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would not travel by her, and many of the Chinese preferred to travel under the Chinese flag. The earnings made by the "Wo Kwai" did not justify him engaging a British captain and chief engineer, which the Regulations compel him to do if flying the British colours. He mentioned that his motor-boat trading between Wuchow and Nanning, although trouble was at first experienced, was now running very satisfactorily, and was well paying its way.
I then referred to my previous conversation with him, and he expressed his opinion that a great deal of mischievous work is being done by the Chinese students who have returned from Japan, and they have undoubtedly been taught the creed of "Asia for the Asiatics."
He had arranged an interview that afternoon with the Magistrate, and again repeated his promise to write out his views, and also the Magistrate's views, on the patrolling question.
I left at 4 P.M. in the steam-ship "Lintan," passing torpedo-boat 036 returning to Wuchow. At Samshui I found the "Moorhen," "Fame," and torpedo-boat 036, and I again consulted with Lieutenant and Commander Vaughan.
Torpedo-boat 033 and His Majesty's ship "Robin" were passed near Kum Chuk, and the steam-ship "Lintan" arrived at Hong Kong at 12:45 A.M. on Sunday, the 29th December.
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Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Report by Vice-Consul Myers after Visit to Canton Delta (engaged in Military Intelligence Work).
(Most Confidential.)
General Memorandum.
FROM the 20th November up to about the 10th December, 1907, I have found it necessary, in pursuance of the duty at present under notice, to make several trips to and from Hong Kong and Canton, and this I have done by the boats leaving Hong Kong at 10 P.M. and returning at 5 P.M. next day. During most of the time there has been an unusual rush of native passengers to and from Hong Kong, in consequence of processional fêtes organized at the latter place. I noticed that in every boat, on the Chinese passenger decks, there were individuals who spent two or three hours in lecturing or addressing their compatriots, in anxious and even passionate terms. Seeing this so often, and prompted by curiosity, I was led to pay some attention to the orators, and although I could catch but very little of what was said (the speakers using the Canton dialect), still, the frequent occurrence of the words for "British" and "India" made me think that perhaps closer inquiry might be interesting.
Travelling with me was one of the agents engaged in defence investigation work, himself a Cantonese. Calling his attention to the lecturers and directing him to discover for me as much as he could as to their object and movements, I eventually got the following information:
"The orators are members and specially appointed agents of a comparatively new Guild or Society, originally founded in Tokyo by the Chinese students studying in Japan, but which was now actively at work in China and increasing its members whenever possible."
During the rush of passengers an agent was told off to accompany each boat and harangue the Chinese on the subjects chiefly interesting the Guild.
The Society, which may in free translation be called the "Self-sacrificing Combination," or, in Chinese, the "Ke-ming-hui," is really an antidynastic institution, with the watchword, "China for the Chinese," which latter motive would seem to imply strong suspicions of foreign intent and action.
Certain members of this Guild are told off as lecturers and proselytizers, their special duty being to travel to and fro Canton whenever there are a sufficient number of passengers to warrant this, and during the time now spoken of they went in every boat of the regular line, both by day and night. It is said that at ordinary times they do not confine themselves to the regular liners, but join outside boats should the number of passengers justify their doing so.
"By this means they hope to get in touch with natives from other provinces. For shore work in Hong Kong there are other lecturers engaged."
5
For considerably over an hour I sat listening to the lecturer as he walked excitedly up and down the upper passenger deck, crowded with natives, having my interpreter near me. From copious notes taken at the time I think the following is a fair précis of what my man said was being spoken by the orator:
Alluding to the British flotilla then stationed on the West River and at Canton, the speaker said:
"His audience knew what was going on in the Kwangtung province. That was the way the grasping British foreigner always proceeded. Under comparatively innocent pretext access was got to the desired territory, and by one excuse and another the stay was prolonged until at last it became annexation. That was what the British now intended. They would never come out of Kwangtung; they intended to take it, and all right-minded Chinese should be aware of this and be prepared to resist the marauders—to the death if needed.
"Look at the British in India! They had conquered that country by wicked deeds and lying pretexts, and now had the unhappy Indians entirely under their subjection. There was no nation, even in the West, more cruel and tyrannical than the English. They kept the people in groaning poverty by outrageous taxation, so that they might be more easily coerced. They refused them education, and punished them with most severe punishment if they dared to complain. Great numbers were forced to become soldiers, and if they had to go into battle these unfortunates were kept to the front, so as to shield the white men lurking in the background. When the battle was won, then their cruel masters advanced to massacre and sack, and no reward was given to the slaves who had fought for them. India is now groaning and crying out loudly at British injustice, and several of the natives who have managed to escape have arrived in Japan and are clamouring for help. Although the Indian has a black skin he is still an Eastern, having Eastern thoughts and ideas. The Westerner cannot understand the Eastern, even if he wished to; only Easterns can help Easterns, and this can only be done by strengthening themselves and combining against the hateful foreigner. China at present is weak and helpless. Why? Because she, too, is groaning under alien rule."
Then follows a strong argument against the ruling dynasty, veiled to great extent by use of foreign analogy. After a very long residence in China this tirade against the British generally, and specially with reference to their rule in India, seems to be so unique and uncharacteristic of real Chinese sentiment that one is almost tempted to ask if such unusual interest in our proceedings abroad could not possibly be stimulated by external influences.
The Chinese, both here and in Fokien, where much the same sort of talk seems to have suddenly come into vogue, unhesitatingly so attribute it. Of course the above is given with all the reserve needed for any statements arising from Chinese sources or in their highly imaginative minds. I can only verify the fact that the speaker was there and evidently very earnest in what he was saying. I have no means for further testing the accuracy of the episode or even of the interpretation, but the whole occurrence, coupled with other matters, seemed so strange that I have thought it as well to merely chronicle my observations, leaving comment or judgment as to their value to those more competent to give such.
While on the subject of native statements it may be interesting to record here what I have already reported verbally, namely, that my principal agent, a Chinese artillery warrant officer, declined positively to come to see me in Hong Kong, as he said the danger there of being watched was far greater than in Canton. I consequently had to make personal visits to Canton for the purpose of collecting the information he gathered.
On pressing him as to why he thought Hong Kong more risky than Canton he stated that "the Chinese authorities in Canton had many agents and detectives in the Colony"; and he went on to say that in reality there were several official Deputies living here who exercised more or less authority over the Chinese secretly; that the majority of the people were natives of Canton, with their families resident there and their names enrolled on the clan records and in the various family temples; that, as a rule, they made no demur to Viceregal authority, and in fact even quietly paid certain dues or taxes which were collected in Hong Kong on behalf of the yamêns! He named a Chinese establishment in Hong Kong which, he said, is in close but secret connection with the Viceroy's yamên. That through all these means almost everything done in Hong Kong is immediately known in Canton; and that persons thought to be acting in ...
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