CO129-337 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1906 — Page 357

C.C.

ry of His Britannic Majesty's Government.

Your Highness,

Inclosure 3 in No. 1.

Sir E. Satow to Prince Ching.

Peking, February 3, 1906. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Highness' note of the 1st February with reference to the Bumah-Yunnan frontier north of latitude 25° 35' north, informing me of a telegram received from the Viceroy of Yunnan, in accordance with which I am requested to move Ilis Majesty's Government to appoint another officer to take the place of Mr. Litton, lately deceased.

If your Highness will examine my note of the 20th January you will observe that I mentioned that both Consul Litton and Taotai Shih were not to delimit the frontier, but were to furnish Reports for the information of their respective Governments.

I also said that Mr. Litton had submitted a detailed Report, which has been considered by His Majesty's Government, and that means that before his death he furnished His Majesty's Government with all the information required. It is therefore unnecessary to appoint another officer to deal with the question, as suggested by the Viceroy of Yunnan.

I have again the honour to request that the Wai-wu Pu will appoint a day for a meeting, in order to arrive at an amicable settlement of the question.

I avail, &c.

(Signed)

Inclosure 4 in No. 1,

Druft Article.

ERNEST SATOW.

WHEREAS, by the terms of Article IV of the Convention between Great Britain and China of the 1st March, 1894, it was agreed that the settlement and delimitation of that portion of the Burmah-China frontier which lies to the north of latitude 25° 35′ north should be reserved for a future understanding between the High Contracting Partics when the features and condition of the country were more accurately known, it is now agreed between the Governments of Great Britain and China that the boundary of the two Empires in the territory lying to the north of latitude 25° 35' north shall follow the watershed between the Irrawaddy and Salween basins up to the confines of Thibet.

Inclosure 5 in No. 1.

Consul Litton to Consul-General Wilkinson.

Tengyueh, December 9, 1905.

(Telegraphic.)

1 REACHED point on the Salween eight marches further than the highest point reached last spring. Also explored two new passes on the Salween-Mekong divide, and also one on the Salween-Irrawaddy divide. We were able to trace the course of the Salween up to latitude 27° 20′ north, ap to which point the Salween is contined in a series of ridges and the country is very difficult. [At] 26° 20′ there is some Chinese authority, but this country is much disturbed by the bad conduct of the Tu Ssu. Further north there is no trace of Chinese authority up to 27° 35', where Yetche territory begins. Independent tract is inhabited by Lissu, under conditions of utter savagery. Examination shows that the Salween-Irrawaddy divide continues to be a conspicuous range, 12,000 feet to 13,000 feet, up to about latitude 28° 30′ north, where it is merged in a vast snow range trending east and west, which I saw at a distance. No trouble with tribes, but great hardships. Please communicate substance of my telegram to British Minister.

SOUTH-WEST CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

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(No. 8.)

Sir,

No. 1.

351

! May 5.]

SECTION 2.

The one

Consul-General Wilkinson to Sir Edward Grey.--(Received May 5.)

Yunnan-fu, March 10, 1906. I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a despatch to His Majesty's Minister reporting certain recent official appointments in this Province of Yunnan. that most concerns British interests is the retention at his acting post of Intendant of the Southern Circuit (the Pu-erh and Ssumao Taolaiship) of Shih Hung-shan, the official who was (as Acting Taotai at Tengyueh) engaged last spring with Messrs. Litton and Loveson in examining the conditions of the undelimited border districts east of Myitkyina. Shih Taotai's retention at Pu-erh will enable him to complete his report on the other stretch of undelimited frontier, the hundred miles or so along "Scott's line," between the Namting and Na Lawt.

I have, &c.

(Signed) W. H. WILKINSON.

Inclosure in No. 1.

Consul-General Wilkinson to Sir E. Satow.

(No. 10.) Sir,

Yunnan-fu, March 10, 1906. WITH reference to the possible substitution of Li Shou-t'ien for Wei Ching- tung in the post of Intendant of the Lin-an-k'ai-kuang Circuit (Taotai at Mengtzn), as mentioned in my immediately preceding despatch, the following appointments have been actually gazetted:-

Hsing-lu, substantive Intendant of the Eastern Circuit (I-tung Tao), is to act as Superintendent of the Salt Gabelle (Yen-fa Tao). Chang Hsing-chi, titular Intendant of the Southern Circuit (I-nan Tao), who has never proceeded from Yunnan-fu to take up his post, becomes officiating Intendant of the Eastern Circuit. This enables Shih Hung-shao to retain his acting post at Pu-erh, and to complete at his leisure his inquiry and report on the conditions of the undelimited frontier south of Kunlong Ferry ("Scott's line"). Shih Taotai's substantive post is still that of Prefect of Yungchang. His late gerant there, Lang Cheng-hsien, an able and popular man, is to be replaced by Hsieh Yu-chun. I may add that, as far as I can learn, Shih Taotai has not yet sent in his report on the Wa frontier, of which a copy has more than once been promised to me.

I have, &c.

(Signed) W. H. WILKINSON.

P.S.-Chang Taotai is a Shantung man, a Hanlin, and, as I have earlier reported, has been serving as Intendant of the Right River (Yu-chiang Tao) in Kuangsi. Hsieh Yü-chun comes from Kueichow, and has served as Home Magistrate (K'un-ming Hsien) at Yunnan-fu, and as Sub-Prefect at Ssŭmao.

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W. H. W.