THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR ON THE SITUATION.

Evening Star, Issue 6480, 22 December 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR ON THE SITUATION.

The Marquis Tseng believes that the chances of war between China and Prance are rapidly Increasing "It is true, 1 ' said he on November 6, "that I have refused to return to Paris. My actions as the Ambassador of China to France have been officially misrepresented by the French Cabinet to the French Chambers for the purpose of obtaining a vote of confidence in the Ministry as a State approval of that Ministry's unfair conduct towards the Chinese Government. M. Ferry, the Prime Minister of France, read to the Chambers what he avowed was a telegram from M. Tricou, the French agent in China. This document pretended to inform the French Legislature that I did not correctly represent the views of my dovernmeht upon the Tonquin dispute, and asserted that Li Hung Chang, the Chinese general and the Governor of the southern Chinese provinces, was M. Tricou's authority for this statement. It was quite natural for the French Legislature to take M. Ferry's declaration for the correctness of this document and for the authority of its statements. lam not surprised that tho French Prime Minister by this means convinced the Assembly that my opposition to the French aggressions in Tonquin was not endorsed by tho Chinese Government, and secured a vote of approval for those operations. The vote has been passed, and that matter is now done. The vote was accomplished through means of a false pretence. I declare that the Tricou telegram, whether the production of M. Trioou or not, was a lie. It was a pure lie ; a State lie, concocted for the purpose of securing a State effect. The servants of China speak from instruction. When my official utterances to France cease to bo tho official utterances of the Chinese Government, I will cease to hold the post of communication between China and France, and France will be duly appii-:ed of the fact through a Chinese source, and not through a Frencn telegram from French sources. This Tricou telegram was a lie. M. Ferry's conduct in using it, to describe it with all the respect possible, was but a political manoeuvre, which may have been considered smart by French politicians, but was nevertheless dishonest. The trick may have secured the temporary result desired, but in i the end it will defeat itself and its authors. It will irritate China, which has been patient with France. If the French war party presume, because of tho vote secured by this false pretence and lie, to advance another step towards Bac Ninb, China will declare war."

" Is it true," asked the interviewer, " that England encouraged China to oppose the French operations in Tonquin at a time when China had concluded to allow them to proceed unopposed ?"' "It ie untrue," answered the Marquis. " Challemel-Lacour, at the time French Minister for Foreign Affairs, made a statement to that effect. The 15th of October I officially asked him to explain the statement. Up to this date he has not done so. It is not true that England, or any other Power, has influenced China in any degree during the present dispute with France. Chiua alone ia amply able to care for all Chinese interests, and China intends to fully do it." " What will be the outcome ? "

" Whatever the outcome may be," said the Marquis, "you need not look to the present French statesmen for any accurate prophecy concerning it. M. ChallemelLacour, during the time he acted as Foreign Minister, and was supposed to be in a position to know, continually assured his countrymen that there was no danger of complications with China, Every one of the French Minister's prophecies has hitherto been falsified, and to-day the relations between China and France are strained nearly to their limits, but the dishonest conduct of the French Ministers bids fair to break them entirely."