This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[July 27.]
SECTION 5.
Reported Intervention of Great Britain: Sir J. Jordan instructs Consul-General Mansfield to enter Protest with the Viceroy of Kuangtung.
"It is credibly reported that the British Minister to Peking, Sir John Jordan, has instructed the British Consul-General at Canton to represent to the Viceroy of Kuangtung the immediate necessity for suppressing the boycott of Japanese goods."
'London, May 10, 1908.”
Taotai Wen Tsung Yao has informed me that his Excellency Chang agreed that the boycott is being principally fostered and kept alive by the native press, and had instructed the Prefect to call together the editors of the papers and some of the principal merchants and urge them to stop the publication of anything tending to keep up friction.
To sum up the situation, though the accounts given in the native press and reproduced in the foreign journals greatly exaggerate the real state of affairs, the substratum of truth is quite enough to cause anxiety to the Japanese Government. There is a large class of men here, most of them having little pecuniary interest in the matter, who are using every means to foment the boycott, and a certain number of the mercantile community who allow themselves to be carried away. The Viceroy's attitude since the "Tatsu Maru" was released has been on the whole a correct one, as is acknowledged by the Japanese Consul. His position is an awkward one, for he is, I believe, now aware that the initial mistake in making the seizure was his, and yet, in giving up the ship, he was, to save his face, more or less obliged to pose as being compelled to yield to pressure from the Central Government. He is of a timid disposition, and shrinks from the storm that would arise should he take any really arbitrary action with a view to putting an end to the boycott. It is to my mind very doubtful if he could do more in this direction than he has already done.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
R. W. MANSFIELD.
[25999]
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received July 27.)
(No. 268.)
Peking, June 10, 1908.
WITH reference to my despatch No. 164 of the 9th April, I have the honour to inclose, for your information, translation of a Memorial of Lien Yu, one of the Imperial Residents at Lhassa, on the measures taken by the Chinese Government for the establishment of a military college and for the furtherance of education in Thibet.
I am forwarding a copy of this despatch to the Government of India.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
J. N. JORDAN.
Inclosure in No. 1.
Extract from the "Official Gazette" of June 2, 1908.
Memorial by Lien Yü, the Imperial Resident, on the Establishment of a Printing Office and of a Military College in Thibet.
(Translation.)
THE Thibetan people have long been cut off from the outer world, and it has been found impossible to develop their minds until they have a knowledge of Chinese characters and books. For this reason a school of Chinese was established last year, and a printing office was subsequently added. Lead type of Thibetan characters and a printing machine were procured from India, a house was selected, and Manchu, Chinese, and Thibetan officers were appointed to manage it. At present a translation is being made of the "Maxims from the Sacred Edict," and it is proposed to issue this book first, and other works of a real educational and useful character will afterwards be translated and printed so that those unacquainted with Chinese will be able to read the translations. The gradual dissemination of this literature will help to influence the habits and customs of the people.
The fourteen cadets sent from the Szechuan Military College and School for Officers have now reached Thibet, and I propose to establish a military training college to which will be sent about twenty soldiers and petty officers from the regular army and the guard, selected for their youth, knowledge of reading, and intelligence. Thirty-nine Mongols, ten tribesmen, and ten Thibetans will also be sent to the college, and the Ghoorkalis will be asked to send four students. The course of training will be for one year, and the students should then have some knowledge of military science and prove very useful on the frontier. As soon as Hsu Fang-shao reaches Thibet I shall direct him to raise a battalion of troops with the assistance of the officers who have finished their course in the college. If more troops can afterwards be enlisted, additional subordinate officers can then be appointed to command companies and files.
The cost of the printing office will continue to be borne by Thibet, and will not be a charge on the Imperial Treasury. As regards the military training college, I propose to have some slight additions made to the building formerly known as the Yen Wu Ting, in Cha-Shih-Ch'êng, and use it as quarters for the instructors; on the west and east a lecture-room, dining-hall, and bedrooms for the students will be built. The cost of building, purchasing weapons, &c., and the students' upkeep and uniform is not expected to exceed some thousands of taels, which I propose to pay out of the funds recently forwarded by the Board of Finance, a full account being subsequently rendered to the Board.
[1865 dd—6]
Page 309
2
I may mention here that on the 11th instant, four days after the receipt of telegram, the "South China Morning Post" published the following:-
"THE CANTON BOYCOTT.
This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
D
your
AFFAIRS OF CHINA,
CONFIDENTIAL.
[July 27.]
SECTION 5.
"6
Reported Intervention of Great Britain: Sir J. Jordan instructs Consul-General
Mansfield to enter Protest with the Viceroy of Kuangtung.
"It is credibly reported that the British Minister to Peking, Sir John Jordan, has instructed the British Consul-General at Canton to represent to the Viceroy of Kuangtung the immediate necessity for suppressing the boycott of Japanese goods."
£1
'London, May 10, 1908.”
Taotai Wen Tsung Yao has informed me that his Excellency Chang agreed that the boycott is being principally fostered and kept alive by the native press, and had instructed the Prefect to call together the editors of the papers and some of the principal merchants and urge them to stop the publication of anything tending to keep up friction.
To sum up the situation, though the accounts given in the native press and reproduced in the foreign journals greatly exaggerate the real state of affairs, the substratum of truth is quite enough to cause anxiety to the Japanese Government. There is a large class of men here, most of them having little pecuniary interest in the matter, who are using every means to foment the boycott, and a certain number of the mercantile cominunity who allow themselves to be carried away. The Viceroy's attitude since the Tatsu Maru" was released has been on the whole a correct one, as is acknowledged by the Japanese Consul. His position is an awkward one, for he is, I believe, now aware that the initial mistake in making the seizure was his, and yet, in giving up the ship, he was, to save his face, more or less obliged to pose as being compelled to yield to pressure from the Central Government. He is of a timid disposition, and shrinks from the storm that would arise should he take any really arbitrary action with a view to putting an end to the boycott. It is to my mind very doubtful if he could do more in this direction than he has already done.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
R. W. MANSFIELD.
[25999]
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received July 27.)
(No. 268.) Sir,
Peking, June 10, 1908. WITH reference to my despatch No. 164 of the 9th April, I have the honour to inclose, for your information, translation of a Memorial of Lien Yu, one of the Imperial Residents at Lhassa, on the measures taken by the Chinese Government for the establishment of a military college and for the furtherance of education in Thibet.
I am forwarding a copy of this despatch to the Government of India.
I have, &c. (Signed)
J. N. JORDAN.
Inclosure in No. 1.
Extract from the "Official Gasette" of June 2, 1908.
Memorial by Lien Yü, the Imperial Resident, on the Establishment of a Printing Office und
of a Military College in Thibet,
(Translation.)
THE Thibetan people have long been cut off from the outer world, and it has been found impossible to develop their minds until they have a knowledge of Chinese characters and books. For this reason a school of Chinese was established last year, and a printing office was subsequently added. Lead type of Thibetan characters and a printing machine were procured from India, a house was selected, and Manehu, Chinese, and Thibetan officers were appointed to manage it. At present a translation is being made of the "Maxims from the Sacred Edict," and it is proposed to issue this book first, and other works of a real educational and useful character will afterwards be translated and printed so that those unacquainted with Chinese will be able to read the translations. The gradual dissemination of this literature will help to influence the habits and customs of the people.
The fourteen cadets sent from the Szechuan Military College and School for Officers have now reached Thibet, and I propose to establish a military training college to which will be sent about twenty soldiers and petty officers from the regular army and the guard, selected for their youth, knowledge of reading, and intelligence. Thirty-nine Mongols, ten tribesmen, and teu Thibetans will also be sent to the college, and the Ghoorkalis will be asked to send four students. The course of training will be for one year, and the students should then have some knowledge of military science and prove very useful on the frontier. As soon as Hsu Fang-shao reaches Thibet I shall direct him to raise a battalion of troops with the assistance of the officers who have finished their course in the college. If more troops can afterwards be enlisted, additional subordinate officers can then be appointed to command companies and files.
I
The cost of the printing office will continue to be borne by Thibet, and will not be a charge on the Imperial Treasury. As regards the military training college, propose to have some slight additions made to the building formerly known as the Yen Wu Ting, in Cha-Shih-Ch'êng, and use it as quarters for the instructors; on the west and east a lecture-room, dining-hall, and bedrooms for the students will be built. The cost of building, purchasing weapons, &c., and the students' upkeep and uniform is not expected to exceed some thousands of taels, which I propose to pay out of the funds recently forwarded by the Board of Finance, a full account being subsequently rendered to the Board.
[1865 dd—6]
309
T
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