6
and financial, of sympathy on the part of individuals in Hong Kong with this Govern- ment, and has laid itself open to the charge of hostility to it. It was, to say the least, a gratuitous act and this Government has suffered in its prestige. It is this moral aspect of the act to which strong exception is taken, not merely the loss of material or financial assistance. Capital has been made out of the matter by the Peking "Govern- ment," and it is taken generally as an act of partisanship by Hong Kong for Peking against Canton.
Another important fact should be impressed upon the officials of Hong Kong, that is, that more than 99 per cent, of the Chinese residents there are Cantonese who have ancestral homes and property in this province and it is safe to say that the immense majority, if not all of them, are strongly in favour of this Government and are decidedly hostile to the Peking corrupt Government. Thus it is apparent that any unfriendly action or speech of the Hong Kong high officials towards this Government is displeasing to them though they may not openly express
it.
In view of this aspect of the case, I trust that Sir R. Stubbs will not be deterred by any feeling of excessive loyalty to subordinates, but, in the same spirit in which he has made the present disavowal, repudiate the notifications in toto. Such an act would heighten British prestige in Canton, and would be the happiest augury for the friendliest relations between Canton and Hong Kong, which it is no less our wish to maintain than that of Sir R. Stubbs. I earnestly hope you will do all you can in the matter.
Yours sincerely,
CHAO-CHU WU.
7
Excellency's Government in Hong Kong supply false information of this kind, calculated to disturb friendly relations, it will become my duty to address to the Hong Kong Government a request that they all be immediately deported.
I avail, &c.
Enclosure 13 in No. 1.
Sir B. Alston to Consul-General Jamieson.
J. W. JAMIESON.
(No 38.) Šir,
I HAVE received your despatch No. 40 of the 26th ultimo, on the subject of
Peking, June 9, 1921. notifications issued by the Hong Kong Government, to which exception was taken by the authorities of Canton.
I approve the terms of your letter to the Civil Governor, a copy of which is enclosed in your despatch, and I consider that you acted correctly in leaving Mr. C. C. Wu's letter unanswered.
I am, &c.
B. ALSTON.
4
Sir,
Enclosure 12 in No. 1.
Consul-General Jamieson to the Cial Governor.
Canton, May 19, 1921.
ON the 14th instant I received from the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs a communication to the effect that he had been verbally instructed by your Excellency and Dr Wu Ting Fang to ascertain whether or not British vessels of war were conveying arms and ammunition up the West River for the Government of Kwangsi. This information was said to have been obtained by spies, and specifically mentioned H.M.S. Foxglove" by name. I at once caused a letter to be written to Mr. Li Chin-lun pointing out to him that the information was too preposterous to be treated seriously, as His Majesty's ships carry no ammunition except for their own use, and asked him if it were likely that vessels carrying contraband to Wuchow would call in at Samshui in Kwangtung.
On the 16th instant Mr. Wu Ch'ao-shu came to call on me, and, in the course of conversation, I expressed to him my surprise that any intelligent individual would for one moment believe that an ocean-going sloop, such as H M.S." Foxglove," could have been told off for such duty, as owing to her draught of water she could not possibly enter the West River. I since learn that Mr. Huang Chiang paid a visit in person to Samshui on the 14th instant, and was told by the commissioner of customs that H,M.S. "Foxglove" could not reach the port,
That your Excellency should have given credence to a lying report furnished, I understand, by a motor-launch driver in Hong Kong, is matter of deep regret to me, as a slur is thereby cast on His Majesty's navy and on the bona fides of His Majesty's Government. As your Excellency is aware, the latter have bound themselves not to supply, or to allow to be supplied, to either the Central or the Southern Governments arms of any kind until harmony shall have been restored, and to this policy they have strictly adhered. Moreover, of the four British river gunboats, there is only one small river gunboat on the West River at present at Wuchow-one is at Canton, and has been here for several tens of days, and the other two are in dock in Hong Kong. How then can they be wrongfully accused of smuggling arms?
publicly inciting people in the
As a result of this ridiculous rumour, lecturers are streets to boycott British firms and goods, and are even visiting the theatres for a similar purpose. The Press Union also proposes to hold a public meeting of protest. In view of the serious situation thereby likely to be created, I have the honour earnestly to request your Excellency at once to issue stringent orders for the suppression of the dissemination of these lies, otherwise, for any harm that may ensue as a consequence of this mischievous propaganda, the Government of Kwangtung will be held responsible.
I have further the honour to warn your Excellency that, if the agents of your
308
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.