[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[6063]
No. 1.
[February 21.]
SECTION 1,
Admiralty to Foreign Office.--(Received February 21.)
(Confidential.) Sir,
Admiralty, February 19, 1903.
I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit herewith, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a letter, dated the 10th ultimo, with its inclosures, which has been received from the Commander-in-chief on the China Station, respecting the augmented British patrol in the West River and Canton delta.;
I am to request that the inclosures, which are in original, may be returned, and the copies of any letters on this subject which may be printed by the Foreign Office may be supplied to this Department.
I am, &c.
(Signed) W. GRAHAM GREENE,
Sir,
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Admiral Sir A. Moore to Admiralty.
"King Alfred," at Hong Kong, January 10, 1908.
IN continuation of my submission of the 27th December, I have the honour to report that the increased patrol of the Canton and West Rivers by British vessels continues, and that no cases of piracy have occurred since its institution.
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2. I have recently sent Flag-Commander Vyvyan to Canton and Wuchow to inquire into certain matters connected with the working of the patrol, and an extract from his Report is forwarded herewith for their Lordships' information (Inclosure 2). With reference to the account of his interview with Mr. Banker, the latter's promised views in writing on Japanese action in China have not been received. In this connection I am forwarding a Memorandum (Inclosure 3) written by Dr. W. W. Myers, His Britannic Majesty's Vice-Consul at Pagoda Anchorage, who has recently been engaged on intelligence work for the military authorities at Hong Kong. The Ke-ming-hui Society, referred to by Dr. Myers, which, it should be noted, was founded in Tokio by Chinese students being educated in Japan, is probably to a large extent responsible for the violent anti-British articles which have appeared in the Canton native newspapers, and for the organization of meetings held in Canton to protest against our patrol. These, and other reports which have reached me from various sources, point to the fact that Japanese influence is at work in China, and, although I should not like to assert that it is anti-British, I am afraid there is but little doubt that it is directed against Europeans in general, and is all tending to the realization of the reported Japanese ideal--to become the dominant Power in the Far East.
3. The Principal Medical Officer of my flag-ship has also, by my directions, visited the patrolling vessels. He has been able to make a satisfactory report as to the state of the health of their ships' companies in general. I regret to report, though, that Lieutenant and Commander Vaughan, Senior Officer in the West River, has had to be sent to hospital at Hong Kong suffering from dysentry.
4. After discussing the matter with me at Hong Kong, Sir H. de Sausmarez proceeded to Canton to go into the question of the revision of the Regulations governing the registration of British-owned launches at Canton, which I dealt with fully in Inclosure 6 in my submission of the 28th November, 1907. I inclose a copy of a telegram subsequently addressed by him to the British Minister at Peking, and I have since heard with much satisfaction that His Majesty's Government has approved the proposed new rules, and that they will be in force in the course of ten days.
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