36.
07: 423
last year, and that he has an interest in the piratical proceedings of the notorious villages of Deep Bay, over whose inhabitants, as you are aware, Sir, the Viceroy has admitted that he has little or no control; his wife resides near Deep Bay and he has several houses at Pak Shui.
They also affirmed that two of the junks we had burnt had returned from a piratical cruise off Hainan about a fortnight ago, and it seems not improbable that it was one of these which followed the late British brig "Louiza" out of Hongkong harbour; and several days afterwards, during a calm, seized, plundered and burnt her, after murdering the Master and several of the Crew.
Some of the passengers and crew of the recaptured junk stated that on the piracy being reported at Hong Kong, a letter was despatched from the Police Office by the steam packet to Macao and thence by a fast boat to Pak Shui; the pirates were evidently prepared for an attack.
Considering the force at my disposal and being hampered by the recaptured junk and its crew, which could not be induced to make proper exertions, I thought