CO129-517-7 Draft Commercial Treaty with China- Governor's action 14-3-1929 - 25-7-1929 — Page 40

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containing these instructions, which were communicated to

bosob Part 1. the Colonial Office in Foreign Office letter No. F 1088/11/10

(41)

_D0 - (26)

of March 20th and as Sir Austen Chamberlain understands,

were then forwarded forthwith to the Governor of Hongkong

for his information, is enclosed herein.

4. It was not intended, however, that Sir C. Clementi

should divulge the text of the treaty to anyone outside the

circle of his official advisers, or that he should intervene

in the course of policy laid down by His Majesty's Government

in pursuance of their general plan of Treaty Revision by

slow and safe stages.

5. As regards the actual conduct of the negotiations

with the Chinese Government, Sir M. Lampson alone is

responsible. Unless that position is fully understood by all

officers of His Majesty's Government and unless the highly

confidential character of the instructions which are sent to

Sir L. Lampson in connexion with such negotiations is

recognised and scrupulously respected by all to whom the

tenor of any such instructions may have been communicated,

the public interest is liable to suffer injury. The action

taken by Sir Cecil Clementi on the receipt of the copy of

h.. Sir Austen Chamberlain's despatch containing His Majesty's

Government's instructions to Sir L. Lampson and referred to

in paragraph 3, appears to the Secretary of State to be

Pol

inconsistent with those well-established principles and he key

cannot put regard as unfortunate the Governor's inconsiderate

haste to consult with the three Chinese members of the

Legislative

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