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arms to make the assault.
Again yesterday, Monday the 30th instant, some bad characters came on board at Wuchow and also at Dosing and Fong Chuen, who were overheard by a passenger to discuss a plan of piracy to be committed on the vessel during her voyage; the passenger heard them saying that they expected friends to join them at Luk Pu and Shui Hing, and were undecided whether to commit the piracy between Shui Hing and Samshui or between that port and Kumchuk; the pirates also discussed the best means of overcoming the difficulty caused by the locked gratings; the matter was reported to the Captain who took the precaution of not taking any one on board at either Luk Pu or Shui Hing, in spite of great dissatisfaction on the part of intending passengers at those two places, etc. Proceeding direct to Samshui, the Captain, with the assistance of the Officers of the Imperial Maritime Customs at the Port, searched the ship thoroughly, also the passengers but found no arms; the designed attempt was evidently frustrated by refusing to take any one on board at either Luk Pu or Shui Hing, where supplies of arms and reinforcements were looked for by the pirates.
The former of these attempts has already been brought to your notice unofficially, and in connection with the same we would add that, when the man in furs left the vessel, some of the passengers informed the Compradore that they had recognised a well-known pirate on board.
You will doubtless agree with us that the existing state of insecurity of life and property on the West River is a disgrace to any civilized nation, and we would ask you to be good enough to bring to the notice of the proper authorities the two above-cited cases of attempted piracy and to insist on
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