3. A copy of this despatch, with inclosures, is under transmission to His Britannic Majesty's Minister at Peking.
We have, &c. (Signed)
CURZON.
T. RALEIGH. E. F.-G. LAW. E. R. ELLES, A. T. ARUNDEL. DENZIL IBBETSON.
Page 3
4. Viceroy Wei is a far more honest and straightforward man than his predecessor, so there is ground to hope that in future matters connected with the delimitation of the frontier will be easier to arrange.
Inclosure 4 in No. 1.
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Government of Burmah to Government of India.
Delhi, January 9, 1903. WITH reference to correspondence ending with your indorsement dated the 17th December, 1902, I am directed to submit a copy of a letter, dated the 14th November, 1902, from Mr. Litton, Consul-General at Yunnan-fu.
2. The Lieutenant-Governor proposes to furnish Mr. Litton with copies of the Reports and papers referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of his letter, to inform him that paragraph 2 of his letter contains an accurate statement of facts regarding the incident referred to, and to intimate that there is no objection on the part of this Government to his addressing the Viceroy of Yunnan as proposed.
3. With regard to paragraph 3 of Mr. Litton's letter the Lieutenant-Governor proposes to inform him of the views of the Government of India on the subject of the provisional boundary, as stated in their despatch dated the 14th June, 1900, and to intimate to him the present state of the negotiations.
4. I am to solicit sanction to address Mr. Litton as proposed.
(Telegraphic.)
Government of India to Mr. Townley.
Fort William, January 17, 1903. PLEASE refer to your despatch of the 6th October, 1902, regarding the Burmah-China frontier. Litton, under date the 14th November, informs us, through Burmah, that Chinese officials at Yunnan-fu profess ignorance of any understanding as to provisional boundary. Litton himself appears to be unaware of recent negotiations, and Burmah Government wishes to supply him with complete papers as to past occurrences in Northern Irrawaddy basin, and arrangements now under consideration.
Is there any objection to supplying these papers to Litton for use in discussions with Yunnan Viceroy?
(Telegraphic.)
Inclosure 5 in No. 1.
Mr. Townley to Government of India.
Peking, January 19, 1903. WITH reference to your telegram of the 17th instant, regarding the Burmah-China frontier, Litton is returning to Têngyueh. Wilkinson, newly appointed Consul-General for Yünnan, has left Ningpo for his new post. He travels via Burmah, and will put himself in communication with the officials of Mandalay. I think it highly desirable that he should be furnished with complete information as to the arrangements now under consideration and the past history of the Northern Irrawaddy basin.
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Acting Consul-General Litton to Government of Burmah.
Yunnan-fu, November 14, 1902.
I BEG to report that in recent official conversations which I have had with them, the provincial authorities here have constantly brought up the case of the fight at Hparé in February 1900, and have requested me to suggest a means of "settling" it. I have always replied that in my opinion the Government of Burmah was the aggrieved party, and that therefore there was nothing to settle; as, however, it is apparent that the Yunnan Viceroy has only a very incomplete and garbled account of what really took place, I have on several occasions promised to submit to his Excellency a true report. I have written to Tengyueh for the papers concerning the case, which I thought were on record in that office, but I have not received them, and therefore I presume that they are not there.
2. Failure to fulfil my promise to the Viceroy may be misconstrued, and I would suggest for the consideration of your Government that I should be authorized by you to point out to the Yunnan Viceroy that the Government of Burmah was within its rights in sending such an expedition to explore, that due notice of its nature was given to the Têngyueh officials, that an attempt was made in country, which Burmah does not acknowledge as belonging to China, to cut off the members of the expedition, and that therefore your Government can accept no responsibility whatever for what occurred. I should also be greatly obliged if I could be supplied with a copy of the reports of Mr. Hertz and other papers relating to the case, to enable me to state to the Viceroy what actually occurred.
3. I understand that your Government are inclined to regard the water-parting between the Irrawaddy and the Salween as the provisional boundary. If this is the case, and if it is not the intention of your Government to permit the Chinese to establish themselves along the east bank of the Irrawaddy, I would suggest that formal notice of your views should be given to the Chinese officials who, here at least, profess ignorance of understanding as to a provisional boundary.
any
Inclosure 6 in No. 1.
Government of India to Government of Burmah,
Fort William, January 21, 1903.
I AM directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated the 9th instant, regarding a proposed communication to Mr. G. Litton, His Britannic Majesty's Acting Consul-General at Yunnan-fu, on the subject of the Burmah-China boundary in the Northern Irrawaddy Valley, and connected matters.
2. I am to inclose copies of the marginally noted telegrams and to request that, with his Honour the Lieutenant-Governor's permission, Mr. Wilkinson may be supplied with full information on these subjects.
(Confidential.) Sir,
Inclosure 7 in No. 1.
Government of Burmah to Government of India.
Rangoon, March 9, 1903. IN continuation of this office letter, dated the 9th January last, I am directed to submit a copy of letter dated the 1st ultimo from Mr. Litton, acting Consul at Yunnan-fu, concerning the demarcation of the Burmah-China frontier north of Manung Pum, the northernmost point of the boundary demarcated by the Burmah-China Boundary Commission.
Mr. Litton discusses various possible lines of boundary, and he states the line of boundary which he considers the most convenient, This boundary is the boundary marked on the map submitted with my letter dated the 30th January, 1901.
Page 47
2
3. A copy of this despatch, with inclosures, is under transmission to His Britannic Majesty's Minister at Peking.
We have, &c. (Signed)
CURZON.
T. RALEIGH. E. F.-G. LAW. E. R. ELLES, A. T. ARUNDEL. DENZIL IBBETSON.
3
4. Viceroy Wei is a far more honest and straightforward man than his predecessor, so there is ground to hope that in future matters connected with the delimitation of the frontier will be easier to arrange.
Inclosure 4 in No. 1.
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Government of Burmah to Government of India.
Delhi, January 9, 1903. WITH reference to correspondence ending with your indorsement dated the 17th December, 1902, I am directed to submit a copy of a letter, dated the 14th November, 1902, from Mr. Litton, Consul-General at Yunnan-fu.
2. The Lieutenant-Governor proposes to furnish Mr. Litton with copies of the Reports and papers referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of his letter, to inform him that paragraph 2 of his letter contains an accurate statement of facts regarding the incident referred to, and to intimate that there is no objection on the part of this Government to his addressing the Viceroy of Yunnan as proposed.
3. With regard to paragraph 3 of Mr. Litton's letter the Lieutenant-Governor proposes to inform him of the views of the Government of India on the subject of the provisional boundary, as stated in their despatch dated the 14th June, 1900, and to intimate to him the present state of the negotiations.
4. I am to solicit sanction to address Mr. Litton as proposed.
(Telegraphic.)
Government of India to Mr. Townley.
Fort William, January 17, 1903. PLEASE refer to your despatch of the 6th October, 1902, regarding the Burmah- China frontier. Litton, under date the 14th November, informs us, through Burmah, that Chinese officials at Yunnan-fu profess ignorance of any understanding as to pro- visional boundary. Litton himself appears to be unaware of recent negotiations, and Burmah Government wishes to supply him with complete papers as to past occurrences in Northern Irrawaddy basin, and arrangements now under consideration.
Is there any objection to supplying these papers to Litton for use in discussions with Yunnan Viceroy?
(Telegraphic.)
Inclosure 5 in No. 1.
Mr. Townley to Government of India.
Peking, January 19, 1903. WITH reference to your telegram of the 17th instant, regarding the Burmah- China frontier, Litton is returning to Têngyueh. Wilkinson, newly appointed Consul- General for Yünnan, has left Ningpo for his new post. He travels via Burmah, and will put himself in communication with the officials of Mandalay. I think it highly desirable that he should be furnished with complete information as to the arrangements now under consideration and the past history of the Northern Irrawaddy basin.
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Acting Consul-General Litton to Government of Burmah.
Yunnan-fu, November 14, 1902.
I BEG to report that in recent official conversations which I have had with them, the provincial authorities here have constantly brought up the case of the fight at Hparé in February 1900, and have requested me to suggest a means of "settling" it. I have always replied that in my opinion the Government of Burmah was the aggrieved party, and that therefore there was nothing to settle; as, however, it is apparent that the Yunnan Viceroy has only a very incomplete and garbled account of what really took place, I have on several occasions promised to submit to his Excellency a true report. I have written to Tengyueh for the papers concerning the case, which I thought were on record in that office, but I have not received them, and therefore I presume that they are not there.
2. Failure to fulfil my promise to the Viceroy may be misconstrued, and I would suggest for the consideration of your Government that I should be authorized by you to point out to the Yunnan Viceroy that the Government of Burmah was within its rights in sending such an expedition to explore, that due notice of its nature was given to the Têngyueh officials, that an attempt was made in country, which Burmah does not acknowledge as belonging to China, to cut off the members of the expedition, and that therefore your Govefument can accept no responsibility whatever for what occurred. I should also be greatly obliged if I could be supplied with a copy of the reports of Mr. Hertz and other papers relating to the case, to enable me to state to the Viceroy what actually occurred.
3. I understand that your Government are inclined to regard the water-parting between the Irrawaddy and the Salween as the provisional boundary. If this is the case, and if it is not the intention of your Government to permit the Chinese to establish themselves along the east bank of the Irrawaddy, I would suggest that formal notice of your views should be given to the Chinese officials who, here at least, profess ignorance of understanding as to a provisional boundary.
any
Inclosure 6 in No. 1.
Government of India to Government of Burmah,
Fort William, January 21, 1903.
I AM directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated the 9th instant, regarding a proposed communication to Mr. G. Litton, His Britannic Majesty's Acting Consul-General at Yunnan-fu, on the subject of the Burmah-China boundary in the Northern Irrawaddy Valley, and connected matters.
2. I am to inclose copies of the marginally noted telegrams and to request that, with his Honour the Lieutenant-Governor's permission, Mr. Wilkinson may be supplied with full information on these subjects.
(Confidential.) Sir,
Inclosure 7 in No. 1.
Government of Burmah to Government of India.
Rangoon, March 9, 1903. IN continuation of this office letter, dated the 9th January last, I am directed to submit a copy of letter dated the 1st ultimo from Mr. Litton, acting Consul at Yunnan-fu, concerning the demarcation of the Burmah-China frontier north of Manung Pum, the northernmost point of the boundary demarcated by the Burmah-China Boundary Commission.
Mr. Litton discusses various possible lines of boundary, and he states the line of boundary which he considers the most convenient, This boundary is the boundary marked on the map submitted with my letter dated the 30th January, 1901. The
47
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.