Asiatic Quarterly Review (Full Title: The Imperial and Asiatic Quarterly Review, and Oriental and Colonial Record): Volume XIII, No. 26 [‎534v] (193/238)

406 Agreement between Great Britain and Japan.
inevitably result in the near future, presuming that bad monsoons will be
the rule and good ones the exception in future years.
One word more and I have done. We have a Meteorological Depart
ment in India whose business it is to collect and publish information on
different points connected with the monsoon, and to issue forecasts. The
information they give is generally worded in such vague and mystical
language that few can understand it or draw any conclusions from it.
Instead of an endless repetition of such expressions as “centre of depres
sion,” “ mean temperature,” “ cyclonic area,” and other choice expressions
which are crammed down the throats of the public with painful monotony,
if they will condense their reports and issue a forecast fortnightly or
monthly, and merely say that the monsoon will be strong or weak for such
and such a part of India and for such and such a period, the Department
might be able to justify its existence.
It is to be hoped that they will issue their first forecast soon, and that
it will be a little more cheerful than mine.
India, February 7, 1902.
AGREEMENT BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND JAPAN.
The Marquis of Lansdowne, in forwarding the recent Treaty to His
Majesty’s Minister at Tokio, Sir C. MacDonald, explains that this agree
ment may be regarded as the outcome of the events which have taken
place during the last two years in the Far East, and of the part taken by
Great Britain and Japan in dealing with them.
“Throughout the troubles and complications which arose in China conse
quent upon the Boxer outbreak and the attack upon the Peking Legations,
the two Powers have been in close and uninterrupted communication,
and have been actuated by similar views.
“ We have each of us desired that the integrity and independence of the
Chinese Empire should be preserved; that there should be no disturbance
of the territorial status quo either in China or in the adjoining regions \ that
all nations should, within those regions, as well as within the limits of the
Chinese Empire, be afforded equal opportunities for the development of
their commerce and industry j and that peace should not only be restored,
but should, for the future, be maintained.
“ From the frequent exchanges of views which have taken place between
the two Governments, and from the discovery that their Far Eastern policy
was identical, it has resulted that each side has expressed the desire that
their common policy should find expression in an international contract of
binding validity.
“We have thought it desirable to record in the preamble of that instru
ment the main objects of our common policy in the Far East to which I
have already referred, and in the first article we join in entirely disclaiming
any aggressive tendencies either in China or Corea. We have, however,
thought it necessary also to place on record the view entertained by both
the High Contracting Parties, that should their interests as above described
be endangered, it will be admissible for either of them to take such