Mr. Iddings to Mr.
Hay.
American Embassy,
Rome, February 17,
1904.
No. 335.]
Sir: Referring to my dispatch No. 332, of
February 12, I beg leave now to inclose to you a copy, with translation,
of a memorandum received from the foreign office yesterday, the 16th,
but dated February 14. It is the Italian reply to the American
propositions of February 10th. * * *
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure.—Translation.]
Memorandum from the foreign
office to the American embassy at
Rome, dated February 14, 1904.
The ambassador of the United States on February II communicated to
the ministry for foreign affairs the substance of a telegram in
which the Secretary of State desired to know the views of the Royal
Government regarding the propriety of making opportune
representations in St. Petersburg, Tokyo, and Peking for the
limitation of hostilities by means of a declaration in behalf of the
neutrality of China. The Royal Government is, for its part, disposed
to act for this purpose with the other neutral powers, and believes
that, in view of the special conditions which exist in Manchuria,
the formula to be adopted for the above-mentioned objects should be
such as to exclude not only the declaration of the application of
neutrality to that province, but also should be such that from that
omission no one could draw an argument for the weakening of the
principle of sovereignty of China over that territory.
