Reference is also made in Your Excellency's Note to the claims for damages suffered by certain foreign nationals at the hands of brigands in Honan from June to December, 1922. It may be observed, however, that the Honan case is not closely connected with the incident now under consideration, nor were the circumstances quite similar. The questions of claims for compensation arising therefrom are now being dealt with locally between the Chinese authorities and the Consular. representatives concerned. The Chinese Government therefore hope that Your Excellency will have no objection to separating them from the discussion of the Lincheng incident.
As regards the "guarantees for the future" proposed in Your Excellency's Note, the Chinese Government find it difficult to give their concurrence and sincerely hope that the Diplomatic Body will reconsider its views. For one thing, the final Protocol of 1901 does not appear entirely applicable. That instrument, as it will be recalled, was concluded in settlement of the Boxer trouble, which had for its object the destruction of foreign life and property and in which there was evidence of connivance. on the part of certain officials of the Central Government as well as of the Provinces. Article X and Annex 16 of the Protocol, to which reference is made in your Note, seem to be clearly intended to meet a situation which happily has not arisen since and which does not exist in the present case.
The attack of the bandits on the express train at Lincheng was directed against Chinese and foreign passengers without distinction. It was not anti-foreign in character nor has there been found any evidence of official connivance or complicity in it. On the contrary, it is an established fact that the military authorities of the Province had been operating against the bandits in the neighbourhood of Lincheng and that it was with the object of compelling a relaxation of pressure as well as for the purpose of plunder that this outrageous act was clandestinely prepared and audaciously perpetrated by their fellow-bandits. As soon as the Provincial authorities learned of the occurrence, they spared no efforts to effect: the early and safe release of all the foreign captives, which was happily achieved in the end. There was, in short, abundance of good-will on the part of the officials of the Provinces towards the nationals of foreign Powers. While, therefore, wishing to do everything possible to prevent the recurrence in the future of such an incident as that which took place in Lincheng, the Chinese Government believes that application of the Protocol of 1901 would not be an appropriate or necessary guarantee, and, if.it
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.