CO129-384 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 370

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

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OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

Acce

REG525 AUG 1

[August 8.]

SECTION 1.

[31177]

(No. 297.) Sir,

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey,-(Received August 8.)

No. 1.

Peking, July 21, 1911.

IN the last paragraph of my despatch No. 285 of the 12th instant I stated that I had enquired of His Majesty's consul at Amoy whether I had correctly inferred that no Indian opium was now detained in the district of Wing Ting. The accompanying copy of Mr. Sundius's reply shows that the assumption was correct, and that there has been no further improper interference with the trade in his district.

I have, &c.

J. N. JORDAN,

Enclosure in No. 1.

Consul Sundius to Sir J. Jordan.

(No. 21.) Sir,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 10 of the

Amay, July 7, 1911. 27th ultimo. Under date of the 12th April, the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs at Foochow informed me that the opium alleged to have been confiscated in the Yung Ting district had all been released. It had only been detained pending an investigation as to whether it had or had not been smuggled. Some few days afterwards the owner of the opium corroborated the statement that his drug had been released. Since then there have been no complaints of a similar nature. To obviate the likelihood of any further arbitrary action on the part of the local authorities, I sent the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs a transcript of the part of article 7 of the Chinese text of the Opium Agreement as telegraphed from Peking, requesting him to bring it to the knowledge of all the officials and all the bodies, official and semi-official, throughout the province.

I am of opinion that this will be sufficient to have the desired result.

I have, &c.

[2155 h-1]

A. J. SUNDIUS,