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Encoure No 2.
The Daily Press.
HONGKONG, SEPTEMBER 12, 1883.
ANTI-FOREIGN RIOT AT CANTON.
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY ON SHAMEEN.
The anti-foreign spirit which has latterly been developing itself in Canton, growing partly out of the unfortunate shooting affray at Honam, has, we regret to learn, come to a most disastrous climax by the aid of another lamentable collision with natives. From information brought down by the steamer Kiungchow, it appears that
on Monday morning just before the steamer Hankow's time of departure the dead body of a Chinaman was brought on board, the persons bringing it declaring that the man had been killed by a watchman on board the steamer and demanding justice. The Chinaman killed was a young boarding house runner named Afung, nineteen years of age, who was employed by the Tung On Chan boarding house situated in the Yow Lan Man, which establishment has a branch in this colony at 69, Praya Central. He went on board the Hankow, as the Chinese say, not from the wharf side, but the outer side of the boat, at five o'clock on Monday morning to engage passages for a number of boarders at his house who intended coming down to Hongkong. He was met by the watchman, said to be a Portuguese, who told him he had come too early, and ordered him off. The young man seemed not disposed to go, and then the watchman gave him a push or a kick, and knocked him overboard, so that he fell between the steamer and some boats and was drowned. The body was not recovered until some time afterwards, when the Chinese took it on board as already stated. This information was given us in the colony yesterday afternoon as the Chinese version of the cause of the outbreak, and the accounts of people on the spot seem to show that it is substantially correct. We also learn from the same source that the Chinese acquainted the magistrate of the district at once of what had taken place, and after holding a hurried provisional inquiry, this official went on board the Hankow, and demanded that Capt. Ogston should give up to him the man who had kicked the deceased overboard. This Capt. Ogston refused to do, and then the magistrate left. A vast crowd had by this time assembled on the wharf and around its approaches, and they clamorously took up the demand of their magistrate, and finally became highly excited and threatening. They made an attempt to board the steamer, but were repelled, and then they began to throw bricks and other missiles on board, so that it was deemed advisable to move the vessel out of reach.
The crowd fast increased in numbers and temerity, and the steamer having got out of reach they set fire to the wharf, which was destroyed, together with a steam launch belonging to Captain Ogston, which was lying on the wharf at the time. News of the riotous proceedings having reached the officials a body of soldiers were sent to the scene, but they proved quite insufficient to control the mob, who pelted them with stones and drove them off. The rioters, having looted a kerosene store near by, then proceeded to Shameen and attacked the foreign residences, of which thirteen were burned down and some others looted.
Fortunately no lives were lost, nor, so far as we can ascertain, were any of the foreigners much injured. At ten o'clock the foreign consuls, seeing the serious position of affairs, hauled down their flags. Later on the foreign community seem to have made some stand against the mob, and to have beaten them back, and the work of destruction came to an end for the time. Some foreign residents took refuge on board the steamer Ningpo, others on the Chinese gunboat Sui Tsing, and others on the steamboat Hankow. The latter vessel stood by to see the issue of the affair, and when matters became serious, Captain Ogston, at the request of the British Consul and the community, consented to remain for the day. As the Honam was leaving yesterday it was considered unnecessary to run the Hankow also. She will make her usual trip down today. The watchman was in custody on board the Hankow, but it was expected he would be transferred to one of the gunboats as soon as they arrived. It appears a complication arose owing to the nationality of the man. As he is a Portuguese the British Consul refused to have anything to do with him. The French Consul, who acts also for the Portuguese, was willing to take the responsibility of the man's custody if the British Consul would place the British Gaol at his disposal for that purpose, but this also the British Consul declined to accede to. It was therefore arranged that the man should be detained on the Hankow for the time being.
The foreign residents, not having the smallest idea of anything threatening, were utterly unprepared. The day before they had been moving about the place as usual; they had a picnic in a place much used for the purpose, and the natives behaved well. It is probable that this unfortunate occurrence on board the Hankow served to revive the recollection and excitement caused by the recent shooting affray, and the criminal classes used this excitement as a lever to help them to a grand looting, so that the attack on the Shameen was partly from motives of revenge, urged on by crowds of rowdies always to be found among the lower classes of Chinese, whose chief object was plunder and mischief. They seem to have been a huge crowd composed of contemptible materials-boys and roughs-who would have been easily driven back from Shameen had there been only a small force of the residents collected to repel them. During the forenoon a number of gentlemen, mostly Germans, collected together, and being armed with about ten rifles, another ten or so being armed with swords, turned out upon the rabble, who cleared off like smoke before the wind, scrambling through the creek into the town, not waiting for this small band to come to close quarters with them. The Chinese authorities, as usual, appear to have been either most incapable or most inert in the matter, for the mob worked their own sweet will unchecked, until this stand was made, and that really put an end to the depredations. If the stand had been made before, the loss would probably have been prevented, but everyone was unprepared, and flight was more thought of than resistance at the time. Some had not risen from bed, amongst them being some ladies, one of whom had a very narrow escape from the Chinese. She was hastily roused from bed, caught up her child, hurriedly threw on a garment or two, and then sallied forth for the boats. She was chased by some Chinese and only just got into the boat in time. Other ladies got on board the steamers
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