CO129-344 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 298

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

AFFAIRS OF CHINA,

CONFIDENTIAL.

[18912]

No. 1.

[June 10.]

SECTION 3.

Sir A. Nicolson to Sir Edward Grey.--(Received June 10.)

(No. 293.) Sir,

St. Petersburgh, June 2, 1907. ON receipt of your telegram No. 66 of the 30th ultimo I called on the United States' Ambassador, and asked him whether he had spoken to M. Isvolsky on the delay in establishing custom-houses on the Northern Manchurian frontier, as I understood that his Government, equally with mine, were interesting themselves in the matter. Mr. Riddle said that he had drawn the attention of M. Isvolsky to the subject, and that the latter had informed him that there were three or four minor points on which the Chinese Government were making difficulties, especially in regard to the arrangements to be made in respect to the zone of 50 versts on either side of the frontier; that the question was now before the Chinese Government, and the Russian contentions were considered by Sir R. Hart as reasonable.

I called on M. Isvolsky to-day, who repeated to me what he had stated to Mr. Riddle. He said that the difficulty was to induce the Chinese Government He did not enter into to make the necessary arrangements as to the 50-verst zone. details, as he had not the necessary papers by him to explain the matter fully, but he could assure me that the Russian Government were sincerely desirous to see the matter finally settled, and that perhaps representations at Peking might expedite an arrangement.

I told him that British merchants at Newchwang were justly complaining of the delay in the establishment of the customs-houses, and that the Japanese Govern- ment had now concluded their Convention with China, and that a custom-house would shortly be opened at Dalny. M. Isvolsky said he was aware of this, and that he quite understood the vexation of British merchants, but that the fault did not lie with Russia.

I telegraphed the substance of the above in my telegrams Nos. 81 and 83 of the 31st ultimo and of to-day respectively.

I have, &c. (Signed) A. NICOLSON.

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