[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
2
The bad faith of China appears to us to be clearly demonstrated by the following translation of an extract from a telegram from the Board of Finance to the Acting Viceroy of Canton on the afternoon of the 8th day, 3rd Moon (ie., 17th April, 1910), a copy of which was received by our Hong Kong house on the 18th ultimo from Chinese sources, which we have every reason to believe authentic, viz. :----
"Your telegram is noted. We find that the regulations for the enforcement of However, as the licence tax submitted by you are different from those decided by us. you stated in your telegram that the merchants have approved of the system, and the tax will bring about 2,000,000 taels yearly, we think you may give it a trial, provided the foreigners will not intervene and smokers will not favour more the foreign opium. We also expect you will be good enough to report to us from time to time how things are going."
This suggests that foreign intervention was feared, and that, had the British consul-general taken up a firm position at first, the tax and regulations would not have been enforced. Further, the telegram shows that the Chinese are more concerned as to whether smokers would favour foreign opium instead of the native drug rather than with the suppression of opium smoking.
We have, &c.
E. D. SASSOON AND Co. DAVID SASSOON AND Co.
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[34652]
(No. 303.)
No. 1.
31429
Rest 10;
[September 26.]
SECTION 1.
Mr. Mar Müller to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received September 26 )
Sir,
Peking, September 8, 1010. WITH reference to my telegram No. 153 of the 6th instant, I have the honour to transmit herewith copy of the note which I have addressed to the Wai-wu Pu pressing for a reply to my note of the 1st August and requesting that the enforcement of the objectionable articles of the new Kuangtung Opium Regulations may be suspended. at all events pending the conclusion of the negotiations for the renewal of the agreement for the reduction of the importation of opium from India. At an interview with Mr. Hu Wei-te on the 2nd instant I complained of the dilatory manner in which my proposals, as handed to Mr. Liu on the 30th July, were being dealt with, and I stated that I was most anxious to proceed with the negotiations with all due dispatch, especially as I wished to take advantage of Sir A. Hosie's presence in Peking to assist me in the work. I made a further reference to this point in the enclosed note.
may mention that Mr. Liu came to see me privately on the 1st instant, and I then told him that I was still waiting for a reply to the generous terms which I had put before him in writing and explained to him at length as long ago as the 30th July. Mr. Liu had evidently given no thought to the question, and told me that they had been considering exclusively the offer of His Majesty's Government, as stated in the last paragraph of my note of the 1st August, to agree to an enhancement of the consolidated import duty on opium if the Chinese Government could produce cvidence that the taxation of the native article had been substantially increased. I pointed out to Mr. Liu that this was only one of several points which had to be settled, and that I was only prepared to discuss it in connection with the other proposals I had submitted to him.
I have, &c.
W. G. MAX MÜLLER.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Your Highness,
Mr. Max Müller to Prince Ch'ing.
Peking, September 7, 1910. In a note dated the 1st August I conveyed to your Highness, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, a protest against the additional tax on opium imposed under the new regulations issued in the province of Kuangtung. I explained at length the grounds on which His Majesty's Government objected to certain articles of the new regulations as infringing the additional article of the Chefoo Convention, and requested that they should either be withdrawn or modified. Further, I informed your lighness that my Government were prepared to consider and discuss in a reasonable spirit any proposal put forward by the Chinese Government if they were dissatisfied with the existing arrangements for controlling the importation of foreign opium, and were even willing to agree to an enhancement of the present consolidated import duty, if the Chinese Government can produce evidence that the taxation of the native article has been substantially increased.
Previous to addressing this note to your Highness I had handed to Mr. Liu Yü-lin, the official delegated by the Wai-wu Pu to discuss with me the question of the prolongation of the opium agreement between Great Britain and China, à memorandum embodying the generous terms which His Majesty's Government are prepared to offer to the Chinese Government to assist them in the work of the progressive reduction of the importation of foreign opium.
I regret to state that, though five weeks have now elapsed since I addressed my note to your Highness, I have received no reply to the protest of His Majesty's Government against the enforcement of the new regulations in Kuangtung, nor have
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