On his return to Hankow Sir Robert delivered the following speech at the Chinese Merchant' Club in Hankow I appreciate very deeply the honour that has been done to me in giving me this unique opportunity of meeting so many of the leading men in Hankow. There are among you, not only mer-chauis and bankers and business men, but men holding official positions, as well as educationists and others in different spheres of life: and I believe there is not one among you who, realizing the present state of affairs in this country, but desires to sea the re-establishment of peace, of real peace.
Of my humble labours in connexion with my proposed Round-'Table Conference, you may perhaps already have heard. My object is to endeavour to bring the different leaders together, to have them meet each other face to face, to settle their outstanding differences, and finally, to work, not. against each other, but harmoniously "together" for the good of the whole nation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.