Earl Granville to Sir H.S. Parkes.

(No. 36. Ext. 23)
Sir,
Foreign Officer, October 3, 1883

I HAVE to state to you that I have been in communication with the Secretary of State for India in Council, with a view to ascertain whether there exists, from an Indian point of view, any objection to the prohibition of the importation of opium into Corea, and to the exception in favour of “medicinal opium,” as proposed by you in the revised draft Treaty which you sent home with your despatch No. 108 of the 22nd June last.
For your information, I inclose copies of the correspondence that has taken place on this point.
You will perceive that, while the Indian Government consider that the provisions of Article VII of the Treaty signed by Admiral Willes are not admissable, they are disposed to think that it would be desirable that all mention of opium should be omitted in the body of the proposed Treaty, and that it should be simply entered as contraband in the Tariff schedule.
Lord Kimberley is further of opinion that an exception should be made in favour of medicinal opium, if this can be done without giving rise to practical difficulties in administration.
I request, therefore, that in drawing up the draft of a new Treaty for submission to the Corean Government, you will be guided in the matter of opium by the views expressed in the letter from the India Office of the 25th ultimo.
The German Government are of opinion, and this view is shared by that of Her Majesty, that both in their political and commercial relations no greater concessions should be made to the Kingdom of Corea than are to be found in the Treaties concluded by the European Powers with China and Japan; and they have proposed, as will be seen on referring to Baron Plessen's note of the 5th ultimo, a copy of which accompanied my despatch No. 13 of the 7th, that a clause should be added to Article III of the draft Treaty inclosed with your despatch No. 108 of the 22nd June, withdrawing disputes between subjects of two different Treaty powers from the jurisdiction of the native Tribunals.
The German Plenipotentiary will further be instructed to claim a series of concessions included in the draft of a Treaty submitted to the Austro-Hungarian Government on behalf of that of Corea, the text of which was communicated to me by Baron Plessen in his note of the 5th ultimo.
The most important of these are:—
1. The acceptance by the Corean Government of the Strand Regulation which has been in force in China since the 26th May, 1876 (see last paragraph of Article III of the draft Treaty with Austro-Hungary).
2. The issue of drawback certificates, and the application of tonnage dues to lighting the sea-coast and facilitating navigation, as specified in Article V of the same Treaty.
3. The permission to foreign merchants to accompany and to sell their goods in the interior of the country, and the opening of the coasting trade stipulated for in Article VI of the Austro-Hungarian Treaty.
I have now to state to you that Her Majesty’s Government are prepared to adopt the above amendments to the draft Treaty sent home by you should you see no objection thereto.
But should you find that any alterations of detail may be necessary or considered by you to be advisable, full discretion is left with you in this respect.
If, however, you are unable to secure a Treaty framed on the lines laid down in your draft with the modification sanctioned in this despatch, you should endeavour to conclude a most-favoured-nation Convention.
In conclusion, you should act throughout the negotiations in concert with the German Plenipotentiary, the probable date of whose arrival at Chefoo will be communicated to you hereafter by telegraph.
The substance of the foregoing instructions was telegraphed to you this evening.

I have, &c.
(Signed)　　GRANVILLE