CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 259

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Government House, Đá ong ơng.

left me it was with the idea of seeing whether they could find any retired officers from the Far East or India, who would be free agents. I will quote here a letter from Eugene.

"There is here the beginning of a new relationship which, ultimately, may enable England to do in China the sort of things which she has done in India and Further India and Hong Kong without the faults and, perhaps, evils necessarily involved in a system deriving its sanction from and in military conquest.

We know and see what your people can do in China in Sir Robert Hart's work in the China Customs and Sir Richard Dane's in the Salt Gabelle. But, though considerable, these British achievements are really not of the order of work that could be done by Britons in China when working in genuine co-operation with our people. The Customs and Gabelle have been established in face of Chinese opposi- tion, since they are the creatures of Treaties, i. e. they have been imposed on us, so to speak. How much better, therefore, could you not build in China should voluntary co-operation replace opposition?

In the interests of China and of England as my "spiritual home" I pray daily for vision in British policy in China," This need not be taken at its face value, Eugene is a gifted scoundrel, a wonderful talker, a clever writer and about as straight as a cork- sorew. His real 'spiritual hom' I should say would be much hotter

than

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