Coll 29/86 'Diplomatic and consular expenditure: incidence; revision; general' [‎256r] (511/561)

2^
25
Office
mtch from
enclosing a
jriodical
sular district
it of India
pointed out that
jf such period-
iatment of
^ficials and the
ich cases, and
amenable to
>ated down the
LI these British
stated that there
and Shans
strict south-east
.gn Office will
establishment in
Is the expenditure
n
. ?
>ns were soon
sign Office for
ie expenses of a
i Black of the
‘ trying or
were concerned*
Foreign Office
i’s despatch of
it May, 1895,
of periodical
>r the liability
nses of Mr*
' district
py of a letter
oner of Burma
oreign Depart-
or the
r the pro-
hment* These
ffice as "not
n Office, who
spatches from
hey claimed, "to
sted in the
undertaken and
certain districts
es, Mr# De
urney is
ctivities in
it not less than
ial the Indian
and in so
a large
ied, more-cr^er,
to get through
be reduced
tion of Bangkok
3 almost the
o De Bunsen*s
! s final report
on his tour in which he emphasised both the number of Burmese,
chiefly Shans, in the districts of Siam which he visited, and
the importance of their activities as traders, gem miners,
agriculturists and teak foresters* "The prosperity and
commercial activity of this most flourishing part of Siam" he
wrote "is entirely dependent on the Burman"# He added,
however, that the establishment of new Consular posts and of
annual tours would assure the Burmese in Siam of more
reliable assistance and protection and would thereby lead in
time to very great developments of trade.
No#89(Political)
of 1895.
No *45(External)
of 1896*
247-3-S-l
dated 9th
January
76* The Government of India, however, to whom the
matter was again referred in the Secretary of State*s des
patch of the 24th October, refused, in a letter dated 11th
March 1896, to modify their previous decision, relying once
again on the opinion of the Chief Commissioner of Burma,
given in a letter to the Secretary to the Government of India,
Foreign Department, that so far as the interests of the
people of that Province were concerned, a case had not been
made out "for saddling Indian revenues either with a share
of the cost of Mr* Black’s tour, or with part of the cost of
the establishment of periodical consular courts."
77* The Government of India's letter was commented on
in the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. as follows
"There is no clear and well-recognised rule indicating
the cases in which Indian revenues should be liable to con
tribute towards expenditure incurred for, or in connection
with. Imperial establishments outside India* Probably it
would be impossible to formulate one* The consequent
wrangles are very unsatisfactory, and there is a danger that
action required by the interests of the two countries
(England and India) taken together, may be neglected because
there is a dispute as to which shall bear the cost" •
78* It seems to have been realised that the question
of the incidence of this tour was of some importance as a
precedent, and a note on the question prepared for the
16th April Political Committee contained the following observations:
"One objection to over-ruling the Government of India
in this matter is that we are dealing piecemeal, not only
in the case of Siam but also in respect of Western Yunnan,
with the question of Indian contributions towards the expenses
of the establishment of new Consulates and the extension of
consular supervision* We have just agreed to pay a moiety
of the salary and the allowance of the Consul to be appointed
to Momein in Western Yunnan*
"As soon as the revision of the Burma-China Convention
of 1894 is effected, further Consulates in Western Yunnan
will be established and without doubt the Government of
India will be called upon to bear a share of the expenses*
"Again, as a result of the Anglo-French Agreement of
15th January, we must anticipate the creation of additional
consulates in Siam, and a consequent demand on Indian
revenues for a contribution towards the expenditure so
entailed*
"It is, therefore, suggested that the Foreign Office
should be informed that the Secretary of State wishes to
reserve his decision pending a consideration of the