24

A.—9

that the definition of the geographical limits of the territories of tho two Powers in the South Sea, which were to be discussed by the Commission, would be confined, as far as New Guinea came into question, to the interior of the island. These inland boundaries, however, would be more difficult to define in the narrow eastern point of the island than in the interior further west. The Imperial Government was consequently all the more surprised when a note from the British Charge d'Affaires at Berlin, dated 19th September, was received by it (see No. 28), in which, quite contrary to Lord Granville's communication of the 9th August (see No. 23), it was announced that the English Government proposed to extend the protectorate over all those parts of New Guinea not occupied by Holland—that is to say, over the whole southern coast and also over the northern coast, only excepting the tract between the Dutch border and longitude 145° E. The remark in tlie note of the 19th September, to which Sir Edward Malet refers in his communication of the 17th instant, is as follows: "The 145 th degree of east longitude has been fixed as the western British limit on the northern coast, in order that it should embrace the territory owned by the natives on the Maclay coast, whose claim for British protection has long been under the consideration of Her Majesty's Government, and was one of the principal reasons which determined the Cabinet to advise the Queen to assume the responsibility of establishing a protectorate in New Guinea" (see No. 28). This was not a sufficient reason to induce the Imperial Government to forego the fulfilment of the promise made by England on the 9th August. The Imperial Government, too, has received numerous petitions respecting the occupation of ownerless territories, but only within the last two years have any of these petitions been acceded to. . The undersigned has already had the opportunity of informing the British Government that the enterprise directed to the north coast of New Guinea was first intended to be started in 1880, and has since been considered by the Imperial Government. On the other hand, the Blue Books prove that petitions-now put forward by England in support of claims were actually refused repeatedly. After our recent experiences at Angra Pequena, on the Gold Coast, and in Zululand, it appears that New Guinea only became a desirable possession in the eyes of England since Germany has cast an eye upon it. It cannot be asserted that the Australian Colonies stand in need of it, as the population of these colonies, and more especially of Queensland, does not as yet suffice to settle even the coast districts of the Australian continent. Baron Plessen, the Imperial Charge d'Affaires, consequently received instructions on the 25th September to draw attention to the contradiction between Mr. Scott's note of the 19th September and the promise of Lord Granville of. the 9th August. In consequence of this, the Imperial Government received, to its satisfaction, a note of Mr. Scott, dated the 9th October, which states, in agreement with the promise of 9th August, "that Her Majesty's Government have carefully considered the communication which Baron yon Plessen was instructed to make on the proposed limit of this protectorate, and have decided that the declaration to be made shall limit the British protectorate to the whole of the southern coast, including the islands contiguous to it, instead of that which they had at first proposed. This will be done without prejudice to any territorial question beyond these limits " (see No. 31). A few days later the English Government issued a Proclamation corresponding to the above declaration, together with a map showing the extent of the English protectorate. After this the Imperial Government was justified in the belief that thenceforth the remaining north coast of the island could be occupied by Germany as " ownerless," and with the full consent of the British Government, and that only the inland limits of the two protectorates remained to be settled, and that the possibility of a misunderstanding, or still less of a conflict of interests, was precluded. All formal obstacles to the annexation of the coast from Huon Bay to the East Cape appeared to have been removed. In this conviction the Imperial Government was strengthened by a paragraph in Mr. Scott's note of the 9th October, which Sir E. Malet quotes on the 17th instant, and whichls as follows : " It is with great satisfaction that Her Majesty's Government have come to an arrangement in which they find themselves in perfect accord with Germany " (see No. 31). The Imperial Government did not, therefore, at all expect that Baron Plessen's remark on the 27th September that a friendly settlement of the territorial claims on that coast, through a Commission, appeared to be desirable, would be interpreted as implying that Germany, in the hope of a favourable issue of these negotiations, had bound herself not to take possession of territories in New Guinea or elsewhere, although these negotiations might go on for years, whilst England was justified to take possession at once of the whole south coast, as well as of the eastern extremity of the island. Such an assumption would be contrary to the principle of the equal rights of both nations, which we assumed when we made overtures for a friendly understanding. The fact that England could seriously demand this from us only became known quite recently during the presence of Mr. Meade at the Conference, whose proposals aimed at altogether keeping us out of New Guinea. The views of the Imperial Government have been conveyed to the knowledge of the British Government by the undersigned, who acted on instructions forwarded to him on the 29th December and the 10th January. The note of Mr. Scott of the 9th October contains the following paragraph : " In case any questions should arise as to those districts (of New Guinea) which lie beyond the limit described, Her Majesty's Government are of opinion that it would be better to deal with them diplomatically, than to refer them to the Commission, which it is proposed to appoint with regard to the islands in the Pacific" (see No. 31). If it was the opinion of the British Government that all annexations in New Guinea ought to cease until diplomatic negotiations had led to a result, the Proclamation, by which a protectorate over the whole south coast was proclaimed, and which was issued subsequently to the above declaration, is evidently contrary to the spirit of the latter. The Imperial Government had issued orders for hoisting the German flag so long ago as August last, immediately after the receipt of Lord Granville's declaration of the 9th of that month (see No. 23), and protests against the charge