be fixed upon for their use: Now, therefore, Kwan, Minister of State and Governor-General of Hookwang, having appointed the undersigned Commissioner of Finance to act in concert with the undersigned joint Chinese secretary in this matter, they, after due examination made, have agreed and decided that the ground hereinafter described shall be used for this purpose, that is to say: All that ground at the lower end of the town of Hankow which commences from a point on the riverside 8 chang east of the Hwa-low Lane, and extends eastward from the said point along the river to the eastern corner of the military station at the Kau-loo Temple. It measures in length 250 chang, and is of an unvarying depth of 110 chang. The boundaries are marked by four stones. one stone being placed at each corner of the said ground, which stones were laid down on the 10th day of the present month (20th March) by the undersigned joint Chinese secretary and Seaou, the deputy (of the Viceroy), and Le, the chief magistrate of the district of Hanvang, and bear the inscription "Ta Ying Kwoh te keai"-boundary of the British ground. The total area is 458 mou and 80 kung, and the Imperial taxes due thereon are in silver : 1 m. 1c. and 7 c. per mou, or 53 t. 6 m. 2 c. 5 c. on the whole area; and in rice, 2 shing, 8 hoh, and 4 yoh per mou, or 13 shih. 1 shing, 5 hoh, 7 yoh on the whole area; the value of the rice in silver is 3 taels per shih or in all, 39 t. Om. 4c. 7c. and 1 haou. The total amount, therefore, of both descriptions of tax is 92 t. 6 m. 7 c. 2 c. and 1 haou. And it has now been agreed between the undersigned joint Chinese secretary and Commissioner of Finance that all the ground described above is hereby leased in perpetuity to the British Government for the use of British subjects, that they may build thereon storehouses and residences; and it is agreed that, in the allotting of the said ground to British subjects, in the construction of the public roads, and in every other matter appertaining to the said ground, Her Britannic Majesty's consul at the capital city of the Province of Hoopih shall exercise sole control, and may from time to time make such regulations for the above purposes as he may find necessary. And it is agreed that in the fourth month of every year (May-June) the said consul of Her Britannic Majesty will pay into the hands of the chief magistrate of Hanyang the total sum of Imperial taxes in rice and silver named above, and amounting in all to 92 t. 6 m. 7 c. 2c. and 1 haou, and so long as these taxes are duly paid as aforesaid, possession of the ground in perpetuity is secured under this lease to the British Government. And whereas it is impossible at this present date to state the dimensions in mou of each piece of land held by Chinese subjects within the said site or occupied by native shops or habitations, it is therefore agreed that a list shall at once be prepared of all the native dwellings now standing on the site, whether constructed of brick, thatch, wattle, or other materials, and that from the date of this agreement the people will not be allowed to erect within the said site any house, hut, or other building. Whenever any portion of the ground is required, the consul, with the prefect of Hanyang-foo and the chief magistrate of Hanyang Hien, will meet, and will call on the native owners of the houses and land to appear before them and produce their title deeds, and the authorities will then and there decide the price to be paid in each case-whether the property to be purchased consist of Government buildings or temples, or of houses, huts, or other constructions belonging to the people-according to the size, description, and situation of the land or building, the people not being allowed to raise their prices, nor the British subject being at liberty to compel the people to accept his valuation, but equity in every case being so maintained that neither one party nor the other shall incur a loss. The removal of the houses and the delivery of the land shall take place simultaneously with the payment of the money, and the land may be entered on and possessed as British property from the date of the payment. It is further agreed between the undersigned joint Chinese secretary and the Commissioner of Finance that the boundaries of this site shall not be extended to the west of the Hwa-low Lane, as an extension westward (of the foreign settlement) would be detrimental to the town of Hankow, and the same rule will be observed in the case of any other nation that may hereafter wish to lease land at Hankow. This agreement is executed in duplicate, one copy being retained by each party, and both parties becoming bound by all the conditions herein contained from the date of its execution. When this deed shall have received the approval of Her Britannic Majesty's plenipotentiary, it will be sealed by Her Britannic Majesty's consul for the capital of Hoopih, and in the meantime the undersigned joint Chinese secretary affixes his signature in proof of the agreement having been duly made. HARRY S. PARKES. (Seal of Commissioner of Finance.) Dated in the City of Woochang, the 21st day of March, A.D. 1861 (Heenfung, 11th year, 2nd month, 11th day). ANNEX 3. KIUKIANG LEASE. (Translation.) THE undersigned, Harry S. Parkes, Esq., consul and joint Chinese secretary to Her Britannic Majesty's plenipotentiary in China, and Chang, Commissioner of Finance for the Province of Keangse, hereby execute an agreement for the purpose of leasing (to the British Government) in perpetuity the undermentioned site of land. Whereas subjects of Her Britannic Majesty, having come to Kiukiang to trade in accordance with the provisions of the treaty, and it being necessary that ground suitable for building purposes should be fixed upon for their use: Now, therefore, Yu, Governor of the Province of Keangse, having appointed the undersigned Commissioner of Finance to act in concert with the undersigned joint Chinese secretary in this matter, they, after due examination made, have agreed and decided that the ground hereinafter described shall be used for this purpose, that is to say: All that ground situated outside the west gate of the city of Kiukiang, which commences at the mouth of the Lung Kai Creek and extends eastward along the great river to a point feet west of the Sze Kow Lane, it measures in length 150 chang, and in breadth 60 chang, and the boundaries have on this, the 15th day of the present month (25th March), been determined and marked by the undersigned joint Chinese secretary, acting with the prefect of Kiukiang and the chief magistrate of the Tih-hwa district. The total area is 150 mou, and the Imperial taxes yearly due thereon are as follows: In silver, 1 m. 0c. 3 c. per mou In rice, 4 hoh, 2 yoh, 7 cho, 7 tsuy per mou; Totals. T. m. c. c. 15 4 50 1 545 1 5 4 0 18 5 3 5 M. c. c. 77 2 0849 And it has been agreed between the undersigned joint Chinese secretary and Commissioner of Finance that all the ground described above is hereby leased in perpetuity to the British Government for the use of British subjects; and, further, that in the allotting of the said ground to British subjects, in the construction of the public roads, and in every other matter appertaining to the said ground, Her Britannic Majesty's consul at Kiukiang may exercise sole and undivided control, and may from time to time make such regulations. as he may find necessary for this purpose; and it is agreed that in the fourth month of every year (May-June) Her Britannic Majesty's consul will pay into the hands of the chief magistrate of Tih-hwa all the Imperial taxes, in silver and in rice, with the meltage charge thereon, the total amount of which is particularly set forth above: and as long as these taxes are duly paid as aforesaid, possession of the land in perpetuity is secured under this lease to the British Government, and the native proprietors of the ground will be entirely exempted from the payment of any tax thereon. And it is agreed that a list shall be at once prepared of all the native houses, shops, huts, or other buildings now standing on the said site, and that from the date of this agreement the people will not be allowed to erect any more buildings within the said site. Further, that whenever any portion of the ground is required, Her Britannic Majesty's consul, with the prefect of Kiukiang and the district magistrate of Tih-haw, will meet, and will call on the native owners of the houses and land to appear before them and produce their title deeds, and will then and there decide the price to be paid in each case according to the size, description, and situation of the land or building, the people not being allowed to raise their prices, nor the British subject being at liberty to compel the people to part with their property at his valuation, but equity being every case so maintained that neither one party nor the other shall incur loss. The removal of the houses and delivery of the land. shall take place simultaneously with the payment of the money, and the land may be entered on and possessed as British property from the date of the payment. This agreement is executed in duplicate, one copy being retained by each party, and both parties becoming bound by all the conditions herein contained from the date of its execution. N.B.—When this deed shall have received the approval of Her Britannic Majesty's plenipotentiary, it will be sealed by Her Britannic Majesty's consul at Kiukiang, and in the meantime the undersigned joint Chinese secretary affixes his signature in proof of the agreement having been duly made. In consequence of the undersigned joint Chinese secretary being imperfectly informed of the situation of affairs in this neighbourhood, he and the Commissioner of Finance, in executing this day the above agreement, hereby stipulate and agree that if in the course of one year from this date the high authorities of the two Governments fix upon some other port in place of Kiukiang as being more eligible than the latter for trade, then in that case the local authorities shall grant a lease of a site of ground at the place thus newly selected on the terms of this agreement, and the lease of the site herein described shall become void. HARRY S. PARKES. (L.S. of Commissioner of Finance.) Dated in the City of Kiukiang, this 25th day of March, A.D. 1861 (Heenfung, 11th year, 2nd month, 15th day). ANNEX 4. CHINKIANG LEASE. (Translation.) THE undersigned, Harry S. Parkes, Esq., consul and joint Chinese secretary to. Her Britannic Majesty's Minister plenipotentiary in China, and Kiang, acting intendant for the circuit of Changchow and Chinkiang, &c., hereby execute a deed for the purpose of leasing in perpetuity the undermentioned site of land. Whereas subjects of Her Britannic Majesty having come Chinkiang to trade in accordance with the provisions of the treaty, and it being necessary that ground should be fixed upon to serve as a building site for Her Britannic Majesty's consulate, as well as for the storehouses and residences required by the British merchants: Now, therefore, the undersigned joint Chinese secretary and the intendant of circuit, in communication together, have selected and fixed upon two sites of ground for the above purpose, the one being on the Ying Shan Hill, the other situated at the foot of the said hill, and both being now unoccupied in consequence of the temples and houses of the people that once stood thereon having been destroyed. The site at the foot of the hill commences at the landing-place known by the name of Seaou Matow, and extends eastward along the river for a distance of 140 chang, and is 24 chang in breadth in the whole length. Its total area is 112 mou, the whole of which is rated as "hill field land," the Imperial taxes on which according to statute are 1 m. 1c. 7 c. and 5 haou per mou in silver, and 7 shing, 8 hoh, and 8 yoh per mou in rice, the total on the whole area being 13 t. 1 m. 6 c. in silver, and 8 shih, 8 tow, 2 shing, 6 hoh in rice. The site on the hill includes the whole of the ground formerly occupied by temples, amounting to about 30 mou, and being all hill ground, 10 of these mou, according to statute, are equal to 1 mou of land of the quality above mentioned. The Imperial taxes due thereon therefore amount to 3 m. 5 c. 3 c. in silver, and 2 tow, 3 shing, 7 hoh in rice. The total amount of Imperial taxes due on both the above sites are 13 t. 5 m. 1 c. 3c. in silver, and 9 shih, 6 shing, and 3 hoh in rice, the official value of the rice being 3 taels per shih. It has now been agreed between the undersigned joint Chinese secretary and intendant of circuit that the two sites above described are hereby leased in perpetuity to the British Government, and that the British consul at Chinkiang will allot the ground contained therein as building sites for the use of the British authorities or merchants, under and subject to such regulations as the said consul shall see fit to make. And in the fourth month of each year (May-June), commencing with the present year, the British consul will pay into the office of the intendant of circuit the sum stated above as the amount of value of the Imperial taxes both in silver and rice. And it is further agreed that, as all the ground in these two sites belong to private owners, all of whom have fled and cannot now be found, it is necessary that the authorities acting on their behalf should put a value on their land, so that in the event of their return they may receive compensation according to the value decided on. Therefore it has now been determined that they shall be paid at the rate of 25,000 cash per mou for the ground on the hill side, and at the rate of 50,000 cash per mou for the ground at the foot of the hill. Whenever the ground is required, either by the British authorities or by the merchants, the price, calculated at the above rates, shall be paid into the hands of consul, and by the consul to the intendant of circuit, who is charged with the distribution of it to the owners. |