CO129-330 - Public Offices - 1905 — Page 394

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.j

CHINA TRADE.

CONFIDENTIAL.

No. 1.

[February 20.

SECTION 1.

387

Sir M. Gosselin to the Marquess of Lansdowne.—(Received February 20.)

Lisbon, February 15, 1905.

(No. 13. Confidential.) My Lord,

IN accordance with the instruction conveyed to me in your Lordship's despatch No. 3 of the 18th ultimo, I have the honour to forward herewith the Portuguese text of the new Treaty between this country and China, and of the Regulations for carrying out the provisions of Articles III and V of the Treaty, which have been confidentially given to me by Senhor Villaça.

I also beg to return the English text, inclosed in your Lordship's despatch above ferred to, corrected in accordance with the Portuguese text, and a translation of the nexed Regulations.

Article VIII of the Portuguese text, dealing with the question of the naturaliza- tion of Chinese children born in Macao, was correctly summarized in Mr. Jamieson's despatch No. 17 of the 14th November last, but altogether omitted from the English version inclosed in his despatch No. 18 of the 19th of the same month.

As Mr. Jamieson surmises, it is China, not Portugal, which by Article XI, is under the obligation to introduce a uniform system of currency; and in Article XIV the 'begative "not was omitted after the word "may," and, consequently, com- mercial undertakings may not be established in the interior of China conjointly by foreigners and Chinese subjects.

Senhor Villaça asked that this copy of the Treaty and Regulations should be ¡deemed confidential until his Excellency has had an opportunity of laying the same

belore the new Cortes.

Being desirous of forwarding the inclosed papers by to-day's steamer, I regret that there has been no time to make a fair copy of the English translation of the Treaty; but I trust the corrections and interleaved additions will be intelligible to the

Foreign Office printers.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

MARTIN GOSSELIN.

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

Commercial Treaty between China and Portugal (1904).

ARTICLE I.

THE Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between China and Portugal, dated the 1st December, 1887 (17th day, 10th moon, 13th year of Kwangsu), and the special Convention on opium annexed to the said Treaty, continues in force, except so far as modified by the present Treaty.

ARTICLE II.

Portugal accepts the increase in the import duties stipulated for in Article VI of the Peking Protocol of the 7th September, 1901. Portugal will enjoy the privileges of the most favoured nation, and in no case shall Portuguese subjects pay higher or Jower duties than those paid by the subjects of any other nation. Article XII of the Treaty of the 1st December, 1887, is therefore rendered null and void.

ARTICLE III.

The Government of His Most Faithful Majesty agrees to continue as heretofore to co-operate with the Government of His Imperial Chinese Majesty in the collection

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