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Chinese government might urge in justification of their seeming apathy that no efforts of theirs could avail so long as Hong Kong & Macao, the former especially, afforded a sure refuge to Pirates all the means of arming, refitting & disposing of their booty. Since I have been able to assure the Governor here that vigorous steps were being taken by H.E. to amend this state of things & deprive the Pirate fleets of all resources & protection in the Harbour of Hong Kong, the Yamen of Foreign Affairs has shown the greatest willingness to cooperate by any means in their power.
That they have immediately at their disposal means adequate to the end is unfortunately not the case, nor is it likely that they can be prepared to do their part in the protection of the Commerce on the coast for some time to come.
I have reason to believe however that Mr. Hart, the Inspector General of Customs now in Europe, is actively engaged, in connection with our own department & the preventive Service, in providing means by the organisation of a small flotilla of gunboats, as will materially aid any efforts we may be disposed to make for the total suppression of Piracy.
In the meantime, the Prince of Kung, as J.S. is aware, has expressed the greatest willingness to do what they can by hiring merchant Steamers & supplying responsible officers of their own to cooperate with the naval forces, to secure communications with their Commanders by furnishing Interpreters. The orders to that effect already sent to the Maritime Provinces may not be very zealously carried out, nor is it certain that the Pirates may not have means of influencing or bribing Chinese Officials whose business it should be to deliver them to justice & put an end to their depredations.
Something of this is inevitable in an Empire like China & all the more so when the Central Government is suffering under the pressure of wide-spread insurrections & greatly weakened thereby. The efforts they have recently made for the suppression of Piracy have been precipitated by the exigencies of the administration of ...
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