38.
57.
424
was not then expedient to attempt it. I procured the seizure of any of the pirates who had escaped and I proceeded to Macao and placed the latter in charge of the Consular agent at that place.
It had been reported at Pak Shek that the gunboats intended to proceed at once to Hongkong, and on returning to the former place on the following day we found as I expected that the junks which had escaped to sea - the wind being dead on shore prevented their getting under weigh, and they were burnt, as was likewise the village, the pirates having escaped with their most valuable and portable goods.
We found great quantities of hardware, and various descriptions of mixed goods, which were clearly the proceeds of piracy; files of camphor bags were numerous on or near the beach where we found lying about 50 guns of various sizes - 32, 24 and 18, the heaviest knocked off their carriages and the trunnions of the others knocked off.
There was not a single shop in the place where the guns were not found. A number of houses exploded on the fire reaching them. There was a masked battery.