CO129-344 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 628

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and French groups without the acquiescence of the

French Government), that there should be purely finan-

cial participation between the British and French banks,

made no imputation of bad faith against His Majesty's

Government though His Excellency did not, it is true

There is therefore no ground

entertain the proposal.

for assuming that he would do so on learning that the

two Governments had made fresh arrangements and had

agreed on a scheme for equal control etc., which would,

ph

in Sir E. Grey's opinion, merely be an extension of the

principle of British and French cooperation.

8

Nor is there any reason to anticipate that the

concession will be granted to foreign persons or syndi-

-

cates of other nationalities since Great Britain and

France acting in unison should be well able to prevent

such an eventuality.

With regard to the point raised in the four th

paragraph of your letter that the Japanese might feel

aggrieved at the course adopted by this country, I am

to inform you that on June 17th. last His Majesty's

Minister at Peking reported, in a telegram paraphrase

of