CO129-384 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 73

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treat their British colleagues with such scant courtesy as Taotai Keng has done during his tenure of office in Tengyuch.

I have the honour to request that your Highness's Government will issue stringent instructions to the taotai to take effective steps to punish the raiders from Chefang, and generally to enjoin upon him the desirability of evincing a friendlier disposition towards His Majesty's consul and the Burmah Government officials.

I avail, &c.

Enclosure 2 in No. 1.

Consul-General O'Brien-Butler to Sir J. Jordan,

J. N. JORDAN,

(No. 17.)

Yünnan-fu, March 24, 1911. Sir,

WITH reference to Mr. Rose's telegram of the 11th March, reporting that 200 Chefang men, subjects of China, had entered Burmah and burnt the village of Pangsheng, I have the honour to report that I brought the matter to the notice of the Administrator of Foreign Affairs, and in due course received from him a despatch on the subject, copy of which I have the honour to enclose herewith.

I have, &c.

P. E. O'BRIEN-BUTLER.

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being exceedingly riotous, and that instructions have been issued to the sub-prefect of Kuei Kai to proceed to the spot and restore order. He further states that as the matter is of a serious nature, a telegram has been sent requesting that all local Chinese officials may be at once informed.'

The taotai again sent an express to carry instructions, both in despatch and letter, to the sub-prefect, Chang, of Lung Ling, commanding him to go in person without delay to the frontier and examine the particulars and report, and also telegraphed to the delegate, Chou, who is in charge of the cases of crossing the boundary to till ground, ordering him to go without delay to Chefang and make investigations together with the Sub-prefect of Kuei Kai in Burmah.

The taotai closes his statement by saying that he will send another telegram when investigation has been made. Referring to Mr. Rose's statement in his despatch, it is found that a Burmese bandit is in league with Chinese bad characters to burn and loot; this being so, the chief bandit is a Burmese who collects Chinese as his follows, and it is not that Chinese themselves presume to cross the boundary and burn villages. He requests me to take note of his statement and inform you.

I, as in duty bound, write this to give you the information now obtained, and I will again address you in a despatch when I receive another telegram.

I have, &c.

HSIA.

Enclosure 3 in No. 1.

Chinese Administrator of Foreign Affairs to Consul-General ('Brien-Butler.

(Translation.) Sir,

Foreign Office, Yünnan-fu, March 18, 1911.

ON receipt of your letter, stating that 200 Chinese had crossed the boundary and gone to Pangsheng village in Burmah and burnt the place, I telegraphed at once to In the meantime the taotai at Tengyueh, requesting him to investigate the matter.

I acknowledged receipt of your note.

The investigations made, the taotai replies to the effect that, when he was at Man Ai on the 14th day of the 12th moon last, he received a despatch from the consul (Mr. Rose) as follows :---

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I am in receipt of a despatch, in which it is stated that a bandit of Po Wang, in Burmah, named Tsao Lo, has been committing depredations, and now intends to collect a following and take action against the chief of Lieh Mong for the purpose of injuring him. It is further stated that Po Wang is close to Chefang and Meng Pan (in Lung Ling), and the bandit consorts regularly with the savages of the two places to commit robberies, his followers being very numerous. It is heard that Tsao Tu, resident of Wa Ch'iung village, in Chefang, is a slave of this bandit. Unless Chinese officials assist in the search for this man, people on both sides of the frontier will suffer loss. I am therefore requested to send you a despatch, asking that the Tu Ssu of Chefang may be instructed to act in conjunction with the sub-prefect of Kuei Kai to arrest this bandit so that he may not take refuge in Chinese territory and disturb the peace."

The taotai found that, as Tsao Lo, the bandit of Po Wang, has often stolen property, to the disturbance of the peace, and as the places in question are close together, no matter whether there are followers of the chief in Che and Meng, it is necessary to assist at once in the search in order to maintain peace on the frontier, and to strengthen friendship between the neighbouring countries, and accordingly sent instructions to the sub-prefect of Lung Ling to order the Tu Ssu of Chefang to take action as commanded.

The taotai further states that on the 11th day of this moon he again received a despatch from Mr. Rose as follows:-

"I am in receipt of a telegram from the taotai on the north to the effect that a bandit, named Tsao Lo, with more than 200 Chinese of Chefang, has just entered his jurisdiction and burned P'eng Sheng village in Po Wang, his following

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