negotiations. But in case of negotiations at Tokyo, he could direct them by telegraph, and telegrams from Tokyo could always follow him wherever he might happen to be; besides, he said, as we know very well, the Russian way of conducting business here is not very expeditious. At the conclusion, he said he is to have audience of the Emperor to-day, and will explain to him the reasons why an early understanding between the two countries is desirable as mentioned by me; and he promised to repeat to His Majesty the special desire of the Japanese Government to conduct the negotiations at St. Petersburg; but he added that no change of view on the subject could be expected.

Nr. 13162. JAPAN. - Komura an Kurino.

sich deutlicher aussprechen.

Lamsdorff soll

Tokyo, September 2nd, 1903.

(Telegram.) || In reference to your telegram of the 31st ultimo, you will say to Count Lamsdorff that it being the acknowledged desire of both Powers to arrive at an understanding as soon as possible, the Japanese Government fear that discussions would be greatly protracted if the negotiations were now to be transferred to Tokyo without some accepted basis for negotiations; and you will add that the Japanese Government, having presented their proposals in concrete form to the Russian Government, believe that negotiations, wherever conducted, would be greatly facilitated if the Russian Government were primarily to announce whether such proposals can in principle be accepted as the basis for negotiations. The Japanese Government do not understand that the acceptance of those proposals as such basis would exclude amendments that might be regarded as necessary. On the contrary, such acceptance would merely fix a definite point of departure which is desirable in all negotiations and very important in the present case. You will use every endeavour to secure the desired announcement from the Russian Government.

Nr. 13163. JAPAN. Komura an Kurino. Rußland antwortet ein Gegenprojekt aus. Verlegung der Verhandlungen nach Tokyo empfehlenswert.

Petersburg, September 5th, 1903. (Received, September 6th, 1903.) (Telegram.) || I saw Count Lamsdorff yesterday. With the view of preventing any misunderstanding about the sense of the instruction con

tained in your telegram of the 2nd instant and also with the view of impressing upon the Russian Government the feeling of importance placed by the Japanese Government on the matter, I prepared a Note Verbale which I handed to him. We then had a rather prolonged discussion on the question. The substance of his remarks is as follows:

According to his experience of 40 years in Foreign Office, negotiations of an international character had always been conducted on the proposals of one Power together with the reply of the other, and it was not usual to accept the proposition of one Power as the sole basis of negotiations. Baron Rosen had already been commanded by the Emperor to study seriously the proposition of the Japanese Government, and at the same time to prepare and elaborate Counter-Proposals in consultation with Admiral Alexieff, and, if the Japanese Government were willing to enter into negotiation, to commence immediately the pourparlers adopting the propositions of the Japanese Government and the Russian CounterProposals as the basis of negotiations. I said during the discussion that if the Russian Government were really animated by a desire to enter into a satisfactory arrangement with Japan, I should deem it highly necessary that the Russian Government should instruct their negotiators to adopt as the basis the Japanese proposals, or at least the essential principles thereof so as to facilitate the attainment of the object of the negotiation, for I am inclined to doubt if Admiral Alexieff is disposed to enter into negotiations with Japan in a spirit of conciliation which is of prime necessity in order to arrive at a satisfactory understanding. He said that when he received our project there were only two courses open for Russia to take, either to reject our proposals or to enter into negotiations on them. The Russian Government have adopted the latter course; this does not, however, signify acceptance of our project in its entirety or in principle; but having agreed to the proposition to enter into an entente, they have decided to examine the propositions and to prepare Counter-Proposals so that the two might be used as the basis of negotiations. Besides, he said that in our project there are certain clauses which could not be reconciled with Russian interests, and others which require modifications; and he could not say that the Russian Government accepted our proposals even in principle as basis, but only in conjunction with their Counter-Proposals. || Having exhausted every effort for the attainment of the desire of the Japanese Government, I am now fully convinced that it will not be possible to change the course proposed by Count Lamsdorff; and I think that there is no other way for Japan but to agree to his suggestion. Count Lamsdoff is to

leave here on the 10th instant for Darmstadt to attend the Emperor of Russia.

Nr. 13164. JAPAN.-Komura an Kurino. - Stimmt den Unterhandlungen in Tokyo zu.

Tokyo, September 9th, 1903. (Telegram.) || In reference to your telegram of the 5th instant, you are hereby instructed to inform Count Lamsdoff that the Japanese Government consent to transfer negotiations to Tokyo, and you will add that the Japanese Government trust that instructions to the Russian Minister at Tokyo are of such a character as to enable him to present the Russian Counter-Proposals without delay and to proceed immediately with the negotiations.

Nr. 13165. JAPAN. Kurino an Komura.

der russischen Unterhändler.

Vollmachten

Petersburg, September 9th, 1903. (Received, September 10th, 1903.) (Telegram.) I saw Count Lamsdorff to-day. He said Baron Rosen and Admiral Alexieff have already been instructed by telegraph, by order of the Emperor, to prepare the Counter-Proposals as quickly as possible and to commence negotiations at the earliest date, and he does not think it necessary to repeat the same instruction.

Tokyo, September 24th, 1903. (Telegram.) || Baron Rosen left Tokyo on the 22nd instant for Port Arthur. Previously to his departure, he called on me and told me that he had been instructed under Imperial order some time ago to hold himself ready to start at once for Port Arthur, whenever necessity might arise to do so, in order to expedite the preparation of the Russian Counter-Proposals between Admiral Alexieff and himself, and that he had just received from the Admiral a request to repair to Port Arthur for personal consultation on the subject. He added that he expected to come back within about eleven days.

Nr. 13167. JAPAN. Komura an Kurino.

Vertragsentwurf Rußlands. Unabhängigkeit Koreas; Mandschurei liegt außerhalb der japanischen Interessensphäre. Tokyo, October 5th, 1903.

(Telegram.) || Baron Rosen came back to Tokyo on the 3rd instant. He called on me on the same day and handed to me the following as the Russian Counter-Proposals, which, he said, was sanctioned by the Emperor of Russia, upon joint presentation by Admiral Alexieff and himself: Mutual engagement to respect the independence and territorial integrity of the Korean Empire.

1.

2.

Recognition by Russia of Japan's preponderating interests in Korea and of the right of Japan to give advice and assistance to Korea tending to improve the civil administration of the Empire without infringing the stipulations of Article I.

3. Engagement on the part of Russia not to impede the commercial and industrial undertakings of Japan in Korea, nor to oppose any measures taken for the purpose of protecting them so long as such measures do not infringe the stipulations of Article I.

4.

Recognition of the right of Japan to send for the same purpose troops to Korea, with the knowledge of Russia, but their number not to exceed that actually required, and with the engagement on the part of Japan to recall such troops as soon as their mission is accomplished.

5. Mutual engagement not to use any part of the territory of Korea for strategical purposes nor to undertake on the coasts of Korea any military works capable of menacing the freedom of navigation in the Straits of Korea.

6. Mutual engagement to consider that part of the territory of Korea lying to the north of the 39th parallel as a neutral zone into which neither of the Contracting Parties shall introduce troops.

7.

Recognition by Japan of Manchuria and its littoral as in all respects outside her sphere of interest.

8.

This Agreement to supplant all previous Agreements between

Russia and Japan respecting Korea.

(Telegram.) || In reference to my telegram of the 5th instant, I have begun discussion with the Russian Minister to Japan taking our propo

sals and Russian Counter-proposals as the basis and with a view to secure, if possible, the recognition by Russia of the fundamental principles laid down in our proposals.

--

Nr. 13169. JAPAN. Derselbe an Denselben. Japan schlägt Anerkennung der beiderseitigen Vorrechte in Korea und in der Mandschurei vor.

Tokyo, October 16th, 1903.

(Telegram.) || In reference to my telegram of the 8th instant, negotiations are now going on between Baron Rosen and myself regarding the following proposals, which I had presented as amendment to the Russian Counter-Proposals:

Article II. Insert the phrase,,including military assistance" between „assistance“ and „to Korea". Change the word civil" into „internal“.

Article III. Insert the phrase,,the development of" between,,impede" and the commercial". „Undertakings" to be changed into activities“, and taken" into ,,to be taken" and ,,them" into ,,those interests".

Article IV. Recognition of the right of Japan to send troops to Korea for the purpose mentioned in the preceeding Article or for the purpose of suppressing insurrection or disorder calculated to create international complications.

Article VI.

Mutual engagement to establish a neutral zone on ... kilometres on each

.....

the Korea-Manchuria frontier extending.. side, into which neutral zone neither of the Contracting Parties shall introduce troops without the consent of the other.

Article VII. To be struck out and replaced by the following three Articles:

VII.

Engagement on the part of Russia to respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity in Manchuria and not to interfere with Japan's commercial freedom in Manchuria.

VIII. Recognition by Japan of Russia's special interests in Manchuria and of the right of Russia to take such measures as may be necessary for the protection of those interests so long as such measures do not infringe the stipulations of the preceeding Article. IX. Mutual engagement not to impede the connection of the Korean railway and the East China railway when those railways shall have been eventually extended to the Yalu.

Article VIII of the Russian Counter-Proposals to be numbered Article X.