CO129-372 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 33

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

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to make a communication to you to the above effect, and see whether you considered it satisfactory. My own impression is that it will be a matter of the greatest difficulty to force the Chinese Government to submit this question to arbitration, and that Liang Tun-yen could not consent to such a step without resigning. On the other hand, there might be some small chance of negotiations conducted at Lisbon arriving at a satisfactory result.

I have, &c.

W. G. MAX MÜLLER.

P.S. Since writing the above I have received from M. de Brederode a translation of the reply of the Chinese Government to his note requesting the withdrawal of the fishery bureau at Wan-Chai, From the copy which I have the honour to enclose * you will see that the Chinese Government maintain that Lappa is Chinese territory, and that the local authorities were therefore justified in establishing the fishery bureau, which they refuse to withdraw.

W. G. M. M.

[B]

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[13355]

No. 1.

14294

Res 12 MAY 10

[April 19.]

SECTION 2.

Mr. Bryce to Sir Edward Grey.--(Received April 19.) (No. 79. Confidential.) Sir,

Washington, April 9, 1910. THREE days ago I attended the dinner here of the principal Jewish charitable society of America, called the "B'nai B'rith," thinking it well, especially as the President was to be present, and speak, to learn something regarding this great organisation, which is international, though probably stronger here than elsewhere. At it I met and had a conversation with Mr. Jacob H. Schiff, a member and, I think, the guiding spirit of the great banking firm of Kuhn, Loeb, and Co. I had come across him several times at public dinners in New York, where he is reckoned to be one of the wealthiest and probably the most influential of American Jewish financiers. We soon got on the subject of Manchurian railways, regarding which he had been talking to the press some weeks ago. He complained of the action of His Majesty's Government at stopping the Chin Chow-Aigun project, and opposing British subjects I corrected this who desired to join with American financiers in promoting it. misapprehension in the sense of your conversation with Mr. Reid (set forth in your despatch No. 71 of the 16th February), and impressed upon him, though he was so possessed by the other view that he proved hard to convince, that His Majesty's Government had in no way interfered with the project or with China's freedom, but had merely declined to support an understanding which appeared to fall within the terms of the British agreement with Russia, adding that in principle we had no objection to the idea of internationalising the Manchurian lines, though we could not disregard our agreements with Russia and Japan. He expressed great annoyance and disappointment at the recent action of Japan in opposing railway schemes and in making common cause with Russia, declaring that he and the American financiers with and for whom he acted had in 1904 advanced 4,000,0007, to Japan when her He did not conceal his own need was great, in order to help her against Russia. hostility, and doubtless that of his associates, to Russia as the persecutor of the Jewish race, and seemed vexed that His Majesty's Government and that of Japan should take towards her the attitude they had taken. I repeated that His Majesty's Government had no selfish interests in the matter, and no arrière-pensée, but were simply acting as they conceived good faith required. Apart from that we should be quite in favour of the Aigun, or any other Manchurian line if some arrangement could be made to get round the objections raised by Russia and Japan.

I mention this conversation because Mr. Schiff has had intimate relations with the State Department over all these Far-Eastern railway schemes, and doubtless influences the views that are held there.

I have, &c.

JAMES BRYCE.

Prince Ching to Portuguese chargé d'affaires, April 6, 1910.

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