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regard to the Sainam" compensation claim, this matter had not been officially brought to my notice, but I raised the question at the instigation of His Britannic Majesty's Consul-General, who informed me that it had been outstanding a year, and that the Canton authorities had hitherto refused to discuss the claim, urging that they were not in any way liable. The Viceroy professed to be unacquainted with the details, but promised to go into the matter and give his decision in a week.
It will be observed that during the discussion his Excellency alleged that many of the British vessels pirated were really owned and run by Chinese, and that I informed him that the matter would be gone into. The Regulations for registration of launches under the British flag by His Britannic Majesty's Consul-General at Canton had already been occupying my attention, and the result of my inquiries, together with my remarks thereon and proposals for the revision of the Regulations, are given in Inclosure 7.
5. On the following day the conference on board the "Alacrity" the Viceroy's despatch of the 21st November (Inclosure 4) was received. I discussed with His Britannic Majesty's Consul-General what steps should be taken in view of his Excellency's refusal to agree to the placing of the four fast launches under Customs control.
The opposition of the Customs officials themselves to this scheme gave the Viceroy a very strong position in refusing to agree to it. His motives in doing so were probably two-fold: in the first place, he no doubt resented foreign interference in the police duties of the Provincial Government, and in this he had popular opinion to consider, which in Canton is distinctly anti-foreign; and, in the second place, he was probably infected with that jealousy of the foreign-controlled Customs Service which is developing very strongly in Chinese official circles.
6. The situation required careful consideration. A mass meeting of Chinese merchants to protest against foreign interference in the policing of the Canton Delta was already advertised in the local native newspapers, and Mr. Mansfield informed me that, in view of the present feeling in Canton, any drastic action on our part might precipitate anti-foreign riots with serious consequences; also, there was the possibility of a boycott of everything British to be considered.
We both agreed that the principal point to insist upon was payment of the compensation demanded in the case of the "Sainam." It was the one genuine case of the piracy of a bona fide British trader due to the inefficiency of the local authorities in affording protection to foreign trade in the waterways.
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7. Two courses of action were open to us. Either to increase our patrol service forthwith, first acquainting the Viceroy of our intention to do so, or to inform him that, if he would meet the "Sainam" claim, action on our part would be deferred until the result of his proposed measures was seen. If we could carry the "Sainam" claim to a successful issue, and so obtain an admission from the local authorities of their liability for such outrages, a valuable point would be gained. As in a matter which touched their pockets, they would no doubt take every precaution that such a case should not occur again.
8. Before acting I decided to ascertain the views of His Britannic Majesty's Minister at Peking, and telegraphed to him accordingly. His reply (vide Inclosure 5) was received the next day, and the Consul-General, being of opinion that it would carry more weight if I addressed the Viceroy direct, I forwarded to the latter the despatch of which a copy is given as Inclosure 6, and I informed their Lordships of the action taken (telegram No. 105).
9. Pending the Viceroy's decision in the matter I returned to Hong Kong to make the necessary preliminary arrangements for increasing our patrol. With reference to their Lordships' telegram (No. 126), received the 24th November, the action proposed in my submission of the 29th September, 1907, will be taken, should the Viceroy decline to meet the "Sainam" claim.
10. In conclusion, I cannot refrain from remarking that, should this action become necessary, it would have afforded me more satisfaction to feel that we are taking it entirely in the interests of genuine British traders, and not that it has been forced upon us mainly for the protection of passenger launches, which are seldom really British owned, are never British manned, and in which British interests are only indirectly, if at all, concerned.
I have, &c. (Signed)
A. W. MOORE.
P.S. November 29.-Since closing the above a despatch from His Britannic Majesty's Consul-General at Canton (vide Inclosure 8), transmitting the Viceroy's reply to my letter of the 23rd instant, has reached me, and I am now requesting Mr. Mansfield
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to inform his Excellency of my intention to increase our patrol of the Canton Delta and West River (Inclosure 12).
Further details of action taken will be forwarded by next mail.
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Regulations for Policing the West River,
A. W. M.
(Translated from the Chinese text forwarded by the Viceroy of Canton.)
1. Provision of additional Fast Cruisers.
THE waterways comprised within the limits of the West River begin in the district of Feng Chuan and extend as far as the Canton River, covering a distance of some 230 miles. Nineteen launches have hitherto been employed to patrol the upper and lower divisions of these waterways in sections. These launches are, however, deficient in horse power, and have been unable in many cases of piracy to overtake and capture the pirates. It is therefore proposed to provide four fast shallow-draught cruisers having a speed of at least 12 miles an hour or 40 Chinese li. Two of these cruisers will be apportioned to the upper division of the West River waterways and two to the lower. They will be constantly engaged in patrol work night and day, and, except in a special emergency, when they may be wanted for military operations, they shall not be detached for any other purpose, but shall be specially commissioned for the prevention of piracy.
2. Scheme by which the old launches Patrolling the various Sections shall work in pairs.
Nineteen launches have hitherto been employed in the patrol of the sections of the upper and lower divisions of the waterways. The upper division begins at Feng Ch'uan and extends as far as Chao Ching Ch'eng, a distance of about 100 miles. This division is at present patrolled in sections by eight gun-boats, viz.: "Hai Feng," the "Hsi Ning," the "Hai Ching," the "Hai Chien," the "Hsi Te," the "Hsi An," the "Hai Ting," and the "Kung Chi." The lower division, from Chao Ch'ing to Chu Tou Shan, 130 miles in extent, is policed by eleven gun-boats, viz.: the "Kung Wu," the "Li Chi," the "Hsi Hsing," the "Hsi Hai," the "Hsi Chiang," the "Hsi Ming," the "Hsi Shan," the "Hsi Shun," the "Hsi Hai," the "T'ai Chi," and the "Pao Chieh." Owing, however, to the small number of soldiers carried by these gun-boats they are unable to detach men to follow up pirates making good their escape on shore. The arrangement now proposed, therefore, is to make these gun-boats work sections in pairs, and to place them under the direction of the two new cruisers in whose division they are. By this system the soldiers on the gun-boats will be able to unite their strength.
3. Number of times Sections will be Patrolled by Gun-boats.
The upper and lower divisions of the West River waterways cover distances of about 100 and 130 miles respectively. The new cruisers having a speed of 12 miles an hour, will therefore be able to traverse their divisions twice in the day. Thus each division having two cruisers will be traversed throughout its length by these cruisers four times a day. The old launches, whose speed varies from 4 miles to 7 miles an hour, will also patrol their respective sections twice in the day. It follows, therefore, that with the two new cruisers and two of the old launches, any particular section of a division will be patrolled throughout its length by each pair four times in the day—that is to say, eight times a day by the two pairs together. The Regulations governing patrol gun-boats will, as heretofore, be adhered to, and gun-boats will enter in their log-books particulars of the point from which they started and of the place where they stopped. They will also enter the names of other patrol launches signalled by them, and of any trading launches they may pass, with times and places. These log-books must be sent in for inspection every month as a safeguard against abuses.
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