B
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impossible to obtain any of it, as it is not on sale, and is confided only to trusted members.
The authorities are keeping a very close watch on the doings of the various secret societies, and several members of the Ta Tao Hui have been arrested and decapitated, Recently fourteen members of a Small Knife Society were taken to Anching for trial; but the men declared the small knives with which they were armed were hunting knives, and this being found to be true, they were released on security.
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Chinese with whom I have communicated is of opinion that the troubles are mainly due to the "Ko Ming Tang" Secret Society.
No anti-foreign motion is anticipated by any of my informants, and the disquiet would seem to be abating.
I have, &c. (Signed)
G. W. PEARSON.
(No. 96.) Sir,
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Mr. Pearson to Consul-General Sir P, Warren.
Shanghae, July 13, 1907. I HAVE the honour to report that I paid a short visit to Hangchow, with your sanction, at the end of last quarter for the purpose of paying the Chinese staff of the Consulate, and preparing the quarterly accounts and Intelligence Report.
I found that there were rumours then current among the Chinese of local dis- turbances throughout the province, which were attributed to several causes. The disturbances at Fuchou were said to be due to salt smugglers and the dearth of rice. Near Hangchow itself and throughout the silk-producing district, there was a great deal of discontent owing to the recent doubling of the tax on wound silk. At Kashing
it was reported that disbanded troops had joined the salt smugglers, and the Governor was said to be sending troops and guard-boats in some numbers to surround the city and suburbs to capture the rioters. On my return journey I saw a number of these boats being towed in that direction in batches of ten or so. Earlier in June there had appeared in the native press accounts of serious encounters between salt snugglers and guard-boats at Sungkiang Fu, in which the latter had lost several officers and
many men.
On leaving Hangchow I made arrangements with Mr. Murphy, head of the Settle- ment Police, and Mr. Paget, in temporary charge of Imperial Maritime Customs, to keep me informed of local events. On the 8th instant I received a telegram from the former, and, on the 9th, a letter from the latter, warning me of disturbances at Kinhua-fu and at Shih Men Shan. The substance of these communications I telegraphed to His Majesty's Minister on the 9th instant. The information which my correspondents forwarded came from missionaries. I also telegraphed to the Governor, asking him to take adequate measures for the protection of missionaries, and he replied to the effect that he was telegraphing to the local officials, sending additional troops, and taking all precautions to insure the safety of missionaries and their establishments. telegraphed to the missionaries that they were to retire upon Hangchow if they found it necessary.
At the moment of writing a telegram has arrived from Hang. chow, stating that the missionaries have left Chinhua Fu, as disturbances are still going on.
I further
The Consulate writer, Yang, who is in touch with some of the yamêns, wrote on the 8th instant to the following effect :---
In the Huchou district at Wang Chiang Ching, Kashing, at Yu Chien in the Shaoshing Prefecture, and at Kuang Te and Ssu An, on the borders of Anhui and Chekiang, bad characters have made trouble. I hear that those of Hangchow and Shaoshing are local rowdies. Those of Kashing and Huchou are members of the "Ko Ming Tang." Requests for troops have come in from various quarters. Governor Chang is sending ten more gun-boats to suppress these disturbances. I hear also that these bad characters have imported arms from Japan to the Tai Hu neighbourhood, The Governor has sent an officer to secretly investigate this. There have been rice riots at Hui Chi Hsien during the middle of the month.
On the 9th instant I received a telegram from Mr. Murphy stating "the rice riots are not serious, according to the latest official report, and that missionaries are safe."
Further letters from missionaries in the district confirm the fact that at Lan Ch'i and Tungkang there has been a certain amount of unrest, due mainly to the high price of rice, and also to the workings of the "Chien Tao Hui," and, to a greater extent, of the "Ko Ming Tang." The gentry have, in one case at least, approached the Missions with a view to obtaining drafts of troops for protection against the rowdies. Every
(No. 13.) Sir,
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Consul Mortimore to Sir J. Jordan.
Ningpo, July 12, 1907. I HAVE the honour to report the occurrence of a serious riot at Ting-bai, on the Island of Chusan. It appears that extra taxes have of late been levied on land for the support of schools of foreign learning, which created much dissatisfaction. The Sub- Prefect in Charge was appealed to, and, in order to avoid a riot, consented to the tax being levied at the old rate. Subsequently, having come to the conclusion that the whole matter had been engineered by a military graduate named Hsü Jeu-i, he secretly reported him to the Governor at Hangchow, and received orders to arrest bin. Hsü, having got wind of this, fled, and his arrest could not be effected, but, after some time, he visited his home and was arrested. The people then rose in a body, some 5,000 strong, went to the Sub-Prefect's yamên and demanded his release, and, when this was refused, destroyed everything in the yamên and carried off the Sub-Prefect's two sons. They then proceeded to wreck all the schools, as well as the houses of some people connected with them, taking two men prisoners as well as a sergeant who had tried to quiet the disturbance, but who was subsequently released. The rioters then occupied the town, and stopped all business, Troops were sent from Ningpo by Ti-t'ai, but their numbers were too few to effect much. Moreover, the rioters asserted that if anything happened to the military graduate Hsü, who had been previously removed for safety to Chinbai, or, if the troops attacked them, they would at once proceed to kill the two sons of the Sub-Prefect and the other two men held by them.
The authorities therefore found themselves unable to act, and matters remained in this state for a few days, but no further destruction of property took place. Strict orders seem to have been given by the leaders of the rioters that there was to be no looting; the property of the Sub-Prefect and the schools was to be utterly destroyed ouly.
The Sub-Prefect having come to Ningpo to discuss the matter with the Taotai, it was ultimately arranged that the military graduate should be released, which was at once carried into effect, and the two sons of the Sub-Prefect and their other two prisoners were set at liberty by the villagers. The affair is now settled, and the district quiet. No one is apparently to be punished, as the Sub-Prefect is held to have been responsible for the outbreak owing to his action in falsely accusing the graduate to the Governor.
I have, &c. (Signed)
R. H. MORTIMORE.
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