CO129-326 - Foreign Office - 1904 — Page 601

COPY

To the

Sir,

October 17th 1904.

Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,

Downing Street,

LONDON

8.W.

598

I am in receipt of your letter of the 6th instant, and note that His Majesty's Government is unable to give the support to

my application for a concession for the construction of a line of railway from Tongshan, owing to its being an interference with the interests of the Imperial Railways of North China.

I do not wish to see the capital I have secured for the Tongshan Pekin line diverted to other channels, and as the sum is sufficient for the construction and equipment of the Canton Kowloon line I wish to ascertain whether I could not secure the concession of the said line on my satisfying you that the capital will be forthcoming and the construction of the line immediately proceeded

)

with.

I am aware of the fact that the British & Chinese Corporation has obtained from His Majesty's Government an assurance that the concession of the said line should become its property; but

I beg to respectfully point out that I understand that the concession has practically been at the disposal of the group referred to since April 1898 and that I have strong reasons for