4
Shanghae taels; as, after that date, our expenditure increased enormously, it cannot be very much more now.
The Board is therefore not in a position now to make any new contracts for dredging or other large works, or to renew the engagements of our engineers beyond the end of 1910, unless the Chinese Government decides to spend more money on the conservancy scheme than the 460,000 Haikwan taels a-year for twenty years originally agreed upon.
Our expenditure has been :-
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government:]
C.0.
12734
[B]
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AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
RECR
[March 24.]
REGP 14 APR 09
SECTION 1.
In the year 1906
5:
1907
11
字
1908
=
:::
Shanghae taels
:::
Haikwan taels. 98,786.92 478,784.13 2,041,182 45
2,613,703-50
2,911,665-70
The big increase in 1907 and 1908 is due to the arrival of the dredgers and commencement of work in earnest,
Yours truly, (Signed)
A. G. H. CARRUTHERS, Secretary,
Whangpoo Conservancy Board.
Inclosure 5 in No. 1.
[11307]
(Secret.) Sir,
No. 1.
War Office to Foreign Office.-(Received March 24.)
I AM commanded by the Army Council to forward, for the information of Sir
War Office, March 23, 1909, Edward Grey, a copy of a Secret letter received from the General Officer Commanding the Troops in North China (dated the 12th January last), with regard to recent reductions in the Peking Legation guards.
The Council consider that it is most inexpedient that certain Powers should, without reference to the others, withdraw portions of their Legation guards, thereby weakening the system of defence.
I am to ask, therefore, that they may be favoured with the view taken by Sir Edward Grey with regard to the matter.
I am, &c.
(Signed) R. W. BRADE.
Gentlemen,
M. de Rijke to Whangpoo Conservancy Board, Shanghae.
Shanghae, February 3, 1909. THE Secretary, Mr. Carruthers, on account of the Whangpoo River Conservancy Board, handed to me the copy of a letter from the senior Consul, addressed to the Board, dated the 26th January, 1909.
In this letter four questions were asked, and as I understand, the Board wishes my opinion on Nos. 2, 3, and 4.
No. 2.-My reply on this is that 9,200,000 taels is not at all sufficient.
No. 3.-I cannot say, and have no idea who made the estimate mentioned in the Convention.
No. 4-In reply to this question, I must say that for the present my attention is still mainly devoted to the regulation and improvement of the lower river.
Beyond laying down the normal lines, nothing further can at present, i,e., under the present circumstances be considered with regard to the upper reaches (Shanghae Harbour region), and it is utterly impossible to give a detailed estimate as asked, which would have to cover such questions as, e.g., the removal of the great obstruction on the river front of the Chinese city suburbs, compensation to the timber merchants, the removal of a floating population living in boats, the bunding question, &c.
See also my letters of the 5th March, 1908, and of the 6th June, 1908. questions, however urgent, are still pending.
All these
(Signed) JOHS. DE RIJKE,
0
(Secret.)
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Brigadier-General Waters to War Office.
Sir,
General Staff Office, Tien-tsin, January 12, 1909. I HAVE the honour to inclose distribution lists of the foreign troops in Peking for May and for December 1908. From a comparison of these two lists it will be seen that the Japanese garrison has been reduced from 317 of all ranks to 137, and the Russian garrison from 102 to 48.
2. These reductions will naturally affect the Scheme of Defence of Legations quarter sent with my letter of the 17th October, 1908. As regards the Japanese (paragraphs 6 (a) and 10 (b)), they still undertake to occupy the St. Michel Hospital and to place four guns on the Water Gate, though numbers will be slightly modified. This, however, must leave the reserve (paragraph 7 (a)) merely a nominal one.
With regard to the Russians, they have now only reduced their garrison to half its former strength, but official intimation has been given to the British Minister that they intend to withdraw the whole of their troops. This will leave an undefended of 250 yards between the British and American Legations, and this matter is to receive gap attention at the next meeting of Commandants which will take place shortly.
3. The total perimeter of the whole Legations' quarter to be defended is about 5,000 yards, and for this 1,615 of all ranks are now available. In the British Legation there would be one man to every 6 yards of defences when manned by every available man, and when working in reliefs with one-third of the garrison on duty there would be one man to every 20 yards.
4. Should the Legation quarter be besieged, as in 1900, by an armed mob it could hold its own until relieved by reinforcements from India or Africa, but if guns should be brought against it the brick walls, which are of poor quality, could be easily breached, and no ditch was allowed to be dug round the northern and western walls (the two exposed ones) of the British Legation, of which the former is 70 yards from the southern wall of the Imperial city.
5. The position is a bad one for defence, and the military situation has greatly changed since the Legation guards were first placed here in 1901. At that time there were comparatively few Chinese troops in Peking, and the modern Chinese army did not exist. Now there are, in the immediate neighbourhood of Peking, 17,000 modern- trained troops with 108 modern field and mountain-guns, besides 9,000 provincial troops and police armed with breech-loaders. The defence of the Legations would be
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