i
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the Kwong Tung Province. The fact that the attack was unsuccessful did not lessen the resentment which was naturally aroused in Canton by reason of the use which had been made of Hongkong territory, and that resentment became exasperation when General Lung Chai-kwong, after his final defeat, left in Hongkong Harbour certain river gunboats and Salt Administration launches belonging to Canton, the latter full of arms and ammunition taken from the Canton Arsenal. These vessels were well armed and manned with Northern crews and had a mumber of soldiers on board, and they obviously formed a most useful mucleus for purposes of the organizat- ion of another attack on Canton,
4. There followed a policy of pin-pricks on the part of the Canton Authorities, who finally, in January, 1919, cut out one of the gunboats from Hongkong Harbour, The matter was reported in Sir Claud Severn's despatch No.124 of the 17th April, 1919. The feeling against
oal 34018/19 Hongkong was so intense at the time that, when a prominent
Inclosure!
Hongkong merchant approached the late Dr. Wu Ting-fang, who was a personal friend, with regard to a prospecting licence for minerals, he was met with the reply that, in view of the attitude which the Hongkong Government had seen fit to adopt no assistance of any kind could be given by the Canton Authorities to a British subject.
5.
The Government that was then functioning in
Peking had completely ignored a request for the removal of
the remaining gunboats from Hongkong waters, and accordingly Mr. A. G. M. Fletcher, then Acting Colonial Secretary, went
to Canton and at a personal interview with Dr. Wu Ting-fang
made the arrangement set out in the attached enclosure. The
Salt Administration's vessels, referred to in the arrange-
ment, were later interned in Hongkong, Sir John Jordan telegraphing that the Administration gladly accepted the
suggestion that this course should be adopted,
6.