mainly contributed to success .
The service of capturing Pirates is not without danger, and as Mr.
Caldwell invariably shares the risk without the hopes of promotion or
honors which actuate Her Majesty's officers, I am induced to bring the
subject to Your Excellency's notice in the hope of this gentleman obtain
ing some reward for his services, as well as a promise of provision for
his family should any casualty unfortunately occur on any subsequent
occasion.
On referring to the records of this station I find that Mr. Caldwell's
intelligence and gallantry have been frequently commented upon by my
predecessors.
I have, &c. ,
M. SEYMOUR,
Rear Admiral and Commander-in-Chief.
His Excellency
SIR JOHN BOWRING, LL.D. ,
&c.. & c ., &c.
"Calcutta," HONGKONG, 17th March, 1859.
SIR,-Having received information that a number of pirate vessels
had assembled near their old haunt at Coolan, I dispatched Her Majesty's
ship Niger and gun-boats Janus and Clown on the 11th instant in search
of them accompanied by M. Caldwell, Registrar General, who, as usual,
kindly volunteered his services.
The squadron returned last night and I do myself the honor of forward 膨
ing to Your Excellency acting Captain Coville's report of his proceedings,
which will shew the essential service rendered to the community at large,
and the gallant manner in which Captain Coville and the Officers and
Men engaged have succeeded in destroying a formidable force of pirates .
I beg to draw Your Excellency's notice to the good service rendered
by Mr. Caldwell -an additional claim to the many already possessed by
that zealous officer. As this is the last opportunity I shall have of
addressing Your Excellency on the subject of Piracy, I beg Your Ex
66
cellency will express to Mr. Caldwell my high sense of the important
services rendered by him on the numerous occasions he has volunteered
to accompany Her Majesty's ships on expeditions against pirates, in which
he has volunteered to share all the danger without the inducements
which animate Naval officers to distinguish themselves.
I have, &c . ,
M. SEYMOUR,
Rear Admiral and Commander-in- Chief.
His Excellency
SIR JOHN BOWRING, LL.D. ,
& c., &c., &c.
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
Victoria, Hongkong, 17th January, 1859.
SIR , I have, the honor to inform you that a despatch has been re
ceived from the Right Honourable the Secretary of State acknowledging
report of the destruction of certain piratical vessels to the westward of
this place by Captain Vansittart in the end of August and beginning of
September last.
In referring to this expedition Sir Edward Lytton expresses himself
glad to observe that in reporting this gallant achievement all parties
agree in taking favorable notice of the assistance rendered by yourself
who were present on the occasion .
Sir Edward Lytton also directs that you be informed that he has per
ceived with much satisfaction the testimony borne by the Admiral and
by the Naval officers in immediate charge of the expedition to your zeal
and efficiency and to the value of your services.
I have, &c. ,
W. T. MERCER,
Colonial Secretary.
To
D. R. CALDWELL, Esq.,
Registrar General.
Her Majesty's Ship " Columbine,"
HONGKONG, 1st November, 1849.
SIR,-On returning from the destruction of Shap ' Ng Tzai's squadron,
it becomes my duty to express publicly to Your Excellency the high
sense I entertain of the services rendered by Mr. Daniel Richard Cald
well Sub-Superintendent of Police, who was sent by Your Excellency to
accompany me on this service.
10
DI 67
On this occasion as well as on a former one when Chui-a-poo's
squadron was destroyed, I have found him most truthful and correct in
his intelligence, and with a judgment hardly capable of being deceived.
His intimate knowledge of the local dialect has also much assisted me,
and I do not think without his services I could have succeeded .
I have, & c . ,
JOHN C. DALRYMPLE HAY,.
Commander.
To His Excellency
SAMUEL GEORGE BONHAM, Esq., C. B.
&c., & c. , &c.
Extract of a letter from Captain LoCKYER of Her Majesty's ship Medea
reporting the destruction of a piratical squadron of thirteen Junks (one
of 300 tons mounting 18 guns, and 3 of 250 tons, each mounting 10
guns) manned by about 900 men, at Mir's Bay, dated 5th March, 1850 :
“ I think it my duty to express my entire satisfaction with the con
"duct of the Officers, Seamen, and Marines employed upon this occasion ;
" the precision of their fire, great steadiness and prompt obedience, tend
" ing greatly to the expeditious termination of this successful operation.
" Commander Wainwright, a supernumerary on board, volunteered his
" services and rendered me great assistance.
" I cannot conclude without also expressing my great obligations to
" Mr. Caldwell for the valuable assistance which he rendered . To his
" perfect knowledge of the Chinese language and his acquaintance with
"the habits of the pirates the success of this enterprise is in a great
(6 measure due."
Extract ofa letter from Commodore the Hon. KEITH STEWART of Her
Majesty's ship Nankin to His Excellency Sir John Bowring, LL.D.,
reporting the successful results of three expeditions against pirates, dated
17th August, 1856 :
" In conclusion I beg to draw Your Excellency's attention to the in
" valuable services of Mr. Caldwell on these expeditions. He accom
"panied me, and had he not been with me when the Chinese attempted
" to stop my proceeding up the river after the Lorcha, serious results"
36 might have ensued."
68
H. M. SHIP " Magicienne, " OFF LINGTING ISLAND,
TEL 4th September, 1858.
SIR,----- I have the honor to inform you, that in obedience to your orders
for me to take under my directions H. M. ships Inflexible, Plover and
Algerine and proceed with them to destroy and capture the many dirates
represented as being in this neighbourhood, that I left the anchorage of
Hongkong with the said vessels and H. M. ship under my command on
the morning ofthe 26th ultimo, as soon as Mr. Caldwell, the Registrar
General, and three Chinese informers had come on board.
From Hongkong we proceeded to and examined carefully the whole
coast as far westward as Mamee, having up to the present date taken
and destroyed 1 fortified stockade mounting 14 guns, 26 piratical fight
ing Junks, 74 fast row-boats, 236 guns, about 372 Pirates killed, 36
pirates taken alive, 6 cargo vessels recaptured from pirates, 54 men and
6 women retaken from pirates ; with only a few wounded on our side.
I enclose herewith a detailed account of each day's proceedings, with
a list of the captures, people rescued, casualties, officers employed in
boats, &c . I cannot say too much for the valuable assistance I have
received from Mr. Caldwell, the Registrar General, who was most inde
fatigable in his exertions, gaining much valuable information from the
prisoners rescued, and by other means ; thereby being in a great measure
the cause of our success, and shewed much judgment in discriminating
the innocent from the guilty of those captured on board the Junks, be
sides being a valuable acquisition from his intimate knowledge of the
Chinese language .
I have despatched the Algerine into Hongkong with Mr. Caldwell,
the three Chinese informers, and the remainder of the persons rescued
from the Pirates not yet disposed of. Upon the Algerine's return with
Mr. Caldwell, I propose searching well the bays in the vicinity of Hong
kong to the eastward, as we have every reason to believe that there is
still one fleet of Junks undiscovered.
The energy of Mr. Caldwell in finding out and gaining information
as to where the Pirates are, does him the very greatest credit.
Trusting you will approve of my proceedings since leaving Hongkong
on the 26th ultimo,
I have, &c. ,
NICHOLAS VANSITTART,
Captain.
Rear Admiral
SIR M. SEYMOUR, K.C.B. , *
Commander-in-Chief.
&c. , &o., &c .
69
" Calcutta " at HONGKONG , 10th September, 1858 .
SIR,-Information having reached me on the evening of the 22nd
ultimo, that a fleet of 20 pirate vessels had captured a Junk bound to
Hongkong in the neighbourhood of this island, I despatched Her Ma
jesty's steam gun vessel Surprise on the following morning in search
of them . She returned the same evening having succeeded in destroy.
ing or capturing 26 heavily armed Junks at the island of Lingting
mounting over 300 guns. I enclose Commander Cresswell's report of
his proceedings, dated 24th of August and beg to draw their Lordships'
favorable notice to the gallant manner in which the Commander, Officers ,
and Crew of the Surprise engaged and overcame so superior a force.
2. It being reported that the pirates destroyed by the Surprise formed
a division of a large fleet to the southward, which has harassed the
coasting trade for some time, I ordered the Magicienne, Inflexible,
Plover, and Algerine, under the orders of Captain Nicholas Vansittart ,
C.B. , to scour the coast in that direction . By that officer's report, here
with enclosed, dated the 4th instant, their Lordships will perceive that the
expedition was attended with the most complete success, no less than
100 piratical vessels having been destroyed and 236 guns sunk in deep
water with heavy loss to those desperate miscreants. The town of Coolan,
the head-quarters of the pirates, was also destroyed, as well as a stockad
ed fort of 14 guns. The conduct of the Officers and Men of the squadron
is deserving of the highest praise.
3. On Captain Vansittart's return I ordered him to cruise to the
northward of Hongkong ; but though he visited all the usual haunts of
the pirates the people stated that they had not been troubled for some
time past .
4. These important successes have afforded much satisfaction to the
Chinese traders. Captain Vansittart justly gives credit to Mr. Caldwell ,
Registrar General, who accompanied the expedition, for obtaining infor
mation. This gentleman's name must be familiar to their Lordships
from his numerous services against pirates.
I have, & c. ,
M. SEYMOUR ,
Rear Admiral and Commander-in-Chief.
The Secretary of the Admiralty,
London.
Extract of a letter from Captain CHARLES LECKIE, of Her Majesty's
ship Fury, dated 9th December, 1858, reporting the destruction of a pi
1
ratical blockading squadron in the vicinity of Macao.
70
" Thus the whole of the pirate fleet that blockaded the Passage boats
" in Macao are destroyed, viz ., Twelve vessels ; and I am happy to re
"(
port that this service has been performed without a casualty on our
side, although it is wonderful that no one was hit by the discharge of
"" grape we were received with.
" Mr. Caldwell accompanied me throughout all these proceedings and
" I am much indebted to him for his advice ; his knowledge of the Chi
" nese language being also of the greatest assistance.
" I have six Chinese men and one woman, released from the pirates,
on board and will arrange about their landing.
" At the lowest estimation these junks contained about 550 men, and
" carried from 8 to 12 guns each, in all 128 guns many of them of
" heavy calibre. Several of the pirates were killed, but their number is
" not known."
Extracts of a letter from Commander GEORGE COLVILLE of Her Ma
jesty's ship Niger, dated 16th March, 1859, reporting the destruction of
a large fleet of pirate junks, the burning of a noted piratical haunt at
Tsoo-choong and the rescue of several captured trading vessels.
66
Acting on information received at Macao, the whole of the 12th
" instant was spent in searching for a fleet of piratical vessels cruising in
" the vicinity of the Tang rocks, but failing to discover them , I weighed
" towards evening and anchored late off Kulan with the intention of
" visiting Tsoo -choong, under whose batteries a formidable fleet of piratical
68
junks were known to be lying-the depredators of several valuable
66
cargoes. An owner and master ofthe two of the captured junks acting as
66
pilots under the able and effective assistance of Mr. Caldwell, Registrar
*
" General." * * *
" In bringing before you the important results achieved by the zeal
" and gallantry of the officers of the boats and their crews, I beg to
" record the great assistance derived from the gun-boats ; to Lieutenants
“ Lee and Knevitt and the Second-Masters Messrs. Gilpin and Worsfold,
" so unceasing in their attention, every praise is due. Yet to Mr. Cald
"well the success attending this expedition is mainly owing ; without
" his experience and adept method of gaining information, I fear our
" endeavours would have been futile.*
* If it were necessary to multiply the instances in which my services have been noticed, it
could be easily done from the public despatches of other officers of Her Maiesty's Navy with
whom I have been associated in expeditions against pirates.
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