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should have taken place recently within the waters of Hongkong.
I said that just as the pirates & robbers operated along
the borders of several adjacent districts in order to
escape immediate capture so they now adopted the same plan
of working between the waters of Hongkong & China. They know
they are pretty safe dodging back & forth the line unless
British & Chinese launches & gunboats cooperate together.
"Captain Slade" he said, "thought our Canton
torpedo boats useless", "Is it so?" I said that unless
these boats are thoroughly overhauled & repaired it would
be dangerous to send them against the pirates. Their machinery
might break down any moment. Any mishap to a boat would
invite attack & it would then become a prey rather than a
danger to those bold rellows, Absolute neglect rather
ghan constant use will ruin a torpedo boat in a short time.
The Canton boats I hear have been kept hauled up without
regular care & left to rust for many years.
The Viceroy seems to sympathise with the reformers
Hong & Leung. He said that several Commissioners have told him
that there is nothing to fear from the reformers. They will
never overthrow the Empire nor kill foreigners by the
wholesale. He himself thinks that the reformers will not
be able to accomplish anything as they are not practical men.
His Excellency has very much at heart the question
of the extradition of criminals. He asked why the Hongkong
authority so rarely gave up a criminal. I told him that Bri-
tish law requires that direct circumstantial proofs must be p
produced & the direct prima facie case made out before a
Police Magistrate & submitted to the decision of the Governor
before he can be given up. In order to secure the extradition
of a criminal it would be well for the Chinese authorities