lead to fresh difficulties hereafter, very much as happened in the case of Chungking.
I also reported, in obedience to your Lordship's instructions, that I thought the Regulations ought to be similar to those prevailing at the Treaty ports on the Yang-tsze, and that Wuchow Fu should certainly, and Nanning Fu if possible, be opened to trade, permission being granted to steamers to call for shipping passengers and goods at other ports in the same way as on the Yang-tsze.
These ports would probably be Fatshan for steamers from Hong Kong, Shaoking, Tuhsing, and Tsungchow.
[1721 k-3]
[This Document is the Property of Her Britannic Majesty's Government.]
BURMAH.
CONFIDENTIAL.
185
No. 1.
10
[December 23.]
SECTION 3.
C.0.
907
Sir N. O'Conor to the Marquess of Salisbury-(Received December 23. REGIA 96
(No 409.) My Lord,
Peking, October 26, 1895. I THOUGHT it advisable to communicate confidentially without loss of time to the Privy Councillor Wêng Tung Ho the substance of your Lordship's telegram No. 135 of the 23rd instant, and accordingly called at the Yamên yesterday afternoon. His Excellency received the communication fairly well, but evidently he did not at all like the idea of retroceding Kokang, and expressed the belief that Her Majesty's Government would not, after giving it to China, now insist upon taking it back.
I told his Excellency that I had warned the Yamên months ago that they would have to pay for the breach of the Burmah Convention, and that I now felt sure that the only cliance of a territorial abatement of your Lordship's demands was by opening the West River to foreign trade, and that I regarded the alternative suggested by your Lordship as a signal proof of your desire to obtain satisfaction in a direction which, while benefiting British trade, would at the same time benefit China herself. I also put before his Excellency the opportunity now afforded of saving territory for China by timely and wise concession in regard to the West River. I urged, moreover, the special advantages of the proposal to the Imperial Government, who would thereby receive a large addition to their revenue, which would be available for the introduction of the many reforms that were imperatively required for the safety, and even the existence, of the Empire.
His Excellency said that the question was a very important one, which could not be lightly or hastily dealt with, that he had received no information on the subject from Kung Ta-jên, but that as soon as he did so it would be considered by the Privy Council, and the Viceroy of Kwangtung and Kwangsi asked to report upon it. Meantime, he hoped the matter would be treated as very confidential, so as to prevent the interference of other Powers, which would make a direct arrangement with Her Majesty's Government more difficult.
I said that I fully understood that the question would have to be carefully considered, although the subject was one very familiar to them, and had been already strongly supported, I knew, by the German Government, and I believed the Japanese were also interested.
His Excellency replied that it had not only been mentioned by myself and the late German Minister on several occasions, but that it was lately mooted also by the Japanese Minister.
The discussion of the question, carried on in a friendly spirit, lasted about half-an-hour, and I gathered the impression that his Excelleney was not unfavourably disposed to accept the proposal, although at the beginning he showed the same objection that the Yamén invariably evince to any innovation, while at the same time the fear that it was the only means of saving Kokang appeared to act as a powerful leverage.
I had the honour to send your Lordship by telegraph this morning a brief summary of the above, and I ventured to add that I thought it would be well to fix a definite time within which the West River should be opened to foreign trade rather than leave it as merely accorded in principle, which I thought would be likely to lead to fresh difficulties hereafter, very much as happened in the case of Chungking.
I also reported, in obedience to your Lordship's instructions, that I thought the Regulations ought to be similar to those prevailing at the Treaty ports on the Yang-tsze, and that Wuchow Fu should certainly, and Nanning Fu if possible, be opened to trade, permission being granted to steamers to call for shipping passengers and goods at other ports in the same way as on the Yang-tsze.
These ports would probably be Fatshan for steamers from Hong Kong, Shaoking, Tuhsing, and Tsungchow.
[1721 k-3]
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