of steamers on this section of the river met with much opposition from the The steamers have also been considerably vested interests (junk owners). harassed by the various military commanders who, in the civil war that is chronic in Szechuan, established themselves along the river. The latest phases of military interference are set out in chronological order below:-
February 1926.—Informal agreement made locally whereby Yang Sen was allowed to search British, American and Japanese steamers for arms.
May 1926.- Search extended to opium.
June 17, 1926.-His Majesty's consul at Chungking reported: "The number of instances during the past three months of deliberate firing by Chinese troops on British and other foreign merchant shipping up and down the river and of commandeering of these vessels for unpaid transport of Chinese soldiery has easily eclipsed all previous records,"
July 2, 1926.—Butterfield and Swire, Shanghai, reported commandeering rife both above and below, Chungking.
July 1926.—Chungking consular body rescinded informal search arrangement. August 9, 1926, Hankow consul-general reported: "Yang Sen's forces are firing on all steamers which pass Wanhsien without stopping."
4.
July/August 1926.- Military authorities brought pressure to bear on the Szechuan Waterways Steamship Navigation Society," of which the two leading British shipping companies (Jardine, Matheson and Co. and Butterfield and Swire) are not members, to agree to the carriage of Chinese troops in all merchant- vessels at half-passage rates, and attempted to compel British shipping companies to fall in with this arrangement (F. 4465, paragraph 6).
August 11.-British and American consuls protest to General Liu Hsiang that merchant steamers cannot carry Chinese troops (ibid.).
August 14.-Liu Hsiang replies that as Szechuan is free from hostilities there is no objection to carriage of troops (ibid.).
August 20.-British and American consuls repeat and emphasise their protest (ibid., § 7).
August 21. Steamship "Wantung" commandeered at Foochow to carry 1,000 troops (Yang Sen's) to Wanhsien.
August 23. Steamship "Wanhsien" similarly commandeered at Foochow. August 24.—Steamship “ Fushan" similarly commandeered at Foochow August 26.-Rear-Admiral, Yang-tsze, authorised armed guards being put on British ships.
August 27 (night). General Kuo Ou-tung placed 100 armed soldiers o
at Wanhsien. steamship "Wanhsien
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August 28.-General Kuo's troops remain in occupation of steamship "Wanhsien with orders to repel by force any attempt at eviction by His Majesty's ship "Cockchafer."
"Cockchafer" August 29 (morning).—Commander of His Majesty's ship
"After a lot of difficulty I managed t interviewed General Kuo's chief of staff. talk him over, and he agreed to see his general and advise him to remove these troops, and they were eventually removed at 5 P.M."
August 29, 9′40 A.M.-As steamship “Wanliu" was discharging passengers at Yunyang, sixteen armed officers and soldiers, with their arms concealed, boarded the ship. At the same time several sampans (small boats) filled with armed soldiers left the shore for the ship. The captain proceeded at slow speed in orde to avoid seizure of the ship by these troops, and at once a heavy fire was opened from both banks, while the armed soldiers on board attempted to rush the bridg and engine-room with the intention of stopping the ship. Meanwhile, a sampu with about eight people on board tried to come alongside when the ship was unde way, fouled another sampan alongside, and drifted astern in a sinking condition The soldiers on board seized and tied up the head compradore (supercargo) an threatened to kill the captain. The Chinese alleged that two junks were sink fifty-eight soldiers drowned, and 85,000 dollars lost, but this account appears t be grossly exaggerated.
arrived at Wanbsien. Arme August 29, 140 P.M.-Steamship "Wanliu party from "Cockchafer" disarms and evicts soldiers from "Wanliu."
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"One a
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them tried to shoot before he was disarmed."—(Lieutenant-Commander Acheson.) "Two of them wounded on the head by bayonets."-(General Yang.) A short burst from a Lewis gun fired into the water to silence demonstrations on the shore. (Even the Chinese do not allege that this fire caused any casualties. In some of the reports it is alleged that two men were fatally wounded, but these would appear to be the two who, according to General Yang, received bayonet wounds in the head.)
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There is now a little confusion as to the sequence of events: Lieutenant- Commander Acheson is very emphatic that General Yang placed 400 troops on steamship" Wanhsien" before this firing took place. He also says that at 4 p.m. Cockchafer" was covered by 800 troops in "Wanhsien" and "Wantung," but in another place he says that Wantung" arrived at 6 p.m.; also, General Kuo's troops left steamship "Wanhsien" at 5 p.m. On the whole, it looks as though General Kuo's troops left the steamer only to be replaced immediately by General Yang's.
The final position that day was that, apart from "Cockchafer" being covered by about 800 armed troops in the "Wanhsien" and "Wantung," the banks of the river all round the harbour were lined with about 2,000 troops, including two small field guns.
August 30.-Rear-Admiral, Yang-tsze, gave orders that steps were to be taken to extricate "Cockchafer," authorising her to deliver an ultimatum to General Yang, and, if necessary, to open fire on points of military importance.
His Majesty's consul at Chungking sent a strong protest to General Yang. Lieutenant-Commander Acheson endeavoured to arrange personal negotiations with General Yang, who replied that he would treat only with His Majesty's consul, Chungking (Mr. Eastes).
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The consul-general at Hankow obtained from Marshal Wu Pei-fu a cypher message to Yang Sen (which Bee" passed by W/T) instructing him to release the ships and preserve friendly relations. (It would appear to have been on the delivery of this telegram that Yang's soldiers arrested “Cockchafer 's interpreter, threatened to murder him and then released him.)
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August 31.--Mr. Eastes left Chungking for Wanhsien in His Majesty's ship Widgeon." His Majesty's ship "Widgeon' ran aground and had to return to Chungking. Mr. Eastes continued his journey to Wanhsien in a merchant ship.
His Majesty's Minister instructed His Majesty's consul-general at Hankow to sec Wu Pei-fu and urge him to instruct Yang Sen to withdraw his troops from the steamers. Promise of enquiry and of payment of compensation, if Wanliu was proved to be at fault, to be given.
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September 1.-Mr. Eastes arrived at Wanhsien and found that His Majesty's ship "Cockchafer" had shifted her moorings. Mr. Eastes had his first interview with General Yang and protested against the seizure of the two British steamers. General Yang maintained that he was justified in his action on account of the alleged sinking by British steamers of various junks and sampans.
This proposi- tion Mr. Eastes refused to admit. He offered, however, to guarantee that the two steamers should be kept in harbour at Wanhsien so long as he himself remained there, in the endeavour to settle matters with General Yang. To this General Yang refused to agree, unless it were guaranteed that the ships should be retained indefinitely pending a final settlement. Mr. Eastes endeavoured vainly to suggest other solutions, but after four hours the interview had reached a deadlock, so that Mr. Eastes informed General Yang that he must telegraph to His Majesty's Minister for further instructions. General Yang proposed to return Mr. Eastes's call on board His Majesty's ship "Cockchafer," but the offer was curtly refused.
September 2.-Mr. Eastes's second interview with General Yang (paragraph 9 of his report). General Yang's attitude still quite unyielding, though he promised that the steamer's officers should have full liberty on board and that supplies and coal should be furnished to "Cockchafer." This promise does not appear to have been fulfilled. Mr. Eastes warned General Yang that extreme measures might be resorted to; the general's reply was little short of a defiance.
His Majesty's Minister instructed Mr. Eastes to make every possible effort to come to an amicable settlement with General Yang. Mr. Eastes was authorised to agree to the retention of the steamers, under custody of a British man-of-war, pending the arrival of the Wanliu," provided the officers were released and the troops withdrawn, and, as a further guarantee, it was proposed that a reasonable
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