CO129-302 - Public Offices - 1900 — Page 451

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F

As Your Highness and Your Excellencies may not

have seen the note to the Chinese Minister above

referred to, I have the honour to enclose a trans-

lation for your perusal. The Note contains a

detailed account of the circumstances in connection

with the taking over of the Hongkong extension.

I will however add some particulars of the repre-

sentations made to the Tsungli Yamen by this Lega-

tion.

On the 4th April Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires

send a red letter to the Yamen requesting that a

telegram might be sent to the Canton Viceroy to

prevent the Chinese of the district from making any

disturbance or offering obstruction to the taking

over of the leased territory. On the 12th April

a despatch was sent to the Yemen, on the 13th Mr. Bax-

Ironside called himself at the Yamen end on the

16th sent the Chinese Secretary to the Yamen on the

same business.

On the 20th and 29th April Mr. Bax-Tronside

went to the Yauen to ask that the Chinese troops be

withdrawn and on the 1st May he sent a despatch on

the subject.

On the 23rd May replying to a despatch from the

Yemen requesting the withdrawal of British troops

from Shanchun and Kowloon city, Mr. Bax-Ironside

wrote: "In view of the instructions I have re-

ceived from Her Majesty's Government, I do not feel

justified in telegraphing to Her Majesty's Secretary

of State in the sense desired by the Yamen".

On the 1st October a despatch was received from

the Yemen by this Legation asking that a telegram

might be sent to the Foreign Office requesting the

restoration of Shamchun and permission to Chinese

officials to resume jurisdiction in Kowloon city.

On the 6th November a reply was sent by the

Legation to the Yamen giving Her Majesty's Govern-

ment's reasons, as above alluded to, for not permit-

ting the resumption of Chinese jurisdiction in Kow-

loon city.

On the 15th November the Tsungli Yemen replied

and a telegram was sent by this Legation to the

$

withdrawn

Foreign

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