This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.)
29532 271
290
t
(No. 18.) Sir,
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Consul-General Mansfield to Sir J. Jordan.
Canton, May 21, 1908. REFERRING to your telegram No. 13 of the 9th instant, and my telegrams Nos. 13 and 14 of the 11th and 13th instant respectively, relative to the landing of Chinese troops on Wung Kum Island, near Macao, I have now the honour to report that the incident does not appear to have been of any serious moment.
Since the "Tatsu Maru" case, the Chinese authorities have reinforced the preventive guards round the boundaries of Macao to stop the smuggling of arms. It seems that the force landed on Wung Kum only consisted of fourteen men, whose duties were to keep watch on the population of the island, many of whom are suspected of being concerned in the smuggling operations. A deputy has been sent down by the Viceroy to inquire into the matter, but he has not yet reported. The question of jurisdiction over the Island of Wung Kum is still in abeyance until such time as Macao and its dependencies have been delimitated, as agreed in the Treaty between Portugal and China signed in 1887.
The Governor of Macao, his Excellency Pedro d'Azevedo Coutinho, has resigned and returned to Europe, but as far as is known his retirement has no connection with the above incident.
I have, &c.
(Télégraphique.)
(Signed) R. W. MANSFIELD.
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Baron Sendal to Portuguese Government.
Le 3 Juin, 1908. MINISTRE d'Angleterre a vu Ouai-ou Pou hier, qui a refusé très poliment, mais nettement, d'accepter ses bons offices pour le moment, l'affaire étant entre Portugal et Chine.
Quai-ou Pu désire réponse aux deux notes.
Les archives de la Légation n'ont pas les moyens nécessaires pour formuler une réponse.
Demande instruction si je dois accuser réception des deux notes disant que j'apprends du contenu de la note du 22 Mai, que le Viceroi de Canton va traiter la question avec les autorités de Macao.
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[25994]
No. 1,
SBORO AUG 08
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.~(Received July 27.)
(No. 260. Confidential.) Sir,
Peking, June 5, 1908. I HAVE the honour to report the substance of a conversation which I had yesterday with the Nepalese Envoy, Kaji Bhyrab Bahadur, who is living in quarters provided for him by the Chinese Government at the extreme north of the city, some four miles from the Legation quarter. It is possible that the Chinese selected this locality with the view of removing the Envoy from foreign influence, but, if so, the precaution was unnecessary, as the latter has instructions from the Maharajah to enter into relations only with this Legation.
The Envoy is especially proud of the fact that his father, who is now 83, is one of the two surviving Nepalese veterans of the Indian Mutiny. He was Nepalese Agent at Lhassa in 1883, when the attack was made upon the Goorkha traders there by the Thibetans, and, according to his son, was mainly instrumental in averting war between the two countries by his skilful diplomacy in securing suitable reparation for the outrage.
The Kaji does not seem to think that Chinese influence in Thibet is increasing, or that her efforts at reform there have so far produced much effect. The relations between the Goorkha traders and the Chinese were, he said, only passably good, as the Chinese Resident rather grudged the Nepalese the enjoyment of the rights which they had acquired by the longstanding Treaty with Thibet. The Chinese viewed with especial disfavour the arrangement by which all male children born of a Goorkha father and a Thibetan mother assumed the nationality of the father.
On his journey across Thibet he had been passed on from one Chinese Commissariat Station to another, and had found things made comparatively easy for him. It was only when he reached the borders of China proper that his difficulties began. These had at no time been very serious, but they had constituted a constant worry, and had been caused entirely by the malpractices of the smaller officials. When he appealed to the Governors and Viceroys he had universally received instant redress, but the difficulty was to reach the ears of the higher authorities. After resorting to a variety of other methods, he had found in the end that an appeal by letter sent through the Customs post proved the most efficacious remedy.
His treatment in Peking the Envoy described as being of the stereotyped kind which had been meted out to previous Missions since the last years of the eighteenth century. He had presented the usual letter and articles of so-called tribute from his Sovereign, and had been twice received in audience by the Emperor and Empress Dowager.
The letter, of which he promised me an English translation, was not, he said, so obsequious in tone as the version usually published in the "Peking Gazette" represented it to be.
The question of continuing these Missions appeared to him to be of doubtful utility, and he was reporting on the subject. Former Missions had been largely in the nature of commercial speculations, and had proved very successful in this respect. Little profit was now to be made by bringing Nepalese produce to China. The change, although the Envoy did not say so, is probably due to the restrictions placed upon the sale of opium, which was, I believe, in former years one of the articles in which the Mission traded.
The only advantage he saw in the continuance of the Mission was the opportunity it gave Nepal of gaining access to China and of acquiring some first-hand information of the great changes that were going on in the country. He had utilized this opportunity to the best of his ability, and had during his journey acquired a working knowledge of Chinese in order to enable him to gain a better insight into the conditions of Chinese life. But, on the whole, he was inclined to think that the Mission was a relic of the past which might be discontinued, although the process should be a gradual one.
[1865 dd-6]
2
This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.)
29532 271
290
t
(No. 18.) Sir,
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Consul-General Mansfield to Sir J. Jordan.
Canton, May 21, 1908. REFERRING to your telegram No. 13 of the 9th instant, and my telegrams Nos. 13 and 14 of the 11th and 13th instant respectively, relative to the landing of Chinese troops on Wung Kum Island, near Macao, I have now the honour to report that the incident does not appear to have been of any serious moment.
Since the "Tatsu Maru" case, the Chinese authorities have reinforced the preventive guards round the boundaries of Macao to stop the smuggling of arms. It seems that the force landed on Wung Kum only consisted of fourteen men, whose duties were to keep watch on the population of the island, many of whom are suspected of being concerned in the smuggling operations. A deputy has been sent down by the Viceroy to inquire into the matter, but he has not yet reported. The question of jurisdiction over the Island of Wung Kum is still in abeyance until such time as Macao and its dependencies have been delimitated, as agreed in the Treaty between Portugal and China signed in 1887.
The Governor of Macao, his Excellency Pedro d'Azevedo Continho, has resigned and returned to Europe, but as far as is known his retirement has no connection with the above incident.
I have, &c.
(Télégraphique.)
(Signed)
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Baron Sendal to Portuguese Government.
R. W. MANSFIELD.
Le 3 Juin, 1908. MINISTRE d'Angleterre a vu Ouai-ou Pou hier, qui a refusé très poliment, mais nettement, d'accepter ses bons offices pour le moment, l'affaire étant entre Portugal et Chine.
Quai-ou Pu désire réponse aux deux notes.
Les archives de la Légation n'ont pas les moyens nécessaires pour formuler une réponse.
Demande instruction si je dois accuser réception des deux notes disant que j'apprends du contenu de la note du 22 Mai, que le Viceroi de Canton va traiter la question avec les autorités de Macao.
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[25994]
No. 1,
SBORO AUG 08
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.~(Received July 27.)
(No. 260. Confidential.) Sir,
Peking, June 5, 1908. I HAVE the honour to report the substance of a conversation which I had yester- day with the Nepalese Envoy, Kaji Bhyrab Bahadur, who is living in quarters provided for him by the Chinese Government at the extreme north of the city, some four miles from the Legation quarter. It is possible that the Chinese selected this locality with the view of removing the Envoy from foreign influence, but, if so, the precaution was unnecessary, as the latter has instructions from the Maharajah to enter into relations only with this Legation.
The Envoy is especially proud of the fact that his father, who is now 83, is one of the two surviving Nepalese veterans of the Indian Mutiny. He was Nepalese Agent at Lhassa in 1883, when the attack was made upon the Goorkha traders there by the Thibetans, and, according to his son, was mainly instrumental in averting war between the two countries by his skilful diplomacy in securing suitable reparation for the outrage.
The Kaji does not seem to think that Chinese influence in. Thibet is increasing, or that her efforts at reform there have so far produced much effect. The relations between the Goorkha traders and the Chinese were, he said, only passably good, as the Chinese Resident rather grudged the Nepalese the enjoyment of the rights which they had acquired by the longstanding Treaty with Thibet. The Chinese viewed with especial disfavour the arrangement by which all male children born of a Goorkha father and a Thibetan mother assumed the nationality of the father.
On his journey across Thibet he had been passed on from one Chinese Commuis- sariat Station to another, and had found things made comparatively easy for him. It was only when he reached the borders of China proper that his difficulties began. These had at no time been very serious, but they had constituted a constant worry, and had been caused entirely by the malpractices of the smaller officials. When he appealed to the Governors and Viceroys he had universally received instant redress, but the difficulty was to reach the ears of the higher authorities. After resorting to a variety of other methods, he had found in the end that an appeal by letter sent through the Customs post proved the most efficacious remedy.
His treatment in Peking the Envoy described as being of the stereotyped kind which had been meted out to previous Missions since the last years of the eighteenth century. He had presented the usual letter and articles of so-called tribute from his Sovereign, and had been twice received in audience by the Emperor and Empress Dowager.
The letter, of which he promised me an English translation, was not, he said, so obsequious in tone as the version usually published in the "Peking Gazette" repre- sented it to be.
The
The question of continuing these Missions appeared to him to be of doubtful utility, and he was reporting on the subject. Former Missions had been largely in the nature of commercial speculations, and had proved very successful in this respect. Little profit was now to be made by bringing Nepalose produce to China. change, although the Envoy did not say so, is probably due to the restrictions placed upon the sale of opium, which was, believe, in former years one of the articles in. which the Mission traded.
it
The only advantage he saw in the continuance of the Mission was the opportunity gave Nepal of gaining access to China and of acquiring some first hand information of the great changes that were going on in the country. He had utilized this oppor- tunity to the best of his ability, and had during his journey acquired a working kuowledge of Chinese in order to enable him to gain a better insight into the condi- tions of Chinese life. But, on the whole, he was inclined to think that the Mission was a relic of the past which might be discontinued, although the process should be a gradual one.
[1865 dd-6]
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