Fiftieth is therefore considerable. I shall next fail to cause the said trespassers to be severely dealt with in the event of their English...
I regret, however, to say that an outrage involving a crime of the deepest dye has been committed in this Extraordinary, by a boat full of Chinese robbers from the territory of the Kwangtung Province. These men attacked a boat with a Chinese crew, which was conveying Government Treasure to the Military Station at Choo Chow Foo on the night of the 12th instant. When the boat was almost within reach of its destination, the said robbers rushed by surprise with their spears in great numbers upon the five English soldiers in charge of the Treasure, took them quite unprepared, and succeeded in killing four and dismissing the fifth overboard. The whole was carried off to the value of less than 12000 Rupees by the Robbers.
The Boat containing the Pirates came from Lappa and was evidently well informed of the transit of the Treasure. There were twenty men on board of her, all supposed to belong to the Triad Society, and after committing the Murders they embarked on board two different boats, one in the direction of the Bocca Tigris, the other returning in the direction of Macao.
I have deferred until now making a representation of this atrocious case to Your Excellency, with the hope that some clue might be obtained toward the discovery of the robbers. I have only to request Your Excellency to use all the means and resources at your Government's disposal to bring these miscreants to condign punishment, as the common enemies of both Chinese and Europeans.