This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
SOUTH-WEST CHINA,
CONFIDENTIAL.
No. 1.
92
[May 11.]
SECTION 1.
Acting-Consul Litton to the Marquess of Lansdowne.-(Received May 11,)
(No. 4. Confidential.)
Yunnan Fu, March 19, 1903.
My Lord,
I BEG to submit an extract from an Intelligence Report submitted to His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires regarding the Tonquin-Yunnan Railway.
It is difficult to see how the enterprise can ever be carried out, unless more business-like methods are adopted.
Inclosure in No. 1.
I have, &c. (Signed)
G. LITTON.
(Confidential.)
Extract from Yunnan Fu Intelligence Report, March 10, 1903.
The French Tonquin-Yünnan Railway.-M. François, Consul-General, returned from Tonquin early in January. Mengtse has been visited during the winter by over eighty French railway officials. M. Caboche, the local chief of the "Travaux Publics" has resigned, and is succeeded by a M. Richard. The Chief Engineer of the railway is replaced by a M. Guibert on £3,000 a-year. M. Vitali, a well-known millionaire who has been concerned in Asia Minor and Balkan Peninsula railways, came up to Yunnan Fu with M. François, and astonished the officials by the liberality of his presents.
He is understood to be financing the French railway, and has introduced a number of his French and Italian assistants into the affair. Representatives of the "Compagnie des Chemins de Fer" are now established in Yunnan Fu, but their chief duty seems to consist in making out each other's salary vouchers. M. de Kapp, who has been one of the principal Managers of the Asia Minor line, is now at Mengtse; he will return, however, in a short time to Asia Minor.
The number of Italian contractors in connection with the railway has increased, but the work performed seems to be in inverse ratio to the number of gentlemen performing it.
The studies of the Hsin Hsien route from Laokay, in the Red River Valley, up to the plateau of Mengtse, referred to in my last Report, have resulted in the total abandonment of that route. But what is more surprising is that the route from Mengtze to Hsin Hsing Chou and so to Yunnan Fu has also been rejected by the numerous new officials who have come in M. Vitali's train.
The route from Laokay to the plateau is now to be via the Nan Hsi Valley, of which the ascent will be commenced immediately after crossing the river from Laokay to Hokou. The line will then be brought over the hills about 4 miles to the west of Mengtse, and thence across the plain to the little city of A Mi Chou, and then across the Chu Chiang by a bridge which presents no difficulties, so along the line of the Chu Tsing River to the city of I Liang, and then either via Yung Lin, which is the second stage out on the great east road from Yunnan Fu, or by a tunnel through the hills to the west of I Liang, out on to the Yunnan Plain.
The Nan Hsi Valley will be slightly more economical than the Hsin Hsien route, and the total distance saved in getting to Yünnan will be about 28 miles; but the line will pass through less fertile country, and the problem of getting from I Liang to Yünnan is a difficult one.
But the greatest difficulty of all arises from the fact that the French seem to be unable to make up their minds to do anything but wrangle, and that the personnel is constantly being changed.
[1992 7-1]
ནི མ ཙ ནུ
This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
SOUTH-WEST CHINA,
CONFIDENTIAL.
No. 1.
92
[May 11.]
SECTION 1.
Acting-Consul Litton to the Marquess of Lansdowne.-(Received May 11,)
(No. 4. Confidential.)
Yunnan Fu, March 19, 1903.
My Lord,
I BEG to submit an extract from an Intelligence Report submitted to His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires regarding the Tonquin-Yunnan Railway.
It is difficult to see how the enterprise can ever be carried out, unless more business-like methods are adopted.
Inclosure in No. 1.
I have, &c. (Signed)
G. LITTON.
(Confidential.)
Extract from Yunnan Fu Intelligence Report, March 10, 1903.
The French Tonquin-Yünnan Railway.-M. François, Consul-General, returned from Tonquin early in January. Mengtse has been visited during the winter by over eighty M. Caboche, the local chief of the French "Travaux French railway officials. Publics" has resigned, and is succeeded by a M. Richard. The Chief Engineer of the M. Vitali, a well-known railway is replaced by a M. Guibert on 3,0001. a-year. millionaire who has been concerned in Asia Minor and Balkan Peninsula railways, came up to Yunnan Fu with M. François, and astonished the officials by the liberality of his presents.
He is understood to be financing the French railway, and has introduced a number of his French and Italian assistants into the affair. representatives of the "Compagnie des Chemins de Fer" are now established in Yunnan Fu, but their chief duty seems to consist in making out each other's salary vouchers. M. de Kapp, who has been one of the principal Managers of the Asia Minor line, is now at Mengtse; he will return, however, in a short time to Asia
Minor.
Two
The number of Italian contractors in connection with the railway has increased, but the work performed seems to be in inverse ratio to the number of gentlemen performing it.
The studies of the Hsin Hsien route from Laokay, in the Red River Valley, up to the plateau of Mengtse, referred to in my last Report, have resulted in the total But what is more surprising is that the route from abandonment of that route. Mengtze to Hsin Hsing Chou and so to Yunnan Fu has also been rejected by the numerous new officials who have come in M. Vitali's train.
1. The route from Laokay to the plateau is now to be via the Nan Hsi Valley, of which the ascent will be commented immediately after crossing the river from Laokay to Hokou. The line will then be brought over the hills about 4 miles to the west of Mengtse, and thence across the plain to the little city of A Mi Chou, and then (2) across the Chu Chiang by a bridge which presents no difficulties, so along the line of the Chu Tsing River to the city of I Liang, and then either via Yung Lin, which is the second stage out on the great east road from Yunnan Fu, or by a tunnel through the hills to the west of I Liang, out on to the Yunnan Plain.
The Nan Hsi Valley will be slightly more economical than the Hsin Hsien route, and the total distance saved in getting to Yünnan will be about 28 miles; but the line will pass through less fertile country, and the problem of getting from I Liang to Yünnan is a difficult one.
But the greatest difficulty of all arises from the fact that the French seem to be unable to make up their minds to do anything but wrangle, and that the personnel is constantly being changed.
[1992 7-1)
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.