April 4
Tometerviee in China, Sit row, after a little over two
nder Cadogan leaves for Eng~ ines where when his projected eave 1s ended, spruntment of Deputy Under-he will assume the arercary of Stale. for Foreign Anairs. Arriving here as British Minister, His Excellency leaves as Kmbasstor, the enhancement of the tus of the diplomatic representa tion of the two countries having teen reciprocally approved last year, While accredited to the Government of China as His tannic Majesty's representative, sit Alexander has seen the political panorama of the Far East dramati~ tally unfolding itself, He has been fu the midst of dynamic movements Which have demanded special jqualilics of vigilance, discretion, Sympathy and understanding. He has managed to make an extensive {our of inspection in the South, he soon made personal acquaintance with the Yangize Valley, and he has exiructed from Peiping the inspire {ion to be derived from that relic of a vanished greatness, Best of fill, he has positively developed the physical relations of the Embassy With the headquarters of the Gov-ferment of China, by periodical residence in Nanking and by pressing on His Majesty's Government the plans for makeing such residence a more regular part of Brilish diplomatic routine. doubt, had he been allowed to com~ ple lo his full term of office, he woul have taken advantage of the completion of those plans to estab= lish between the Embassy in Nan~ king and the important community in Shanghai those contacts which can be of special significance to Sino-British interests, Sir Alexander Cadogan has won the confidence and esteem of the Chinese Government by the sincerily of his attitude, the quiet charm of his personality and the essential commonsense of the views which he has had occasion in the name of his Government to express, He is not a man to attempt any' specta~ cular effort; that has been specially fortunate at a time which demand~ sobriety of judgment and calm of thought, His intense devotion to duty has impelled him to make special study of the interests which he came here to represent. He has earned the gratitude of his fellow-countrymen in China by displaying a vigorous, but always well-bal laneed,, solicitude for basic prin= ciptes which have to be assiduously fuartied in the development of commercial enterprises. In a time of exceptional difficulty and depression, he has managed, not amply phrases, but by solid performnee, to show that in the British Ambassador British commerce in China has had a real "friend at cout" who is no tess effective in his advocacy of British interests because he has been consistently mindtil of the delicacy and com-Dlexity of the problems confronting the Government, {o which he has have limited his range of personal contact with the British community but it has seen enough to justify the view that, on his departure, he leaves behind' definite achievements
shins.
ecienting Sino-British relation Rexel at his early relinquishment of his ambassadorial duties is fem= Pered by appreciation of the Wremendous significance of his new appointment. Tt means that, for the first time in' diplomatic history, the Foreign Omee in London will brave 3 man with close personal knowledge of the Far East and a wide rasp of China's problems in a post "hich, "in importance, is second only to that of the chief adviser to the Government on Foreign Affairs. The vain thus recorded may not {nreasonably be said to outweigh Wie less of the services of an able Ambassador after so short a lapse qrolime. If discretion be not reached by the thought, it is Reproduced with permis! permissible to express the hope that, before long, the new appointment may prove to be the steppingstone to one in which China will be uble to feel that her problems: ure known {0 the highest authority onthe permanent staff at Downing Street. This development vividly October i934 had accustomed the shows His Majesty's mani' appreciation of the vital|rency." The ce-operation of the importance of the Far East in international policy.
It should, perhaps, establish -the principle of maintaining direct personal contact between Downing Street and China by making it a regular practice for some of the best brains of the Foreign Ofice to acquire first-hand acquaintance with Far Eastern conditions by periodical visits or def-mite appointments, However that may be, Sir Alexander Cadogan is invited to accept the sincerest good wishes for his fulure success in London.
With those good wishes oes a deep gratitude for all that hho has striven to accomplish here and his unfailing courtesy and consideration in the discharge of his duties, This tribute would be complete if it did not include Lady Theodosia Cadogan and their three daughters whose chanting rein-foreement of Sir jlexander's social activities has been so. greatly appreciated. They rived in China in some stale of inconvenience by the accident of their voyage itis hoped that they have forgotten. all that in the warmth of the esteem. which they have so readily and Eracefully earned and which bids. them bon voyage with a sense of real regret.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.