CO129-486 - Public Offices - 1924 — Page 367

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364

The alleged complicity of the offieikls of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank in this breach of the Arme Bmbargo Agreement and the subsequent events skish took place after the arrival of the "MAY" at Canton are fully explained by Mr. Giles. It would appear almost insredible

that the late Mr. Stephen and the other officials of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank should really have been indusad by their congradore to involve themselves in this discredit-

able gun-running business and it is possible that Bir

James Jamieson on his return to Canton in the Autum may be

able to throw further light on this aspect of the matter,

which I do not propose in the moanrkile to pursue any

further. I would add, however, that the Inspector-Genera i

of the Chinese Maritime Customs, who same round to see me

resently on this subjest, ma evidently in possession of all the details of the story related in Kr. Giles' despatek

but, as it appeared that his Commissioner at Canton, a Britisk subject and relatively Šenier member of the Maritime

Customs Servies, had also been implicated, it is unlikely that

Bir Francia Aglen will make any disclosures on the subject

unless he is obliged to do so.

After the "HAY" had been forced, under a threat of

being fired upon by a Chinese günboat, to stop unloading

her cargo and to return to Whampoa, the Senior Consul at Canton telegraphed to the Doyen of the Corps Diplomatique asking whether, in view of the interference with the rights

of the Chinese Maritime Customs who normally sA MAINE

jurisdiction in such matters, foreign naval assistance might not properly be invoked in the event of the forsible sei zuze of the arms by Dostor Jun Yat-sen's Government or any other party. In the meantime, however, the arms and summition

had actually been landed by the Canton Military Authorities

and the suggestion of naval intervention was therefore

eliminated; but the laye, after consulting his colleagues,

informed