CO129-382 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 317

(Confidential.)

2

I am inclined to think that the idea underlying the proposal has been suggested to the Chinese by the example of the prohibition States in America, and that it has emanated either from the Chinese officials, who have received their education in the United States or from Mr. Thwing or some of the other Americans here, who are giving their advice and moral support to the Chinese Government in this question. Dr. Tenny, the Chinese Secretary to the American Legation, who was one of the American repre- sentatives at the Shanghai Opium Commission, is generally credited with taking a friendly interest in the Chinese view of the question. The proposal would, however, seem to lose sight of the fact that so far the Chinese Government have not enacted any measure for the total prohibition of opium smoking.

Enclosure in No. 1.

I have, &c'

J. N. JORDAN.

315

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

تمع

[B]

3443

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

G 3 FEB !!

[January 23.]

SECTION 2.

[1993]

No. 1.

Prince Ch'ing to Sir J. Jordan.

(Translation.) Sir,

Peking, December 29, 1910. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's note of the 23rd instant, in which you communicated certain instructions sent to you by His Majesty's Government with reference to the prohibition of opium. It has given me great gratification to observe, from a perusal of the courteous terms of your note, the desire always shown by His Majesty's Government to assist China in this matter.

My board has no wish to reject the memorandum received from Mr. Max Muller on the 1st November, nor to make unreasonable modifications in the proposals formerly made. But in the light of the present situation it becomes necessary to reconsider the question,

I feel sure that Great Britain accepts without question the fact that, as regards the success attained during the last three years in prohibiting opium, the reduction bas exceeded the annual proportion of one-tenth originally intended. The point now to which China gives her attention is more especially the shortening of the period and the immediate prohibition of planting and smoking. If, without waiting seven years, there is total extinction, foreign opium, although continuing to stream into China, will find no sale, and British merchants will suffer loss instead of gaining profits.

I now have the honour to state formally to your Excellency that until the total extinction of native opium in China is effected, Indian and foreign opium imported into China may temporarily continue to be treated in accordance with the agreement for proportional annual reduction. Further, I beg that His Majesty's Government will take immediate steps to carry out their promise to number consecutively the chests and scal them, in order to tally with the number of chests of foreign opium which it has been agreed should be diminished by annual progression.

But if native opium should have been extinguished in a province, then steps must be taken at the same time to prohibit the import of Indian and foreign opium into that province. On this point I have the honour to request that His Majesty's Government will give a definite undertaking, and thus pacify the earnest desire of the Chinese people while fulfilling the noble aim which the British Government has throughout displayed in support of this movement.

My board is appointing an official to continue negotiations with His Britannic Majesty's Legation, and in addressing this note in reply to your Excellency, I have the honour to request that you will at once communicate with His Majesty's Government with a view to obtaining their consent to the above proposals and a reply to

this note.

I avail, &c.

Prince CHING.

Sir,

Foreign Office to Board of Trade.

Foreign Office, January 23, 1911. WITH reference to your letter of the 14th November last relative to the trade in morphia and cocaine in the United Kingdom, I am directed by Secretary Sir Edward Grey to transmit to you, to be laid before the Board of Trade, the accompanying copy of a note which has been received from the Netherlands Minister enquiring whether His Majesty's Government still make their consent to take part in the proposed Opium Conference to be held some time this year at The Hague* conditional upon an assurance from the Governments of the Powers concerned that they are prepared to adopt severe measures with a view to prohibiting the trade in and manufacture of morphia and cocaine in their respective countries.

There has evidently beon some misunderstanding, and it would seem either that the United States Government have not fully communicated our exact proposals with regard to the treatment of these two drugs to the Netherlands Government, or that the latter have not understood their purport, and at any rate have failed to make them intelligible to some of the other Governments interested, notably the French and Portuguese Governments.

Sir E. Grey is now in consultation with the Secretary of State for India as to the reply to be returned to Baron Gericke's enquiry and, as soon as a decision has been come to, a copy of the auswer will be communicated to the Board.

The Board will observe that the date for the opening of the conference has been postponed from the 30th May to the 1st July at the request of the Russian and Chinese Governments, and Sir E. Grey would be glad to learn whether the enquiries which form the subject of your letter of the 14th November are likely by that time to have led to results which would enable the British delegates to attend the conference at that date.

I am, &c.

* Baron Gericke, January 16, 1911.

[1857 z--2]

F. A. CAMPBELL.