[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[36986]
No. 1.
265
[November 3.]
SECTION 4. CO.
45×05
27 NOV
!
(No. 375.) Sir,
Mr. Carnegie to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received November 3.)
Peking, September 9, 1906.
WITH reference to my despatch No. 373 of the 6th instant, I have the honour to inform you that I called by appointment on Prince Ch'ing at his Palace in Peking yesterday, and discussed with him the situation created by the Board of Commerce memorials which were inclosed in my despatch No. 358, Confidential, of the 23rd August.
His Highness had come into town specially to see me, and was evidently anxious to return to Wan Shou Shan at once.
He opened the conversation by saying that he was aware of the object of my visit—the Soochow-Hangchow-Ningpo Railway. He was cognizant of all that had passed between the Wai-wu Pu and the Legation on the subject, and wished to state that there was no question of the abrogation of the preliminary Agreement with the British and Chinese Corporation. That was recognized as valid, but while the matter remained in this preliminary stage, and until a final Agreement was concluded, it was impossible for the Chinese Government to tell the Chekiang provincials that they could not build a line of their own, and that all rights to make railways between Soochow, Hangchow, and Ningpo were conceded to foreigners.
The Corporation's Agreement was only preliminary; nothing had been settled, not even the trace. He insisted that the railway was only a commercial matter, and not a question of international relations; and reminded me more than once that it was a Chinese railway on Chinese territory, and that any loss or gain would be China's, not the Corporation's.
I invited his Highness' attention to the Board of Commerce memorials, and contended at length that, although he said that the preliminary Agreement was valid, those documents (and especially the memorial relating to the Chekiang Company) which were approved by Rescript, directly contravened the terms of the preliminary Agreement, in that they authorized two Chinese Companies to construct lines over the same ground as that stated in the preliminary Agreement.
Prince Ching merely repeated that though the preliminary Agreement stood, nothing had been definitely settled. The trace was not fixed, and it might be that two lines could be built which would not interfere with each other.
I was unable to agree to that. The Corporation's Concession dated back eight years nearly, and was a definite Concession of the right to build lines from Soochow to Hangchow and Ningpo. I insisted that this right was infringed by the privileges given in the memorials mentioned in my note of the 4th August, and I looked to his Highness to rectify the infringement.
Prince Ching held that the memorials having been approved by Imperial Rescript nothing could be done in regard to them. But he thought that there was little prospect of the Chekiang people effecting anything, and he begged me to bear in mind that China would consult her own interests. For instance, when a final Agreement was made money would be borrowed from the Corporation, and the Chinese Government were not going to waste that money. However, when it came to considering the final Agreement the terms of the preliminary Agreement would have to be modified, and in any case it must be understood that the final Agreement could not be concluded at the present time. Times and seasons had to be considered, and the popular feeling must be studied.
I told his Highness that I had refrained from reporting the facts about the two memorials to you by telegraph in the hope that I might be able to send some explanation from him which would satisfy His Majesty's Government. I regretted that nothing his Highness had said removed my objections to them. There was no doubt whatever that they directly violated the preliminary Agreement, and for that reason they required explanation.
Prince Ching repeated that between two great nations like Great Britain and China a covenant of the character of the preliminary Agreement must, of course, stand,
[2226 c-4]
Page 270
Page 271
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[36986]
No. 1.
265
[November 3.]
SECTION 4. CO.
45×05
27 NOV
!
(No. 375.) Sir,
Mr. Carnegie to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received November 3.)
Peking, September 9, 1906. WITH reference to my despatch No. 373 of the 6th instant, I have the honour to inform you that I called by appointment on Prince Ch'ing at his Palace in Peking yesterday, and discussed with him the situation created by the Board of Commerce memorials which were inclosed in my despatch No. 358, Confidential, of the 23rd August. His Highness had come into town specially to see me, and was evidently anxious to return to Wan Shou Shan at once.
He opened the conversation by saying that he was aware of the object of my visit the Soochow-Hangchow-Ningpo Railway. He was cognizant of all that had passed between the Wai-wu Pu and the Legation on the subject, and wished to state that there was no question of the abrogation of the preliminary Agreement with the British and Chinese Corporation. That was recognized as valid, but while the matter remained in this preliminary stage, and until a final Agreement was concluded, it was impossible for the Chinese Government to tell the Chekiang provincials that they could not build a line of their own, and that all rights to make railways between Soochow, Hangchow, and Ningpo were conceded to foreigners. The Corporation's Agreement was only preliminary; nothing had been settled, not even the trace. He insisted that the railway was only a commercial matter, and not a question of international relations; and reminded me more than once that it was a Chinese railway on Chinese territory, and that any loss or gain would be China's, not the Corporation's.
I invited his Highness' attention to the Board of Commerce memorials, and contended at length that, although he said that the preliminary Agreement was valid, those documents (and especially the memorial relating to the Chekiang Company) which were approved by Rescript, directly contravened the terms of the preliminary Agreement, in that they authorized two Chinese Companies to construct lines over the same ground as that stated in the preliminary Agreement.
Prince Ching merely repeated that though the preliminary Agreement stood, nothing had been definitely settled. The trace was not fixed, and it might be that two lines could be built which would not interfere with each other.
I was unable to agree to that. The Corporation's Concession dated back eight years nearly, and was a definite Concession of the right to build lines from Soochow to Hangchow and Ningpo. I insisted that this right was infringed by the privileges given in the memorials mentioned in my note of the 4th August, and I looked to bis Highness to rectify the infringement.
Prince Ching held that the memorials having been approved by Imperial Rescript nothing could be done in regard to them. But he thought that there was little prospect of the Chekiang people effecting anything, and he begged me to bear in mind that China would consult her own interests. For instance, when a final Agreement was made money would be borrowed from the Corporation, and the Chinese Government were not going to waste that money. However, when it came to considering the final Agreement the terms of the preliminary Agreement would have to be modified, and in any case it must be understood that the final Agreement could not be concluded at the present time. Times and seasons had to be considered, and the popular feeling must be studied.
I told his Highness that I had refrained from reporting the facts about the two memorials to you by telegraph in the hope that I might be able to send some explanation from him which would satisfy His Majesty's Government. I regretted that nothing his Highness had said removed my objections to them. There was no doubt whatever that they directly violated the preliminary Agreement, and for that reason they required explanation.
Prince Ching repeated that between two great nations like Great Britain and China a covenant of the character of the preliminary Agreement must, of course, stand,
[2226 c-4]
Page 270Page 271
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