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from the memorandum embodied in our telegram above referred to that His Majesty'e Government are pre- pared to make complete concession of tariff autonomy at once and as soon as practicable considerable modifications in the excessive rights and privileges which have accrued to foreigners under cover of the extraterritorial regime. They cannot, however, at once give up the whole system of extraterritor- lality, and will probably regard the recommendations of the Extraterritoriality Commission, whose report has now been received and is being examined with a view to its adoption, as marking the line beyond which His Majesty's Government must refuse to go until some Chinese government is in existence which will have introduced the necessary reforms prior to complete abolition of extraterritoriality.
Whether, however, His Majesty's Government
or any of the other Treaty Powers would go so far as to defend by force the extraterritorial rights which the Commission recommends should be maintained,
1 is too early at present to say.
All therefore that can be said for the moment is that the only purpose for which His Majesty's Government and the other powers would be prepared to countenance the resort to or threet of forcible measures would be the actual protection of British and foreign lives and the defence of the foreign concessions and settlements against attack.
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