CO129-371 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 333

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

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The Ambassador remarked that it was quite possible, in view of the under- standings between Russia and Japan about Manchuria, that his Government also had been reproached by the Russian Government for not having said anything to them sooner. He seemed, however, to be quite satisfied with the position which we now all respectively occupied with regard to each other, though he emphasized the fact that the Japanese attitude towards the Chinchow-Aigun Railway was in advance of that which Russia had adopted so far.

I am, &c.

E. GREY.

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[44964]

No. 1.

[December

SECTION 1.

FEB 10

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received December 10.)

Peking, December 10, 1909.

(No. 192.) (Telegraphic.) P. MACAO. The Wai-wu Pu declare that they have no official information as to the landing of Chinese troops on Dom João, which forms the subject of enquiry in your telegrami No. 195 of yesterday's date. From the Portuguese I learn that the Chinese landed some 200 or 400 men on the morning of the 7th instant, the declared object being the I have not yet arrest of escaped criminals. The troops left the same day at noon. received a report on the subject from Iis Majesty's consul-general at Cauton in reply to a telegraphic enquiry sent to him yesterday.

My Portuguese colleague made an official request for arbitration on the Sth instant. In accordance with your instructions, I saw the Ministers of the Wai-wu Pu to-day, and strongly supported the Portuguese proposal. They stated, however, that the question was one which concerned Portugal and China alone; it involved complicated local interests, and arbitration was, in their opinion, an ineffectual means of dealing with the sanje satisfactorily. On these grounds, therefore, they had now definitely decided to reply to the Portuguese request in the negative.

This decision will, I understand, shortly be communicated to the Portuguese chargé d'affaires.

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