CO882-(4-5) — Page 558

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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denied all knowledge of him, but gradually, on being questioned separately, they began to give detailed information, with the result that we were satisfied that no positive injury had been inflicted on Mr. May's party; that he and all with him had made good their escape, but that the matshed in which he had been was burnt to the ground. Satisfied of this, I assembled these men, and, having taken their names, I informed them through the interpreter that their own Viceroy would deal with any damage already done with the utmost severity, and that on and after the 17th, when it would become my duty under Your Excellency's orders to take over the District, any disturbance would be promptly quelled. I am satisfied that the prompt arrival of the troops had impressed the inhabitants, and I am convinced that no further trouble will arise in this particular place, though I am averse for the present to small isolated unarmed parties proceeding about at their will.

I have to record my high sense of the tact and judgment displayed by Mr. Lockhart in eliciting information most unwillingly given, and the interpreter whom he brought with him was simply invaluable, owing to his proficiency in both English and Chinese and his knowledge of application amongst the natives. Finding that it was unnecessary to remain longer, I ordered the re-embarkation of the troops, and returned to Hong Kong at about 5.30 p.m.

I have, &c.,

MY DEAR GENERAL,

W. J. GASCOIGNE,

Major-General, Commanding in China and Hong Kong.

Midnight, April 3, 1899.

I THINK a force of 200 men ought to go. The Colonial Secretary will accompany them. So far as I can learn, the villagers did not attack. They to the number of 40 or 50 assembled with stones. This is only an ordinary riot so far, and I am anxious to avoid any bloodshed or interference involving responsibility until I take over the place. I shall therefore instruct the Colonial Secretary to bring back Mr. May and his force, leaving the Chinese soldiers to guard the matshed, and telegraph to the Viceroy to have two hundred men sent at once for that purpose. It will be time enough for us to act when we have assumed responsibility. I have requested the Commodore to get steam on the torpedo destroyers, which will be the quickest means of getting there, and it is well to have a good show of force. But have a prudent officer in command, remember- ing that at present we are practically trespassing,

Enclosure 4 in No. 141.

Sincerely yours,

H. A. BLAKE.

SIR,

Police Office, April 4, 1899. I HAVE the honour to report that yesterday morning I proceeded to Tai Po, via Kowloon City and Sha Tin, when I hired a small junk, and sailed to Tai Po, with an escort of four Sikh policemen, five Chinese soldiers from Kowloon City, and a Chinese interpreter. My object was to inspect the matshed under construction at Tai Po for the temporary accommodation of police, to withdraw the police guard, and exchange it for the Chinese soldiers, five more of whom were to follow the next day, and to inter- view the village elders regarding the site of the matshed.

arrived at Tai Po at 3 p.m., and proceeded to the Temple, where the elders hold their meetings, and was met by them there.

The temple, in spite of the endeavours of police and soldiers to the contrary, soon became filled with a noisy and turbulent crowd, so that it was almost impossible to hear oneself speaking. I gathered from the elders that they objected to the erection of the mafshed on the ground that it would spoil the Fung Shui of the neighbourhood.

I pointed out to them that at first the inhabitants of Tai Po had not objected at all to the erection of the matshed, and that, in deference to the wishes of the neighbouring village of Pan Chung-the nearest village to the hillock on which the matshed is built- the site of the shed had been changed from that originally selected by me to one which the elders of Pan Chung had themselves approved, and marked out in my presence.

One of the elders then said that the hill was his private property-he being the third party that has now claimed the hill-and I told him, as I have told the other claimants, that if he could produce an official title deed of the hillock the Hong Kong

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Government would purchase the property of him. He remarked that, as it had been handed down to him by his ancestors, he could not possibly consent to sell it.

After some further discussion, which was continually interrupted by the bystanders, some of whom became very offensive in their language and demeanour, the elders asked if I would remove the matshed to another site or not, to which I replied that the site it now stood on having been chosen by the representatives of the village nearest to it, and declared free from objection on the ground of interference with Fung Shui, it would not be reasonable to again change it. I added that Government would pay the rightful owner for the property.

Thereupon most of the elders left the temple, and I managed to induce most of the crowd to do the same. Some, however, refused to move, and presently a man from outside rushed in, and hurled a brick on the pavement of the temple yard, so that it broke in pieces. Then another came in and called on the bystanders to arrest my Chinese interpreter for being a traitor to his country, in endeavouring to assist the foreigners in obtaining possession of it. After a little time the people seemed to have become more quiet, and I judged it expedient to try and get away from the village. Myself, the Sikh police, and the Chinese who were with me stepped out of the temple into the street in a body, and proceeded leisurely to leave the village. Thereupon a man in the crowd struck the interpreter a violent blow with his fist on the back, and another seized him by the queue, and endeavoured to drag him from my party.

This a Sikh constable prevented, whereupon a brick was thrown from the crowd, which struck him on the head. Bricks were now showered upon by the crowd from a pile that unfortunately lay in the street, and nearly all of my party were struck, one Sikh receiving a severe blow over the eye. We continued to retire slowly, and the next moment some of the crowd seized wooden articles, among which I noticed a chair, a wooden bucket, and a bamboo broom, with which they attacked us. During this time the five Chinese soldiers who had been standing outside the temple while we were inside, were separated from us by a portion of the crowd, and the use of wooden weapons rendering our position dangerous, I ordered the Sikhs to draw their sword bayonets and charge.

This had the effect of driving the crowd back, and the soldiers were thus enabled to join us. This they promptly did, and placing themselves between us and the crowd, and keeping the latter at bay with the muzzles of their rifles, enabled us to retreat to the outside of the village, whither the crowd did not follow us.

We regained our boat at the landing place close to the newly-erected matshed, which is about a quarter of a mile from the village.

From there I sent the Chinese interpreter, the two Chinese district watchmen who had been guarding the matshed during erection, and a Chinese detective I had with me, back to Hong Kong, as the crowd seemed to have more animosity against them than against the remainder of the party, and as I wished, if possible, to save the matshea from the destruction which would inevitably overtake it unless it were guarded, I deter- mined to remain by it all night with the six Sikh policemen and five Chinese soldiers.

I sent a memorandum to His Excellency the Governor, at the same time stating briefly what had occurred, and what I had decided to do, and asking for assistance.

The Chinese party left at 4.45 p.m.

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When darkness came on I disposed my party for the night on the hill where the matshed is, and I felt sanguine that the villagers would not attack it while my party were there. In this, however, I was disappointed, for after some slight alarms evidently intended to frighten us, I noticed at 9 p.m. lights being exhibited in each of the five surrounding villages, and lights travelling along roads leading to the rear of our position. Soon afterwards two large bombs were exploded in the centre of the valley, and shortly after that I could hear parties whistling and signalling to each other, and evidently concentrating on the matshed hill, and the numbers being evidently large, I recognised that it would be folly for me to resist.

I asked the Chinese soldiers, however, to try the effect of a few shots from their rifles in the air, but they objected to doing so. Thereupon I withdrew my party to a higher hill adjoining the matshed hill, from which I knew that I could get access to a road by which to retreat to Sha Tin. From this hill I watched the villagers at a given signal rush from all sides on to the matshed hill, and heard them ory out," They have gone." I then saw them fire the matshed, and while they were engaged doing so I withdrew my party down the reverse slope of the hill upon which we were, and con- vealed them in a dense thicket of rushes and cactus. After waiting some two hours I heard parties of villagers passing close to where we were concealed, and after midnight,

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