CO129-132 - Sir MacDonnell - 1868 [8-9] — Page 591

b.

(Copy) HONGKONG.

No. 397.

585

SIR,

COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,

28th August, 1868.

I am directed by His Excellency SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, to request that you will be good enough to furnish this Government with as full details as possible, for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, of the mode in which the Disarmament Clauses of the VICE Ror's Proclamation are being carried out by the Chinese Authorities.

I have the honor to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,

(Signed,)

D. B. ROBERTSON, Esq., C.B.,

Her Britannic Majesty's Consul,

CANTON.

J. GARDINER AUSTIN, Colonial Secretary.

(Copy)

No. 186.

SIR,

BRITISH CONSULATE,

CANTON, 8th September, 1868.

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 397 of the 28th ultimo, requesting, for the information of His Excellency The GOVERNOR, to be informed what steps have been taken by the VICE ROY to carry out the Disar- mament of Junks Proclamation issued by him in April last, and in reply to state I communicated the contents to His Excellency, and subsequently at an interview I had with him entered very fully into the question, having pointed out that His Excellency The GOVERVOR had responded immediately to the action taken by the VICE Ror by forbidding by Ordinance the Armament of Chinese vessels within the Colonial waters, and naturally expected a due fulfilment of the terms of the Proclamation on his part. The Vica Roy in reply fully admitted the bonâ fides of The GOVERNOR in the matter, but on his side he had met with insuperable difficulties in enforcing a similar measure. He had been besieged with representations, not only from the owners of Junks and Fishing Boats, but also from the District Officers to whom the Proclamation had been forwarded with instructions to have it rigidly enforced, as to the danger to their interests involved in a total Disarmament and consequent loss of means of protecting their property on the part of the Junk people from attack and pillage by roving piratical vessels, and praying that some other means than so sweeping a measure be devised by which the character of vessels employed in the coast trade and fisheries might be substantiated, and they were prepared to submit to any measures by which that end could be attained other than the one proposed. The VICE ROY added that he felt the remonstrance of these people was founded in justice; that it was simply impossible at present to give them protection along a Coast line of some hundreds of miles, and, therefore, to deprive them of the means of defending themselves was somewhat hard; that