( 99 )
SIR,
STANLEY POLICE STATION,
17th March, 1883.
I have the honour to forward you the following report and a statement made by the Master of a trading junk:-
At 8.30 A.M., I noticed a white painted launch lying about 100 yards from a Chin Chiu junk in Stanley harbour, and which appeared to be hoisting their sails and a small boat lying under her stern, seeing that something was wrong, myself and 2 Police Constables went in the boat, but before we got to the place, the junk sailed towards the Lamma Channel, and the launch going towards Wongmakok point, where another small junk was lying, in going near the place where the junk had been at anchor the launch turned round and went also in the direction of the Lamma Channel at half speed. I still sailed on, keeping well over to the Hongkong side, and when near the back of Aplichau the launch went full speed and close by the junk which was sailing near George's channel at the Lamma Islands, I then noticed a boat leaving the junk and go to the launch which steamed into Victoria about 11 A.M., the junk then turned and came over to Aberdeen, where the Master made the following statement, and which he also was told to report at Victoria as soon as he arrived, the junk left for Victoria at 12 noon.
LAM CHU CHEUNG, Master of the Kam Cheung Hing trading junk, about 500 piculs capacity, 6 of a crew, and armed with 4 pikes and had on board 430 piculs of salt, states that he anchored in Stanley harbour about 5 A.M. on the 16th instant from Swatow, and shortly afterwards a white painted launch passed his boat, as the launch passed, myself and the rest of the crew hauled up the anchor and were making sail intending to go in near the shore in Stanley harbour, when a small boat from the launch containing 6 men, each armed with a musket, came on board my junk and asked what was my cargo, I answered it was salt, when they shouted, lock them up, &c., they then seized the steersman and tied his hands with some hemp, they then beat all of us and put us down below and took our junk away. Some time after- wards we heard people shouting to the 6 men on deck, but what they said we could not tell as they spoke the Pun-Ti dialect, but shortly afterwards on looking on deck we saw that the 6 men had left and were going on board the launch which steamed away towards Victoria, we then sailed the junk towards Aberdeen harbour, during the time the men were on board they took from a box that was not locked $500 in silver.
When I left Swatow with my cargo of salt I paid $7 at the Custom House and I did not think I had to pay again.
W. M. DEANE, Esquire,
&c.,
&c.,
&.c.
I have, &c.,
(Signed)
J. SWANSTON,
Inspector.
Armed men with Opium for smuggling, question whether the Night Pass Ordinance applies to men carrying arms in any part of the Colony other than the City of Victoria.
No. 16.
SIR,
POLICE OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 24th January, 1883.
I have the honour to invite the attention of His Excellency the Administrator to the following Ex- tract from this day's Police Report, para. 10 :-
"27 Chinese have been arrested by the Police Launch No. 2 off Tsimshatsúi in a small Chinese "boat with one mast, each man heavily armed, and in the boat was found opium value $3,000, which they "all state they intended to smuggle into T'ámshui, charged with being at large in possession of deadly "weapons." On board the boat was found 17 muskets, 13 revolvers, 12 of which were loaded, and on each prisoner were found rounds of ammunition.