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My view is that it is only in the most urgent necessity that help should be accorded to these missionaries, and that they should by no means be led to look for such help beforehand, so as to trade upon it, or by exaggerated fears for their own safety bring about the very thing which it is desirable to avoid.

But anyhow I should be glad to receive Your Excellency's instructions so as to communicate his orders to Lieutenant-Colonel O'Gorman or to the Officer Command- ing the Frontier Force.

299

translate for him an agitating placard issued at the market town of Lyong Thu Ho, northward of Phan Then.

Mr. Schaub wrote me also that he, until yesterday morning, did hear nothing about arrival of Chinese soldiers at that place, but that at present there were no real dangers for the mission station of an attack by the rebels.

I have, &c.,

H. BINDER.

W. J. GASCOIGNE,

Major-General.

To His Excellency

The Governor of Hong Kong.

SIR,

(No. 682.)

Hong Kong, June 7, 1899.

THE Reverend Carl Maus, of the Rhenish Mission at Thongha, has requested this Consulate to bring the following to your notice.

He states that, in consequence of Sham Chun port having been occupied by Her Britannic Majesty's forces, the greatest excitement and a state of the wildest con- fusion prevails in the Chinese districts north of the said place, caused mainly by absurd rumours.circulated amongst the populace, such as the English would push forward towards north and occupy the rich Punti village, Pan Tin, the Indian soldiers behaved outrageously, the coolies did not obtain their wages for carrying loads, the provisions were not paid for, heavy taxes upon cattle and the commodities of life would be levied, and so forth.

Mr. Maus describes the state of disturbance as very serious, the villages becoming deserted, and the trade being at a standstill, and although he has succeeded in some- what quieting the people after an interview with Colonel O'Gorman by, as he styles it, offering himself as a personal security for the good intentions of the British Govern ment, he is still afraid that the mission stations might be threatened and attacked by the excited Chinese mob.

Mr. Maus thinks it advisable that notices in Chinese should be posted in the disturbed districts to assuage the populace, interpreters employed and a civil officer appointed at Sham Chun, with whom complaints of the Chinese could be lodged; also a sort of coolie agent, through whom disputes about wages could be settled.

My correspondent further asks whether it would be feasible for your Government to assign to his mission a plot of land at Sham Chun for the purpose of erecting a mission station.

I beg to explicitly mention that it is merely in compliance with the said missionary's request that I venture to bring the above statements, proposals and wishes to your notice, and that as far as the protection of the missionaries and their followers is con- cerned, it belongs to my province as Acting-Imperial Consul at Canton to take the necessary steps, addressing myself to the Viceroy in Canton, which, in fact, has been done already.

Having been informed that His Excellency the Governor of this Colony has directed Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Canton to cause the Canton Viceroy to secure the protection also of the German mission stations in the threatened district, I beg, in con- clusion, that you will convey my respectful and sincere thanks to His Excellency for his kind consideration.

Awaiting your reply that would enable me to answer my correspondent's appli-

cation,

17754 S.

No. 216.

GOVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE to MR. CHAMBERLAIN. (Received July 10, 1899.) [Copy to Foreign Office, July 22, 1899, L.F.] [Answered by No. 229.]

(Confidential.)

SIB,

Government House, Hong Kong, June 9, 1899. I HAVE the honour to inform you that on the 31st ult. I informed you by telegram* that it was reported by a German missionary living in the Tung Kun district North of Sam Chun that the inhabitants were arming for an attack upon the British troops and upon the German missions. As I considered it important that no excuse should be given for possible intervention by any foreign Power in Kwang Tung province, I requested Her Majesty's Consul at Canton to communicate with the Viceroy. correspondence is attached to my despatch,† No. 188, of this date, and, on receipt of your A copy of the telegram of the 3rd inst.‡ informing me that Her Majesty's Government approved of my taking the necessary steps to secure the safety of the German missions, I informed the missionaries that if any real danger was imminent they would receive protection on application to the Officer Commanding the troops at Sam Chun. I at the same time requested Major-General Gascoigne to instruct Lieut.-Colonel The O'Gorman, commanding the troops at Sam Chun, that in the event of application being made to him by the German missions, he must satisfy himself that there was actual and immediate danger of attack, in which case he would afford protection.

2. The letter of the Rev. Mr. Schaub, of 2nd June, attached to my despatch,† 188, of this date, has an important bearing on the Taipo Hui incident, as it shows that the people of the Tung Kun district openly assembled to march down to Taipo Hui for the attack upon our troops. It is impossible that all those preparations could have been made without the knowledge of the Chinese authorities.

3. So long as our troops are quartered in the Sam Chun valley I do not apprehend that any movement against the German missions will be made.

I have, &c.,

HENRY A. BLAKE,

Governor.

I have, &c.,

Dr. F. C. RIELOFF,

Imperial German Consul,

17826.

Acting-Consul for Canton.

No. 217.

The Honourable

The Colonial Secretary.

SIB,

Basel Mission House, Hong Kong, June 6, 1899.

I HAVE the honour to inform Your Excellency that my messenger, whom I sent to Li Long, came back yesterday evening carrying a letter from the Rev. M. Schaub, saying that he, immediately after getting my letter sat down to report again to the Lieutenant-Colonel O'Gorman at Tschun Tschan (alias Sham Chun) of what he had heard concerning the disturbances amongst the people at Phan Then, and also to

GOVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE to MR. CHAMBERLAIN. (Received 1.40 p.m., July 10, 1899.)

TELEGRAM.

[Answered by Nos. 221 and 224.]

Referring to my despatch, No. 107,§ paragraph 19, two Chinese have been con- victed, condemned to death. Francis, Queen's Counsel, forwards petition contending

§ No. 171.

• No. 175.

638

↑ No. 215.

‡ No. 179.

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