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In the meantime, I may assure your excellency that the policy consistently advocated by this country is one of securing equal opportunity for the subjects and citizens of all nations in regard to commercial enterprise in China, and from this policy Her Majesty's Government have no intention or desire to depart.

I have, etc.,

SALISBURY.

Lord Salisbury to Mr. Choate.

FOREIGN OFFICE, London, November 30, 1899.

YOUR EXCELLENCY: With reference to my note of September 29 last, I have the honor to state that I have carefully considered, in communication with my colleagues, the proposal contained in your excellency's note of September 22 that a declaration should be made by foreign powers claiming "spheres of interest" in China as to their intentions in regard to the treatment of foreign trade and interest therein.

I have much pleasure in informing your excellency that Her Majesty's Government will be prepared to make a declaration in the sense desired by your Government in regard to the leased territory of Wei-hai Wei and all territory in China which may hereafter be acquired by Great Britain by lease or otherwise, and all spheres of interest now held or that may hereafter be held by her in China, provided that a similar declaration is made by other powers concerned. I have, etc.,

SALISBURY.

Mr. Choate to Lord Salisbury.

EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES,
London, December 6, 1899.

MY LORD: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your lordship's note of November 30, in which you inform me that, after having carefully considered in connection with your colleagues, the proposals contained in my note of September 22 last, Her Majesty's Government is prepared to make a declaration in the sense desired by my Government in regard to the leased territory of Wei-hai Wei and all territory in China which may hereafter be acquired by Great Britain by lease or otherwise, and all "spheres of interest" now held or which may hereafter be held by her in China, provided that a similar declaration is made by other powers.

In acknowledging your lordship's note, I have also, under instructions from the Secretary of State, to express to your lordship the gratification he feels at the cordial acceptance by Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the proposals of the United States.

I have, etc.,

JOSEPH H. CHOATE.

ITALY.

Mr. Hay to Mr. Draper.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, November 17, 1899.

SIR: This Government, animated with a sincere desire to insure to the commerce and industry of the United States and of all other nations perfect equality of treatment within the limits of the Chinese Empire for their trade and navigation, especially within the so-called "spheres of influence or interest" claimed by certain European powers in China, has deemed the present an opportune moment to make representations in this direction to Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and Russia.

To attain the object it has in view and to remove possible causes of international irritation and reestablish confidence so essential to commerce, it has seemed to this Government highly desirable that the various powers claiming "spheres of interest or influence" in China should give formal assurances that

First. They will in no way interfere with any treaty port or any vested interest within any so-called "sphere of interest" or leased territory they may have in China.

Second. The Chinese treaty tariff of the time being shall apply to all merchandise landed or shipped to all such ports as are within said "sphere of interest" (unless they be " free ports "), no matter to what nationality it may belong, and that duties so leviable shall be collected by the Chinese Government.

Third. They will levy no higher harbor dues on vessels of another nationality frequenting any port in such "sphere" than shall be levied on vessels of their own nationality, and no higher railroad charges over lines built, controlled, or operated within its "sphere" on merchandise belonging to citizens or subjects of other nationalities transported through such "sphere" than shall be levied on similar merchandise belonging to their own nationals transported over equal distances.

The policy pursued by His Imperial German Majesty in declaring Tsing-tao (Kiao-chao) a free port and in aiding the Chinese Government in establishing there a custom-house, and the ukase of His Imperial Russian Majesty of August 11 last, erecting a free port at Dalny (Ta-lien-wan) are thought to be proof that these powers are not disposed to view unfavorably the proposition to recognize that they contemplate nothing which will interfere in any way with the enjoyment by the commerce of all nations of the rights and privileges guaranteed to them by existing treaties with China.

Repeated assurances from the British Government of its fixed policy to maintain throughout China freedom of trade for the whole world insure, it is believed, the ready assent of that power to our proposals. The commercial interests of Japan will also be greatly served by the above-mentioned declaration, which harmonizes with the assurances conveyed to this Government at various times by His Imperial Japanese Majesty's diplomatic representative at this capital.

In view of the important and growing commercial interests of Italy in eastern Asia it would seem desirable that His Majesty's Govern

ment should also be informed of the steps taken by the United States to insure freedom of trade in China, in which it would find equal advantages to those which the other nations of Europe expect.

You are therefore instructed to submit to His Majesty's minister for foreign affairs the above considerations and to invite his early attention to them, expressing, in the name of your Government, the hope that they will prove acceptable and that His Majesty's Government will lend its aid and valuable assistance in securing their acceptance by the other interested powers.

I inclose, for your personal and confidential information, copies of the instructions sent to our ambassadors at Berlin. London, St. Petersburg, and to our minister at Tokio.

I am, etc.,

JOHN HAY. (Inclosures:) To Great Britain, to Russia, to Germany, September 6, 1899; to Japan, November 13, 1899.

The Marquis Visconti Venosta to Mr. Draper.

ROMA, 7 Gennaio, 1900.

SIGNOR AMBASCIATORE: A complemento di citò che mi aveva fatto l'onore di comunicarmi colla sua nota del 9 Decembre, 1899, Vostra Eccelenza mi ha participato ieri la notizia datale per telegrafo dal suo Governo, che tutte le Potenze interpellate dal Gabinetto di Washington in ordine alle opportunità di adottare una linea di condotta politica la quale assicuri al commercio di tutto il mondo parità di trattamento in Cina, hanno dato risposta favorevole.

Riferendomi alle sue comunicazioni e a quanto ebbi già a dischiararle colla mia nota del 23 di detto mese di Decembre, mi è grato di dichiararle che anche el Governo del Re aderisce di buon grado ai concetti di massima svolta nella menzionata nota del 9 Decembre.

Prego Vostra Eccelenza di volere portare questa nostra adesione alla conoscenza del Gabinetto di Washington, e profitto del l'occasione per rinnovarle, Signor Ambasciatore, gli atti della mia più alta considerazione.

[Translation.]

VISCONTI Venosta.

ROME, January 7, 1900.

MR. AMBASSADOR: Supplementary to what you had already done me the honor of communicating to me in your note of December 9, 1899, your excellency informed me yesterday of the telegraphic note received from your Government that all the powers consulted by the cabinet of Washington concerning the suitability of adopting a line of policy which would insure to the trade of the whole world equality of treatment in China have given a favorable reply.

Referring to your communications and to the statements in my note of December 23 last, I take pleasure in saying that the Government of the King adheres willingly to the proposals set forth in said note of December 9.

I beg your excellency to kindly convey the notice of our adhesion to the Cabinet of Washington, and I avail myself of the occasion to renew to you, etc.,

VISCONTI VENOSTA.

JAPAN.

Mr. Hay to Mr. Buck.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, November 13, 1899.

SIR: This Government, animated with a sincere desire to insure to the commerce and industry of the United States and of all other nations perfect equality of treatment within the limits of the Chinese Empire for their trade and navigation, especially within the so-called "spheres of influence or interest "claimed by certain European powers in China, has deemed the present an opportune moment to make representations in this direction to Germany, Great Britain, and Russia. To obtain the object it has in view and to remove possible causes of international irritation and reestablish confidence so essential to commerce, it has seemed to this Government highly desirable that the various powers claiming "spheres of interest or influence" in China should give formal assurances that

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First. They will in no way interfere with any treaty port or any vested interest within any so-called "sphere of interest or leased territory they may have in China.

Second. The Chinese treaty tariff of the time being shall apply to all merchandise landed or shipped to all such ports as are within said "sphere of interest" (unless they be "free ports "), no matter to what nationality it may belong, and that duties so leviable shall be collected by the Chinese Government.

Third. They will levy no higher harbor dues on vessels of another nationality frequenting any port in such "sphere" than shall be levied on vessels of their own nationality, and no higher railroad charges over lines built, controlled, or operated within such "sphere on merchandise belonging to citizens or subjects of other nationalities transported through such "sphere" than shall be levied on similar merchandise belonging to their own nationals transported over equal distances.

The policy pursued by His Imperial German Majesty in declaring Tsingtao (Kiaochao) a free port and in aiding the Chinese Government in establishing there a custom-house, and the ukase of His Imperial Russian Majesty of August 11 last in erecting a free port at Dalny (Talienwan) are thought to be proof that these powers are not disposed to view unfavorably the proposition to recognize that they contemplate nothing which will interfere in any way with the enjoy ment by the commerce of all nations of the rights and privileges guaranteed to them by existing treaties with China.

Repeated assurances from the British Government of its fixed policy to maintain throughout China freedom of trade for the whole world insure, it is believed, the ready assent of that power to our proposals. It is no less confidently believed that the commercial

interests of Japan would be greatly served by the above-mentioned declaration, which harmonizes with the assurances conveyed to this Government at various times by His Imperial Japanese Majesty's diplomatic representative at this capital.

You are therefore instructed to submit to His Imperial Japanese Majesty's Government the above considerations, and to invite their early attention to them, and express the earnest hope of your Government that they will accept them and aid in securing their acceptance by the other interested powers.

I am, etc.,

JOHN HAY.

Viscount Aoki to Mr. Buck.

[Translation.]

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

Tokio, the 26th day, the 12th month of the 32d year of Meiji. (December 26, 1899.)

MR. MINISTER: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the note No. 176 of the 20th instant, in which, pursuing the instructions of the United States Government, your excellency was so good as to communicate to the Imperial Government the representations of the United States as presented in notes to Russia, Germany, and Great Britain on the subject of commercial interests of the United States in China.

I have the happy duty of assuring your excellency that the Imperial Government will have no hesitation to give their assent to so just and fair a proposal of the United States, provided that all the other powers concerned shall accept the same.

I avail myself, etc.,

VISCOUNT AOKI SIUZO, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

RUSSIA.

Mr. Hay to Mr. Tower.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 6, 1899.

SIR: In 1898, when His Imperial Majesty, through his diplomatic representative at this capital, notified this Government that Russia had leased from His Imperial Chinese Majesty the ports of Port Arthur, Ta-lien-wan, and the adjacent territory in the Liaotung Peninsula in northeastern China for a period of twenty-five years, your predecessor received categorical assurances from the imperial minister for foreign affairs that American interests in that part of the Chinese Empire would in no way be affected thereby, neither was it the desire of Russia to interfere with the trade of other nations, and that our citizens would continue to enjoy within said leased territory all the rights and privileges guaranteed them

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