CO129-385 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 262

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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government 43 260

OPIUM

CONFIDENTIAL.

[44953]

No. 1.

REC

15 DEC 11 [November 93.5

SECTION 1.

(No. 404.) Sir,

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey,-(Received November 13.)

Peking, October 20, 1911. WITH reference to my despatch No. 377 of the 26th September, I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a copy of a note which I addressed to Prince Ching on the 7th instant on the subject of the continued seizures of foreign opium in transit between the port of Foochow and the interior, on the ground that it was not accompanied by passes which the local authorities and anti-opium societies have been endeavouring to enforce on Chinese dealers, in addition to the transit certificates issued by the Imperial Maritime Customs.

Prince Ching in his reply of the 16th instant, copy of which I have the honour to enclose, informs me that the Viceroy at Foochow was instructed by telegraph to order the immediate release of the opium seized, and that, hereafter, there must be no obstruction placed in the way of the transport of raw opium into the interior when provided with the customs transit certificates, and that a reply had been received from the Viceroy stating that he had already ordered the release of the opium, and had issued a circular enjoining full compliance with the board's instructions.

I have, &c.

J. N. JORDAN.

Enclosure 1 in No. 1.

Your Highness,

Sir J. Jordan to Prince Ch'ing.

Peking, October 7, 1911. IN a posteript to the note which I addressed to your Highness on the 21st September-a note to which I have not yet been favoured with a reply-I informed you that I had received a telegram from His Majesty's consul at Foochow, reporting further flagrant breaches of the opium agreement, and I solemnly warned your Highness of the consequences that must inevitably follow.

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I am now in a position to lay before your Highness's board the latest of a series of breaches of treaty and agreement which have recently been perpetrated in the province of Fukien, and for which no word of regret or apology has ever been tendered by the Viceroy of the Min-chê province, when he discovered that his subordinates had com- mitted acts which could neither be justified nor upheld. On the 16th August, Messrs. Petigura and Co., British merchants at Foochow, sent up country by native agent 113 packages of foreign opium duly covered by transit certificates issued by the Imperial Maritime Customs. On arrival at Tsung-an Hsien, this consignment of opium was impounded by the magistrate of that city, presumably because it was not accompanied by san-lien-tan," "erh-lien-tan," or "tui-chao," which, by a juggling of names, are passes which officials and anti-opium societies have from time to time endeavoured, contrary to treaty, to impose on foreign opium in transit from Foochow into the interior. After repeated protests by His Majesty's consul, the Viceroy, without adducing any reason whatever for the seizure, replied on the 19th September that he had telegraphed, as requested, to the Ts'ung-an magistrate to immediately release the impounded opium. The day following this curt communication to His Majesty's cousul three chests of foreign opium sent up country by the same British firm were impounded by the same magistrate of Tsung-an, and the raw opium shop to which the opium was consigned was looted. His Majesty's consul has again protested against this fresh violation of treaty; but I must now ask your Highness's assurance that these irregularities, which have already continued too long, and caused the most serious losses to a legitimate trade, shall forthwith cease, and that your Highness will at once telegraph in this sense to the Viceroy at Foochow

Your Highness's board are well aware that the transport of raw opium from a port into the interior under customs transit certificate is wholesale trade; that that certificate

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