Ho
14
excise
she was brutt by the Chinese Soos a ching But this
of Yeh's falls to the ground through his own Better of the 14th of October 1856 which most strongly confirms the evidences given by Ching-a-sing, one of the Arrow's Crew He says in that letter that he directes the naval officers who seized the twelve men shouts be examines and they stated that when they went to the Louche to seize the men they saw
on board, that at that time no foreigner flag has yet been hoisted on board the Lorcha that they heard that the flag below, but they themselves saw nothing of it therefore they seize the men and
brought them
no
Away
was stowed
Jien
It will be observed that he always says, she was built but not once asserts that she
was at ved that he was owned by the said boo-a-ching, but Commissioner Yeh himself shows, that he obtained the knowledge of the vessel being built by the Chinese Soo, a ching after the seizure of the crew through his witness Woo-a- and therefore before the boarding of her hat no ground whatsoever for even supposing the vessel having been built by the said C'einese, much less reason had he there fore
Chinese for belewing for a moment, she was a bessel, that is, not a Lorcha, which are only sailed under British and Portuguese,
As to the flag flying at the time of boarding we have the affidavit, of the Master of the Aros, & him of the "Dart", and,
a Chinese Chin a Sing "one of the "Derrow's "krew, the latter indeed
deposes
1
flags
""" I heard the Mandarin who wore the Crystal Button my out, This is no foreign Lorcha, for there is no
foreigner in
command, Haul down her ensign!, Several of us assured the Mandarin that we
we hav
an European Captain.
weke
This evidence is interesting in more than one point, viz it shows that the Mandarin.
acquainted with the requirements of the Ordinance, which requires
Lorchas must be commanded by a
AMAS
foreigner, and he availed himself of the Captain's sheences to have the flag hautor down
Then we have further evidence
ofthe
that the flag
Avas
15
536
The
flying when boarded Mandaring and Yeh assists in that very
evidence; he says:
"It has been the invariable rule with Lorchas of your Excellency's nation, to have done their ensign
when they drop anchor, and to hoist it a
again when they got under weigh
very
tree that Lorch as and
-is
other vessels as a general rule, do not hoist their ensigns, after the day of arrival, until the day before their departure.
By the rules of the post a vessel is required to give notice of her intended departin by hoisting the Blue Peter twenty four hours, before their departure, and Lovchus and Ships almost invariably hoist on the day of departures the Ensign - Lorchas
expecially to attract the attention of Parties - Passenger's,
mrose
as a
it may be said that no vessels leaves port without its ensign being flying,
and the Lorcha Arrow was to have sailed on that.
very day.
"The flags"
are
то
hoister at 80'clock and the Mandarin boarded the "Arrow" between 8 and Go'clock,
o'clock, as it appears from the deportiv As to the flag being flyious at the timme the vessel was lexarded; there can be doubt. It seems strange that so much doubt on this subject shouls have been expressed. I think from the foregoing narative taken from the Blue Books publisher, it will
evident
be at the Lorcha Arrow was.
That
legally flying the British flag, and that although the Register expires on the 27th September, she was by clause 10 still entitled to use the flag under the old Register, and which was deposited with the Consul. the 8th of October the
of the occurrence day
2 That the Chinese authorities must be
And were seware that she was a British vend 3 That such was evident to the Boarding Mandan 4. That the flag
was actually flying when boarded and haules down by order of the Mandarin 5- That no
chaye of smuggling or other illegal brought against the Sorcha, by the Chinese Government or others
acts was