Arizona republican., 1899-03-21
ENGLISH BLUE BOOK
One Issued Covering Events
 in inc Far EdSf.
Japsn'S Friendly Altitude Toward Great Brifain-InSfruCfi0n 10 sir Claude TCDOnaId Concerning Chtna'S Railroad Concessions.

London March 2O-A blue book has been issued on Chinese affairs, in-
 cluding the period from March, 1898,
 the New Chwang difficulty One of the chief matters covered is the trans
 fer of Wei Hai Wei, regarding which
 Japan adopted a strong friendly atti- tude toward Great Britain.
 Lord Salisbury subsequently, in
 structed Sir E. M Satow, the British minister to Japan, to thank the Japa-
 nese government for it's friendship,
 which has given us great satisfac- tion."
 Russia had asked Japan to join with her in insuring that Wei Hai Wei should revert tc China after tEe Jap anese had evacuated the place. Japan replied that she could not enter into any undertaking of that kind.
 The British minister, in reporting to Lord Salisbury Japanese public opinion on the transfer, wrote: "The general tone is acquiescence in what is regarded as policy that has been forced upon Great Britain by the ac- tion of Germany and Russia. While very strong language is used in re- spect of those powers, and especially to the proceeding of Russia in ac- quiring for herself territory from which she caused Japan to be elected under the pretense of securing peace in the far east, Great Britain is held to be governed by the necessity of maintaining the balance of power in China" h.,
 Prior to Great Britain's intimation in July of her readiness to support China against any power committing an act of aggression, Lord Salisbury had telegraphed to Sir Claude Mac Donald, the British minister at Pekin, saying:
 Ut does not seem that the battle Of concessions is going well for us. That the mass of Chinese railways, if they are ever built, will be in foreign hands, is a possibility that we must face. One evil of this is that no orders for ma terials will come to this country. That we cannot help. Another evil is that by differential rates and privileges the managers of the railways may strangle our trade. This we ought to be able to prevent by pressing that proper pro visions for equal treatment be insert ed in every concession
 During August Sir Claude MacDon- aid received the following instruc- tions. Negotiations may be facili tated if you inform the Tsung Ii Va men at once that unless the very mod crate terms already demanded are inn mediately complied with we shall in addition require a concession for an other line on the same conditions as those granted to the Pekin-H -Halkow | railway, and that additional demands | will be preferred as the result of fur ther delay"
 The correspondence shows Great | Britain's careful endeavor to reconcile | Germany to the occupation Of Wei Hai Wei by removing any apprehension | that disadvantage would accrue there | from to the Teutonic preserve, and | this evidently resulted in English ben eft, as Germany subsequently, instruct ed her representative at Pekin to come | to an agreement with the British min ister on all Pekin questions. There is evidence throughout the blue book of a lack of harmony with Russia, sort of after pulsation of the Talienwan squabble, although no direct dealings with Russia are recorded.