6th April. Ir the information which we have received, from what we believe to be a trustworthy source, is correct, foreign mercantile bodies, merchants and others in this country have been wholly on the wrong track in regard to what has been called the revival ofthe Chiefoo telegraph convention, The provisions of this notorious arrangement have been adequately criticised perhaps too many times already.. We need say but very few words about it now, for it is as dead as her late Majesty Queen Anne. When it was completed, it is quite certain that Great Britain and Russia. were quite willing to assent to its provisions, and they communicated this willingness to those concerned. 'I'his we can state as a certain fact. It is beyond doubt also that the Chinese "Yelegraph Administration were quite content with it, as might be expected. But when it got to Peking, the late Marquis 'I'séng laid hands on it, and proceeded to tear it, metaphorically, to pieces. He cared nothing for the interests of foreign merchants in the matter; his hostility was, perhaps, due in part to opposition to Li Hung-chang, whom he never forgave for his action in the Tongicing affair; but it was dictated also by a regard for what he considered to be the dignity of China, He was imperfectly informed on the history of the Great Northern and Eastern Bxtension Companies in China and objected to the arrangement that it was not to expire until 1904, that date having in fact been fixed because it was the date of the expiration of the original concession of the Great Northern Company. Whatever the causes of the Marquis} Tséng's opposition may have been, it! was successful for a time, but for a time only. At last when, after his death, the Chinese were willing to ratify the convention, Russia, for some obscure reason, refused to do so, or to permit a junction between the Chinese and Siberian lines," [It is curious how unfortunate Chefoo agreements are: prudent diplomatists will avoid that port in future as the, scene of negotiations. It is unlucky: Phis, however, is ancient history, for the Chefoo ''telegraphic Convention, as {we have said, is dead. It was moribund for a long time prior to its demise; but we fear it must be said that this result is in no degree due to the opposition of the foreign communities. Ihe Russian Minister was willing at one time to ratify it; stranger still, Sir John Walsham was ready and willing to do so; and it is very much in the. nature of an accident that it is not now in full force in China.
In the autumn of 1890, the couvention being then practically dead and in articulo morris, the Chinese Minister in London was approached by the agents of both companies. The latter. desired a ition by a formal document emanating from the Chinese Government of their right, or privilege, to land cables on the coast of China. In other countries the recognition of such right or the.granting of this privilege is a recess which is usually gone through afore the cables are landed: in China things are frequently upside down. Up to the moment these second negotiations were initiated no assent of this nature ind been given to the companies, and they now sought it. Before the Minister would agree to deal with the subject, he made two conditions sine que non; ove that this convention at Chefoo was to be treated as dead, the other that for the benefit of the trade of China, there was to be a reduction in_ rates. Then, in return for the recognition by the Chinese government of the privilege to the companies to land cables the companies undertook to allow all Chinese government messages to pass over the cables free of charge. The expression "government messages" was carefully defined and includes not only the central government in Peking and the ministers abroad, but also all Viceroys. This last is a very substantial congeesioby for it is eect ars the telegraphing of a Viceroy like Chan ssapeein fs Voir Hie Shed siderable indeed. At present the chinese government pays the full price for all its not only to the Cable Companies, which is what one would expect, but also to the Chinese telegraph Administration, which is very strange to say the least of it. Under the new arrangement, of course, the Telegraph Administration, any more than the \"felegraph Companies, would not be paid and here, incredible as. it may seem, is the hitch. The bases of these arrangements were concluded in London in the autumn of 1890 and they were, we are told, so detailed that the elaborating of a formal agreement for signature was a mere matter of draftsmanship. Both the British and Russian Ministers were kept informed of what was going on but they did not interfere and. their assistance. Was not required, seeing that
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.