CO129-353 - Public Offices - 1908 — Page 195

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government-

191

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL,

(
[33192]
No. 1.
0.
41116
[October 1
10 NOV 08
SECTION 2.

:(No. 381.) Sir,

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received October 19.)

Peking, August 26, 1908, ON receipt of your telegram No. 111 of the 15th instant, I called upon M. Arsenieff, the Russian Chargé d'Affaires, and explained to him the circumstances, so far as they are known to me, connected with the death at Harbin of a British subject, named Macdonough, and the action taken by the Russian Consul there in administering the estate of the deceased.

M. Arsenieff had no knowledge of the case, but readily agreed at my request to instruct his Consul to forward the birth certificate and passport of the deceased to His Majesty's Consul-General at Mukden.

In thanking M. Arsenieff for his Consul's services on this occasion, I took the opportunity of informing him that the jurisdiction of His Majesty's Consul-General at Mukden extends over the whole of Manchuria, and that, properly speaking, the administration of the estates of British subjects dying at Harbin should vest exclusively in that official. As, however, His Majesty's Consul-General could only pay occasional visits to Harbin, I should feel grateful if, in the event of similar cases occurring in the future, the Imperial Russian Consul would, as a matter of convenience, be so good as to notify his British colleague at Mukden so that the latter might himself undertake the administration of the property. I added that, if this proposal met with his acceptance, I would instruct Mr. Willis to proceed to Harbin to obtain some further information about the present case and to make an arrangement with the Russian Consul for the administration on the lines indicated above of the estates of any British subjects who might die in that portion of the Consular jurisdiction in future.

M. Arsenieff expressed his willingness to fall in with this arrangement, although it was evident from his manner that he interpreted it as a polite refusal to recognize the privileged position claimed by Russia at Harbin.

In my instruction to Mr. Willis, copy of which I have the honour to inclose, I have made it clear to him that, in coming to an understanding with his Russian colleague, he is to avoid anything which might be construed as a recognition of the Russian claim to a special status at Harbin,

I have, &c.

(Signed)
J. N. JORDAN.

Inclosure in No. 1.

Sir J. Jordan to Acting Consul-General Willis.

(No. 25. Confidential.) Sir,

Peking, August 24, 1908. THE telegraphic correspondence which we have exchanged respecting the administration by the Russian Consul-General at Harbin of the estate of a deceased British subject contains its own explanation, and the importance of guarding carefully against anything in the nature of a recognition of the Russian claim to exclusive jurisdiction at Harbin is a subject upon which I need not enlarge, since you are fully aware of the views of His Majesty's Government, emphasized in the telegram from Sir Edward Grey, which I repeated to you on the 6th instant.

I am now in receipt of a telegram from Sir Edward Grey approving the suggestion that an arrangement should be made whereby the Russian Consul-General shall notify cases of decease of British subjects to His Majesty's Consul-General at Mukden, who You should therefore shall thereupon undertake the administration of the estate. proceed to Harbin at an early opportunity for the purpose of coming to an understanding on those lines with your Russian colleague.

I need hardly say that you should be careful to avoid making any statement likely to be construed as a recognition of Russian claims in this matter of jurisdiction,

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