This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[40881]
No. 1.
[December 14.]
SECTION 3.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward-Grey.--(Received December 14.)
(No. 509.) Sir,
Peking, October 29, 1907. I REGRET to report a number of piratical attacks on British steam launches which have taken place in rapid succession in Canton waters during the last few days.
On the 15th instant a British launch belonging to Mr. Fisker was attacked by pirates by Waichow and property carried off to the amount of 400 dollars. A week later another lannch owned by the same person was pirated 7 miles below Whampoa, and on the 26th instant a third case occurred near Maning, the victim in the last instance being a launch belonging to the Po On Company, which is registered in Hong Kong.
My information being derived from telegrams from His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton, which have been repeated to you, I am not yet in a position to furnish more detailed particulars of these various incidents, and I shall therefore content myself for the present with briefly reporting the action which I have taken in each
cases,
On the receipt of Mr. Mansfield's first telegram I sought and obtained an interview with Prince Ching and his Excellency Yuan Shih-k'ai. At this meeting, which took place at the Summer Palace on the 19th instant, I impressed most strongly upon both statesmen the absolute necessity of taking steps for the immediate enforcement of the scheme for patrol vessels under Customs control with the co-operation of the territorial authorities, which had been fully explained to the Wai-wu Pu at a series of interviews during the past year. They assured me that they were in constant telegraphic communication with the Viceroy on the question, and spoke confidently of being able to inaugurate measures which would put a stop to further outrages within a limited time.
The Prince demurred at first to the principle of Customs control, but apparently withdrew his objections when it was explained to him by Liang Ta-jên, who also took part in the interview, that the scheme contemplated territorial co-operation, and that a representative of the Viceroy was to serve on board each cruiser.
Mr. Mansfield's report of the second occurrence reached me on the 25th instant, and on the following day I addressed a note to the Wai-wa Pu, copy of which I have the honour to transmit to you herewith. After reciting the facts of the case I dwelt at some length upon the recent action of the Acting Viceroy at Canton, as reported in my despatch No. 495 of the 16th October, as being the proximate cause of this recrudes- cence of piracy, and again urged, and the only effectual remedy, the immediate adoption of the Customs scheme. I pressed for a definite statement as to the intentions of the Chinese Government on this point, and reminded them of the duty which failure to fulfil their repeated promises would impose upon the British Admiral, as explained by Sir Arthur Moore at his interview of the 24th September.
While this note was being written a third case of piracy occurred at Maning, the particulars of which reached me yesterday evening. In reporting this last affair Mr. Mansfield stated that in a despatch written on the day of the occurrence the Viceroy had refused to discuss the "Sainam" and "Kaicheong" cases, and that he held the claim for compensation to be inadmissible. His Excellency denied any responsibility under international law. Mr. Mansfield suggested, as a means of showing the Provincial -Government that we were in earnest in insisting upon the effective suppression of piracy, the possibility of the Admiral's taking some steps for increasing the patrol of the river and delta.
This afternoon I again visited the Wai-wu Pa and told them how serious the situation was becoming. In spite of all their protestations and assurances three cases of piracy had taken place within a fortnight, and they could scarcely expect that this state of things could continue much longer without provoking the intervention of the
Admiral,
My written representations on the subject extending over a period of several months had not even received the courtesy of an acknowledgment, and their verbal assurances
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