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Appendix No. 4.
PORT HAMILTON.
Sir,
350
Inclosure 25 in No. 104.
Commander-in-chief, China, to Admiralty.
October 2, 1875.
IN your letter of the 26th July last,* addressed to the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of which was inclosed in your letter to me of the 5th August, 1875, it is stated, with reference to Port Hamilton, that "that port appears to be a dependency of China as well as of Japan," and in your letter as above you inform me that Her Majesty's Government do not approve of the occupation of Port Hamilton.
2. I beg you will draw the attention of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to the fact, that in my letter of the 20th July, 1875,‡ I speak of the islands as belonging to the Coreans, and it was only as such that Sir Harry Parkes and I concurred in our recommendation.
The Coreans being savages, who murder all the Europeans they can get hold of, we considered them to be outside the pale of civilized nations.
3. The possession of Port Hamilton by England would probably, in addition to the various advantages mentioned by me, frighten the Coreans into humane treatment of wrecked foreigners, whom they now murder in numbers unknown, as it is only rarely that any one escapes.
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I have, &c. (Signed)
A. P. RYDER, Vice-Admiral,
Commander-in-chief.
Inclosure 26 in No. 104.
Admiralty to Foreign Office.
Admiralty, December 2, 1875.
Sir,
WITH reference to my letter of the 26th July last,* I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to send you herewith, for the information of the Earl of Derby, a copy of a letter from Vice-Admiral Ryder, dated the 2nd October,§ in which he explains the circumstances under which he, in conjunction with Sir Harry Parkes, recommended the occupation of Port Hamilton.
I am, &c.
(Signed)
ROBERT HALL.
Sir,
Inclosure 27 in No. 104.
Foreign Office to Admiralty.
Foreign Office, October 5, 1875.
I HAVE laid before the Earl of Derby your letter of the 30th ultimo, forwarding a copy of a despatch from Admiral Ryder in regard to the occupation of Port Hamilton and the survey of the south-west coast of Corea; and I am directed by his Lordship to request you to move the Lords of the Admiralty to inform him whether they concur with Admiral Ryder's views as to the value of Port Hamilton as a naval station. I am at the same time to suggest that Admiral Shad- well, the late Commander-in-chief of Her Majesty's ships on the China Station, should be consulted on the subject.
I am, &c.
(Signed)
T. V. LISTER.
(Confidential.) Sir,
Inclosure 28 in No. 104,
Admiralty to Vice-Admiral Sir C. Shadwell.
Admiralty, October 6, 1875.
I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit to you the accom- panying correspondence relative to the proposed occupation of Port Hamilton, in the Corea, and I am to request that you will favour their Lordships with your opinion on this proposal.
(Confidential.) Sir,
I am, &c.
(Signed)
ROBERT HALL.
Inclosure 29 in No. 104.
Vice-Admiral Sir C. Shadwell to Admiralty.
October 9, 1875.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant¶ (marked Confiden- tial), with inclosures, relative to the suggested occupation of Port Hamilton (Soole Island, Corean Archi-
* Inclosure 9
§ Inclosure 25. + Inclosure 5.
Inclosure 1. Vice-Admiral Ryder's letter of July 20; Foreign Office letters of September 16 and October 5.
¶ Inclosure 28.
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