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PUBLIC RECORD

OFFICE

Reference :-

9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

22130.

(Secret.)

SIR,

122

No. 195.

MAURITIUS.

MR LYTTELTON TO GOVERNOR SIR C. BOYLE.

Downing Street,

July 3, 1905. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, Secret, of the 6th May, reporting the circumstances attending the detention of the German steam- ship Juliette," and the refusal of the British members of the crew, to proceed in her, and to inform you that I approve your action in this matter.

2. The documents forwarded by you have been referred to the Foreign Office, who have pointed out that Professor "Honana," referred to in Mr. Newton's letter to you of the 21st April last (Enclosure 9 in your despatch), is presumably Professor Holland, whose remarks therein alluded to are neither applicable nor apparently were intended by him to apply to circumstances such as those which arose in the case of the

"Juliette."

23864.

No. 196.

I have, &c.

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

ALFRED LYTTELTON.

GOVERNOR SIR J. ANDERSON TO MR. LYTTELTON. (Received July 10, 1905.)

[Copy to Foreign Office, July 14, 1905, L. F. (see No. 201).]

(No. 258.)

Government House, Singapore, SIR,

June 15, 1905. WITH reference to my telegrams of the 13th and 14th instant,† I have the honour to forward, for your information, copies of statements made by the Chinese crew of the steam-ship "St. Kilda," together with copies of a letter and a statement by the Captain of the Russian cruiser "Dneiper," and a copy of a letter which was given by the Chief Engineer of the "St. Kilda to one of the crew.

2. I also enclose a copy of a telegram I have received from the Governor of Hong Kong.

Enclosure 1 in No. 196.

I have, &c.

JOHN ANDERSON.

STATEMENT by the Crew of the late steam-ship "St. Kilda."

WE left Hong Kong on the steam-ship "St. Kilda" at 10 A.M. on the 4th instant. At about 4:30 P.M., when we were out of sight of land, we were signalled to stop by a Russian war-ship. We stopped; a boat came from the Russian ship, and six or seven men wearing swords came on board. They went to the Captain's cabin, and shortly afterwards the Captain went away with them to the Russian ship. About an hour later the Captain came back and told us that we must go on board the Russian ship. We packed up what things we could and crossed over to the Russian ship in three boats belonging to the Russians. We were all on board the Russian ship by about 7 P.M. About ten Russians stopped on our ship. We steamed away, and next morning were still out of sight of land. At about 9 A.M. we stopped, and a boat went from the Russian ship to our ship. It brought back the Russians who were left on our ship.

• No. 177.

† Nos. 179 and 180.

123

When the boat had been hauled up there was an explosion at our ship, which heeled over, but did not sink. Then the Russians fired ten or twenty shots at it till it sank.

Then we steamed away. On Sunday the 11th, at 4 P.M., we met a Dutch ship, which was stopped, and the Russians put us Chinese on board. The Dutch ship brought us to Singapore. On the Russian ship we left eleven English officers and our Chinese compradore. We have all lost clothes and things on our ship, having no time to take them away. We were all new to the steamer. It was our first trip on her. When we met the Russians we were flying the British flag at the stern. We left Hong Kong flying it. We had no Japanese flag.

We, the undersigned members of the crew of the late steam-ship "St. Kilda," do solemnly and sincerely declare that the above statement is true, and we make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of "The Statutory Declarations Act, 1835."

Dated at Singapore this 14th day of June, 1905.

Chian Peng Leong Shan Wong Pou

ᏞᎥ Tsij

Ch'an Fat Li Cheong Ch'an Kuai Chang You Lam Tehoi

She Han Kong

Tong Ch'eng Fo

Ng Kwong

Sailors (12).

Wong Cheng

Ch'an Kan Lam Shan Sin Yau

Stokers (15).

Ch'an Yung Ch’an Chung Lam Shan Tang Fat

Lam Sheng

Compradore's Men.

Yip Tshong Hoi

Li Keng Tahun

Wong Ilang

Declared, signed, and marked before me,

WARREN D. BARNES,

Magistrate and Secretary for Chinese Affairs.

Enclosure 2 in No. 196.

Signed in Chinese characters.

Wong Fak

Li Fan Ilo Weng

Cheung Sum (carpenter).

Ch'an Chong Wong Kai Leong Sau Chin Chhun Ch'an Fuk (cook).

Lou Po Chong Yan

Leung Sau (2nd steward)

I, CHEONG TSHAN, do solemnly and sincerely declare that-

I am 26 years of age. I belong to Canton city. I was boatswain on the steam-ship "St. Kilda." I was engaged on the 3rd instant. The steamer came from Japan a few days before. She paid off her crew and shipped a new one. Only the second boat- swain signed on again. I did not see the steamer loaded. The former crew was an English crew. The man whom I call the second boatswain is an Englishman. The steamer was full up when I joined. The hatches were closed. We signed contracts on the 3rd, and on the 4th at 9:30 A.M. we sailed. The same day at 4:30) or 5 P.M. we met a Russian ship. She had two funnels. The ship was black, the funnel yellow with a black rim at the top. She signalled us to stop. We did so. A boat came from the Russian ship. Several Russians with swords came on board. They went to the Captain's cabin. Then the Captain went away with them to the Russian ship. He went alone. All the Russians went too. Shortly after, the Captain came back with the Russians and ordered us to all cross over to the Russian ship. The Russians sent three boats in all for us. We, all Europeans and Chinese, went to the Russian ship. About ten Russians remained in our ship. The Russian ship then sailed off, and our own ship followed. It was dark when we started, and I cannot say in which direction we went. We were out of sight of land when we met the Russian ship. Next morning we were steering about S. E., and about 10 A.M. the Russians sent a boat with a mine, which was tied to our ship. They took off the Russians on our ship and came back. After the boat had been hauled up the mine exploded. The two ships were within shouting distance of one another. Our ship heeled over on the explosion, but did not sink until the Russians had fired ten or twenty shots at her. When she had sunk we steamed away.

We passed close by Singapore on Thursday the 8th, at 2 or 3 A.M. got up and saw the lights of Singapore. On Sunday at 4 or 5 P.M. we met a Dutch 11th June.

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