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Government. That Government however is so helpless in the matter that weak and helpless we are in self defence compelled to take upon ourselves the duty of capturing pirates in the neighbourhood of this Colony. We cannot remain inactive and allow pirates to blockade our harbour, and prey upon the native craft frequenting it, even if the offences are committed in Chinese waters, and the vessels captured do not belong to the Colony.
But because we are obliged to take upon ourselves a task which by right belongs to the Chinese Government it does not seem to me to follow by any means as a matter of course that we are bound to burden ourselves in addition with the punishment and custody of the offenders captured, especially if it can be shown that by so doing we but encourage the evil which we seek to abate. And I think that the burden would be altogether beyond our strength if vigorous measures were undertaken for the suppression of piracy upon the coast east and west within, say fifty miles of this Colony.
The whole Colonial revenue in such a case would be insufficient to house and keep the pirates who might be captured.
The Chinese Courts of law are besides in many respects far better fitted than ours for dealing with piracy as it exists in this Country. The Chinese Authorities understand their own people,