- 2.
15
anchorage in Kowloon Bay is concerned, practically if not
wholly a dead letter, foreign men-of-war (except small ships
belonging to Chinese Naval units, which have certain special
rights under the terms of the lease of the New Territories)
being berthed in the British Naval anchorages, presumably under directions issued by the Commodore-in-Charge, Hong Kong.
If therefore Your Excellency considers that further action for
the control of foreign men-of-war is called for, the first
step would seem to be to put the appointed anchorage in Kowloon
Bay to practical use. Alternatively if that is undesirable
the appointment of that anchorage should be cancelled or limited
to ships for which no accommodation can be found in the British
naval anchorages. In the former case a regulation could be
substituted requiring foreign men-of-war to apply to the
Commodore for a berth in one of the British naval anchorages
which are defined elsewhere in Table M.
3.
As regards prior notification of arrival the
Japanese Consular Authorities have always been most punctilious
in reporting to the Colonial Government the intended arrivals
of H.I.J.M.S. "Saga". These reports can, if Your Excellency
desires, be forwarded to the Commodore-in-Charge for information
but I venture to suggest that if this vessel makes use of her
visits to conduct espionage within the waters of the Colony
the reported dates of arrival will be adjusted so as to
permit these operations to be conducted without conflict of
date.
4.
It is requested that the Memorandum No.500 M