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I would therefore strongly urge who are already in the Chinese Government service. upon you the advisability of adopting this course.
At our interview a few days ago you promised to discuss this question with the Commissioner of Customs, and I shall be very glad to learn the result of your deliberations with him. The matter is one of great urgency, and I trust that you will send me an early reply, in order that I may report to my Minister.
I avail, &c.
(Translation.) Sir,
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Admiral Li Chum to Consul-General Mansfield.
January 15, 1907. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch with reference to the suppression of piracy on inland waters launches without tow.
[Quotes in full Mr. Mansfield's despatch of the 5th January.]
In reply, I have the honour to observe as follows:-
That in the frequent cases of piracy of single passenger launches in these waters the practice of the pirates has been to embark in the disguise of passengers, having concealed upon them revolvers and daggers; they have awaited their opportunity to strike, which having arrived, their custom has been to terrify those in charge and others into proceeding on the voyage as usual. Thus the launches and gun-boats stationed along the different sections of the waterways were ignorant of what was transpiring, and the pirates, on reaching some lonely place at a distance from all launches and guard-boats, escaped with their booty. Thus no precautionary measures could be of any avail.
I consider, therefore, that the searching for arms of passengers and their luggage is the essential towards the suppression of piracy on the inland waters, since the pirates, deprived of their weapons, will thus be without means of carrying out their schemes. My original proposition was to establish at the various places of call (licensed) sampans, to which should be appointed a subordinate officer and soldiers to search passengers for arms concealed about them. Subsequently, having come to the conclusion that the institution of this search on board the sampans would protract the voyage of the launches, I thought it would be more convenient to permanently station guards on the launches themselves, to conduct the search during the progress of the trip. They would besides be a source of protection. You, however, now state that British steam-launch owners have no confidence in the ability of these guards. It seems to me that to detail guards on board the launches for their protection would be to the advantage, and not disadvantage, of the owners. Again, the guards which I have in contemplation for this work will be selected from members of the training school for the police force who have finished their course of preparation and are fully trained in their duties; they will not be of the same class as the ordinary soldiery. Further, to each launch will be appointed a capable officer in command, so that the scheme must be effective. If it does not prove immediately successful, defects can be remedied as circumstances require. I cannot understand, then, why the launch- owners should be devoid of confidence.
With reference to the proposal that the patrolling launches should be under the command of foreign officers of the Imperial Maritime Customs, you say that his Excellency the Viceroy stated to you personally that if I had no objection to this scheme he would have none. I have discussed the matter personally with his Excellency, who says he did not agree to the proposal. Moreover, Commissioners of Customs, although they are officers in the employment of the Chinese Government, can only deal with Customs matters; if suspected persons are found at the barriers the foreign officers of the Customs can arrest them and send them for adjudication to the Chinese authorities. As to the patrolling of the waterways, this is a matter to be dealt with by special officers. Thus each will have his own proper duties, and must not encroach upon the province of the other. I have never heard of any Regulations under which the Imperial or Provincial Governments have employed foreign officers in the capacity of a patrol guard; how could 1 venture, then, to agree to this proposal ?
Besides, foreign officers have knowledge neither of the Cantonese dialect nor of local conditions; if the command of the launches were intrusted to them there would be endless difficulties.
As things now stand, in all cases of piracy of single launches the pirates come aboard as passengers and await their opportunity to strike; they do not approach from outside. Now, if foreign officers are placed in command of the patrol, they will only be able to watch and search the waterways; how then could they discover and secure pirates disguised as passengers? If you have the tranquillity of the inland waters at heart, I must again ask you to consider as the most important measure towards this end the proposition which I have advanced-namely, to station guards on board the single launches, there to search the passengers for arms. The protection of the waterways is my special duty, and now, since the pirates have their haunts on shore, the Viceroy has also placed under my command the various land camps along these waterways. Recently, too, an additional purchase of fourteen launches has been made with the twofold object of suppressing piracy and protecting trade.
The question, then, which I wish to arrange with you is that of stationing guards on board the launches to search for pirates disguised as passengers, and to request you to order all launches to submit to this measure.
Finally, the number of guards detailed for each launch will only be five or six, who will be fed by the launch, the cost thereof being refunded by me out of their wages, so that it may not fall upon the launch.
I avail, &c.
Inclosure 4 in No. 1.
(Seal of Admiral Li.)
Consul-General Mansfield to Admiral Li Chun.
Sir.
January 21, 1907. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 15th instant with reference to the method of dealing with the suppression of piracy on inland waters.
In reply to your proposition to place guards on board each launch to search the passengers for arms, instead of making arrangements for having the search made before the passengers come on board, I have the honour to observe that this question was at the outset fully discussed between you, the Commissioner of Customs, Taotai Wen, and myself. There is a very strong feeling that the search of passengers' baggage on board a crowded launch would be difficult and unsatisfactory. I have only to mention the case of a launch near Wuchow, having a guard of five soldiers on board, which was boarded by a boat with passengers. The guard began to search for arms, but the disguised pirates immediately fired on them and wounded them all, one or two being drowned. In the case of the "Sainam" there were four Indian guards, two European officers, and one passenger, all of whom had arms, but the pirates were victorious. In affrays such as these on board launches the passengers would be sure to suffer. I cannot but think that the original proposition and the rules first drawn up are by far the better plan.
As regards the question of the employment of Customs officers, I must repeat that at the interview with his Excellency the Viceroy I proposed this plan to him. His Excellency then stated that the suppression of piracy on the inland waters came within your province, and that he himself had no authority to deprive you of any of your powers. I then asked whether, if you were agreeable to the employment of foreign Customs officers, his Excellency would raise any objection. His reply was in the negative. Both my Vice-Consul and I remember this distinctly, and I feel sure that Mr. Lo, the Viceroy's interpreter, will do so too.
In view of the utter insufficiency and uselessness up to the present of the guard- boats and launches used to patrol the waterways, it would be hard to convince the foreign Powers that the scheme you propose will be really effective, and I must ask you to reconsider the question of employing Customs officers as proposed by me. Robbery and smuggling are crimes which go hand in hand, and there is no
that have you impropriety in joint measures for their suppression. You say heard of any Regulations under which the Imperial or Provincial Governments have On this I would employed foreign officers in the capacity of a patrol-guard." remark that within my recollection in 1874, under the Government of Viceroy
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