CO129-353 - Public Offices - 1908 — Page 130

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Sir II. MacDonell, No. 57,

14, 1901.

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Peking, as the Central Government is largely composed of Cantonese who are intimately acquainted with the conditions obtaining in Macao.

It has been suggested that, just as Japan started her campaign for the abolition of exterritoriality by denouncing the Treaty with Portugal, so now China is making a similar experiment with the same Power, but so far the parallel seems scarcely) justified.

I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN,

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

Portuguese Government to Portuguese Chargé d'Affaires.-(Communicated by M. Brederode, August 18, 1908.)

(Télégraphique.)

VEUILLEZ soutenir nos droits, vous appuyant pour cela sur le Traité et réclamant contre la violation du statu quo,

Dans ce sens veuillez vous diriger au Gouvernement Chinois, insistant pour la nomination immédiate de la Commission Mixte pour traiter la question des limites. Nous nommerons de suite nos Délégués, qui seront l'antérieur Gouverneur (encore en fonctions), le Directeur des Travaux Publics, et le Chef des Sinologues. Les pouvoirs de la Commission pourraient être les suivants: Etudier la question et négocier le projet de délimitation ad referendum des deux Gouvernements. Quant au local de la réunion de la Commission, veuillez me dire quel point semble plus convénient à la Légation, Macao, Canton, ou Shanghai. Je vous recommande d'insister pour que la Chine retire ses troupes, parce qu'il n'est point admissible l'occupation par une seule des Puissances des points en litige, même avec le prétexte de la répression de la contrebande, répression à laquelle notre coopération est assurée, et point admissible aussi dans le moment où une occupation est chargée de résoudre les doutes de la question. Dans tous ces points vous procéderez d'accord avec le Représentant d'Angleterre, lui demandant ses bons offices en vue d'obtenir une rapide et favorable

noms de ses Commissaires réponse du Gouvernement Chinois et les délimitation, &c.

Inclosure 2 in No. 1.

Memorandum.

pour

la

IN a Memorandum dated the 10th September, 1901, the Portuguese Minister for Foreign Affairs informed Sir H. MacDonell, His Majesty's Minister at Lisbon, that the September Portuguese Government for many reasons considered the moment opportune for the If the Chinese settlement of outstanding difficulties between Portugal and China. Government would agree to carry out Article 2 of the Treaty of the 1st December, 1887, respecting the delimitation of the boundaries of Macao and its dependencies-- the provisions of which had, the Minister stated, been persistently disregarded hitherto- and would award compensation in a sum of 1,500,0001. for the losses incurred by the Portuguese Government and its subjects during the recent upheaval in China, Portugal for her part was prepared to extend her co-operation in the suppression of the opium traffic to the suppression of all contraband goods by the establishment of a Portuguese custom-house at Macao, to consent to the proposal to raise the maritime duties in China, and to maintain for a stipulated period the prohibition for the introduction of arms and ammunition through her possession of Macao.

Foreign

Office

telegram,

No. 310,

October 14,

1901.

Canton,

No. 47, December

12, 1901.

The Memorandum suggested that the islands of Lappa, Mut Wan San, Mala Chao, D. Joao, and Vongkam, as well as the isthmus which joins Macao to the Island of Heung Shan, should be included under Portuguese sovereignty.

To discuss these questions with Sir E. Satow, Senhor Jose de Azevedo Castello Branco, Governor of Lisbon, was directed to proceed to Peking as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to China.

Senhor Branco arrived at Macao in December 1901, the special objects of his mission, as announced at an official reception, being to obtain the delimitation of the boundaries of the Colony and to acquire additional territory in the adjoining district of

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Henng Shan, and more particularly the long-coveted Island of Lappa, which, the Portuguese alleged, dominated their territory.

Satow,

Senhor Branco informed Sir E. Satow that he proposed to ask the Chinese Govern- Sir E. rent for the cession of Lappa, Don Juan, and a third island, without which no No. 25, Improvement in the port of Macao could be effected. He offered in return to assist in Tele- the collection of the revenue from boiled opium, which was smuggled in large quantities graphic, to Canton, and to give up all claim to the hinterland of Macao,

January 20, 1902.

Sir E. Satow desired to know what measure of support should be accorded by him Foreign

Ollice

to these projects, and he was informed on the 22nd January that His Majesty's telegram, Government strongly deprecated any attempt which they feared would be contagious No. 25, to obtain fresh concessions of Chinese territory, but authorized support of the Portu- January 22, guese demands provided they were presented in a form which showed the absolute 1902. necessity for control of the islands in order to suppress smuggling and to improve the port. A request for a Railway Concession might also be supported.

Mr. Scott had reported on the 14th January that the demand for the extension of Canton, the area of the Colony had been abandoned, and that the efforts of the envoy would No. 8,

January 14, he solely directed to securing Commercial and Mining Concessions, and more especially 1902. the right to construct a railway from Macao to Heung Shan city and Shek-ki.

» No. 21,

On the 24th January Senhor Brauco informed Sir E. Satow that he proposed to Sir E. endeavour to obtain from China the execution of Article 2 of the Treaty of 1837, Satow, which provided for the delimitation of the boundaries of Macao "and its dependencies' January 25, by a Commission. The dependencies, he stated, bad for centuries been Macarira (Don 1902. Juan), Taipa, Koho, and Wungkum; the island of Lappa had been included in them up to about 1860, but had then been abandoned. These demands were more moderate than those mentioned in the Memorandum inclosed in Sir H. MacDonell's despatch No. 57 of the 14th September, 1901, and Senhor Branco had, he said, no intention of claiming Heung Shan. Portugal had actually had possession of or exercised jurisdiction over the four islands claimed. Sir E. Satow had, however, seen a Portuguese map in which the southern half of Wungkum was coloured as belonging to China.

Instead of a lease of Heung Shan, which Senhor Branco saw the impossibility of obtaining, he proposed to ask the right to construct a railway from Macao to Canton and Samshui. The most difficult point in the negotiations would be Lappa, on which the Imperial Maritime Customs had a station, but it was impossible to carry out port works without control over its eastern shore, which formed one side of the harbour of Macao.

The negotiations were delayed by the discussion over the Convention for the Senhor evacuation of Manchuria, but in a note of the 21st February, Senhor Branco represented Branco, Ching, to Prince Ching that, for the security and prosperity of the Colony, the possession of Prince the surrounding islands, natural dependencies conceded by the Treaty of 1887, was February indispensable. He proposed the appointment of Delegates to discuss the interests of the 12, 1902. two countries and to decide the basis for a limitation Convention,

Prince Ch'ing replied that the Chinese Government could not consent to any Prince "addition, diminution, or alteration" of the boundaries, but were ready to appoint a Delegate to delimit the frontier.

Ching to

Senhor Branco, March 12, 1902.

Princo

The Portuguese Minister reminded his Highness that, by Article 12 of the Treaty Senhor of 1887, Portuguese subjects were still entitled to import goods at the rates fixed by the Branco to Tariff of 1858, as Portugal had not yet declared her adhesion to the Final Protocol of September 1901.

Ch'ing, March 17, 1902.

Prince

Senhor Branco considered that the mere nomination of Delegates to delimit the Soutor frontier, without previous agreement as to a basis of delimitation, would not help towards Branco to a solution of the question. It was necessary first to define the respective rights of the Ching, two countries, as expressed in Article 2 of the Protocol of Lisbon, by a special March 19, Convention before nominating Delegates to delimit the actual frontier.

1902.

No. 102,

Senhor Brauco had been given confidentially to understand that the Chinese Sir E. Government would be willing to make some slight territorial concession in return for the Satow, adhesion of Portugal to the Final Protocol. He was consequently the more disappointed April 17, at the receipt of a reply to the effect that the "dependencies" were only the territory 1902. actually governed by Macao, and there was therefore no need of a delimitation Prince Convention, but merely of actual demarcation, and he accordingly informed the Prince Ching to

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Senhor