1034
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 3RD DECEMBER, 1892.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 497.
The following letter from Commodore BURY PALLISER, with report annexed, on the state of the burial places of the bodies washed ashore from the wreck of the Bokhara, is published.
By Command,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 1st December, 1892.
G. T. M. O'BRIEN,
Colonial Secretary.
H.M.S. Victor Emanuel, HONGKONG, 29th November, 1892.
SIR,-I have the honour to enclose, for Your Excellency's information, extracts from a letter of proceedings of Captain ANGUS MACLEOD, of H.M.S. Pallas, reporting on the state of the burial places of the bodies washed ashore from the wreck of the S.S. Bokhara.
Your Excellency's obedient Servant,
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
H. BURY PALLISER, Commodore.
His Excellency
SIR WILLIAM ROBINSON, K.C.M.G.,
Governor of Hongkong.
(Copy.)
REPORTING PROCEEDINGS.
H.M.S. Pallas, HONGKONG, 28th November, 1892.
SIR, I have the honour to report that, in accordance with your orders of the 17th November, I proceeded to sea from Hongkong, in Her Majesty's ship under my command, at 1.15 P.M. on that date, and, favoured with good weather, arrived and anchored off Anping (Formosa) at 3.30 P.M. on the 18th.
2. Mr. PELHAM WARREN, H.B.M. Consul, who had just arrived from Takow, came on board and informed me that he would like to go to the Pescadores in the ship, to arrange the payment of money promised for burial of bodies washed ashore from the Bokhara, and to clear up matters in general connected with the wreck of that vessel, if I could wait until after the arrival of the mail due by S.S. Thales early on the following morning.
3. To this I agreed and remained at Anping until 10 A.M. on the 19th, when, having embarked the Consul, and Mr. HASTINGS (of Anping) as interpreter, as well as to have the benefit of his know- ledge of the Pescadores, and of the steps already taken about the burials there, I proceeded towards that group.
The wind from N.E. was rising, and the weather looked rather dirty, becoming decidedly more so on approaching Litsitah Point.
Passing the mouth of the Makung Harbour, I was abreast of and within 3 of a mile of Tortoise Rock at 3.30 PM., but observed no signs whatever of the wreck of the S.S. Normand.
4. Going in cautiously I was able to drop a boat close inside, and to leeward of, the Western reefs of Sand Island, where the only practicable landing place is situated.
5
The Consul, Senior Lieutenant C. H. MOORE, and Mr. HASTINGS went on shore and spent over an hour, guided by the Chinese burying party and military guard, in visiting the graves.
It was found that, considering the difficulties under which it had to be carried out, the work undertaken by the local authorities had been performed very creditably, and that an accurate record had been kept corresponding with the marks on the graves. None of these appeared to be below high- water level, but in view of the light sandy covering over most of them and the possibility of damage. from rain and wind in such exposed places, it was decided to further secure them by building perma- nent cairns of stones and thus complete the work of sepulture.
5. While the landed party were making their examination, I proceeded, in the ship, entirely round the Island, passing within 3 cables from the wreck of the Bokhara, marked by three spars broken away from the ship but held to her by their rigging, and close alongside the remarkable flat black reef which, with its straight face, is like an extensive wharf and accounts for the comparatively large number of survivors who were washed on to its table-land, from the upper deck, and remained there without any risk of a back-wash carrying them out again.
Had the Bokhara struck on any of the other parts of the island, irregular and serrated, the loss of life must surely have been, like that in the case of the Normand, almost complete.
6. Embarking the landed party before dusk and having arranged with the burying men to visit Pehoe Island as soon as convenient, I proceeded for Makung and anchored in that harbour at 7.50 p.m. 7. On the morning of the 20th, the S.S. Samson (tug) which had been sheltering under Litsitah Point, came across and communicated.