CO129-360 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 180

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acting under the instructions of his Government, negotiated

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a large loan for us at a very low rate of interest from

the Governor of the British colony of Hongkong. I then

made an agreement with Tr. Fraser to the effect that

should it be proposed to raise another loan for the

purpose of railway construc ion in the two provinces

the British should be first approached. This promise

was reported to the Throne, ar is on record.

time.

Afterwards as the views expressed on raising » loan

were vor. divergent the consent of the Tiwupu was not

obtained so that no loan has been raised in all this long

When I was at Wuchang in the smer of last year

I discussed with the British Tonsul-"eneral the general

terms of a loan agreement. Since being ordred to the

capital by Imperial e and I scrutinised the conditions

of the moment and collated the terms of the loan agreement

for the Tientsin-P'uk'ou line as now settled. In raising

* loan the essential points to be considered are that the

terms be complete and satisfactory, that our sovereign rights over the rail ay are safeguarded, and that there

should be freedom from abuses. These terms have already

been satisfactorily settled with the Waiwupu so that they

can be put into operation.

The British Consul-General has now specially deputed

I therefore

*r. Bland, the representative of the British and Chinese Corporation, to Peking to settle terme with me, propose at once to instruct the upei Shih-Hung Trutsi, Tseng Tuang-jung, who is coming to the capital for an Audience, in conjunction with the Hupei Educational Commissioner, Kao Ling-wel, whom I propose to send for from Wuchang, to discuss orally with Mr. Bland the general terms of a loan agreement for railvkj

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