CO129-497 - Public Offices - 1926 — Page 501

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You state that the action taken by the British and French authorities was premeditated, This I absolutely deny. The premeditation was on the part of Chinese troops or military students, who, as was well-known beforehand, and as

was pointed out by me to Mr. C. C. Wu, had determined to create an incident with a view to posing as martyrs afterwards. It was well-known the day before in Chinese circles in Hongkong and Canton that an attack on Shameen was contemplated and would take place the following day. The Compradore of the Banque Industrielle in Hongkong told the French Manager that the French Concession would be looted on the 23rd, and requested him to send a wireless message to his colleague in Canton to place all valuables on board the French gunboat. In the forenoon of yesterday two motor-cars were distributing leaflets throughout the city signed by the Students' Union of the Military School of the Kwangtung Army, inciting all and sundry to rise and chase out the foreigners.

I repudiate in the most emphatic manner the charge that the responsibility rests with the foreigners. It is the Chinese who have to bear this heavy burden, and I hope shortly to lay before you evidence on oath of eye-witnesses in support of this assertion.

I would in the meantime ask you to be so good as to take most complete measures for the safeguarding of the lives of British subjects who are resident in and around Canton.

I have the honour to be, etc.

(Sd.) JAMES JAMIESON,

Consul-General.

APPENDIX

E.

Extract from Sir James Jamieson's dispatch to H. M. Charge D'Affaires, Peking, June 25th, 1925.

At 11 a.m. two motor-cars passed along the Shakee Street on the other side of the canal, and distributed leaflets signed by the cadets of the military school of the Kwang- tung army, calling upon all and sundry to eject the foreigner. At about 2.30 p.m. the procession was at the end of the Shakee Street, which commences at the gate of the French bridge, and proceeded along the north bank of the canal. The only persons in the vicinity of our bridge were myself, the British Senior Naval Officer, the Superin- tendent of Shameen Police, one or two Naval Officers, a member of my staff and some unarmed Chinese Police, who. being Hakkas, had not walked out with the rest of the Chinese on the island on the 21st. (The Customs employees left on the 23rd and the Post Office employees on the 24th.) Unarmed Chinese Police lined the road on the other side at intervals of about 50 yards, and a comp- any of armed soldiers took

up positions under the verandahs of the Chinese shops in the neighbourhood of the bridge. Three-quarters of the procession, consisting of labour, agricultural and other unions, marched along in an orderly manner with flags and banners, and I was actually on the point of leaving to send a telegram to say that all had passed off peacefully when the S.N.O. remarked to me that perhaps it would be as well to wait until the students came along. In the course of a few minutes bodies of male and female students came in sight, and on crossing the invisible line separating the British from the French Conces- sion, started to raise what I assumed to be college yells, and in so far as I could understand calling for cheers for