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60

Enclosure 2 in No. 111.

LIST of ammunition seized on board the British steam-ship "Tung Chau," and stored in the Government Gunpowder Depôt at Stonecutters Island.

Number

of Packages.

Description.

6-inch shell aramunition ..

287

6-inch ammunition

4N4

12-lb. ammunition

89

Sinüül-arms Ammunition

566

171

Ammunition in galvanized cases

8

Loose shells

4

Time fuses

1,604

Total.

::::

Remarks.

61

The steam-ship "Coromandel" was in Singapore on the 10th November on the way to Bombay, so that eighty Japanese could not have left Colombo in her between the 24th October and the 6th November as she was then on her way from the East. No Japanese passengers arrived or left in her.

"left

So far as I can discover Captain Mori has never been here, though I believe he has been to Netherlands India. On the 29th October the steam-ship "Ischia Singapore for Hong Kong. She returned here, and on the 22nd November she left for Penang and Bombay, and six Japanese women left in her. I do not believe a word about the torpedoes, and I think I can explain how that story got about. Early in December last thirty Japanese prostitutes and ten men came here from Japan. The boarding officers were talking about this when young Jennings (who is a reporter on the "Straits Times ") came in. Hearing something about the Japanese he asked what it was, and was told by one of the boarding officers (as a joke) that the Japanese had brought in thirty torpedoes and ten guns done up in india-rubber for the Baltic fleet. He probably told his father, who in turn told the Russian Consul. I may mention that Mr. Jennings, senior, is in the Russian Consul's pay.

W. A. CUSCADEN.

Singapore, January 25, 1905.

Supt. of Police.

L. BARNES LAURENCE,

Harbour-master.

Harbour Department, Hong Kong,

January 18, 1905.

6201.

6161.

No. 112.

No. 113.

NATAL.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

(Secret.)

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

GOVERNOR SIR J. ANDERSON TO MR. LYTTELTON.

(Received February 25, 1905.)

[Copy to Foreign Office and Admiralty, March 5, 1905, L. F.]

Government House, Singapore, SIR,

January 27, 1905. WITH reference to your despatch, Secret, of the 22nd December ultimo,* enclosing copies of letters from the Foreign Office, as to stories circulated by Russians of intended operations against the Baltic fleet, I have the honour to transmit, for your consideration, a copy of a Memorandum from my Chief Police Officer, dealing with these stories so far as they affect Singapore.

2. I need scarcely say that a close watch is being kept on suspected Agents of both belligerents, and that every effort is being made to ensure the strict observauce of neutrality.

Enclosure in No. 112.

I have, &c.

JOHN ANDERSON.

MEMORANDUM by the Chief Police Officer, Singapore, on the subject of stories circulated by Russians as to intended attacks on the Baltic Fleet.

THE steam-ship "Prinz Heinrich" left Yokohama on the 5th November, 1904. There was on board one 1st class passenger (Japanese), named Tanaka, for Port Said, and three 3rd class, women, for Singapore. Tanaka stopped here one night at the Hotel de l'Europe, and went on in the same steamer on the following day to Port Saïd. I can get no information of any Japanese arriving at Singapore about that time disguised as Chinese or not. I may mention, however, that eighteen Chinese students arrived here on their way to Europe about this time, and was informed that the Russian Consul thought they were Japanese disguised, but subsequently discovered his mistake.

• 42810: not printed; but see No. 48.

GOVERNOR SIR H. E. MCCALLUM TO MR. LYTTELTON.

(Secret. No. 1.)

(Received February 25, 1905.)

King's House, Durban, Natal SIR,

February 2, 1905. WITH reference to my despatch, Secret, No. 1 of the 27th January, I have the honour to transmit to you written assurances by the captains of the "Aberlour" and "Tapton," to the effect that they will proceed to Falmouth or some other port in the United Kingdom.

2. As regards the "Aberlour," no difficulty was experienced, and the captain at once gave the assurance required, but you will observe from the enclosed corre- spondence with the master of the "Tapton" that he first asked permission to go to Rotterdam, and that, this request being refused, he desired to accept a charter to take cattle from here to Swakopmund. This latter application I granted, subject to the condition that the vessel must proceed to England, as 1 conceived it possible that proceedings may be taken against these two vessels on their arrival at a port in the United Kingdom.

3. In this connection I further transmit a series of newspaper articles (written by Enclosure 3. the master of the "Aberlour "), which have recently been appearing in the "Natal "Natal Mercury," in which Captain Sanderson describes how he assisted in coaling the Mercury Russian Baltic fleet at Gaboon, Great Fish Bay, Angra Pequena, and Madagascar. 1905, to

January 23, These are the articles referred to in my cypher telegram to you of the 30th January, February 2 No. 1.‡

1905.†

4. You will notice that he more than once refers to the "Espérance" as a storeship in the service of the Russian fleet. My action in respect to this vessel, as reported in my Secret despatches No. 1 of the 22nd December, and No. 1 of the 24th December,§ was therefore fully justified.

I have, &c.

HENRY MCCALLUM,

• No. 102.

↑ Not reprinted.

‡ No. 74.

Nos. 56 and 57.