CO129-333 - Governor Nathan - 1906 [1-4] — Page 241

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238

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I am prinister

(no losed)

to his partnership with Chou Tung Sang, i took the opportunity to forward to the viceroy the duplicate copy of the Mortgage in my

office bearing endorsements of registration made on ebruary 11th.,

1905, in the handwriting of myself and Mr. Giles, the former Vice-

-Consul. This I did especially with a view to satisfying the

Viceroy of the genuineness of the Mortgage transaction so far as

the Bank was concerned. The Viceroy has never contested the

genuineness of this Mortgage; but charges "ung ha Chun of coliu-

-sion with Chou Tung Sang in order to protect the intter's pro-

-perty from confiscation by the Chinese Government. Against this

latter i would remark, as I have already pointed out, that the

Worteage transaction took place sone nine months before the vice-

-roy took any steps against Chou Tung Sang.

The Viceroy further alleges that ung ħa

Chun was merely an agent or nominee of Chou Tung bang, and that

the coal in question actually belonged to Chou Tung Sang a claim

which he based on the evidence of Chou fung Sang's book-keeper,

who is a prisoner in the Magistrate's Yaken.

in answer to Hung's statement of accounts,

the Viceroy denies their accuracy; and deciares that so far from

the partnership having been terminated on 31st. December, 1904,

as rung allezes, certain books impounded when the coal was seized

show that in July, 1905, rung Wa Chun, instead of being the owner

of the coal, was indebted to Chou Tung Sang in the sum of soms

$70,000 odd.

In respect to this question of partnership

between Chou and Hung, 1 had, in my early representations to the

Viceroy, claimed that whether the coal belonged to Chou or hung,

the bank's position as Mortgagee was in regular order, and that

the bank was entitled to hold the coal pending liquidation of its

advances. The bank on its part has complied with all formalities

in respect to the registration in this Consulate-General of the

Mortgage