stood, that in the above respects the field is left as open to French as to English enterprise. || In acknowledging the receipt of this note, perhaps you will kindly intimate the willingness of the French Government to accede to a reciprocal engagement. Dufferin and Ava. Inclosure 4. Der französische Minister des Auswärtigen an den englischen Botschafter in Paris. Paris, le 1er Décembre, 1893. Cher Lord Dufferin, || Vous avez bien voulu me faire savoir, par votre lettre de ce jour, qu'aucun Traité n'a été signé, jusqu'ici, entre la GrandeBretagne et la Chine, au sujet de l'État de Kieng Hung, et que l'Angleterre n'a nullement l'intention de chercher à obtenir aucun monopole, soit pour les chemins-de-fer ou Compagnies de Navigation, soit pour toute autre mode de transit ou communication, au détriment d'entreprises commerciales Françaises de même ordre. Il est entendu que le champ devra demeurer libre, à cet égard, pour les entreprises Françaises et Anglaises. Je m'empresse de vous accuser réception de cette communication, dont je prends acte bien volontiers. Réciproquement et conformément à votre demande, j'ai l'honneur de vous faire savoir que la délimitation des possessions Françaises, du côté de Kieng Hung, n'a pas encore été faite, mais que, dans les négociations que le Gouvernement de la République aura à suivre, à ce sujet, avec le Gouvernement Chinois, il compte se guider d'après les principes mêmes que vous avez bien voulu énoncer dans votre lettre de ce jour, et auxquels je ne peux qu'adhérer sans réserve. J. Develle. England. My Lord, || I have received and laid before the Queen your Excellency's Nr. 10555. despatches of the 20th and 21st ultimo, giving an account of your negotiations. Dec. 1893. with regard to the neutral State to be constituted between the British and French possessions in the vicinity of the Upper Mekong. I have also received and laid before Her Majesty your Excellency's despatch of the 1st instant, forwarding copies of the Protocols signed and of the notes exchanged between your Excellency and M. Develle on this question. || I have pleasure in conveying to your Excellency the entire approval of Her Majesty's Government, and their satisfaction at the arrangement which you have concluded. 11 The object of the two Governments has been to remove, as far as possible, all risk of irritating questions and subjects of dispute arising on their frontiers in these regions. The settlement which is sketched out in the Protocol signed Nr. 10555. by you and M. Develle seems well calculated to secure that end. Her MaEngland. 7. Dec. 1893. jesty's Government feel, that this result is largely due to the ability with which Nr. 10556. England. you have carried on the negotiations, and to the statesmanlike and conciliatory disposition in which M. Develle has treated the matter. || I note with much pleasure your favourable mention of the manner in which Mr. Phipps and Mr. Lee have conducted the discussions in the Commission charged to examine the subject, and I request you to convey to them the expression of my approval. Rosebery. Nr. 10556. ENGLAND. Minister des Auswärtigen an den Botschafter in Paris. Kommission zur Abgrenzung des Bufferstaates muss bald zusammentreten. Foreign Office, December 8, 1893. (Telegraphic.) || Experts inform me that, if the Joint Commission for the 8. Dec. 1899. examination of the limits of the buffer State does not start immediately and terminate its labours before the month of May, it will be necessary to wait until November next. || As soon as the French Government are ready, Her Majesty's Government would be prepared to send Mr. Scott, now Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Bangkok, as their Commissioner. Nr. 10557. England. Nr. 10557. ENGLAND. Botschafter in London an den Minister des Auswärtigen. Note an den französischen Minister über die Bufferstaatskommission. Paris, December 9, 1893. (December 11.) My Lord, I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship 9. Dec. 1893. copy of a note which I have addressed to M. Casimir-Perier, French Minister for Foreign Affairs, in accordance with the terms of your Lordship's telegram of the 8th instant, urging upon his Excellency the importance of the early appointmemt of a French Delegate to examine with Mr. Scott, British Commissioner, and Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Bangkok, the neutral State to be constituted between the British and French possessions in Indo-China. Dufferin and Ava. Inclosure. Der englische Botschafter in Paris an den französischen Minister des Auswärtigen. Paris, December 9, 1893. M. le Président du Conseil, || According to information received by Her Majesty's Government from experts acquainted with the local conditions, it appears that unless the Commissioners appointed to examine the proposed neutral State, to be formed in accordance with the terms of the Protocol signed by your predecessor and myself on the 25th ultimo, are ready to start at once England. and to complete their work before the month of May of next year, it will be Nr. 10557. necessary to delay the examination until the following month of November. 9. I have therefore been instructed by Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to inform your Excellency, that Her Majesty's Government are prepared to send forthwith Mr. Scott, Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affairs at Bangkok, to act as British Delegate on the proposed Commission, and I trust that your Excellency will be in a position to inform me, that the Government of the French Republic are prepared on their side to appoint at once a Delegate in order that no delay may take place in carrying out the terms of the Agreement come to between the two Governments. I may mention, that M. Develle himself suggested that no time should be lost in the matter, and I accordingly wrote in that sense to Lord Rosebery. Dufferin and Ava. Nr. 10558. ENGLAND. Derselbe an Denselben. Antwort des französischen Ministers. Paris, December 11, 1893. (December 12.) England. 11. Dec. 1893. My Lord, | With reference to my despatch of the 9th instant, I have the Nr. 10558. honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship copy of a note which I have received from M. Casimir-Perier, in which his Excellency states that he hopes. shortly to be in a position to reply to my inquiry as to the appointment of a French Delegate on the Commission to examine into the proposed buffer State. Dufferin and Ava. Inclosure. Der französische Minister des Auswärtigen an den englischen Botschafter in Paris. Paris, le 9 Décembre, 1893. M. l'Ambassadeur, || J'ai l'honneur d'accuser réception à votre Excellence de sa communication de ce jour relative à la composition de la Commission Technique qui doit se rendre sur le Haut-Mékong. || J'en ai immédiatement fait part à M. le Sous-Secrétaire d'État des Colonies que j'avais, d'ailleurs, entretenu déjà de la question. || J'espère être incessamment en mesure de répondre à la demande dont vous avez bien voulu me saisir. Nr. 10559. CHINA. Casimir-Perier. Chinesische Botschaft in London an den wünscht an der Errichtung des Bufferstaates theil- China. Chinese Legation, December 16, 1893. (December 19.) My Lord, I am instructed by the Tsung-li Yamên to inform your Lord- Nr. 10559. || ship, that the Imperial Government, being extremely desirous of maintaining the independence and the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Siam, have 16. Dec. 1893. China, Nr. 10559. learned with the most lively satisfaction that such was also the wish of the 16. Dec. 1898. Governments of England and France; and, further, that they would be prepared to join them in any measures they may be pleased to take with the view of securing these objects. || As regards the buffer State which it is proposed to establish between the British and the French possessions on the Upper Mekong, and which your Lordship has been good enough to say Her Majesty's Government are desirous of placing under the sovereignty of China, I have the honour to state that in the event of its being of sufficient breadth, and the conditions attached to its acceptance free from any which, in the opinion of the Imperial Government, would be prejudicial to Chinese interests, they would be prepared to accept it if formally offered them. || As the buffer State will, on its northern side at least, necessarily be conterminous with Kiang Hung the southern limit of which has never been clearly defined the Imperial Government think that, apart from the question of its control, China ought to be represented on any Commission which may be appointed to delimitate it; and that reasons of expediency would seem to recommend the adoption of the Nam-U as its eastern boundary. || Until it emerges from Meung-U, one of the territorial divisions of Kiang Hung, the Nam-U is altogether a Chinese river, and, for some distance lower down, the right bank of it still belongs to China; so, were the Nam-U taken for the eastern limit of the buffer State, and the latter given to China, the difficult task of delimitating the frontier between it and Kiang Hung would be much simplified, should a delimitation still be deemed indispensable. Nr. 10560. England. Sieh. Minister des Auswärtigen an den Bot- Beginn der Arbeiten der Buffer schafter in Paris. Foreign Office, December 20, 1893. My Lord, It has been represented to me, that climatic reasons will prevent 20. Dec. 1893. the Technical Commission, charged with the delimitation of the neutral zone between the English and French possessions in the Indo-Chinese Peninsula, from usefully commencing its labours before the autumn of next year. || I should be glad if your Excellency would ascertain the views of the French Government in this matter. Nr. 10561. 22. Dec. 1898. Rosebery. Nr. 10561. ENGLAND. Botschafter in Paris an den Minister des Auswärtigen. Dasselbe. Paris, December 22, 1893. (December 23.) My Lord, M. Jusserand, who has been acting as French Commissioner during the negotiations here for the constitution of a neutral zone between the British and French possessions in the Indo-Chinese Peninsula, has informed Nr. 10561. England. Mr. Phipps, that for climatic reasons the French Government is of opinion that 22. Dec. 1893. the Technical Commission agreed upon could not conveniently commence its labours until the autumn of next year. || As the delay thus proposed appears also to be in accordance with your Lordship's views, I have caused M. Jusserand to be informed that Her Majesty's Government agree to the opinion thus expressed by the French Government. || An understanding has been arrived at with M. Jusserand, on behalf of the French Government, that a date will be fixed for the assembly of the Technical Commission early next autumn. Dufferin and Ava. Nr. 10562. ENGLAND. Derselbe an Denselben. Verhandlungen zwischen Frankreich und Siam über einen Handelsvertrag. Paris, January 18, 1894. (January 19.) My Lord, || I have the honour to inform your Lordship, that Prince Svasti, Nr. 10562. England. who had only just arrived in Paris, had an interview the day before yesterday 18. Jan. 1894. with M. Casimir-Perier, the President of the Council, by special appointment, with reference to the opening of negotiations in Paris for the conclusion of the new Commercial Treaty provided for in the Franco-Siamese Treaty of the 3rd October. || I am informed, that Prince Svasti was well received by M. CasimirPerier, who did not appear at all opposed to the idea, and who stated that he hoped, after consultation with his colleagues, to be able to give him a definite answer in three or four days. || M. Casimir -Perier observed at the same time, that he did not apprehend that there would be any conditions in the proposals to be submitted for the new Treaty of such a nature as to prevent the conclusion of a prompt and satisfactory arrangement. Dufferin and Ava. Nr. 10563. ENGLAND. - Minister des Auswärtigen an die chinesische Botschaft in London. Antwort auf Nr. 10559. Foreign Office, February 2, 1894. M. le Ministre, || I duly received, and have given careful attention to, the Nr. 10563. note which you did me the honour to address to me on the 16th December, England. 2. Febr. 1894. expressing the interest taken by your Government in the maintenance of the independence and territorial integrity of Siam, and their readiness to join in any measure which the Governments of Great Britain and France may take with the view of securing these objects. || Her Majesty's Government have received this statement with much satisfaction, and have taken due note of the views and intentions of the Government of China in this respect. || They also take note of the views of your Government with regard to the neutral |