PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
885/
9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
12901.
STR,
84
No. 147.
COLONIAL OFFICE TO FOREIGN OFFICE.
Downing Street,
April 20, 1905.
I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton to transmit to you, for the consideration of the Marquess of Lansdowne, a paraphrase of a telegram from the Governor of Hong Kong, reporting the action taken by him with a view to preventing the coaling of belligerent fleets from the Colony.
A copy of the Colonial Ordinance referred to will be found in the accompanying volume,f which I am to request may be returned to this Department.
I am, &c.
13415.
SIR,
No. 148.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
H. BERTRAM COX.
GOVERNOR SIR J. ANDERSON TO MR. LYTTELTON. (Received April 22, 1905.)
[Copy to Foreign Office, May 2, 1905, Confidential, 13415; not printed.]
(Confidential.)
Government House, Singapore, March 27, 1905.
I HAVE the honour to transmit to you, with reference to my telegram of the 15th instant, a copy of a letter from the Master Attendant here as to an incident which took place during the recent visit of two ships of a Japanese squadron to this port.
2. These two ships formed part of a squadron of twenty-two vessels which reached this neighbourhood last week, and then appears to have proceeded south-east to Labuan. 3. As it appeared to me to be undoubtedly an expedition similar to the Baltic squadron of the Russian navy, I decided that the instructions received from you as to the furnishing of coals or supplies either to the latter or to the colliers or auxiliaries attending it should be applied equally to a Japanese expedition intended, if not to engage it, at any rate to watch it, and, as I informed you in my telegram referred to, I gave instructions that the Consul was to be informed that they could not be allowed to receive any supplies.
4. You will see, from the letter enclosed, that, in spite of the protest of the boarding officer who was stationed alongside the ships to see my orders carried out, the Japanese persisted in taking some stores on board.
5. I am the more surprised at this, as Vice-Admiral Dewas called on me in the afternoon, after he must have been aware of the order that no stores were to be allowed to be taken in, and made no complaint or asked for any relaxation of the order. If he had done so, I should certainly not have refused to allow them to take a small quantity of the articles they required to supplement the officers' mess arrangements, and I consider that the deforcing of my officer within the harbour is an act for which there is no excuse, and that an official apology ought to be made.
6. It would not be worth while taking proceedings under the Foreign Enlistment Act against the Japanese firm who supplied the stores, as they do not appear to have taken any part in the actual placing of the stores on board, which was done by the crew of the cruiser, acting under the orders of their officers.
I have, &c.
JOHN ANDERSON.
• No. 142.
↑ "Ordinances of Hong Kong" (1844–1890),
‡ No. 127.
SIR,
85
Enclosure 1 in No. 148.
Master Attendant's Office, Singapore,
March 16, 1905.
IN connection with the visit to this port yesterday of four Japanese war vessels
»«Yawata Maru,'
("Kasagi,"
the following report:-
7 46
Chitose, ‚” “America Maru"), I have the honour to make
On the arrival of these vessels they were served with the official copy of the Proclama- tion of the 11th February, 1901, and also with the notice to leave the port within twenty-four hours.
A steam-launch, in charge of a boarding officer, with European guard and native police on board, was placed to watch the vessels, with instructions (copy herewith) to permit no stores or supplies of any sort to be taken on board the war vessels without the printed permit signed by the Master Attendant.
At 2:45 P.M. the stearn-launch "Mecca," belonging to Daud and Co., towed off a twako, No. 122, with a quantity of provisions to the Japanese cruiser "Kasagi."
"
The boarding officer in the launch (Mr. Willock), finding that they held no permit, refused to allow the provisions to be taken in, and the launch " Mecca was despatched with an officer to get the necessary permit.
At 3:30 PM. a person (Japanese), representing the firm of Mitsui Bussan Kaisha and Co., came to my office, bringing a list of the provisions which he said had been stopped by the guard launch, and asking for the necessary permit. I informed him that I was unable to grant it, but, upon his saying that his Consul had given him permission, I brought over the list to you, and it was decided that no supplies of any sort could be permitted.
I informed the representative of Mitsui Bussan Kaisha and Co. accordingly, and he asked what the fine would be for putting the provisions on board. I replied that it would not be a case of fine, but imprisonment. He then asked permission to use my telephone, which was granted, and left the office.
At 4 P.M. I sent another boarding officer out to the officer in the launch with a message that he had acted quite right in refusing to allow the provisions to be taken on board, and warned him to be extra vigilant, and, if necessary, to take the boat with provisions in tow, and bring her on shore.
Mr. Willock (officer in charge of guard launch) reports that, at 5 P.M., the men from the "Kasagi" commenced to take the provisions on board; he then went on board the "Kasagi" with the European constables, and explained to the officer in command that he was not permitted to take these stores, but that he only laughed at him, and con- tinued to take the stores on board in spite of the protest, and constables in the twako calling upon the seamen to desist.
From enquiries I gather that the stores taken on board consisted chiefly of tinned pineapples and fruit.
The vessel sailed at 7 P.M.
The Honourable
The Colonial Secretary, S.S.
Enclosure 2 in No. 148.
I have, &c.
C. A. RADCLIFFE, Deputy Master Attendant, for Master Attendant, S.S.
AT 2:45 P.M. steam-launch "Mecca," belonging to Daud, went alongside the Japanese cruiser "Kasagi," towing a twako, No. 122, loaded with bananas and pre- served pineapples, with no permit from Master Attendant. I informed the lieutenant in charge that he was not allowed to take any provisions without first obtaining a permit from the Master Attendant. He sent one of his officers ashore in the launch *Mecca
to obtain the necessary permit from the Master Attendant. The policemen who were in the launch with me also informed the lieutenant in charge that he was not allowed to take any provisions without first obtaining a permit from the Master Attendant.
Between 4:30 P.M. and 5 P.M. they took all the provisions on board, although the