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18. The guards on the above-mentioned launches shall always be in uniform and shall always carry their revolvers. They must always be prepared for emergencies. They must on no account congregate for the purpose of gambling or drinking, nor must they smoke opium. They must keep a particularly strict look-out at the time of the departure of the launches. Any breach of duty will be punished by dismissal and suitable penalties.
14. The police on the above-mentioned launches will be provided with certificates in English and Chinese with the official seal attached to prevent any other person impersonating them.
15. In addition to the police on the above-mentioned descriptions of launches, there are also police at all the larger ports of call whose duty it will be to examine intending passengers for concealed fire-arms. Any culprits found by the launch police in the illegal possession of fire-arms will be handed over by them to the land police to be brought before the local authorities for trial. If there is an alarm of pirates, a call will bring immediate assistance from the land police.
16. If any member of the launch police is found to be incapable of carrying out his duties, he shall, in the case of single passenger launches, be reported by the captain; and, in the case of launches with tows, by the master of the tow to the launch police Any of the police authorities, so that an efficient man may be found to replace him. found in the possession of stolen goods, such as clothing, money, &c., shall, on satisfactory evidence that they are robbing passengers of their property, be court- martialled and executed on the spot.
17. Any of the launch police having affairs of importance to attend to must first apply for leave to his head authority, and must not leave the launch before a substitute has taken his place.
18. In addition to the supervisors appointed by the launch police authorities to control the system, there are also the officials of the Admiral, whose duty it will be to make secret inspections to ascertain whether the Regulations are being observed and whether the members of the force are efficient. They will make recommendations from time to time in order to prevent the system becoming ineffective in the lapse of time.
19. All the above-mentioned descriptions of launches must only allow passengers to embark and disembark at the appointed places, namely:
(1.) Places on the waterways of the East River:--
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Whampoa, Mi Chang, Ma Chung, Sui Tang, Kwai Hai, Shi Lung, Lu Lan, Teh Kang, Sui Tsun, Po Lo, Whei Chow, Han Kai, Tao Kao, Tung Kwan City, Tai Pin.
(2.) Places in the district south of Canton City, and on the waterways of the West River:-
Shih Pi, Le Chu, Po On Chung, Hao Kao, Yung Chi, Kwei Chow, Ma Kang, Tung Ma Nin, Si Ma Nin, Chun An Hsu, Kan Chu, Chin Kiang, Ho Tsin, Ku Lao, Tai Pin Hsu, Fu Man, Sze Hsien Kan, Ma Kou, Ho Kou (Le., Samshui Beach), Tsin Chi, Yung An, Kwang Li, Kou Li, Pei Tu, Shao Chin, Lu Pu, Yuch Chen, Ho Ting Kou, Liu Tu, Te Ching, Tu Cheng, Fung Chuan, Wuchow, Lung Kiang, Shui Teng, Kuan Shan, Huang Lien, Lo Lou, Li Hai, San Hiang Miao, Chou Chun, Chao Lien, Pei Kai Kou, Chiang Men, Tan Shui Kou, Shuang Shui Kou, Hsin Chang, Ti Kai, Hsiao Lan, Kang Kon, and Shih Chi.
(3.) Places on the North River route :--
Fu Shan, Shih Mun, Ts'u Tung, Hsiao Tang, Hsi Nan, Samshui, Lu Pao, Shih Ko, and Tsin Yuen.
(4.) Places in the district north of Canton City, Tsung Hua, and Hua Hsien :-
Shih Men, Kwan Yao, San Kiang Kou, Nan Kiang Kou, Wu Ho Hsu, Tan Pu, Chih Ni, and Pei Ni.
20. Any of the above-mentioned descriptions of launches which act in contraven- tion of these Regulations, either by taking passengers on board at unauthorized places en route or by omitting to carry out the search for concealed arms, will be subject to such
penalties as the nature of the offence may require. If the launch concerned is foreign- owned, and the offender is a Chinese employed on board, the local authorities are to communicate with the nearest Commissioner of Customs, and the Commissioner, in turn, with the nearest Consul, who may send a deputy to watch the proceedings. If the offender is a foreigner, he is to be dealt with in a manner similar to that prescribed by Treaty when a foreigner is found travelling without a passport. He will be sent to the proper Consul through the Commissioner of Customs at the nearest port.
21. At all places where such a course is practicable, the launches and tows referred to in these Regulations will hire for their regular use sampans and small boats to convey passengers to the launches and tows. The captains and masters of the launches and tows will at once notify the Inspector and police on the launches of every sampan or small boat so engaged by them; the Inspector will, in turn, notify the head of his Department. Where such sampans and small craft are regularly hired, no other boats shall be employed for the aforesaid purpose.
22. These Regulations are provisional, and subject to Ministerial sanction at Peking.
(No. 26.)
Sir,
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Consul-General Mansfield.
Peking, June 4, 1907. YOUR despatch No. 19 of the 23rd April only reached me on the 24th May, and pressure of other work has prevented an earlier reply.
The Provisional Regulations for the suppression of piracy, copy of which you inclose, appear likely to increase the difficulty of giving effect to the engagement made by the Chinese Government to organize a preventive service under Customs control.
As you will be aware, from the copies of my recent despatches to Sir E. Grey, which have been sent to you, I have been holding the Wai-wu Pu to this engagement, and I should be very reluctant to convey the impression that, by accepting these tardy proposals of the Viceroy, we considered them all that is required. That the Chinese authorities intend this measure to take the place of the service of cruisers under Customs control is rendered evident by a message which I received on the 1st June from the Wai-wa Pu, communicating the substance of a telegram from the Viceroy to the Board of Finance, in which his Excellency urges that as he is prepared to take these measures it seems unnecessary for the Customs to spend money on cruisers, but, if they elect to do so, such vessels would of course only serve for the prevention of smuggling and have no powers to suppress piracy.
In view, however, of your telegram of the 3rd instant, from which it appears that the Rules have not been enforced, I think it would be advisable, considering the inter- pretation which the Wai-wu Pu evidently place upon them, that you should notify the Viceroy that they could only be accepted as a complement to the scheme to which the Wai-wn Pu have already given their assent.
am, &c.
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(Signed)
J. N. JORDAN.
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