As to the specific agreement about Manchuria which Russia was
now said to be negotiating with China he could give no definite information. But he would like to say that we are very far from taking an exaggerated view of our interests in that part of the Chinese Empire. We have already recognised Manchuria as within the Russian railway sphere, we also know that parts of Manchuria are actually in the military occupation of Russia, therefore we should not carp at a Manchurian agree- ment if it were a bond-fide arrangement for a modus vivendi. But according to some of the versions the Manchurian agreement goes far beyond this and is of a permanent character. It had been suggested that these versions might be batons d'essai launched by local officials, or again, that they might be the inventions of evilly disposed persons who desired to sow dis- sension between the Powers. He was content, said Lord Lansdowne, to assume that there might be something in either of these notions, and he might add that nothing would give him greater pleasure than to join in exposing these unworthy artifices, if Russia would only enable him to do so by communicating the real text of the agreement. Meantime we had the official assurance of Count Lamsdorff that his Government had no intention of acquiring either territory or a protectorate over Manchuria. Till, however, these uncertainties were removed we could only adhere to the principle that no one of the Allied Powers must go behind the backs of the others and make special arrangements with China.
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