Sir Miles Lampson's reply, dated Peking, November 1, was as follows:—
Sir—I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your further Note of September 6 on the sub-Ject of extraterritoriality, and I am ow instructed to. communicate to your Excellency in reply the views of his Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, to the " following effect: willing to accord to all foreigners the same rights fas are usually enjoyed by foreign nationals in any other country, as it 4s desirous of making them accept the same duties and obligations as are usually accepted by foreign nationals in any other country, And the paramount duty of the foreigner any country, in the opinion of the Chinese Government, is to respect and obey its laws, and to submits to the jurisdiction of its tribunals.
Tt must be. emphasized that extraterritorial privileges; while apparently beneficial to foreigners in China in giving them the impression of security and safety, have really had the most injurious effect on their relation with the Chinese by producing in the latter the. feeling In the concluding paragraph of your Note under reply the Chinese Government express their desire that his Majesty's Government may enter into discussions with them for the purpose of making the necessary arrangements whereby extraterritoriality in China may be abolished, to the mutual satisfaction of both Governments. In my Note of August 10 his Majesty's Government expressed their willingness to examine in collaboration with the Chinese Government the whole problem of extraterritorial jurisdiction with a view to ascertaining what modifica tions in the present system may be Diacticable. There would, fore, appear to be a large measure of common ground between the two Governments in their mutual desire to enter into a discussion of the resentment which have always caused mutual suspicion and the consequent loss of mutual confdfence, thus undermining the very foundations of friendly relations and not infrequently giving rise to complications and conflicts. Such conflicts and complication could be enolly avoided were there none of those. special privileges.
In the event, however, of British subjects relinquishing their"éxtraterritorial privileges they may rest assured that they will enjoy the same confidence of the Chinese! People and hence the same material problem, Te will be difficult, however, to make any progress towards' the achievement of practical results until the Chinese Government, as suggested in my Note of August 10, have put forward concrete pro-ossals to serve as a Basis of negotiations. His Majesty's Government have not yet received any indication of the nature of the arrangements which the Chinese Government consider should be made as intimated in the Inst paragraph of your Note. The views of the Chinese Government on the subject are, however, a matter of vital
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.