Mr. Conger to Mr. Hay.
Peking, June 28, 1902.
(Mr. Conger reports that at a meeting of the diplomatic corps on June 28, ministers of powers having military representatives on the provisional government proposed to restore Tientsin to the Chinese Government on the following conditions:
That neither forts nor city wall be restored; that shops be kept off certain streets; that no Chinese soldiers except police come within 30 li of the city; that concessions made by the provisional government for electric lights, railways, drains, waterworks, bridges, etc., are to be carried out by the Chinese Government.
All agreed except the Russian minister and Mr. Conger, the latter refusing to join because the conditions seem unnecessarily onerous, and add burdens in contravention of protocol, for which his Government is not responsible.)