Well I think the Court will agree that: that was a perfectly proper letter to write-under the circumstances. No communica—tion was made to Mr. Drummond the registered owner of the land but when this. course was taken he at once puts himself in:
proper position. He writes to Mr. Jernigan, the then American Consul-Generali and he says that his clients the Chinese: owners are perfectly prepared to submit the whole matter to the-investigation of any fair and impartial tribunal, Apparently the Council took no notice of that communication. At all events Mr. Drummond proposed to Mr. Bland, or at any rate, to some official of the Council that the matter should be submitted to arbitration. All he desired was that the whole of the facts should be disclosed, so that in a friendly way the title to this property might be decided. That course was refused by the Council so that the proposed friendly settlement came toan end. But further correspondence ensued after the matter had apparently dropped for some time following the proposal to submit the case to arbitration, correspondence which I wish to call the Court's attention to being nearly twelve months afterwards. On the 30th June, 1898, Mr. Bland wrote as follows to Mr. Drummond Shanghai Municipal Coun: som Jum 1898, Smz,—I beg to refer you to your letter to the Council, dated 14th June, 1897, from the its of which, it is gathered' that you make some claim to the Council's land or Rifle Range Road, Ca form you that, if you and will bring a sult in substantiation the of, the Council will be prepared with evidence of its title.
Tam directed to give you this notice us it is intended shortly to build upon thy Jand in question.
Tam, Sir, Your obedient Servant, (Sd.) J. O, P. Braun, Secretary.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.