I communicated this to the Chinese Government, as directed, and have just
received a reply, in which China strenuously denies that she has failed
to observe her duties as a neutral. A copy of the correspondence is
inclosed.
[Inclosure 2.]
Prince Ch’ing to
Chargé Coolidge.
I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt on the 15th of the third
moon of this year (April 19, 1905) of your excellency’s dispatch,
stating that you had received from the Department of State a copy of
a pro memoria handed to the Department by the Russian ambassador at
Washington, and which called attention to the renewal of activity on
the part of bands of Chinese in Mongolia directed against the
Russians, and repeated the intention of the Russian Government to
restrict in future the theater of military operations, provided the
powers interested would take steps to oblige China and Japan to
renounce the idea of enlarging the sphere of military operations,
and especially to avoid carefully carrying the war into the
provinces east of Mongolia. Your excellency said, further, that you
felt it to be your duty to send a copy for my information.
As to this matter: At the beginning of hostilities between Japan and
Russia my board, on the 27th of the twelfth moon of the twenty-ninth
year of Kuanghsü (February 12, 1904), sent dispatches to the various
powers, clearly stating that the region west of the Liao River, from
which Russia had already withdrawn her troops in accordance with
treaty provisions, and Inner and Outer Mongolia would all be treated
as within the area of neutrality, and that the belligerents must not
encroach upon them, etc., all of which the records will show.
As to Mongolia: Instructions have been sent repeatedly to the
colonial office strictly enjoining upon it that no bandits should be
allowed to pass out or come in. As to the theater of war in the
Manchurian provinces, both Russia and Japan have enlisted bandits,
and if a destruction of railway bridges is the result, it is in a
region to which China’s military forces may not penetrate, and it is
difficult for us to show any partiality in our prohibitions. As a
matter of course, China can not be held responsible.
The regiments of the forces of the superintendent of trade for the
North (Yuan Shih-k’ai) are all stationed in Chihli and are strictly
observing the (neutrality) regulations. Moreover, they are far from
the theater of military operations, and how can it be said that they
are giving any assistance? This is merely conjecture on the part of
Russia. As to restricting the area of hostilities and thus lessening
the injuries to be suffered by the inhabitants of the country, it is
what China most desires. As to the matter of the belligerents not
entering the region east of Mongolia, west of the Liao River, my
board, as occasion has offered, has uniformly forbidden it and from
first to last has observed its obligations in this respect.
Now that I have received the copy of the pro memoria which your
excellency has sent, I take advantage of the occasion to make
another clear statement and to thank your Department of State on
behalf of myself and the ministers of my board for its kind
concern.
I send this dispatch to your excellency for your information, and
trust that you will forward it, for which I shall be grateful.
A necessary dispatch.
Kuanghsü, XXXI year, 3d moon, 17th day
(April 21, 1905).
[seal.]
