CO129-382 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 428

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.] 426

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

7235

[February 20.]

G 6 MAR

SECTION 1.

[6204]

(No. 40.) Sir,

No. 1.

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received February 20.)

Peking, January 31, 1911.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram No. 15 of the 27th instant, authorising me to resume the opium negotiations with the Chinese Government.

I have accordingly addressed a note to the Chinese Government, of which I enclose the copy, intimating that His Majesty's Government will be prepared to entertain their proposals for prohibiting the import into particular provinces and for shortening the period of total prohibition under certain conditions, and provided that an agreement is reached on the points specified in Mr. Max Müller's memorandum of 1st November.

The progress of the Chinese New Year's holidays will cause a delay of a few days, but as soon as the Wai-wu Pu are ready to renew the discussions I shall be able to explain in more detail the concessions which His Majesty's Government are prepared to make, provided the attitude of the Chinese towards the stipulations we have already made warrants me in doing so.

I have, &c.

J. N. JORDAN.

Enclosure in No. 1.

Sir J. Jordan to Prince Ch'ing.

Your Highness,

Peking, January 31, 1911. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Highness's note of the 29th December, 1910, on the subject of the prohibition of opium, the contents of which were duly communicated to His Majesty's Government.

I am now instructed by His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to inform your Highness that His Majesty's Government are prepared to entertain the additional proposals put forward in your Highness's note under reply, provided that an agreement on the proposals already put forward in Mr. Max Müller's memorandum of the 1st November, 1910, be first arrived at.

In order to enable this to be done, I shall be glad to be informed of the name of the official whom your Highness's board proposes to depute for the purpose of discussing this matter, so that an early date may be fixed for the resumption of negotiations.

I shall then have an opportunity of explaining more fully the action which has already been taken by the Government of India in commencing the issue of special certificates for opium intended for China, together with the views held by His Majesty's Government on the proposals for prohibiting the import into particular provinces and for shortening the period for total prohibition.

1 avail, &c.

J. N. JORDAN.

[1897 u-1]