The Portuguese
authorities demanded her release on the ground that she was seized
in Portuguese territorial waters thus raising the question of the
status of the waters surrounding Macao.
In the same year the Portuguese authorities of Macao attempted the
imposition of land tax in Maliaoho, and proposed to dredge the
waterways in the vicinity of Macao. The Chinese Government
thereupon instructed its Minister in France, who was also
accredited to Portugal, to make personal representations to the
Portuguese Foreign Office in regard to the unwarrantable action of
the local Portuguese authorities. The Portuguese Government
requested the withdrawal of Chinese troops on the Island of Lappa
as a quid pro quo for the appointment of a new Demarcation
Commissioner, reserving to itself the right to refer to the Hague
Tribunal any dispute that may arise between the Commissioners
appointed by the respective Governments.
After protracted negotiations it was agreed between the Chinese
Minister and the Portuguese Government by an exchange of notes
that the respective Governments should each appoint a Demarcation
Commissioner to delimit the boundaries of Macao and its
dependencies in pursuance of the Lisbon Protocol and Article 2 of
the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of 1887, subject to the decision of
their respective Governments.
THE PORTUGUESE CLAIM
In February, 1909, Portugal appointed General Jaoquim Machado and
China Mr.
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