From
Date
Τα
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The Commander-in-Chief, China Station,
H.V.S."Hawkins" at HongKong.
4th September, 1925.
128
Nn. 1025/2301.
The Secretary of the Admiralty.
Subject China Station General Letter No. 2.
With reference to my letter No. 890/2301 of 9th August
Canton seems to have been the principal centre of unrest in China
during the past month.
I arrived in H.M.S."Hawking" at Hongkong on 14th
August and the following then appeared to be an outline of the local situation :-
Hongkong itself quiet and orderly.
(a)
(b)
British coastal shipping and river traffic at a standstill owing to strikes and boycott.
(0)
Local British trade generally reduced to very small proportions.
(a)
(6)
(1)
(g)
(h)
The Shameen an armed camp, women and children
evacuated and the place garrisoned by two companies of
Punjabis, landing parties from British and French gunboats and local volunteers, the two bridges to the Mainland heavily wired and the creek cleared of all boats.
Soviet steamers arriving periodically, cargoes
reported to include guns, arms and ammunition.
Measures being taken by Chinese troops and Labour Unions to prevent workmen from entering Hongkong either by water or land.
Frequent firing by Chinese troops at our frontier pickets and also at any Chinese attempting to cross into British territory.
Proclamation circulated that no British or Japanese ships would be worked at Canton and that ships of other nationalities would only be allowed to trade if they omitted Hongkong on the inward and outward journeys.
Frequent cases of spasmodic firing at British armed launches.
(i)
(1)
All food supplies for gunboats, launches, Shameen and British residents at West River ports had to be conveyed from Hongkong under the White Ensign.
(k)
Canton Government getting more and more under Soviet influence and their military strength, under Russian instructors, increasing daily, the importation of guns
Oonstituting...