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Nine foreign men-of-war are now in the Yangtse, and there is also a strong naval force at Shanghae, where the British and Freuch Admirals now are. I am much indebted to the British Admiral for the manner in which he is supporting me.

No. 13.-The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir J. Walsham.

(Telegraphic.)

Foreign Office, July 2, 1891.

I HAVE received your telegram of the 21st ultimo, on the subject of the attacks on foreigners which have recently taken place at Wuhu and in the Yangtse region.

I understand that, in your opinion, it is desirable to obtain the punishment of those most inculpated in the recent riots, aud adequate measures for the protection of foreigners, before questions of indemnity for losses are considered. In this view Her Majesty's Government quite concur, and they leave you full discretion as to the mode of urging the matter on the Yamèn.

SIR,

No. 15.-The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir J. Walsham.*

Foreign Office, July 10, 1891. The Chinese Minister called at the Foreign Office on the 4th instant, and read to Sir Philip Currie the following telegram from his Government on the subject of the recent anti-missionary outbreaks in China :—

"Within the last month or so there have unfortunately been several disturbances in different places directed against the missionary establishments. The places are Wuhu, Tanyang, Wonyeh (near Kiukiang), Woosieh (near Soochow), Chingkwan, Yangwoo, Kiangyen-in all, seven in number.

"At Wooyeh one missionary has been killed, and one employé of the Maritime Customs, both of them being British subjects. At all the other places the disturbances were directed not against British subjects, but against the French missionary establishments. At Wuhu it appears that a doctor connected with the French missionary establishment had been attending upon a Chinese child, and this gave rise to all manner of rumours among the people, who seized the doctor and sent him to the Magistrate, who kept him in the Yamên until the next day, when, at the desire of the Mission authorities, he was banded over to them. The populace were much * Substance telegraphed.

displeased at this, and showed their excitement by burning the mission-house.

"This occurrence at Wuhu seems to have acted on the people at all the other places. The authorities at Wuhu immediately arrested several of the ringleaders, and had two of them executed and their heads publicly exposed as a warning to others.

"The cases of the remaining ringleaders are still being considered. At Wuhsueh between 10 and 20 persons were arrested. Two of them have already been judged and condemned to death, but not yet executed. The cases of the others have not yet been inquired into.

"At Tanyang nine arrests have been made, at Woosieh six, but as yet none of them have been judged.

"At the instance of the Tsung-li Yamên an Imperial Edict has been issued calling on the authorities to immediately investigate these events, and, according to Treaty, severely punish any persons who may be found guilty.

"Sir J. Walsham has been to the Yamên and expressed great displeasure at the slowness of the action of the authorities.

"The Tsung-li Yamên have answered that, owing to the distance apart of the places where the disturbances have occurred, and the difficulty of immediately finding and arresting those who are culpable, the Yamên consider that no undue delay in inquiring into the matter has taken place.

"The Tsung-li Yamên are determined to make a rigorous inquiry into the matter, and to see that none of the guilty escape; already one official has been dismissed from the Government service, and five others have been degraded.

"The Tsung-li Yamên are desirous that the Foreign Office should instruct Sir J. Walsham to show no undue impatience or feeling with regard to the matter."

Sir Philip Currie stated that he would submit the telegram to me, but that he thought it right to say that Her Majesty's Government would expect something more than an inquiry, and that, in view of the serious danger to which the lives and property of British subjects were still exposed, it was essential that the guilty should be promptly brought to justice. The Chinese Government would no doubt be prepared in due time to compensate the sufferers, but the important point now was to re-establish order and security.

The Chinese Minister replied that Her Majesty's Government might feel sure that due punishment would be inflicted.

In answer to questions put to him by Sir P. Currie, he said that there had not for many years been such an anti-foreign outbreak ; that he did not attribute it to any widespread feeling against foreigners, but to the machinations of the Secret Societies existing

among the disbanded soldiery, the object of which was to stir up trouble against the Government.

Sir J. Walsham.

I am, &c.,

SALISBURY.

SIB,

No. 21.-The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir J. Walsham.

Foreign Office, July 22, 1891. Ar an interview which Sir Halliday Macartney had with Sir Thomas Sanderson on the 11th instant, he was told that I wished to impress on him, and to ask him to impress upon the Chinese Minister, the serious dangers that might arise out of the riots against missionaries and other foreigners in China unless adequate measures were taken for the repression and punishment of the rioters.

Sir T. Sanderson said that Sir H. Macartney must be well aware of the strength and importance of the feeling in favour of missionaries in this country; that the French Government and Chambers were very zealous in the protection of French religious influence and missionary enterprise in the East, and that if public opinion once became alarmed and indignant in France and England, a cry for intervention might arise which might have very embarrassing and even serious consequences.

Sir H. Macartney expressed his thanks for this communication, and promised to speak to the Chinese Minister.

He called again at the Foreign Office on the 16th instant, aud said that the Chinese Minister was greatly obliged for this frank message, and had telegraphed to the Yamên on the subject.

The latter bad replied that they were perplexed and somewhat disturbed by the pressure which continued to be put on them by the British Legation. As had been stated in their previous telegram, two men had been executed at Wuhu, and others subjected to minor punishments. Since then two more had been condemned to death at Wubsueh for participation in the riots there, and several Mandarius had been degraded.

The Yamên felt that there had been no laxity nor evasion in the measures taken, and they apprehended that further executions would tend to increase rather than allay popular excitement. The reports now received showed that peace and order had been restored. They remarked that Her Majesty's Minister had been more urgent and severe in his representations than any other foreign Representative, even than the French Minister, whose nationals were the principal sufferers.

Sir H. Macartney added that M. Ribot had accepted as sufficient and satisfactory the assurances given to him by the Chinese Minister,

which were identical with those recorded in my despatch of the 10th, as communicated by the Chinese Minister to Sir P. Currie.

Sir T. Sanderson remarked that British interests in China were larger than those of any other European country, and that you bad probably been made aware, as he had certainly himself been informed by Consular officers recently returned from China, of a growing tendency amongst the Chinese population to think that the simplest way of stopping any foreign movement or institution which they disliked was a resort to popular outbreak and violence, which they believed would have no unpleasant result to themselves, and would merely entail payment of a certain pecuniary indemnity by the Government. It would obviously, he said, be disastrous, both for the foreign communities and for the Chinese Government, that such an impression should get abroad.

He promised, however, to submit the Chinese Minister's communication to me, and to ask if I would be disposed to accept the communications now made as evidence that the Yamên were alive to the importance of the question, and the necessity of adequate measures for protection of the foreign communities in China." I am, &c.,

Sir J. Walsham.

SALISBURY.

PROVISIONAL COMMERCIAL CONVENTION between Montenegro and Servia.-Signed at Cettinjé and at Belgrade, May, 1891.

(Translation.)

THE Government of His Highness the Prince of Montenegro and the Government of the Regents of His Majesty the King of Servia, desiring to facilitate commercial intercourse between the two Serb countries, have resolved to conclude a Provisional Commercial Convention, and their Plenipotentiaries have agreed on the following

terms:

ART. I. Montenegrin products and manufactures introduced into Servia, and Servian products and manufactures introduced into Montenegro, shall be subjected reciprocally to the same treatment as is accorded to the most favoured nation as far as regards import and export duty, transit dues, re-exportation and warehousing dues, and local and governmental dues.

II. The subjects of the two Contracting Parties shall pay, in the country of the other, for the privilege of carrying on trade or industrial occupations, the same taxes and licence dues as are paid by natives.

III. This Convention will remain in force till the 4th October, 1892, when it will lapse without further denunciation.

The Convention will be laid before the Servian National

Assembly.

Cettinjé, May, 1891.

(L.S.) G. VUKOVICH, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Montenegro.

Belgrade, May 1, 1891.

(L.S.) M. GIORGJIVICH, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Servia.

TRAITE d'Amitié, d'Établissement, et de Commerce, entre l'État Indépendant du Congo et la République de Libéria.— Signé à Brussels, le 15 Décembre, 1891.

[Ratifications échangées à Bruxelles, le 22 Août, 1893.]

SA Majesté Léopold II, Roi des Belges, Souverain de l'État Indépendant du Congo, et son Excellence le Président de la République de Libéria, animés du désir d'établir et de consolider les rapports d'amitié et de commerce entre les deux pays, ont résolu de conclure entre les deux États un Traité d'Amitié, d'Établissement, et de Commerce, et ont, à cet effet, nommé pour leurs Plénipotentiaires :

Sa Majesté Léopold II, Roi des Belges, Souverain de l'État Indépendant du Congo, le Sieur Adolphe de Cuvelier, Secrétaire du Gouvernement auprès du Conseil Supérieur de l'État du Congo, Commandeur de l'Ordre du Christ de Portugal;

Son Excellence le Président de la République de Libéria, le Sieur Adolphe Louis, Baron de Stein, Grand-Croix de l'Ordre de la Rédemption Africaine, Officier de l'Ordre de Léopold, Commissaire et Plénipotentiaire Spécial de son Gouvernement;

Lesquels, après s'être communiqué leurs pleins pouvoirs, trouvés en bonne et due forme, ont arrêté les Articles suivants :—

ART. I. Il y aura paix et amitié perpétuelles entre l'État Indépendant du Congo et la République de Libéria, ainsi qu'entre les ressortissants des deux pays.

II. Il y aura liberté réciproque de commerce entre l'État Indépeudint du Congo et la République de Libéria.

Les ressortissants de l'État Indépendant du Cougo pourront résider et commercer sur tout point quelconque du territoire de la

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