Chinese Customs Secret Files (Volume 8) (Essential Edition)

Author: Chen Xiefei, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: November 21, 1995
Features:
1. The correspondence between Sir Robert Hart and Sir John Francis Wade, including telegrams and letters, is synchronized from 1874 to 1907, totaling 4,496 pieces. It includes a small number of telegrams sent by Sir Robert Hart while on official leave or vacation, handled by (Pei Shikai) as Acting Commissioner of Customs, addressed to the London Office, and telegrams sent by Sir Robert Hart to Sir Robert Hart while Sir John Francis Wade was seriously ill in 1907, handled by (He Chengxian) as Acting Head of the London Office, addressed to Sir Robert Hart. All are recorded according to the original numbering of Sir Robert Hart and Sir John Francis Wade's telegrams.
2. For confidentiality, the following methods were used in the correspondence between Sir Robert Hart and Sir John Francis Wade:
1. The use of code words. For characters mentioned in the telegrams that both parties were familiar with, code words were used. For example, the word "Presto" sometimes referred to (Ponsford), sometimes to (Bagley), and sometimes to something else. The editors only noted those that could be identified with certainty.
2. To confuse recipients who were not supposed to know about the correspondence, the original telegram numbering had two types: one was sequential from small to large, such as 1, 2, 3, and the other was reverse sequential from large to small, such as 999, 998, 997. This collection of telegrams is arranged in chronological order by year, month, and day, making it easier for readers to understand the content in the order of events. Starting in 1881, the correspondence between the two parties, in addition to customs affairs and international information exchange, also involved Sir John Francis Wade's frequent reports and requests to complete secret missions assigned by Sir Robert Hart, further strengthening the confidentiality of the telegrams. The two parties agreed that each telegram would be preceded by a same-level number of the preceding incoming telegram, such as adding a reverse sequential number to indicate that the telegram was top-secret, or adding a sequential number to indicate a general confidential telegram. This tacit agreement remained in place until the Boxer Rebellion broke out in 1900, temporarily disrupting Sino-foreign telegraphic communications. To preserve the original state of the archives, these numbers are retained as they are in the telegrams.
3. Some telegrams from Sir Robert Hart to Sir John Francis Wade have two dates. The first date is the date recorded by Sir John Francis Wade as the receipt date.