CO129-105 - Acting Governor Mercer - 1865 [5-7] — Page 144

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

10.

11.

142

a Disarming enactment to have force amory

Chiness

on shore and in harbor.

X

Mr. Ball, in transmitting

an Ordinanc

(Shortly to be placed before the Legislative Council) advised against the (Disarming projiet,

and I enclose Extract from his covering

letter.

No3

And here I should notice that this & had

idea of disarmament occurred to Governor commit Sir John Davis as

far

back as 184

1847,

See his Despateti No 18 of 13€ February of that

year

to Earl Grey.

I had a conversation latety with

a Chinese Naval Mandarin who, introduced by the Provincial Authorities at banton, came into this harbor with 4. War junks

on

his

way

north - Knowing

that

any

attempt

be

on am

part to disarm vessels must

fruitless if not similarly and Simultanerisly

made by the Chinese Government. I questioned this officer who first replied that they have. a law

against trading vessels Carrying Arms, and when I remarked that the law uns not

enforced he

rejoined

that to disarm vessels

I would be to stop all trade, as no unarmed

vessel would dare to put to sea.

Thus the idea of disarming Chinese

on land and sea was abandoned, and indeed

!

Supposing the Chinese Government both willing and able to Co operate with us to this end,

there might still be a difficulty to be overcome, as I have shown above, with

the Government of Macau

only suggestion

The

that it ocems

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