68
(Copy) H.1799.
PEKING,
12th January, 1913.
No. 17.
Sir,
On receipt of your despatch No. 305 of October 29th regarding the suggested lighting of the Paracels group
of reefs and islands, I communicated with the Inspector
General of Customs with a view to finding out whether the
Chinese Government would be prepared to take steps to
mitigate this well known danger lying in the direct
track of shipping between Hongkong to the North and
Saigon, Singapore and other ports to the South.
The question was referred by Mr. Aglen to the Coast Inspector at Shanghai whose reply confirms the view ex-
pressed by the Board of Trade that no great assistance
would be rendered to navigation by the erection of a
light in the neighbourhood of the Paracels Group.
Copies of the Coast Inspector's report are enclosed
herewith.
I have, etc.,
(Sgd) J. N. JORDAN.
eas.
,
The Right Hon.
Sir Edward Grey, Bart, K.G.,M.P.,
&C.
&c.
2. Vay