CO129-360 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 36

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.] 35

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[44799]

No. 1.

[December 23.]

SECTION 1.

Sir,

Admiralty to Foreign Office.-(Received December 23.)

Admiralty, December 22, 1908. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit herewith, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copy of a letter, dated the 5th ultimo, from His Majesty's ship "Flora," and of its inclosure from His Majesty's ship "Teal," dated the 27th October last, relative to the state of affairs at Changsha.

&c.

I am,

(Signed)

W. GRAHAM GREENE.

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

Sir,

Captain Nugent to Vice-Admiral Sir H. Lambton,

H.M.S." Flora," at Shanghae, November 5, 1908.

I HAVE the honour to transmit the report of Lieutenant-Commander Godfrey on the state of affairs at Changsha.

2. In view of this report, I have directed the "Nightingale" to remain at, or in the vicinity of, Changsha, until the situation has improved.

3. His Majesty's ship "Snipe" will leave Shanghae on the 1st December in the ordinary course; her repairs could be completed by the 15th November, should it be necessary to dispatch her to Changsha, but it would take the "Snipe" at least fifteen days to reach that place.

I have, &c. (Signed) ROWLAND NUGENT, Captain,

Senior Naval Officer, Shanghae.

Sir,

Inclosure 2 in No. 1.

Lieutenant Godfrey to Captain Nugent.

H.M.S."Teal," at Changsha, October 27, 1908.

I HAVE the honour to report that I received at Changsha, at 9 A.M. on the 27th October, and visited, British Consul, in company with Lieutenant and Commander Roy, of "Nightingale." After conferring with them I forwarded my telegram of that date.

The situation has improved slightly, and the Chinese officials are doing their best to check the anti-foreign feeling amongst the local gentry and poorer classes; but they are not very successful. There is not any immediate danger, and the local feeling would not be observed by a casual visitor to Changsha.

The British Consul (Mr. Hewlett) has given me permission to write to you in strict confidence the following two extracts from a letter to himself from the British Minister at Peking

1. "The United States' Minister tells me that the Wai-wu Pu have practically confessed to him their powerlessness to enforce the Standard Oil Company's claim, and have begged him not to press it for the moment, but to give them time to kaitao' the gentry.

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11. "The fact appears to be that the Central Government find it very hard, if not

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