Copy.
Communicated by (9/pana
Chay & Eaffaires : December
C 0
44209 881
3 DEC 08
The latest aspect of the boycott at Hong Kong is that, as a result of the Authorities having taken provisional measures to meet the case, the number of those who are committing threatening acts in a public manner appears to be somewhat decreasing. At the same time, they are still continuing the boycott privately and by various methods.
Such, however, is not the intention of Chinese merchants and there is reason to believe that the latter are disposed to put an end to the boycott, but they are reluctantly compelled to adhere to it from fear of violence and the threats of those who are at the head of the movement.
Amongst the ringleaders are the Jichi (?) Society of Canton and the Kwansi (?) Society of Hong Kong whose members follow no regular occupation and whose very lives are political movements, not a few of them having an understanding with the Revolutionists.
Their attitude as regards the boycott seems to indicate that they are making it a pretext for supplying materials for attacking