PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
Wil
885
9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
Saigon.
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Reference to previous letter.
FOREIGN OFFICE, May 12, 1905.*
Description of Enclosure.
Name and Date.
Subject.
Consul Fraser (Batavia), May 18, Movements of vessel.
1905. (Telegram)
Enclosure in No. 169.
Consul FRASER, Batavia, to the MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE. (Sent 11:45 a.m., received 6:45 A.M., May 18, 1905.)
TELEGRAM.
GERMAN steam-ship "Juliette " arrived the 14th May, sailed on the 16th May,
16396.
No. 170.
HONG KONG.
MR. LYTTELTON TO GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN. (Sent 4:48 P.M., May 20, 1905.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by No. 194.]
REFERRING to your telegram of the 8th May,† "Florida," "Tolosan." In the present case, if not already disposed of, it would seem sufficient to require undertaking that
cargoes of coal will be discharged Saigon.
17368.
No. 171.
HONG KONG.
GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN TO MR. LYTTELTON.
(Received May 22, 1905.)
[Copy to Foreign Office and Admiralty, Muy 30, 1905, Secret, L. F.]
(Secret.)
Government House,
April 20, 1905.
SIR,
In continuation of my Secret despatch of 4th April, 1905, on the subject of colliers taking in coal at a British port for the use of ships of a belligerent fleet, I have the honour to inform you that no reply was received from either the Russian or Japanese Consuls to the notification with regard to the steam-ship "Poschan," which was sent them, as reported in the third paragraph of that despatch. I have also received no report from His Britannic Majesty's Consul, Batavia, with regard to the arrival or proceedings of this-vessel at that port.
No. 166.
† No. 162.
‡ No. 159.
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2. On the 8th instant information was received in the Colony that the Russian fleet were in the Straits of Malacca, and on the following day that it had passed Singapore. On the 10th it was reported to be at anchor off the Anamba Islands, and on the 12th to have been passed in latitude 8° 8′ north, longitude 108° 34' east, steering north, making it clear that it was not proceeding to Java. According to later information, it has anchored in Kamranlı Bay on the coast of Cochin China, where it was supposed to be cleaning and coaling. There is no news of it since the 17th instant.
3. On the 13th instant I was informed by the Vice-Admiral that he had heard from His Britannic Majesty's Consul at Batavia that the German steam-ship "Ellerbeck," which had arrived there on the 10th instant with a cargo of coal believed to he for the Russian fleet, was ordered to proceed to Hong Kong on the 14th. On the 14th, from the same source, came the information that the "Neumnehlen," Forsteck," believed to be two German colliers, were to sail on the 15th. These ships have not yet arrived here. They probably have gone direct to the Russian Heet at Kamranh Bay or elsewhere.
4. On the night of the 17th I was informed by the harbour authorities that a vessel that had been two or three days in port had commenced to take in coal after dark. This vessel turned out to be the German steam-ship "Tolosan," which on the 18th March had cleared for Tsingtau with 1,500 tons of cement and 1,500 tons of Welsh coal, had after discharging the cement returned on the 14th April, and was filling up to 3,000 tons of coal when stopped by the water police, after taking in 150 tons. Messrs. Jebsen and Co., the agents for the "Poschan," were also agents for the "Tolosan," and Mr. Jebsen showed the harbour master a telegram from Hamburg, directing him to consign the latter ship, as well as the steam-ship "Florida," a Norwegian vessel, which, after taking coal to Sasebo, had returned to Hong Kong in ballast on the 16th April to the firm of Speidal at Saigon.
5. Though there was no direct evidence that these vessels, or those that were reported from Batavia, were attending on either belligerent or receiving instructions from persons in the naval service of either belligerent, it appeared necessary, in view of the known vicinity of one of these fleets, and the probable presence at no great distance of vessels belonging to the other, to take further action to prevent this port being used as a base for their coal supply.
6. After consultation with the Attorney-General, I decided that the best way of dealing with the matter was to publish a notice to the effect that the Proclamation, of which a copy is enclosed, that had been issued on the 17th November last under the Military Stores (Prohibition of Exportation) Ordinance of 1862 would be strictly enforced with regard to coal. The Proclamation, which was a renewal of one previously issued to prevent arms and ammunition reaching the rebels in Kwang-si from this port, prohibits for a period of six months from the 28th November, 1904, the exportation from, or the carrying coastwise in, the Colony of military and naval stores, and any articles which I may judge capable of being converted into, or made useful in, increasing the quantity of military and naval stores. The Ordinance under which it is issued gives the Governor such power to relax its provisions as can ensure its being worked without inflicting hardship or inconvenience on legitimate commerce. It seemed to both the Attorney-General and myself that the object we had in view could more conveniently be attained by enforcing the Proclamation in respect of coal than by taking proceedings under the Foreign Enlistment Act. I do not propose to utilize the powers now taken to prevent coal being carried from here to Japanese or Siberian ports, but I do not intend to issue permits for exportation of coal where there are reasonable grounds for belief that it will be carried direct to belligerent ships. The notice, of which I enclose three copies, was issued this morning (the 20th),
7. In the meantime, a warning similar to that issued to Messrs. Jebsen and Co. in the case of the "Poschan," was sent to that firm on the 19th with regard to the "Tolosan," and they were informed of the proposed issue of the notice. The attention of the Russian and Japanese Consuls was drawn at the same time to the proceedings of the vessel in question, and the draft of the proposed notification was sent to them. The Tolosan has not applied for clearance, which would not be granted her, and no communication has been received from her agents or from the Consuls with regard to her.
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8. The only further report to notice in 'connection with this matter of vessels attending on belligerent flects is one received on the 19th from the, Consul at Batavia to the effect that the German steam-ship "Lanschan sailed from Batavia on the 18th instant in a northerly direction, that the German steam-ships "Seriphos," "Helenabern," and "Bylgia" from Djibuti were awaiting orders in the harbour there,
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