"المجلد II. مذكرات بخصوص شؤون خارجية أخرى. ١٩٠٥." [ظ‎‎٨‎١] (٢٢٨/١٦٧)

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tlie change of Viceroy would have no effect
on the negotiations; that his instructions
from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
were that His Majesty’s Government would
consent to the omission of clause (1), provided
the remaining clauses were accepted without
alteration, hut that they were not disposed to
agree to any further modifications. Sir Ernest
also intimated verbally that His Majesty’s
Government would prefer to dispense with
China’s adhesion altogether, if the terms
offered were not accepted. On the 28th
August, Sir E. Satow enquired verbally of
Natung as to what the views of the Chinese
Government were in regard to his draft reply.
Natung replied that they had again tele
graphed to Tang Tachen, and that they
expected his reply in a couple of days. He
added that it would be difficult to accept
the remaining Articles as they stood, and
that there were, especially, objections to
Article (2). He was again informed of the
possibility of His Majesty’s Government dis
pensing altogether with the Adhesion Agree
ment. Sir E. Satow stated that, in his
opinion, the object of the Chinese Government
was to get the agreement modified through
him, bit by bit, in spite of their having been
told that His Majesty’s Government will not
consent to the transfer of the negotiations to
Peking.
On the 19th September, His Britannic
Majesty’s Minister in China wired to His
Majesty’s Government that he had received
official information from the Chinese Govern
ment that leave had been given to Tang
Tachen to return to China on the ground of
ill-health, and that his Secretary, Chang-
yin-tang, had been appointed to carry on the
negotiations. Sir E. Satow suggested that
the Chinese Government should be informed
that, unless the latter were accredited in the
same way as Tang Tachen, it would be im
possible .to continue the negotiations with
him. .His Majesty’s Government asked for
the views of the Government of India on
Sir Ernest’s telegram without delav, and were
informed in reply that Tang Tachen’s plea of
ill-health was a mere pretext, and that it was
put forward, either in order to save his face
and let another Commissioner sign, or more
probably in order that negotiations might be
recommenced in the hope of obtaining better
terms, from the new Viceroy. It was suggested
to His Majesty’s Government that, assumino*
that change of Commissioners on either side
could make no difference to the attitude of
His Majesty’s Government, and that it would
be convenient to get the Convention settled
before Lord Curzon left India, serious
disappointment might be expressed at Mr
Tang’s departure before conclusion of the
Convention, to which, since the point about