[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[39336]
No. 1.
144707
[November 30.
SECTION 6.
JE607
527
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Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received November 30.)
(No. 495.) Sir,
Peking, October 16, 1907. WITH reference to previous correspondence on the subject of piracy in Canton waters, I have the honour to inclose copies of despatches from His Majesty's Consul- General at Canton showing the attiinde of the Provincial Treasurer, while Acting. Viceroy, in a case which occurred during the past summer.
Two missionaries, one of whom was a British subject, were robbed while travelling by boat. The Magistrate arrested one of the robbers, who informed against his confederates. They could not be found, but the Magistrate, in pursuance of Chinese practice in such an event, made their families compensate the missionaries for the articles stolen. The native press shortly afterwards published what purported to be a Minute issued by the Acting Viceroy, censuring the Magistrate for admitting the liability for compensation.
Mr. Mansfield wrote to his Excellency asking for an explanation, and, as this official has shown himself to be most unfriendly, I brought the matter to the notice of the Wai-wu Pu in the Memorandum, copy of which is inclosed.
Subsequently I received from Mr. Mansfield a copy of the Acting Viceroy's reply (Inclosure 6), in which the authenticity of the newspaper publication is admitted and the censure passed upon the Magistrate justified.
So far I have received no reply from the Wai-wu Pu to my Memorandum of the 5th October,
$
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I have, &c. (Signed)
J. N. JORDAN.
(No. 43.) Sir,
Inclosure I in No. 1.
Consul-General Mansfield to Sir J. Jordan.
Canton, September 18, 1907. IN Mr. Vice-Consul Sly's Intelligence Report, forwarded in my despatch No. 36 of the 25th July, there is, on p. 5, a short account of a small case of piracy in which the native boats of the Rev. E. T. Snuggs and Miss Commin were robbed near the village of Pang Tsun in the San Hing district.
This affair has had a curious sequel, which, with other matters which are dealt with in separate despatches, demonstrates plainly the intensely hostile attitude of Hu Hsiang-Lin, Acting Provincial Treasurer, here and at present Acting Viceroy of the Two Kuang.
An article, of which I inclose copy and translation, appeared in the "Seventy-two Guilds Commercial News" of the 26th August last. From this it appears that the Hsin Hsing (sc. San Hing) Magistrate Tson, instead of receiving praise for his prompt action in arresting one of the robbers and obliging the families of the ringleaders to make restitution of the value of the articles robbed from them, was not only severely censured, but had three bad marks put on his record and was fined a sum of double the amount which he had reimbursed to the victims of the robbery.
As the particular newspaper in question is not taken in by us, it was over a fortnight before it was brought to my notice, but on being shown it I at once addressed to the Acting Viceroy a despatch, of which I inclose copy and translation.
I have not received his reply and hardly expect to, as his Excellency Chang Jen Chun is expected here in a day or two to take over the Vice-Royalty, but the Acting Viceroy's action seems to me to be a direct encouragement to outrages on British subjects and foreigners in general, and a result of the success with which all our efforts. to obtain even a discussion of the "Sainam" piracy claims have been resisted by the authorities here.
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