1904年沪宁铁路5%借款公债一组4枚，均100镑债票，AF，边沿有裂。Shanghai-Nanking Railway 5 % Gold Loan, 4 bonds for 100 pounds, dated 1904,The Shanghai-Nanking Railway Loan of 1903 was for the capitalsum1 of £3,250,000. The loan was “…authorised by Imperial Edictof 9th June 1903 officially communicated by the Wai Wu Pu to theBritish Minister in Peking, guaranteed as to interest and principal bythe direct obligation of the Imperial Government of China and havinga first charge upon the security of the permanent way, rolling stockand entire property with freight and earnings of the existing railwayline between Woosung and Shanghai as well as of the line about tobe constructed between Shanghai and Nanking.”The participating financial institutions which handled thearrangements for the issuance of bearer bonds against the loan werethe Jardine, Matheson & Company and the Hongkong and ShanghaiBanking Corporation representing as joint agents for the British andChinese Corporation Limited. Bearer bonds were offered at differentdates as detailed in the table above. However, it is evident that only29,000 bonds were issued instead of the planned 32,500. TheCoupons were payable on 1st June and 1st December each year.The purpose of the loan was for the construction of a railway betweenShanghai and Nanking. This railway passed through areas whichwere regarded as the main tea, cotton and silk areas of China.It is interesting to note the involvement of Jardine, Matheson & Co.and that the earlier issue of the bonds were countersigned by WilliamKeswick (1834 – 1912) who was a British Conservative politicianand businessman. The Keswick family had a long association withHong Kong and the Jardine, Matheson & Co.William Keswick was born in 1834 in the Scottish Lowlands. Hisgrandmother, Jean Jardine Johnstone was an older sister of Dr.William Jardine, co-founder of Jardine, Matheson & Co. WilliamKeswick arrived in China and Hong Kong in 1855, the first of sixgenerations of the Keswick family to be associated with Jardine,Matheson & Co.Keswick established a Jardine, Matheson & Co. office in Yokohama,Japan in 1859 and then returned to Hong Kong to become a partnerof the firm in 1862. He became managing partner or Tai-Pan of thefirm in 1874 until his departure in 1886. He left Hong Kong in 1886to take control of Jardine, Matheson & Co. in London. He remainedthe firms managing director until his death in 1912.Some later duplicate bonds were counter-signed by Sir WilliamJohnstone “Tony” Keswick (1903-1990). "Tony" Keswick was thegrandson of William Keswick. He arrived in the Far East in 1926. Heremained a Director of Jardine, Matheson & Co. even after he hadleft the Far East. He was in charge of the Jardine, Matheson & Co.Shanghai Office from 1935 until 1941.(K115), about fine, tears at borders as usual with this type (4)
