6. It will be quite impossible to fix the times of departure and arrival of trading launches. The hours of rise and fall of the tide and the weather, fine or rainy, differ from day to day. If the patrol of the waterways is effective, there will be no object in fixing the times of departure and arrival of launches.
7. Before the launch navigation routes are fixed it will be necessary to make a careful examination in order to find out what routes are most advantageous from a mercantile point of view, where the population is densest, where the water is deep enough for launch traffic, and whether there is in summer or winter any obstacle to the employment of the route. The decision of this question must await the completion of the mercantile map of the West River.
8. Patrol launches and the fast cruisers must from time to time examine launches on meeting them, but must not delay them overlong. Unexpected examinations of this kind are of the utmost use, causing anyone with an intention of pirating launches to be afraid of being discovered. The stationary gun-boats of the various sections must also from time to time carry out these examinations.
9. The stationing of braves on each launch depends entirely on the efficiency of the braves. If they are courageous men and would rather die than fail in their duty, and are unwilling that the launch under their protection should be plundered by pirates, then truly they are worthy of the highest praise. If, however, they are unreliable, timorous, and of small courage, then they are actually a positive danger instead of a protection; the pirates would at once seize their weapons. It is thus to be feared that they would be of assistance to the enemy. For this reason, a patrol of the waterways is more likely to go to the root of the matter than the stationing of braves on board the launches.
10. A stationary gun-boat should be stationed continually at all landing-places, with a view to their inspection. The system of establishing three official inspection depots at important points in the neighbourhood of the capital's waterways, with control over the traffic on the East, West, and North Rivers is an excellent one. The Commissioner of Customs should, in consultation with the local officials, find out what are the most suitable places, and establish the three depots, instructing the harbour-master to settle everything in conjunction with the deputies appointed to take charge of them. The establishment of these depots will be of advantage to the Native Customs, Prefectural Customs, and li-kin receipts; and they will also assist in preventing the importation of arms from Hong Kong and Macao by brigands into the capital, and the export of arms from the capital to the assistance of brigands in the interior.
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It is an excellent suggestion that special sampans be registered to embark passengers, but no safeguard against pirates embarking. There are always recognized sampans for embarking passengers, which generally fly a special flag. These sampans have been used by pirates before (vide "Wing Fat" piracy, July 1906).
6. This is not feasible in tidal waters.
7. All the launch routes are well known, and no uncertainty exists.
Every passenger junk exhibits a board showing her principal ports of call. The only deviation is not due to tide, but to the height of water in summer floods.
From Ap Sek, in normal years, Canton-Shiu Hing launches run via the Moneypenny and Fatshan Creeks until the river falls to 3 feet, when they are compelled to follow the main route via Chun Chune and Kum Chuk.
This route is advertised.
8. This suggestion is good.
9. I have travelled on launches flying the British, French, and Chinese colours, and have small faith in the guard system.
The guards, when not asleep, are smoking opium, and on nearing some custom station are awakened, and put on their military uniform.
When the "Wing Fat" was pirated last year near Ping Nani, the guards were sitting aft eating their food, when the pirates arrived on board in the guise of passengers. Two soldiers came forward to search them, and were promptly shot and thrown overboard. The rest of the guard surrendered, as their rifles were stowed forward and could not be reached in time.
Why should the owner of the launch have to pay for his own guard?
10. I conclude that the three Government examination stations are to be quite close to Canton, the words East, West, and North Rivers not being used in the same sense as we employ them, as the North River enters the West River at Sam Shui, and the East River enters the Canton River south of Whampoa. I think the amount of examination stations might be extended to include Samshui, Shiu Hing, Kum Chuk, and Kong Mun important shipping centres; otherwise, the inspection scheme will be one-sided only, the Canton side.
They ought to be controlled by the Imperial Maritime Customs.
The guard-boats or sailing gun-boats having been removed, what form of Government station is to be established?
Inclosure 9 in No. 1.
Memorandum by Lieutenant-Commander Vaughan.
The waterways are said to cover 230 miles, but to my knowledge over 600 miles are used by launches in passenger traffic. This does not include another 360 miles of river above Wuchow in the Kuangsi Province.
During the summer months a 3-knot current may be expected in the main river, so that a speed of more than 12 knots ought to be guaranteed, and they should not be detached for military operations, which are nearly always in progress at one place or another, owing to the absence of any form of village police in wilder Kwang Tung. These cruisers should be officered by the Imperial Maritime Customs.
2. The divisions mentioned--Fong Chuen to Shan King, and Shau King to Chu Tau Shan (Admiralty charts)-cover only 146.5 miles of river. I cannot understand why the vast delta waterways are ignored. Am Tau Shan is 10 miles north of Kong Mun, a city of tremendous launch traffic.
3. Nineteen launches will not be able to patrol their respective sections twice a day, if all the waterways are policed.
4. All the guard-boats or sailing gun-boats have, with a few exceptions, been recently removed from the West River; many are broken up and a few hauled up on the bank at Shiu Hing.
There will therefore be no troops ashore to give assistance except at a garrisoned town like Wuchow or Shiu Hing. The new launches recently built and most of the old ones carry no more than at the most ten fighting men.
Launches embark passengers nearly every half mile.
5. The list, if it is compiled, will have to be an enormous one.
Inclosure 10 in No. 1.
Memorandum of an Interview held on Board His Majesty's ship “Alacrity” at Canton, November 20, 1907.
Present:
Viceroy Chang Jen Chun. Taotai Onei Han, Taotai Wen Tsung Yao.
Admiral Sir A. W. Moore,
Mr. Mansfield, Consul-General.
Captain Thursby, R.N.
Mr. Sly, Vice-Consul.
Mr. Rowe, Secretary to the Admiral.
In the course of a discussion lasting some two hours the Admiral impressed upon the Viceroy that his presence in Canton and the negotiations with which he was charged were necessitated by the fact that, in the opinion of His Majesty's Government, the time for discussion of the repeated piracies in the Canton waterways had passed and the moment for action had come. He had, when in Canton in February last, discussed with Viceroy Chou Fu the scheme for placing on the waterways four additional cruisers of suitable type under the control of the Commissioner of Customs, and officered by foreign officers. The Wai-wu Pu had previously assented to this arrangement, and he had understood from Viceroy Chou that he was prepared to put it into effect. What was his (the Admiral's) surprise on arriving in Peking to find that nothing had been done. He had, in a long interview with his Excellency Yuan Shih K'ai and Minister Liang, informed them of his views on the whole situation, and that he considered the employment of these cruisers under Imperial Maritime Customs control with foreign officers, and with an official on board appointed by the Viceroy, essential to the improvement of existing ...
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