CO129-338 - Public Offices & Others - 1906 — Page 176

SOUTH-WEST CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[October 22.]

SECTION 1.

172

[35560]

(No. 369.) Sir,

No. 1.

Mr. Carnegie to Sir Edward Grey,~(Received October 22.)

Peking, September 5, 1906. WITH reference to my despatch No. 245 of the 26th May last, I have the honour to transmit herewith translation of a note from Prince Ching in which certain proposals in regard to the Burmah-Yünnan frontier north of latitude 25° 35′ north are made, based on a Report which has been received by the Foreign Board from the Viceroy of Yunnan with whom they have been in consultation.

In conclusion, his Highness begs me to ask His Majesty's Government to refer to Article IV of the Burmah Convention and agree to carry out an impartial negotiation of this matter with the view of arriving at an early settlement of this question.

A copy of this despatch has been sent to India and Burmah.

I have, &c. (Signed)

LANCELOT D. CARNEGIE.

(Translation.) Sir,

Inclosure in No. 1.

Prince Ching to Mr. Carnegie,

Peking, August 30, 1906. WITH reference to Sir E. Satow's note of the 1st May, on the question of the Burmah-China froutier north of latitude 25° 35′ north, in which was cited the draft of an Article already proposed to this Board, to the affect that: "It is now agreed between the Governments of Great Britain and China that the boundaries of the two Empires in the territory lying north of latitude 25° 35′ north shall follow the water- shed between the Irawadi and Shueli Rivers until the head-waters of the Shueli are passed, and from thence it shall follow along the watershed between the Irawadi and Salwen basins up to the confines of Thibet"; and alluding further to the offer previously made on behalf of the Government of India to compensate the native Chiefs, and thus settle this long-pending question. I had the honour to reply on the 9th May that with regard to this section of frontier, the British Government were merely taking the basins of certain rivers as the limit to which the frontier should extend, and that in pursuance of this idea they were adopting the water-parting between the Shueli-Salwen Rivers and the Irawadi as the frontier line.

I pointed out that the line of frontier thus proposed was still highly unsatis. factory, and that since the Government of His Britannic Majesty were fully aware of the position of the native Chiefs of Teng-Keng and Ming- Kwang, and that those places were under the jurisdiction of Chinese tribal authorities, it was not desirable to settle such a matter by compensation, but that the proper limits of jurisdiction must be distinguished in order to determine the frontier.

I added further that my Board were engaged in telegraphic communication with the Viceroy at Yunnan-fu upon this subject, when the British Government had confronted us with the statement that the Government of Burmah would be instructed to occupy and administer the territory in question. I informed you that, in the view of this Board, such action would be unjustifiable, and I requested you to be good enough to ask the British Government to conform to the terms of the IVth Article of the Burmah Convention respecting this section of frontier north of 25° 35′ north latitude, and make a further careful examination of the features and conditions of the country, both countries then proceeding to negotiate an early and impartial settlement of this question.

I now have the honour to inform you that an answer has been received from the Viceroy at Yunnan-fu, which my Board have carefully considered, and which shows that this section of frontier, starting at Chien Kao Shan (Manangpum), should run north across the Chih Fei River (Chihwi Kha) to the west of the foot of the Kao Liang Kung hills (not to be confused with the Kao Li Kung range), then following

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