Peking, June 11.
Replying to a Note from the Waichiaopu, dated June 9, concerning the Russian Legation, li. Ovdenijk, Netherlands Minister acting Doyen of the Dipiom: Body, this afternoon acknowledges receipt of the Note and quotes it as saying that, according to a Note from the Diplomatic Body on October 4, 1920, the Ministers entrusted the custody of the Russian Legation to Prince Koudacheff, while in a Note dated January 11, 4921, they said that, in view of Prince Koudacheff's departure from Peking, custody of the Legation had been handed over to the Netherlands Minister until the arrival in Peking of 2 representative of a recog: Russian Government. The Waichiaopu remarks that these Notes were duly acknowledged and as China has "now recognized the Soviet Government the Waickiaopy the opinion that the Russian Legation, as "well as the articles appurtenant thereto, should be returned to the representative of the Soviet Government, in accordance with the agreement which China tuas recently concluded with the The reply goes on: "Finally the Waichiaopu requests me to bring the matter to the attention of interested resident Ministers and to reply. I laid Your Excellency's, Note before the representatives of the signatory Powers of the Protocol of 1901. The said representa tives considered the Note and they feel. impelled to. draw tion to the following two facts:—(1) that the Note of October 4, 1920, stated that by. virtue of the conventional status. of the Quarter the representatives of the signatory Powers assumed the responsibility for guarding the Russian Legation until the re-establish. ment of a Russian representative recognized by the Powers, and (2) that the Chinese Government, when informed of this measure, declared that it would not be responsible to any party whatsoever for the safeguarding of the Russian Legation.
"The Waichiaopu will understand from the foregoing," the reply states in conclusion, "that the foreign representatives concerned can under the existing cireumstances only consider the question of handing over the former Russian Legation if a request in that connexion should be addressed to them the diplomatic representative duly accredited, to the Chinese Government by the Russian Government Bf. Oudendijk explains that the] Protocol representatives designated him their intermediary in. this matter.—Reuter's Pacific Service.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.