ONTINENTIAL
Shule in her
580
The Marquess of Lansdowne to Sir E. Salow (Peking).
Jo. 185.) Felegraphic.)
Foreign Office, December 3, 1905, 11 A.M. FRENCH Government have asked that French financiers may participate in loan or construction of Hankow-Canton Railway, and British and Chinese Corporation are ot averse to the idea.
We are informed by Colonial Office that Governor of Hong Kong shares your ew, and would prefer to adhere to terms of Agreement with Wuchang Viceroy.
Unless, however, you have strong reasons to urge to the contrary, it is undesirable grounds of general policy that we should reject advances of French, whose partici- ation will probably facilitate the completion of Hunkow-Canton line, which Colony esires to have finished by the time Canton-Kowloon line is completed.
In present mood of Chinese Government, there seems little prospect of our being ble to secure that the concession, or loan, shall be purely British.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.