Manchurian territory occupied by our troops on the right bank of the Amur River. ||,,2. The return of Chinese subjects who have quitted our river bank to the Trans-Zeya territory is forbidden; their land is to be given over for the exclusive use of Russian colonists. ||,,3. The former Chinese town of Aigun and Settlement of Sakhalian, together with the adjoining territory, shall be temporarily consigned to the exclusive jurisdiction of the military authorities, and all private individuals shall absolutely be forbidden to settle in the former towns of Aigun and Sakhalian, as also in their neighbourhood. ||,,4. The former town of Aigun and the Sakhalian Settlement can never be re-established, and only those Chinese buildings that now remain undemolished shall be left in their present condition for quartering troops and warehousing military stores. || „5. The administration of the territory occupied by our troops on the left bank of the Amur River, as also the temporary management of the Manchu territory of the Trans-Zeya pending the transfer of such territory to native Russian colonists, shall be under the jurisdiction of the Frontier Commissary of the Amur district, he enjoying the rights and discharging the duties of a District Chief as regards administration and police. || ,,6. For co-operation with the Frontier Commissary, and for the district administration of the Trans-Zeya region and territory of the former towns of Aigun and Sakhalian, two officials have been appointed for discharging the duties of district officers. || 7. A special Chancery shall be established for the Frontier Commissary for conducting the correspondence relating to the administration of the Trans-Zeya region and territory on the right bank of the Amur River. || 8. In view of the weak condition, arising from wounds, of Lieutenant-Colonel Golschmidt, of the General Staff, now occupying the post of Frontier Commissary, and in order to expedite the organization and establishment of order in the Trans-Zeya, Aigun, and Sakhalian territories, the duties of Frontier Commissary shall be temporarily discharged by Sotnikoff, Commanding Officer of the Amur Cossack Regiment. 9. The place of residence of the Frontier Commissary Sotnikoff shall be the former town of Aigun. The place of residence of the district officers, and the limits of their jurisdiction, shall be fixed by the Frontier Commissary.

„The foregoing Proclamation is promulgated for general information. Lieutenant-General Gribsky, Military Governor."

(Signed)

Anlage 2.

Extract from the Journal de Saint-Pétersbourg" of September 19
(October 2), 1900.

Le „Messager Officiel" publie aujourd'hui la communication suivante:,,Ces derniers temps a circulé dans la presse étrangère la nouvelle que la Russie aurait annexé des territoires Mandchouriens limitrophes. || „Les buts que le Gouvernement Impérial poursuit en Extrême-Orient ont été nettement indiqués dans les communications officielles qui ont été publiées et dont il ressort avec une clarté suffisante que l'assertion susmentionnée, comme quoi la Mandchourie aurait été incorporée dans le territoire de l'Empire, est dénuée de tout fondement."

Nr. 12575. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Die Botschaft in Petersburg an den Minister des Ausw. Rusland verlangt nur Sicherheit für Eisenbahnen und Schiffahrt in der Mandschurei.

St. Petersburgh, October 10, 1900. (October 22.) (Extract.) || I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship translation of an extract from the Trans-Caspian „Viedomosti", containing the text of a telegram addressed by General Grodekoff, Governor-General of the Amur district, to General Matzievskoff, announcing that, according to a statement received from the Minister of War, the Emperor, with a view to the renewal as quickly as possible of friendly relations with China, had decided not to annex any portion of Chinese territory and to limit his efforts to those measures necessary for the peaceful use of the railways constructed by Russia in Manchuria, and for the free navigation of Russian ships on the Amur.

Anlage.

Extract from the Trans-Caspian „Viedomosti“.

(Translation.) || In the Trans-Caspian ,,Viedomosti" the following telegram is printed from the Governor-General of the Pri Amur Province to General Matzievskoff, the 6th (19th) September:- ||,,The Minister of War has informed me that His Majesty the Emperor, with a view to the speediest possible restoration of friendly relations with China, has been pleased to decide not to annex any portion of China to Russian territories, but to limit himself to taking those measures which are

necessary for the peaceful and continued use of the railway built by us across Manchuria, and for the free navigation of the Amur by our vessels."

Nr. 12576. GROSSBRITANNIEN. — Der Gesandte in Peking an den Minister des Ausw. Die ganze Mandschurei ist in russischer Gewalt.

Peking, October 22, 1900. (October 24.) (Telegraphic.) || A despatch of the 6th October from Newchwang announces that the whole of Manchuria is in Russian possession, that all officials of rank had taken flight, and that they captured Moukden on the 3rd. The Yungchow terminus of the Shanhaikwan Railway was also under the Russian flag.

Nr. 12577. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Gesandte in Peking an den Minister des Ausw. Teilt den Text eines russisch-chinesischen Abkommens über die Mandschurei mit.

Peking, January 2, 1901. (February 18.)

My Lord, I have the honour to transmit herewith copy of two interesting documents, of the authenticity of which I have little doubt. The first is a Petition to Li Hung-chang from a certain Chou Mien, who, together with two other Chinese, was delegated by the Tartar General Tsêng Chi to proceed to Lü-shun K'ou (Port Arthur) to affect a settlement with Admiral Alexeieff, in command of the Russian land forces and Pacific Squadron, whereby friendly relations between the two countries might be re-established. || Chou Mien appears to have drawn up an Agreement with M. Korostovitch (acting on behalf of Russia), whose official designation is „Foreign Secretary" at Port Arthur. His name appears as „K'uo“ in the Chinese text. || The second document, inclosed herewith, is the text of the Agreement in question, in nine clauses. || Of these the first six deal with the more general military questions, but the seventh calls for special notice: It is expedient that a Russian official with general powers of control should be stationed at Mukden for the settlement of all questions affecting the two countries." || „The Tartar General must give the official Resident at Mukden full information respecting any important measure he may take." || I may mention that the characters in the Chinese text (from which the inclosed documents are translated) are the same as the abbreviated term for a „Minister Plenipotentiary" here or for the Chinese Resident at Llassa. || I understand that the Agreement, in the form now communicated, was signed by the Chinese and Russian

Delegates on the 22nd November last, and is now in Peking, awaiting its final confirmation.

(For Sir Ernest Satow)

Reginald Tower.

Anlage 1.

Petition to Li Hung-chang from the Expectant Taotai Chou Mien.

On the 18th day of the intercalary eighth month your petitioner received a communication from Tseng, the Tartar General, stating that he had proposed an armistice to the Russian General after the commencement of hostilities, but that it was now necessary to renew arrangements for carrying it into effect. He ordered your petitioner, together with Jui An and Chiang-Wên-hsi to proceed to Lü Shun as Plenipotentiaries and take what steps circumstances might render possible to effect an understanding whereby friendly relations could be established. Jui started official life from the T'ung Wên Kuan, and has long been employed as interpreter in the Amur Province, while Chiang-Wên-hsi is an official of this province. I find that previous to the fall of Mukden, the Russian General, A-li-k'o-hsien-fu, had sent an answer to General Tseng's despatch, stating that an armistice could only be granted on condition that the arsenals and all munitions of war should be placed in the hands of the Russians. After the fall of Mukden, Chang, the Prefect of Chinchou, was ordered to participate in drawing up an Agreement in six clauses, whereby || 1. Chinese civil officials were to go on with their duties just as before, so long as the Russian military occupation continued; || 2. Our troops were to avoid all hostile encounters with those of Russia, and to keep out of the way of the latter; || 3. The Russians were not to proceed beyond Shanhaikwan; || 4. The villagers in the neighbourhood were to be strictly forbidden from again damaging the railroad; || 5. The Russians were to be supplied with provisions, and || 6. Prefect Chang was to remain at K'ai P'ing, where the Agreement was drawn up, pending the arrival of the Russians at Shanhaikwan, when he was to return to his post. Subsequently, however, the Russians did proceed beyond Shanhaikwan and captured the towns of Chinchou and Hsin Min. I also heard, after my arrival at Lü Shun (Port Arthur) that the Russians had dispatched forces in various directions eastwards, and had sent communications to the local officials bidding them not to be alarmed, as all they had to do was to hand over their munitions of war to the Russians, whereupon the latter would exterminate the Hu*) rebels on their behalf. || Now that a *),,Hu" (bearded).

temporary Agreement in nine clauses has been drafted, your petitioner's grief pierces his very soul, but what alternative has he? He now forwards a copy for your Excellency's inspection. The concession in the sixth clause, which permits the employment of fire-arms under certain conditions, was only obtained after repeated discussions. Now that the Hu rebels overrun the country the people have no resources left, and if the villagers are forbidden to carry arms the life of every soul in the province is in danger. || The Russian official K'uo, who was my colleague in drawing up the Agreement, has now arrived at Peking, and I humbly entreat your Excellency to demand the Russian text of the Agreement from the Russian Minister for collation. Very respectfully do I make my petition, and I humbly entreat your Excellency to console your petitioner, Chou Mien.

Lü Shun (Port Arthur), 9th month, 20th day.

Anlage 2.

Text of Russo-Chinese Agreement.

His Majesty the Emperor of Russia, desiring to preserve for ever unimpaired the friendly relations between Russia and China, has consented to allow the Chinese Tartar General and the officials under him to return to their various posts in the Province of Fêngt'ien*) which have been occupied by the Russian troops, and there to resume their former admirable government. Accordingly, His Majesty the Emperor has appointed Admiral A. Governor of the territories leased to Russia in the Liaotung Peninsula, placed in general control of the land forces and commanding the Pacific Squadron, to be his Plenipotentiary, and to hold conferences with the Tartar General of Fêngt'ien with a view to effecting a speedy settlement. || Tsêng, the Tartar General of Fêngt'ien, has appointed as his Plenipotentiaries Chou Mien, the Taotai, Jui An, the Sub-Prefect, and Chiang Wên-hsi, the District Magistrate, with authority to discuss the matter in all its bearings, and we have now arrived at Port Arthur. Admiral A has appointed Kúo, Resident at Port Arthur, for the control of all matters affecting the two countries, as his Representative to confer with the Representatives of China and draw up a temporary Agreement. We have now respectively affixed our signatures to an Agreement in nine clauses, which we respectfully submit to Admiral A and the Tartar General Tsêng for their indorsement and due affixing of their seals. || The clauses are as follows: 1. Upon the *) Fêngt'ien, the southernmost of the three Manchurian provinces, and containing the Manchu capital, Mukden.