CO129-287 - Public Offices & Others - 1898 — Page 464

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Lordship is glad to observe that it is probable

that the difficulty anticipated in regard to this

Article will gradually disappear of itself.

provision in the Convention that "it is at the

The

'same time agreed that within the City of Kowloon

13

"the Chinese Officials now stationed there shall

"continue to exercise jurisdiction, &c.,

contemplated the case of the Civil Officials,

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clearly

and

Lord Salisbury therefore considers that Her Majesty's

Government can fairly call upon the Chinese Govern-

ment to withdraw the Military Garrison as sugges-

ted.

With regard to the question of the prevention

of smuggling into China and the collection of the

Chinese Customs duties, Lord Salisbury has already

in the letter addressed to your Department on the

26th September expressed the opinion that the

"Regulations" drawn up by the Viceroy of Canton

for the purpose cannot be accepted, and he agrees

with Mr. Chamberlain that the proposals of Sir

Robert Hart are also inadmissible.

Mr.

+

+ M

Mr. Chamberlain suggests that the Chinese Cus-

toms duties on Opium imported into China from Hong-

kong, including the new extension, should be actually

collected by the Government of Hongkong, in the form

of an export duty and the whole proceeds, after deduc -

ting the cost of collection, paid over to the Chinese

Government.

Lord Salisbury agrees that the course proposed

is that which on the whole is least open to objec-

tion, and it would certainly provide a simple and

His Lordship

efficient solution of the difficulty.

is therefore prepared to press its adoption on the

Chinese Government.

With reference to the question of the boundary,

the third point referred to in your letter, Lord

Salisbury considers, and he gathers from your com-

munication that Mr. Chamberlain is of the same opin-

ion, that Mr. Lockhart's proposals constitute too

wide a divergence from the Line as defined in the

Convention to make it possible for Her Majesty's

2

Government