186
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Chinese Government to frohibit any but vessels of the Imperial Navy carrying Cannon Stink soli. Sum. gun powder. or other munitions of war, and declaring that all refach doing so after a certain date shall be regarded as Pirates and liable to forfeiture with their
Cargoes..
Stis
It would afford His Excellency
very great pleasure to aid in fassing
a similar Adinance in this Colony-
jand if
this me
measure were adopted
and rigorously enforced it would after a short
period end in
sweeping from the seas all the
armed traders and fishing boats. who assume for a time the semblance
t
of peaceful fursuits the better to disguise their more usual avocation of Public Robbers and Pirates.
In requesting now
that you
may take a suitable opportunity of binging the important subject of this despatch before the Nice Roy of Quantung, Stis Excellency would be glad if you
could
point out the claims which the British Government
has acquired to the assistinen of the Chinese authorities- inasmuch
as
the
Official returns show that since 1880 the British Cruisers have bestroyed in the Chinese seas about 350 firatical dinks. and captured probable, not less