CO129-343 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 533

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]

527

0.

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[7673]

No. 1.

11983

[Marble

SECTI RECE 5 APR 07,

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.--(Received March 9.)

(No. 36.) Sir,

Peking, January 22, 1907. WITH reference to my telegram No. 8 of the 12th instant, I have the bonour to transmit to you herewith copy of a despatch which I have received from Mr. Mortimore, His Majesty's Consul at Ningpo, relative to the state of affairs at Haimen.

You will see that there does not appear to be any suggestion of danger to foreign lives, and that nothing has occurred to call for any report since Mr. Little's despatch No. 10 of the 20th November, which was forwarded to you in my despatch No. 510 of the 7th December.

I do not fully understand why the consent of His Majesty's Consul should be necessary for the production of a native preacher unless there is a suspicion that he is likely to suffer on account of his religious belief, and I have asked Mr. Mortimore to furnish me with an explanation on this point.

I may state for your coufidential information that the French Consul-General at Shanghae has all along taken a much more serious view of the matter than my French colleague has seen fit to indorse, and the latter has resisted the Consul-General's repeated demands for a man-of-war.

M. Bapst also regards the French Bishop on the spot as an alarmist, and it appears to me not improbable that it was with a view to reconciling the conflicting reports received from the Consul-General and the Bishop on the one hand, and the Minister on the other, that the French Government applied to His Majesty's Government for information.

(No. 2.) Sir,

Inclosure in No. 1.

I have, &c.

(Signed) J. N. JORDAN.

Mr. Consul Mortimore to Sir J. Jordan.

Ningpo, January 12, 1997. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram of yesterday, inquiring as to the alleged threatening situation at Haimon, and to report that I have this morning replied to the following effect: Two days ago I received a letter, dated the 4th instant, from the Rev. W. D. Rudland, a China Inland Missionary at Tai-chow, in which he does not make the slightest allusion to there being any danger at the time to the lives of foreigners.

Since my predecessor's despatch of the 20th November nothing has happened at Haimen to call for any report. The Taotai here went down at the end of November to inquire into the matter, and reported to the Governor, who thereupon appointed Shih Taotai, the President of the Board of Foreign Affairs at Hangchow, to hold a joint inquiry with the local Taotai at Ningpo. Shih Taotai left Hangchow three weeks ago, but has remained so far in Shanghae, where he is engaged, it is reported, in drawing up, in consultation with the French Consul-General, some regulations for maintaining better order among the converts. In the meanwhile the investigation is awaiting his arrival, but many arrests have been made and the men sent here to await trial. One of the native preachers of the China Inland Mission is accused of being one of the leaders of the disturbances, and the Governor has asked me to have him produced for trial. I have consented to do so on condition that the native Catholic pastor, who is similarly accused, is also produced.

Some troops left here for Haimen about a fortright ago, which were dispatched at the request of the French Consul-General at Shanghae, to maintain order while the arrests in connection with the disturbances were taking place.

[2418 2-7)

I have, &c.

(Signed)

R. H. MORTIMORE,