majority of the English Directors but met with op-
position from Mr. Keswick, M.P., the Chairman of the
British and Chinese Corporation, who represents the
latter on the Board of the "Chinese Central Rail-
ways".
The French Embassy represented that the pre-
sent occasion would be particularly suited to give
effect to the principle of Anglo-French financial
cooperation in China and that, owing to the direct
intervention of the Government of HongKong in the
Hankow-Canton Railway Concession, His Majesty's
Government are in a position to exercise effective
influence on the British and Chinese Corporation
in the matter.
The understanding referred to by the French
Embassy is represented by the Agreement concluded
between the British and French Groups of the Chi-
nese Central Railways Limited.
*
A copy of that Agreement is inclosed and I am
to request that it may be eventually returned to this
Office.
Mr. Keswick called by request at this Office on
of bust peendet.
the
546
the 7th instant and in reply to enquiries, stated
that the matter of the Hankow-Canton Concession had
not been referred to at the meeting held with the
French financiers on the 6th instant. He had, how-
ever, received a visit that day after the meeting
above-mentioned from one or more of the French group,
and again on November 7th, when the question had
been discussed.
The French Directors had enquired of him whe-
ther an arrangement by which the French would be
enabled to participate in the enterprise could be
come to. To this his answer had been that he could
not say as a decision on that point did not rest
with him.
Mr. Keswick was then asked whether French par-
ticipation in this matter, if considered desirable
from a political or general point of view, would be
objected to by the British and Chinese Corporation.
He replied that there was no objection from a busi-
ness point of view; on the contrary he thought per-
sonally that such participation would be of advan-
tage.
2
Lord
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