Reuter's announcement of the appointment of Mr. F. Beilby Alston: cp. to be British Minister at Peking merely confirmed what has been anticipated for a considerable time past; and while Mr. Alstoa deserves congratulation upon his appointment, the British community have reason to be gratified in the appointment of an otticial with experience in the British #oreign Service, both in China and elsewhere.
Mr. Beilby Alston was born in October, 1868, the second son of the late Sir Francis Alston, K.c.m.c., formerly of the Foreign Office. He was educated privately and abroad and at the age of 21 years passed a competitive examination of the Civil Service, upon which he was appointed a clerk in the Librarian's Department of the Foreign Office. That was in July, 1890, and less than six months later he was transferred to the Foreign Office proper where he remained until he went to the Legation in Copenhagen as an acting 3rd Secretary in the Diplomatic Service in May, 1895, holding that position until December of the same year. next year saw his appointment to the important post of secretary to the British Plenipotentiaries to the Coypright Conference at Paris in 1896, and in October of that year he went out to Buenos Ayres as acting and secretary, and also for a short time Charge d'Affaires. He remained there, for about 13 months, following which he was appointed secretary to the British representatives at the Brussels Sugar Conference in 1898, a position which he again occupied. during the conference of 1901-2. In the latter year he was attached to the Foreign Representatives specially accredited on the occasion of coronation of King Edward VII and received the Coronation Medal.
Promoted the following year to an assistant clerkship in 1903, in 1906, in conjunction with Sir Henry Austin Lee, he made a tour of the consular offices in France and within the next twelve months received promotion to a senior clerkship, a position in which he had been acting in the meantime.
From 1909 Mr. Alston came into closer contact with Chinese affairs with his appointment to be in attendance upon Prince Zai Sun on his visit to England with the Chinese Naval Mission during November and December of that year. He performed a similar function with regard to Prince Tsai Chen who visited England in 1911 as the Chinese representative at the Coronation of King George Vin June, 1911 and was on this occasion also awarded the Coronation Medal.
Two months later he was appointed an Acting-Counsellor in the Diplomatic Service and from about October until December was in Siam as secretary to H. I. H. Prince Alexander of Teck's Mission attending the coronation of the King of Siam.
is first important work in connexion with China was with regard to an inquiry into the leases in British Concessions in China and from January to July, 1912, was Acting Counsellor at Peking. After visiting Japan he returned again to the Foreign Office and in June of the following year, 1913, he was created a Commander of the Order of the Bath. Just previous to that, however, he was again appointed from June 6 to Noveuiber 2 of that Acting Counsellor at Peking and
year acted as Charge d'Affaires. In 1916, Tune 17, he again took up the post of Acting Counsellor and from November of that year and for a period of practically twelve months he was again in charge at Peking during the absence of Sir John Jordan. Later he _accompanied the. High Commissioner into Siberia and upon his return was given the rank of a Minister Plenipotentiary to Japan, a position which he has occupied for about a year.
Mrs. Alston is at present staying in Shanghai. Mr. Alston is still in Japan and is expected in China carly next month.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.