Barnes had spent many years in the Orient and had made several friends among the natives high in power, and, moreover, was a friend of Wu Ting-fang, the Chinese Minister at Washington, Mr Barnes agreed to do the work, it is said, on the verbal understanding that he would be duly compensated for any valuable results he might accomplish. He and Clarence Cary were appointed a special committee to obtain the concessions, Mr. Barnes being known as the managing member of the committee. Associate! with them was A. W.
Bash. They set Lo work in January ut the present year. Mr. Barnes first arranged through his friends in Peking, by cable, to have the El Cabinet confer upon Wa Ting-fang the special power to make any railroad concession he might agree to with the American syndicate. He was successful in this and the negotiations with Wu Ting-fang direct were began. Tu April an agreement was reached. During these months an immense amount of correspondence passed between Mr. Barnes and Mr. Brice and other members of the company, and also between Mr. Barnes and Mr. Cary and Mr. Bash. The draft of the agreement reached by Barnes and the Chinese Minister was drawn up by Barnes and was accepted by both sides without " chan, ex-Secretary of State John W. Foster acting in xn advisory capacity for the Chinese Minister. This agreement was reached the 13th of April and signed the next day. Subsequent-was ratified by an imperial edict by the Chinese Government. Ti concessions obtained by the company provide for the building of a trunk line railroad from Hankow south to Canton.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.