Meanwhile the foreign. naval forces are continuing preparation to deal with the situation in the event of Dr. Sun Yat-sen carrying out his earlier threats. Four American destroyers have arrived at Canton with marines on board, while a British gunboat which went to Hongkong for that purpose has now returned with British marines. These vessels are anchored near the Customs The Diplomatic Corps' Reply:
Inability to Interfere in Allocation of Surplus Hongkong, Dec. 17.
The Diplomatic Corps' reply to the Canton Government relative to Dr. Sun Yat-sen's threat to take over the Canton Customs states that the Corps have no power to concede or to refuse the request that a share of the Customs surplus should be returned to the Canton authorities. By the protocol of 1901 the Diplomatic Corps have the right to assure priority of payment of interest and amortization of loans before 1901 and of the payment of the amortization of the Indemnity mentioned in the said protocol. According to the agreement. entered into by the Déplematio Corps and the Chinese Government in 1912, the Diplomatic Corps became, so to speak, trustees, out this agreement did not confer on the Corps the right to allocate the Customs surplus.
If the Canton Government had been granted a percentage of the surplus in 1919 and 1920, this was arranged between the Governments of Canton and Peking, the Diplomatic Corps not taking any part, and therefore they are not able to take part now.
Regarding the payment of the surplus for domestic loans, the Diplomatic Corps are -not concerned with the matter, the reply continues, since the arrangement was concluded without consultation with the Corps.
The Diplomatic Corps left it to the discretion of the Consular Body in Canton to decide whether the latter should transmit_the Corps' reply to the Canton Giovernment immediately, or wait till December 19, the termination of the two weeks allowed by the Canton Government for the Corps' decision. The. Consular Body decided to deliver the reply forthwith.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.