HE Chinese Government rt based on a "joint and strict _investig: of th disappearance of Mr. John Thorburn, has now been received by the British authorities. Incbrief it denies all knowledge of Mr, Thorburn's whereabouts, declares that no foreigner has been arrested or taken into custody in connection with the shooting near Quinsan.
The report is published verbatim bel Jow. Inquiries have also elicited the delta supplied to the Chinese Government for the purpose of their report.
Meanwhile the i jignation among the forei community in Shanghai is growing. Arrangements are being made by certain organizations to press on the British Government the need for stronger action. Bir.
A. P, Nazer has intimated, in a Teter addressed to the Press and printed below, that he invites signatures to a telegram of protest which he proposes to send othe London Press in order to secure the fullest possible publicity.
Who following memorandum—translated—has been address id the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the British "Minister dated July 16 and is issued "by the British Consulate at Shanghai With regard to the disappear ance without trace of the resident of Shanghai, Thorburn, it is on record that repeated letters have been received from the British Consul-General at Nanking requesting investigation; also that the replies of the various Departments: oncomed have been communicated the British Consul-General, Purther, the Ministry of Foreign "Affairs and the Ministry of Wai ench sent an official of their respective Ministries to conduct a joint and strict investigation. hes {wo officials have now reported as. follows "In pursuance of our _instruetions, wwe at once left for Soochow where we first visited the headquarters of the First Regiment of Gendarmerie occupying the Lao Wa Tuan Barracks. We were informed by the Colonel of the said Regiment that the Regiment, certainly had not arrested any foreigner. As: regards the matter of the wounding by shooting of two gendarmes at, Welting near Kunshan (Quinsan), the bandits had made good their, escape owing to the passing of a, train (between the combatants) Not only was no foreigner arrested on that occasion, but no Chinese was captured. We thereupon inpected the Regimental gaol, where we found only two Chinese prison~ ers, Both were gendarmes, There was no foreigner in the gaol. We then inspected the Military" gaol. There wore four prisons and one prison-hospital and three—workshops, We examined them all, on after another, and found that they contained no foreigner.
We then went to. the District] Magistracy of Wuhsien (Soochow). We were informed that on receipt: of instructions from the Ministry} ordering an investigation, the Magistrate sat once wrote to the Headquarters of the First Re ment, of Gendarmerie and also or dered the Commissioner of Police to investigate and report. The Gendarmerie headquarters replied] that no foreigner had been arrest-ad. The Commissioner of Polica) reported that he hail made investi: gations and found that there was no truth in the allegation that a foreigner had been arrested.
"We then proceeded to the Sco-show Railway Station where we} interviewed the Stationmaster and the Assistant Stationmaste:, and asked them whether on or' about! June 2 they had seen on the station, premises.a party of gendarmes guarding a foreigner. They replied that they were very busily engaged very day in the performance of their duties and did not know. whether gendarmes had or had.not drought a foreign prisoner to the Recently Mr. to inquire. They had both inform-by]ed them that they had only heard that two Chinese gendarmes had been wounded; they had not heard that q foreigner had been arrested.
We then proceeded to the head quarters of the First Battalion of the First Regiment of Gendarmerie [which is stationed at Quinsan, investigate, and stated there that according to information. from British sources there jwas'a gendarme in the Battalion named Hsieh Ju-sung (Sia Zullsoong) who, on being interrogated by an Englishman, was alleged to have stated that 'a foreigner had been arrested, Was that true or Met? "A responsible officer of the }Battalion thereupon interrogated gendarme Hsieh Ju-sung, who said: When Li Kuo-tsai and Shen Li-shang had been severely wounded by bandits in the night of June 1, I received orders to escort them to the hospital at Shanghai to be eared for. The day after arrival [Shanghai a foreigner and a Chinese jeamo. to the hospital and cross-examined me on what had happen-fed. 1 told them how the bandits thad wounded my comrades, adding that there was a rumour abroad that lone bandit had been captured. 1 said T did not think it was true, but 1 did not know whether anything of the sort had happened-after had come to Shanghai to escort two comrades. It was only after} had returned to Quinsan several days later that I learned that it was sheer baaes rumour'.
"We then inquired of the photolerapher at Quinsan who said. that ino foreigner had been to him lately to have his photograph taken, "After that we asked policeman Lo-li whether er not he had Iscen a foreigner escorted by get mes on June 1 or June 2. He he had not, We have the honour to sub on the result of the tigations we were instructed to make in this case."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in communicating this Memorandum to H.B.M. Minister for his informa-ion, have the honour to state that they find that there is general agree. ment between the report made by the officials who went to Soochow Jand Quinsan charged with instructions to make a detailed investiga and the official reports pre viously received by the Ministry. instructions have been issued to the (Civil Executive officials and the military officers holding commands im the Provinees of Kiangsu, Chekiang, and Anhui to search for the missing British subject Thorburn, land. to report the result of their investigations in due course.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.