things which it may be declared by Her Majesty and her august Ally shall be deemed and taken as contraband of war, or to any trading or attempt to trade with places subject to effective blockade by the ships or fleets of Her Majesty and her august Ally, or either of them; and it is further ordered that Her Majesty's officers and subjects, and especially Her Majesty's Courts and officers exercising any prize jurisdiction, do take notice hereof, and govern themselves accordingly.

WM. L. BATHURST.

CONVENTION of Friendship between Great Britain and China. Signed, in the English and Chinese Languages, at Peking, Octobor 24, 1860.

HER Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China, being alike desirous to bring to an end the misunderstanding at present existing between their respective Governments, and to secure their relations against further interruption, have for this purpose appointed Plenipotentiaries, that is to say:

Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine;

And His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China, His Imperial Highness the Prince of Kung;

Who, having met and communicated to each other their full powers, and finding these to be in proper form, have agreed upon the following Convention, in 9 Articles :

ART. I. A breach of friendly relations having been occasioned by the act of the garrison of Ta-ku, which obstructed Her Britannic Majesty's Representative, when on his way to Peking for the purpose of exchanging the ratifications of the Treaty of Peace concluded at Tien-tsin in the month of June, 1858,* His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China expresses his deep regret at the misunderstanding so occasioned.

II. It is further expressly declared, that the arrangement entered into at Shanghai in the month of October, 1858, between Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, and His Imperial Majesty's Commissioners Kweiliang and Hwashana, regarding the residence of Her Britannic Majesty's Representative in China, is hereby cancelled; and that, in accordance with Article III of the Treaty of 1858,† Her Britannic Majesty's Representative will henceforward reside permanently or occasionally at Peking, as Her Britannic Majesty shall be pleased to decide.

III. It is agreed that the Separate Article of the Treaty of 1858 is hereby annulled; and that in lieu of the amount of in

* See Page 86,

† See Page 87.

See Page 97.

demnity therein specified, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China shall pay the sum of 8,000,000 of taels in the following proportions or instalments, namely:-At Tien-tsin, on or before the 30th day of November, the sum of 500,000 taels; at Canton, and on or before the 31st day of December, 1860, 333,333 taels, less the sum which shall have been advanced by the Canton authorities towards the completion of the British Factory site at Shameen; and the remainder at the ports open to foreign trade, in quarterly payments, which shall consist of 1-5th of the gross revenue from Customs there collected ;-the 1st of the said payments being due on the 31st day of December, 1860, for the quarter terminating on that day.

It is further agreed, that these moneys shall be paid into the hands of an officer whom Her Britannic Majesty's Representative shall specially appoint to receive them, and that the accuracy of the amounts shall, before payment, be duly ascertained by British and Chinese officers appointed to discharge this duty.

In order to prevent future discussion, it is moreover declared, that of 8,000,000 of taels herein guaranteed, 2,000,000 will be appropriated to the indemnification of the British mercantile community at Canton, for losses sustained by them, and the remaining 6,000,000 to the liquidation of war expenses.

IV. It is agreed that, on the day on which this Convention is signed, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China shall open the port of Tien-tsin to trade, and that it shall be thereafter competent to British subjects to reside and trade there under the same conditions as at any other port of China, by Treaty open to trade.

V. As soon as the ratifications of the Treaty of 1858 shall have been exchanged, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China will, by Decree, command the high authorities of every province to proclaim throughout their jurisdictions, that Chinese choosing to take service in the British Colonies, or other parts beyond sea, are at perfect liberty to enter into engagements with British subjects for that purpose, and to ship themselves and their families on board any British vessel at any of the open ports of China ; also that the high authorities aforesaid shall, in concert with Her Britannic Majesty's Representative in China, frame such regulations for the protection of Chinese, emigrating as above, as the circumstances of the different open ports may demand.

VI. With a view to the maintenance of law and order in and about the harbour of Hong Kong, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China agrees to cede to Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and to her heirs and successors, to have and to hold as a dependency of Her Britannic Majesty's Colony of Hong Kong, that portion of the township of Cowloon, in the Province of Kwang-tung, of which a lease was granted in perpetuity to Harry Smith Parkes, Esquire, Companion of the Bath, a

VOL. XI.

H

And whereas the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, in further exercise of the powers reserved to them in and by the said several before recited Acts of Parliament, by 2 other Warrants in writing duly made, and bearing date respectively at Whitehall, Treasury Chambers, one of the said 2 last-mentioned Warrants, the 19th day of June, 1858, and the other of the said 2 lastmentioned Warrants the 1st day of July, 1859, and respectively reciting (amongst other Warrants) the said hereinbefore recited Warrant of the 21st day of July, 1857, did make and declare certain other regulations, orders, directions, and conditions therein mentioned, respecting certain of the said packets in and by the said hereinbefore recited Warrant of the 21st day of July, 1857, authorized to be transmitted by the post as aforesaid.

And whereas it is expedient to authorize the transmission by the post of packets of a like kind between any part of the United Kingdom and the island of Saint Thomas and other Danish Colonies in the West Indies, and also between the said island of Saint Thomas and the other Danish Colonies in the West Indies, and the British colonies in the West Indies, and to fix certain rates of postage at which such packets may be so transmitted, in the manner hereinafter mentioned and contained.

Now we, the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, in exercise of the powers reserved to us in and by the said 2 hereinbefore recited Acts of Parliament, or either of them, and of all other powers enabling us in this, do by this Warrant, under the hands of 2 of us, the said Commissioners (by the authority of the statute in that case made and provided), order, direct, and declare as follows:

1. All packets consisting of books, publications, or works of literature or art, whether British, Colonial, or Foreign, and all packets consisting of printed votes and proceedings of the Imperial Parliament, or the Colonial Legislatures, may be transmitted by the post between any part of the United Kingdom and the island of Saint Thomas and the other Danish Colonies in the West Indies, and also between the said island of Saint Thomas and the other Danish Colonies in the West Indies and the British Colonies in the West Indies (without passing through the United Kingdom), the sea conveyance being by British packet-boat, and on every such packet so transmitted under the provisions of this Warrant as aforesaid, if not exceeding 4 ounces in weight, there shall be charged, taken, and paid for such transmission thereof respectively as aforesaid an uniform single rate of postage of 3 pence; and on every such packet so transmitted under the provisions of this Warrant as aforesaid, if exceeding 4 ounces in weight, there shall be charged, taken, and paid for such transmission thereof respectively as aforesaid the progressive and additional rates of postage, and according to the scale of weight mentioned and contained in, and directed to be charged, taken, and paid on and in

respect of the several packets exceeding 4 ounces in weight, authorized to be transmitted by the post under the said recited Warrant of the 21st day of July, 1857.

2. The terms "books, publications, or works of literature or art," in this Warrant used, shall, for the purposes of this Warrant, mean and comprise all such articles as are declared to be meant and comprised in and by the like terms used in the said hereinbefore recited Warrant of the 21st day of July, 1857, and all letters, notices, and other communications (whether upon paper, parchment, or vellum), partly printed or partly lithographed, and partly written, which, if wholly written, would not be considered letters or communications in the nature of letters, shall and may be transmitted by the post, under the provisions of this Warrant, but any letter, notice, or other communication (whether upon paper, parchment, or vellum), partly printed or partly lithographed and partly written, which, if wholly written, would be considered a letter or communication in the nature of a letter, shall not be entitled to the privilege of being transmitted by the post, under the provisions of this Warrant; provided, nevertheless, that nothing herein contained shall extend to authorize the sending by the post, under the provisions of this Warrant, of any patterns or books of patterns, or papers of patterns, or any article or thing what

soever.

3. Every letter, notice, or other communication (whether upon paper, parchment, or vellum), partly printed, or partly lithographed and partly written, which, if wholly written, would be considered a letter or a communication in the nature of a letter, sent by the post, shall be deemed and considered to be a letter or a communication in the nature of a letter, and shall be charged and chargeable with postage as a letter, and shall be transmitted by the post in conformity with, and under and subject to, the several regulattions, orders, directions, and conditions relating to letters posted and addressed in like manner.

4. If any questions shall arise whether any such letter, notice, or other communication as is last hereinbefore mentioned, is entitled to the privilege of a printed paper, so far as respects the transmission thereof by the post, or of being sent by the post under the provisions of this Warrant, or is chargeable as a letter, the same shall be referred to the determination of the PostmasterGeneral, whose decision thereupon shall be final.

5. All packets to be transmitted by the post under the provisions of this Warrant shall be so transmitted respectively, in conformity with, and under and subject to, the several regulations, oniers, directions, and conditions hereinafter mentioned and contained-that is to say: all such packets so to be transmitted between any part of the United Kingdom and the island of Saint Thomas and the other Danish Colonies in the West Indies, shall be subject as well to the several progressive and additional rates of

member of the Allied Commission at Canton, on behalf of Her Britannic Majesty's Government, by Lan Tsung Kwang, Governor-General of the Two Kwang.

It is further declared that the lease in question is hereby cancelled; that the claims of any Chinese to property on the said portion of Cowloon shall be duly investigated by a Mixed Commission of British and Chinese officers; and that compensation shall be awarded by the British Government to any Chinese whose claim shall be by the said Commission established, should his removal be deemed necessary by the British Government.

VII. It is agreed that the provisions of the Treaty of 1858,* except in so far as these are modified by the present Convention, shall without delay come into operation as soon as the ratifications of the Treaty aforesaid shall have been exchanged.

And it is further agreed that no separate ratification of the present Convention shall be necessary, but that it shall take effect from the date of its signature, and be equally binding with the Treaty above mentioned on the High Contracting Parties.

VIII. It is agreed that, as soon as the ratifications of the Treaty of the year 1858 shall have been exchanged, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of China shall, by Decree, command the high authorities in the capital and in the provinces to print and publish the aforesaid Treaty and the present Convention, for general information.

IX. It is agreed that, as soon as this Convention shall have been signed, the ratifications of the Treaty of the year 1858 shall have been exchanged,and an Imperial Decree respecting the publication of the said Convention and Treaty, shall have been promulgated, as provided for by Article VIII of this Convention, Chusan shall be evacuated by Her Britannic Majesty's troops there stationed; and Her Britannic Majesty's force now before Peking shall commence its march towards the city of Tien-tsin, the forts of Taku, the north coast of Shang-tung, and the city of Canton, at each or all of which places it shall be at the option of Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland to retain a force, until the indemnity of 8,000,000 of taels, guaranteed in Article III, shall have been paid.

Done at Peking, in the Court of the Board of Ceremonies, on the 24th day of October, in the year of our Lord, 1860.

(L.S.) ELGIN AND KINCARDINE.

See Page 86.

Signature and Seal

of the Chinese

Plenipotentiary.