This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Govertiment
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over Britons within the German Concession, and that this arrangement could be put in force by Imperial Order without need to refer to the German Parliament.
As Dr. Kriege thought, I must have misunderstood his former statement on which he did not lay stress, as I told him that my impression was that our Government did not desire to exercise such jurisdiction over aliens directly instead of, as at present, through the proper Consular authorities, whose certificates at the time lots are transferred to other than Britons duly secure the observance of our Regulations and bye-laws.
At his request I have the honour to report that the German Consular authorities have urged as strongly as they can the desirability of accepting the system in force on our and other Concessions here, and are ready to cite the pending case of the purchase of Lot 88 A in support of their view.
I have, &c. (Signed) E. H. FRASER.
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[19832]
(No. 196.) Sir,
[June 9.1.2
SECTION 3.
JUL 08
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received June 9.)
Peking, May 4, 1908. I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith a summary of events of general interest, compiled from reports received from His Majesty's Consuls, together with extracts from the Chinese press.
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
J. N. JORDAN.
Monthly Summary of Events in China.
Amoy.
HIS Majesty's Consul reports that the district swarms with Japanese, who are zealously pursuing methods of peaceful penetration. Missionaries up-country report that Japanese surveyors are constantly to be met working with theodolite and other instruments at a trigonometrical survey of Fukien, and it cannot be doubted that their Intelligence Department possesses accurate detailed maps of the province. A Japanese in the employ of the Imperial Maritime Customs admitted as much to his Commissioner, but added that very few Japanese themselves were allowed even to see these maps. Another move on their part has been the introduction of Buddhist priests to propagate Buddhistic doctrines and to claim for them under the most-favoured-nation clause the privileges of Christian missionaries. The Japanese Consul consulted with His Majesty's Consul on this point, but was advised that the most-favoured-nation clause could hardly extend the protection granted by Treaty to Christian missionaries of one nation over the non-Christian missionaries of another nation.
Chinkiang.
The following is an instance of the difficult questions which arise as regards land purchases by foreigners, and which are largely due to the very hazy ideas some people here have as to the manner in which land purchases between foreigners and Chinese should be conducted. T. W. Bowern, the Inspector of Police, acquired, in his Chinese name of Pao T'ai Chi, some years ago two pieces of land outside the South Gate, under deed of absolute sale, had the transfer registered in the Magistrate's yamên, and paid the taxes yearly in the usual Chinese fashion. Then he sold these two plots under deed of perpetual lease (Chinese), under his Chinese name, Pao T'ai Chi, to Mrs. Thomas, and Captain Brissander, both of Shanghae. They attempted to obtain the usual Taotai's deeds, and, in the course of issue of these, it came to the notice of the Taotai that Pao T'ai Chi is not a native, but a foreigner, and the case thus suggests itself to him as one in which a foreigner assumed a Chinese name in order to acquire certain land which he would not have been able to acquire as a foreigner. He maintains that the land, being a long way outside the South Gate, is in the interior, the mart of Chiakiang, where foreigners have hitherto acquired extra concession lots, being outside the West Gate. On account of the assumption of the Chinese name, he claims that the purchase money must be recovered from the vendors and confiscated, the land be given up, and the title-deeds be returned to the authorities for cancellation. His Majesty's Consul's contention is that foreigners in Shanghae have acquired land at a greater distance from the Settle- ments than this land is from the Concession; that Bowern had no fraudulent intention in using the Chinese name Pao T'ai Chi; and that the land has been bought and paid for, and there are no native complications as to title. Mr. Pitzipios continues: "I
[1819 i-3]
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