Mr, Tong Shao-yi on One of China's Best Friends have lost a very old friend of some 86 years standing and China has lost one of her best friends, said Mr, Tong Shao-yi, when formed of the d h of Sir John Jordan, "He was an old friend, indeed he was more than that, for he was one of the members of our own fumily and words cannot now express properly my feelings at the grievous loss we have all sustaingine his retirement and hi turn to London Sir John has rend ed a great deal of service toward: bettering the relations _betwe China and the Powers and changing policies of the Powers towards China. I judge this from the numerous accounts which I have read of his meetings and public utterances and speeches since his Teaving us, Sir John went away with a great deal of regret from whom he loved and by is not generally the case with diplomats of great Powers. Some, after being here for a number of years, do not seem able to get along with the people, but Sir John Jordan al ways showed a warm and fond feeling for the Chinese people and this was freely returned.
"[t was natural," continued Mr. Tong, that in the days of his official career, Sir John was mixed with the conservative party and he always held these in high regard, which feeling he maintained up to the very His conserv: veness was not meant to hinder progress, but what Sir John Jordan wanted was to see more men of the old school. He and Yuan Shih-kai were old friends and they held each other in high regard. This friendship began in the days when Yuan was Governor-General of Korea and Sir John was British Consul-General there, but I do not think that there was anybody more disappointed with Yuan than he was during Yuan's last days, when Vu attempted to crown himself Emper-
"gir John and I were very old friends; as a matter of fact, I claim: to be the oldest' of his "Chinese friends, We first met when he was '4 Consul-General in China and our friendship has existed up to the: Inst. 1 often had letters from him after his retirement and it was only last Christmas that sent _me a card of greetings, and I of course sent one back to him and Lady Jordan. We often had dinners and confidential talks, and many of these were in my own language, for Sir John Jordan was not only a great scholar but was a linguist of no mean order who spoke first class Mandarin. He was seven years my senior 60 we treated each other as brothers and now he is gone. It is hard to give my impressions of the man, but I contribute this little as an expression of my respect and appreciation of Sir John Jordan. China has indeed lost a great' friend and Britain one of her ablest diplomats who had a better knomtedge and understanding Toa than probably any other By-[ed, Countries change, and Chime ing foreigner of big day."
Few Better Briends to China Mr. Wen Tsung-yao, another well-known Chinese diplomat, said, "I have known Sir John Jordan for some 20 years and in all my experience with him we have never had a misunderstanding. I greatly respected and honoured him as I have never admired any other i British diplomat who has come to China. Words cannot express my sentiments and certainly they cannot convey what I mean at heart. I am profoundly pained to hear of the death of this great diplomat, probably the greatest of modern days in Chinese history.
"sir John had intimate knowledge of China and Chinese affairs and he certainly knew the inside workings -of -the—Ohinese Government and the real aspiratiorh of our people. The " first] time I met him was at a dinner given by the Viceroy, Chang Yun-shun, in Kuangtung when Iwas Commissioner of Foreign Affairs and when Sir John visited the place, and we have oftt dividually and officially, Our correspondence amounted to a great deal, and I will treasure his letters now that he has been called away from us. The Chinese people have had few better friends than Sir John Jordan, We missed him when he left us, but we still had the benefit of his advice and now we will miss him all the more. Let hope that we will have many john Jordans, May he rest Pekng, Sept. 15.
The passing of Sir John Jordan ig mourned by both foreigners and Chinese in Peking to-day. Immediately on hearing the sad news the Chie Executive and Foreign Minister cabled China's condolences to the bereaved family, while many messages have been sent by officials who worked with him in the old days, among them Dr. W. W. Yen. In foreign circles it is felt that Britain has lost a sterling adviser on Chinese affairs a loss parti. cularly deplorable at the present time, when home opinion is so badly ned of access to such sound Judgment as Sir John Jordan Possessed, Dr. W. W. Yen made the follow.
statement to the "North-Ching Daily News" on hearing the news lof the death of Sir John Jordan:
regret deeply to hear of the death of Sir John. T came to know him very closely in 1910 and 1911, when we negotiated together the so-called Opium Agreement, which provided for the gradual reduction of the importation of Indian opium into China, He was naturally a zealous champion of the interests of Great Britain, but he was also at the same time sympathetic and fair to China, He exercised very rear influence when he was British Minister in Peking, especially during the days of Yuan Shi-kai, with whom he was on intimate terms, He was doubtless the outstanding foreign figure in Peking at that ime. In many ways he was very favourably inclined towards China in whose people he never lost faith or hope."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.