[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
SOUTH-WEST CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
No. 1.
362
[May 9.]
SECTION 3.CO.
25341
(No. 90.) My Lord,
I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship a copy of a despatch which I have received from His Majesty's Consul-General at Chengtu reporting on recent events in Szechuan and Thibet.
Sir E. Satow to the Marquess of Lansdowne.--(Received May 9. REC TREG 18 JUL 04 Peking, March 13, 1904.
I have, &c. (Signed)
ERNEST SATOW.
Inclosure in No. 1.
Consul-General Hosie to Sir E. Satow.
(No. 4.) Sir,
Chengtu, February 12, 1904,
I HAVE the honour to report that two of the three French Mining Concessions which expired for the third time in November last have been renewed for a further period of six months, and have, so I am informed, been transferred to a French Company, the original concessionnaire, M. Duclos, having left Szechuan for good. The third Concession granted to M. de Marteau for working petroleum in the districts of Wan Hsien and Pa Hsien expires during the present month, and M. Bons d'Anty is now said to be awaiting here the arrival of two French mining engineers reported to be on their way out to commence operations under this Concession.
The Viceroy has declined to entertain the French Consul's application for a Franco-Chinese Mining Concession in the Kuei-chou Prefecture in the east of the province. It appears that during last summer two licentiates of the Fêng-chieh district, in which the city of Kuei-chou lies, in conjunction with an expectant Szechuan Magistrate, signed at Peking in the French Legation a Contract with M. de Marteau for carrying on mining operations at a place called Ta-shan-an, in the Yün-yang district of the Prefecture. M. Bons d'Anty has been urging the Viceroy to legalize this Contract, but the latter declines on the ground that it is not in accordance with the Szechuan Mining Regulations, and has referred the French Consul to the Wai-wu Pu.
M. Berthelot, the French Secretary of Embassy charged with a mission to the Far East, arrived here by water on the 12th ultimo. He is still in Chengtu, and proposes to make an excursion to the borders of the Lolo country with M. Bons d'Anty immediately after the Chinese New Year.
Dr. Legendre, of the French colonial service, who arrived here in 1902, and is attached to the Roman Catholic Mission, has recently been appointed to attend to the Chinese troops encamped in the eastern part of the city, and it is reported that he intends to inaugurate a medical school. His salary is fixed at 1,200 taels a-year, and 2,000 taels per annum for the purchase of foreign medicines.
There is at present trouble with the Lolos in the country bordering on the Chien-ch'ang Valley in the west of the province. It is the custom to bestow annually on the Lolo Chiefs presents of tea and salt. This duty falls to the Prefect of Ning-yüan, who on this occasion is said to have withheld the gifts for the purpose of being able to report trouble to the Viceroy and to show his ability in pacifying it. Matters, however, got beyond his control, and troops dispatched to end the trouble suffered a serious reverse - four out of 400 are said to have escaped with their lives. The Prefect has been dismissed, and troops are being moved to quell the disturbance. This is the true reason for the Prefect's dismissal; but quite a different reason is given me by the Viceroy.
I had occasion some months ago to complain of Indian goods under transit pass from Teng-yüeh being taxed at Ning-yüan Fu. The facts supplied to me by Mr. Litton were exceedingly meagre. I knew not the destination of the goods nor the amounts levied, but I thought it advisable to lodge a general complaint, which might serve as a warning that transit pass goods from India are not to be interfered with in this province. After considerable delay, the new Prefect of Ning-yüan Fu reported to the Viceroy that his
[1980 --3]
Page 363
[May 9.]
SECTION 3.CO.
25341
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.}
SOUTH-WEST CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
No. 1.
362
[May 9.]
SECTION 3.CO.
25341
(No. 90.) My Lord,
I HAVE the honour to transmit berewith to your Lordship a copy of a despatch which I have received from His Majesty's Consul-General at Chengtu reporting on. recent events in Szechuan and Thibet,
Sir E. Satow to the Marquess of Lansdowne.--(Received May 9. REC
TREG 18 JUL 04 Peking, March 13, 1904.
I have, &c. (Signed)
ERNEST SATOW.
Inclosure in No. 1.
Consul-General Hosie to Sir E. Satow.
(No. 4.) Sir,
Chengtu, February 12, 1904, I HAVE the honour to report that two of the three French Mining Concessions which expired for the third time in November last have been renewed for a further period of six months, and have, so 1 am informed, been transferred to a French Company, the original concessionnaire, M. Duclos, having left Szechuan for good. The third Concession granted to M. de Marteau for working petroleum in the districts of Wan Hsien and Pa Hsien expires during the present month, and M. Bons d'Anty is now said to be awaiting here the arrival of two French mining engineers reported to be on their way out to commence operations under this Concession.
The Viceroy has declined to entertain the French Consul's application for a Franco- Chinese Mining Concession in the Kuei-chou Prefecture in the east of the province. It appears that during last summer two licentiates of the Fêng-chieh district, in which the city of Kuei-chou lies, in conjunction with an expectant Szechuan Magistrate, signed at Peking in the French Legation a Contract with M. de Marteau for carrying on mining operations at a place called Ta-shan-an, in the Yün-yang district of the Prefecture. M. Bons d'Anty has been urging the Viceroy to legalize this Contract, but the latter declines on the ground that it is not in accordance with the Szechuan Mining Regulations, and has referred the French Consul to the Wai-wu Pu.
M. Berthelot, the French Secretary of Embassy charged with a mission to the Far East, arrived here by water on the 12th ultimo. He is still in Chengtu, and proposes to make an excursion to the borders of the Lolo country with M. Bons d'Anty immediately after the Chinese New Year.
Dr. Legendre, of the French colonial service, who arrived here in 1902, and is attached to the Roman Catholic Mission, has recently been appointed to attend to the Chinese troops encamped in the eastern part of the city, and it is reported that he intends to inaugurate a medical school. His salary is fixed at 1,200 taels a-year, and 2,000 taels per annum for the purchase of foreign medicines.
There is at present trouble with the Lolos in the country bordering on the Chien- ch'ang Valley in the west of the province. It is the custom to bestow annually on the Lolo Chiefs presents of tea and salt. This duty falls to the Prefect of Ning-yüan, who on this occasion is said to have withheld the gifts for the purpose of being able to report trouble to the Viceroy and to show his ability in pacifying it. Matters, however, got beyoud his control, and troops dispatched to end the trouble suffered a serious reverse- four out of 400 are said to have escaped with their lives. The Prefect has been dismissed, and troops are being moved to quell the disturbance. This is the true reason of the Prefect's dismissal; but quite a different reason is given me by the Viceroy. I had occasion some months ago to complain of Indian goods under transit pass from Têog. yuch being taxed at Ning-yttan Fu. The facts supplied to me by Mr. Litton were exceedingly meagre. I knew not the destination of the goods nor the amounts levied, but I thought it advisable to lodge a general complaint, which might serve as a warning that transit pass goods from India are not to be interferred with in this province. After considerable delay, the new Prefect of Ning-yuan Fu reported to the Viceroy that his
[1980 --3]
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