CO129-416 - Public Offices - 1914 — Page 596

ride. ial.

Senior Naval Officer, West River, to Commander-in-.

Chief, China Station.

589

H.M.8. "Moorhen"

at Canton,

Sir:-

May 5, 1914.

In accordance with Art. 536, C.8.0.B., I have the

honour to submit the following remarks and suggestions

for the checking of piracy amongst British ships run-

ning between Hongkong and the West River ports.

In view of the recent piracy on 8.8. "Tal On", I

trust that these may prove of some use. Incidentally

this piracy having occurred outside the West River,

did not come under the sphere of patrol of the West

River Flotilla.

District Covered by Firates.

The districts in which the pirates reside are

Chek Kai Tong, Houng Shan and the adjacent islands.

The main est River running through these districts,

vis., from Kongmoon to Macao, is little touched by pirates as the foreign shipping is only of a very in-

ferior type and probably not worth pirating. Whereas

in the main route of steamers, viz. First Cliff and

Wan mun the piracy is kept down partly by the irregu- lar but frequent movements of H.M. Torpedo-boats - the knowledge of the said movements being confined to the Commanding Officers only but they are chiefly

t keps in check by the very vigorous steps taken by the

Chinese gunboats, armed launches and troops.

I feel sure that in many of the wilder places

practically all the inhabitants would, if the oc-

casion occurred, be pirates, especially in the Fu

Tiu