Sir,
25th January
M.6166/32
3
16
(9)
With reference to your letter to the Colonial Office No.S.36779 of 31st October 1832, concerning the Hong Kong piracy case of Rex v Chung Tam Kwong and others, I am commanded by My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to offer the following obs ervations for the consideration of the Lords Commissioners of H.M.Treasury.
2.
Cases of piracy at the present time are practically confined to Chinese waters. The volume of British shipping and trade in these waters is, of course, extremely large. The shipping registered in Hong Kong employed in coasting and river services in China may be taken as approximately 300 vessels of 150,000 tons net (including 30 sailing vessels of 11,000 tons net ) while tonnage registered in the United Kingdom, but employed in these services can be taken as approximately 100 vessels of slightly over
100,000 tons net, practically wholly owned by the China
Navigation Co.
The Secretaryreasury,
H
S...I.
3. Apart