149
£305
APO
Government House,
No.43.
Hong-Kong, 2nd.March, 1899.
sir,
I have the honour to bring to your notice the
increasing frequency of piratical outrages in Chinese waters
adjacent to this Colony and the constant danger to life and
property which exists and which threatens to materially affect
the trade between this port and the south of China.
2. Only very recently a piratical attack was com-
mitted on a Hong-Kong licensed junk within 50 miles of the
Colony, which resulted in the loss of two lives and a consider-
able amount of property, and within the last two years there
have been several similar outrages on Hong-Kong craft in the
neighbouring Chinese waters. The inland water-ways are also,
I am informed, literally infested with pirates.
3. Several representations have been made to the
British Consul at Canton on the subject of these piracies, but
he has been unsuccessful in his attempts to move the Chinese
Authorities to exercise an effective control over their waters
or to arrest and punish the authors of these outrages, many of
whom are still at large and doubtless committing daily depre-
The Right Honourable
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN,M.P.
dations
800. ↑
800.
800.