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A long and inconclusive discussion ensued..
The Director General and his advisers kept harping
on the desirability of keeping the agreement (of
1884 under which the Chinese Telegraph Office is
maintained in Hongkong in connection with the
arrangements between the Chinese Telegraph
Administration and the Cable Companies) in existence,
and the necessity of removing the present Manager,
who was charged with misappropriating funds.
Sir C. Clementi explained again and again the
difficulties in which he and his Government were
placed. The agreement of 1884 was made between two
friendly Governments, Great Britain and China; it
had broken down through the force of circumstances,
in that China was disrupted and at Canton another
Government existed which was bitterly hostile both
to Hongkong and to Peking. The Cantonese protested
vehemently to His Excellency against his recognising a
Peking appointee to the Chinese Telegraph Office in
Hongkong; they would like to put in their own man,
but that he could certainly not allow in view of
their hostility. Hongkong was being made a pawn in
Chinese internal politics. His Excellency was
determined that that could not be allowed to go on.
The usual veiled threats were made by the
Chinese representatives in regard to the difficulties
which might ensue for the Cable Companies if the
Chinese Office in Hongkong were closed, i.e. that
it might affect their position in connection with
their offices at Shanghai and other places in
Chinese territory.
Eventually the question of Mr. Chen proceeding
The Director General argued
to Hongkong was raised.
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