CO129-343 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 87

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

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AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[322]

(Confidential.) Sir,

No. 1.

[January 4.]

SECTION 2. C. C.

2753

07.

Admiralty to Foreign Office,~(Received January 4, 1907.)

Admiralty, December 31, 1906. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit herewith, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copy of a Report which has been received from Commander Majendie, the Senior Naval Officer at Shanghae, on the present state of the Chinese navy, dated the 1st November, 1906.

I am, &c.

(Signed)

C. I. THOMAS.

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

Commander Majendie to Vice-admiral Sir A. Moore.

(Confidential.) Commander-in-chief,

"Cadmus," at Shanghae, November 1, 1906. HEREWITH is submitted a Report on the present state of the Chinese navy, as far as it could be ascertained during the transition stage incidental to the so-called reorganization now in progress.

Submitted in compliance with the suggestion in attached Memorandum.

(Signed)

BERNARD LOUIS MAJENDIE, Commander und Senior Naval Officer at Shanghae.

Inclosure 2 in No. 1.

Captain Jones to Secretary to Vice-Admiral Sir A. Moore.

(4

(Confidential.) Secretary,

Diadem," August 13, 1906. WITH reference to the Commander-in-Chief's Confidential Memorandum of the 11th August, 1906, Heading I, I understand that W. F. Tyler, Esq., who is a retired Lieutenant R.N.R., and until lately in the employ of the Imperial Chinese Customs, Shanghae, has received an important appointment in connection with the so-called reorganization of the Chinese navy. He is a man of great influence in Chinese naval affairs, and would therefore, if willing, be in a position to supply all the information the Admiralty require, which would be far more satisfactory than stray details which be

may picked up by observation or from newspapers.

I know him, and could write to him on the subject, but as I believe he would not commit himself to putting anything on paper, I suggest that the Senior Naval Officer, Shanghae, should be communicated with, with a view to his arranging a personal interview with Tyler, when I believe the information would be forthcoming.

(Signed) W. T. C. JONES,

Captain, R.M.L.I., and I.0.A.

P.S.Tyler is a man of great importance in his own circle, and rather peculiar, so that the officer who interviews him should be a man of tact.

[2310 d-2]

W. T. C. J.

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