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# endeavours to promote Emigration and I have the honour to request that you will inform the Hongkong Government accordingly.
The optimistic view contained in this Despatch received, however, no confirmation from the Acting Consul at Wuchow (Mr. F. E. Wilkinson) who reported on the 29th September that so far only 38 coolies had been shipped and that in his opinion there was no prospect of a considerable increase until November. Mr. Wilkinson, while he had no doubt of the Viceroy's good faith, questioned whether he was receiving loyal co-operation from his subordinates and added as follows:-
"There is undoubtedly a very strong feeling against Emigration to South Africa in Wuchow. It is attributed by Huang Tao-tai partly to ignorance and partly to the very virulent campaign which has been carried on against it both in the Hongkong and the Canton Native Press. A very large percentage of the coolies who have presented themselves at the depot have deserted again before inspection. It is suspected that many of them have been inveigled away by agents of the coolie hongs to be shipped to other countries than South Africa. About a fortnight ago a clerk in the employ of the Customs was arrested for recruiting labourers for Mexico and I understand that there are many others engaged in the trade".
3. The pressure which the Viceroy was bringing to bear on the local officials had, however, an effect and a most undesirable one. The Agents at Hongkong of the Transvaal Mining Companies, Messrs. Butterfield and Swire, received on the 5th October information from their Agent at Wuchow that criminals were being sent to the depot and that similar information from the Acting Consul reached the Consul-General at Canton who at once made a representation to Mr. Wei, the Viceroy's Foreign Secretary on the subject and was informed that the sending of prisoners in chains to the depot was a gross error committed by ignorant officials without the knowledge