ANNEX No. 11.

IMPERIAL EDICT OF THE 25TH OF AUGUST, 1901.

[Translation.]

We command all Tartar Generals, Governors General, and Governors of provinces, as well as the Customs taotais, to forbid, in the first place for a period of two years, the importation of implements of war as well as of material serving exclusively in their manufacture and of foreign origin.

Inform the ministry concerned. "Respect this!"

ANNEX No. 12.

DESPATCH OF PRINGE CH'ING AND LI HUNG-CHANG TO M. DE COLOGAN, MINISTER OF SPAIN, DOYEN OF THE DIPLOMATIC BODY (29 MAY, 1901).

[Translation.]

The 12th day of the 4th moon of the 27th year of Kuang-hsü (29th May, 1901).

Official Reply.

The 7th day of the 4th moon of the present year (24 May, 1901,) we received from Your Excellency the following official despatch:

"I have the honor to acknowledge to Your Highness and Your Excellency receipt of the letter which you were pleased to send me in reply to my communication dated May 7th concerning the indemnities. In the letter to which Your Highness and Your Excellency have just replied we informed you that the approximate figure of the expenses incurred and of the losses sustained by the Powers amounted to the sum of 450 millions of taels, calculated to the 1st of July of the current year.

"In reply to this communication Your Highness and Your Excellency have informed me that the Chinese Government proposed to pay off this sum to the powers by monthly payments of 1,250,000 taels during 30 years.

"The Representatives of the Powers have not failed to transmit this proposal to their Governments. But they must call the attention of Your Highness and Your Excellency to the fact that the total of the payments proposed by the Chinese Government only represents the capital of the sum mentioned, without the question of interest having been taken account of.

"I consequently beg Your Highness and Your Excellency to be so kind as to inform us as soon as possible of the intention of the Chinese Government in this respect."

In considering in a previous despatch the question of indemnities, we explained to Your Excellency the penury of the Chinese treasury.

In your last communication Your Excellency is pleased to call our attention to the fact that the annual payments of fifteen millions of taels which we proposed only represent the capital, and you now call our attention to the question of interest.

As we, on our side, had already considered that besides the capital there also had to be taken into consideration the question of annual interest at 4 per cent, we had already, by telegram, submitted to the Throne proposals on this subject, and in reply we have received an Imperial Edict, stating that "the figure of four hundred and fifty millions of indemnities to be paid the Powers, with interest at 4 per cent, is approved," and we are commanded to take the necessary measures to carry out this decision.

We have, therefore, only to comply with the orders of the Throne. Nevertheless this obliges us to recall to Your Excellency that the financial resources of China are so restricted that nothing more can be taken from them possibly beyond the fifteen millions of taels which we have already proposed to Your Excellency to devote specially to the payment of indemnities, but as this sum must not only furnish payment of the capital, but also that of interest, we have no other alternative to propose than to prolong the term of payments, which we had in the first place fixed at 30 years, in such a way that the instalments paid during the first period of this term thus extended shall be considered as destined to extinguish the capital, while those made during the second period shall be applied to liquidating the interest account, after which all payments would cease through the extinction of the debt. The Imperial Maritime Customs, already entrusted as we suggested, with the payments of the capital, would likewise be entrusted with the payments on account of interest. As to the amount of the annual interest, it would be understood that it would decrease proportionately every year, according to the progressive reduction of the capital.

We have the honor to request Your Excellency to kindly inform us what you think of the plan we suggest above to pay off both capital and interest, or if in your opinion it would not be better to consider a portion of the fifteen millions paid annually as an instalment on the capital to be paid off, and the balance as an instalment on the interest. These details require a careful examination, and demand a previous and full understanding between the parties.

China having thus shown its good will in assenting to the demands of the Powers on the question of the indemnity, and in taking all the necessary steps to insure an integral payment of it, we hope to have soon the satisfaction of learning that the Powers are in a position to fix an early date for the evacuation.

We have the honor to request Your Excellency to kindly communicate the above to the Representatives of the Powers.

ANNEX No. 14.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BOUNDARIES OF THE LEGATION QUARTER AT PEKING.

Point 1 is situated on the south wall of the Tartar City an hundred feet to the east of the east side of the superstructure of the Ch'ien Men. From this point the boundary runs for a distance of two hundred and sixteen feet, following a line nearly due north, as far as

Point 2, southeast corner of the balustrade in white stone which encloses the open paved space before the principal entrance of the Imperial City.

From this point the boundary runs for a length of three hundred and ten feet along the east side of this balustrade, nearly directly north until

Point 3, situated on the north side of the road which forms a continuation of Legation street, and is at the intersection of the boundary line coming from 2 and of a line drawn along the continuation of the north side of the Legation street.

From this point the line runs for a length of six hundred and fortyone feet and a half (measured around and in the angles of the wall) along the north side of Legation street as far as

Point 4, at one hundred and forty-six to the west of the corner (southwest) of Gaselee road, measured along the north of Legation street.

From this point the boundary runs for a length of two thousand one hundred and fifty-two feet (measured around and in the angles of the buildings) in a general northerly direction, but following the line of the buildings now existing and, in the open spaces between the buildings, a line parallel to the general line of the buildings on the left side of Gaselee road and at one hundred and fifty-seven feet on the west side of the west side of the gate which leads from Gaselee road to the exterior court of the Imperial City, as far as

Point 5, on the south side of the south wall of the interior court of the Imperial City, and at one hundred and fifty-seven feet from the west side of the gate at the end of Gaselee road.

From this point the line runs for a distance of one thousand two hundred and eighty-eight feet nearly directly toward the east, along the wall as far as

Point 6, southeast corner of the exterior court of the Imperial City. From there the line runs nearly directly north along the wall for a distance of two hundred and eighteen feet measured in a straight line to Point 7, northeast corner of the exterior court.

From there the line runs nearly due east for a distance of six hundred and eighty-one feet to

Point 8, southeast corner of the wall of the Imperial City.