CO129-344 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 497

435

The obvious rejoinder of the Viceroy would be

that he had promised the preference to the British

group, that he had no concern with any arrangements

between that group and the French financiers, and

that, failing & British loan, he would consider him-

self free to obtain the necessary funds from other

nationalities.

In view, however, of the apparent determination

of the Viceroy only to borrow for industrial pur-

poses without specifying the real object for which

the money is required, and the consequent difficulty,

if not impracticability, of raising a loan upon the

European market, no other course would appear to be

open than to let the matter remain in abeyance for

the