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why reinforcements had not arrived in reply to my telephone call but he said he did not know unless there was trouble elsewhere. He then remarked that the place where we were was very dangerous as the room underneath us was on fire. Sometime afterwards another gendarme came in and said "we've got to get you out of here". Nr. Blackwell and I followed him into the street where we found about a dogen Police or Gendarmes only about two or three of whom seemed to have arms, waiting to form an escort through a vast orowd which apart from a slight jeer, at first did nothing, later, however, they started throwing stones, one of these grazed the top of my head and another hit me in the back, but neither caused any injury.

9.

on.

bridge that we were

The crowd was no vast even across not taken out of Shameen, but into the Shamson Police Station. This the Police explained they could not hold if it were attacked as their numbers were far too weak. They, therefore, took us to the back of the Police Station and pointed to a Custombs residence which they told us were must make for if the Police Station were attacked. Mr. Vice- Consul Martin was already in the Police Station when we reached it. He had arrived about half an hour earlier, having been burnt out. Mr. Wood of Butterfield's arrived about the same time as ourselves having also been burnt out. His bead was bleeding as he had been hit by someone with a rod. He was Consul for Norway and Denmark and the flags of both these countries were pulled down, and it is reported burnt. Some time later Mr. Wood's Assistant, Mr. Parkhouse, arrived with a large number of head and face wounds, fortunately of a superficial nature, although blood was flowing from a number of places. He had been tripped and set When I actually left the Consulate I have been unable to determine with certainty. I thought I remembered looking at my watch shortly before leaving and that it was then 3.30 but from subsequent enquiries it seems my memory must have tricked me and that the time was between 2.30 and 3.00. The gendarme who escorted me out said it was 3.00 and my cook who left with me said he looked at his watch and it was 3.10. Chinese in the crowd said, however, it was shortly after 2.30 when they saw mo paɛS. In any case it was at least an hour after I telephoned for reinforcements and the latter did not arrive in any strength until after 3.30 or two hours after the telephone message, As late as 3.45 the mob was still active and was just about to set fire to the Hong Kong Bank when the Mayor, with a small force of Police, dashed un the scene and prevented them actually injuring his hand hitting members of the crowd on the head with his fist. Gendarmes arrived later in strength and all was quiet by 5 P.M. Individual gendarmes stated that no orders were received from the President's Headquarters that they were to proceed to Shameen until 3.00 P.M. Nevertheless the American Consul- General and others had been busy ringing through for reinforcements from the inception of the affair, Even lär. T.K. Ho, Personal Secretary of Dr. Soong, who happened to be having lunch on Shameen had, he stated, rung through to Headquarters describing what was taking place,

10.

Mr. Murray, the Press Consul, who was living in the Consul's house and had the care of two women in his charge, namely his wife and Miss Horne, the Consulate stenographer who was living with them, had ingeniously mamged to get out with them by a back door shortly before two o'clock. He was aided by journalist friends informing the crowd that the party were Americans (which was actually trus of Mrs. Murray). In the junior Vios-Consul's flat over the office the Rev. Williamés and Mrs. Williams, the stenographer of the Press Section, were living and they also left fairly early under a small Police escort, although not without both sustaining head injuries. Williams was hit on the head with a banister rail while itrs, Williams had a briok thrown at her head, which might have killed her had not her husband fortunately just

before, placed/......

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