}
1
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
CHINA RAILWAYS.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[16212]
No. 1.
C.O.
272
[May 18] 21622
SECTIONE
Rer 18 JUN 07
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received May 18.)
(No. 163.) Sir,
Peking, April 2, 1907. IN continuation of my despatch No. 143 of the 19th ultimo, I have the honour to report on the further course of the Tien-tsin-Yang-tsze Railway negotiations.
A day or two after the interview reported in the above despatch Count Rex, the German Minister, called upon me, and invited me to join him in a note to the Wai-wu Pu (copy inclosed), recording the understanding at which we have arrived with his Excellency Tong Shao-yi. He gave me to understand that he was acting at the request of Messrs. Cordes and Bland, who, placing no confidence in verbal assurances, wished to have the arrangement reduced to writing, and had prepared the draft note for him.
As I did not care to commit myself to any decided action until I received your instructions, I explained to Count Rex that in the Canton-Kowloon negotiations, I had trusted largely to verbal promises, and that it appeared to me that it would be better policy to give Tong Ta-jên the credit of acting in good faith until the reverse had been proved. I suggested, therefore, that we should await the result of a meeting or two of the Delegates before writing in the sense of the proposed note.
Count Rex reluctantly acquiesced in this course,
Since then he has expressed his views to me very frankly and fully in private conversation. He told me that, at the instance of the Syndicates interested, the German Ambassador had been instructed to approach you on the subject, and he added that, unless our active support was forthcoming, he was inclined to abandon the negotia- tions, and go home.
During his short experience here he had endeavoured to be conciliatory with the Chinese, but he had met with nothing but determined opposition in every quarter, and in Shantung especially his most reasonable requests received a flat refusal.
In my telegram No. 51 of the 23rd March, I reported to you this further applica- tion which the German Minister had made to me for assistance, and explained the difficulties I felt in acceding to it pending a decision on the question of the resumption of the Soochow-Ningpo negotiations.
Mr. Bland, in a letter, copy of which I have the honour to inclose, has now forwarded to me the Minutes of the last meeting of the negotiators held at Tien-tsin on the 30th ultimo, and has again taken occasion to state the reasons which, in his opinion, render it undesirable that priority should be given to the Hangchow-Ningpo negotiations. In theory, there is no reason to prevent outstanding preliminary Agreements being dealt with simultaneously, and with an equal measure of support, as suggested by Mr. Bland, but he knows perfectly well that in practice the united pressure of two Legations directed against the line of least resistance must inevitably give the precedence to the Tien-tsin- Yang-tsze negotiations.
I have, &c.
(Signed) J. N. JORDAN.
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Draft Joint Note to Prince Ch'ing.
I HAVE the honour to confirm the arrangements arrived at on the 15th instant
at the Wai-wu Pu between his Excellency Tang on the one side, and his Excellency the
the British Minister, Sir John Jordan, and myself, on the other, regarding the continuance of the Tien-tsin-Yang-tsze Railway negotiations.
[2481 s--5]
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.