Printed for the use of the Colonial Office.
Further Correspondence relating to the Complaints of the Mercantile Community in Hong Kong against the action of certain Revenue Cruizers in the neighbourhood of the Colony.
PUBLIC
RECORD OFFICE
LE LE
C.O.
Reference -
(No. 66.) My Lord,
No. 1.
Acting Governor Austin to the Earl of Carnarvon.--(Received July 23.)
Government House, Hong Kong, June 9, 1875.
I HAD the honour to receive, on the 9th ultimo, your Lordship's despatch No. 20 of the 22nd March, relating to the complaints of the mercantile community of this Colony against the action of Chinese revenue cruizers in the neighbourhood of Hong Kong; and in accordance with my instructions copies were at once transmitted to the Chamber of Commerce, and to the Chairman of the public meeting. I have also caused a reply to be made to the Chinese Memorialists, in the manner which your Lordship desired.
2. It is with much diffidence that I address your Lordship on the subject of the despatch referred to, for I am not aware how far it is open to this Government to express any views either upon the arguments, information, or conclusions which are indicated in the Parliamentary paper of April last, which arrived by last mail.
3. Referring, however, to paragraph 8 of your Lordship's despatch, it is my duty to point out that cases of irregular conduct on the part of Chinese revenue cruizers have occurred since the last of those mentioned in the "Résumé of Cases of Seizure," which formed an Inclosure in Sir Brooke Robertson's despatch, dated 1st December, 1874; and I should also add, though it is immaterial, that the paper in question does not contain all the complaints which have been forwarded to Canton during the period therein given.
4. I inclose a Memorandum regarding those cases; and I beg to draw your Lordship's attention to them, more especially as showing, as well in these as in previous instances, that the remedy for the evils complained of, viz., the placing of the steam cruizers under the Foreign Collectorate at Canton (recommended in the first instance by Mr. Hart in 1869), is inoperative. The occasions on which this Government has been moved to complain of action on the part of Chinese steam cruizers have been exceedingly rare, for they are commanded by men whose character is above suspicion, and who, it is believed, honestly discharge their duties without unnecessary vexatiousness or annoyance.
5. I abstain, of course, from referring to the practice of those vessels making the harbours of the Colouy the basis of their operations in the neighbouring waters, for I apprehend that Her Majesty's Government consider that no objection can be offered to such proceedings.
In my opinion, these steam cruizers, commanded as they nearly all are at present by foreigners, can therefore be left out of consideration. The source of the difficulties under which we labour, is to be found in the action of the Chinese revenue junks, officered by Chinese, under no recognized legal control, owned and manned by persons who have farmed a portion of the duties to be collected on the coast of the adjoining Province.
7. It is this class of vessel which harasses the legitimate native traders, and to which Governor Kennedy refers in paragraph 20 of his despatch No. 161 of 25th August, 1874 ;† and until they are suppressed, it is needless, I submit, to ask the Imperial Government to
* No. 8 of Command Paper [C. 1189], April 1875.
+ No. of same Paper. (574)
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