6.0.
105
REGO 3 FEB 8!
55
No. 5.
Sir H. Parkes to Earl Granville.-(Received January 13, 1885.)
(No. 291.) My Lord,
Peking, November 25, 1884. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's despatch No. 209 of the 2nd ultimo, directing me to keep the authorities of British Colonies likely to be interested informed ou such matters as the Proclamation recently issued by the Chinese Government at Canton.
It is gratifying to me to receive the above instruction, as it confirms the course I have hitherto pursued; and as Her Majesty's Consul at Canton has similar directions, and is in immediate communication with Hong Kong and Singapore, the Governors of those Colonies may sometimes be informed of local occurrences even earlier than myself.
In the case of the Proclamation inciting Chinese to poison Frenchmen and destroy French vessels at Singapore and Penang, I at once communicated to the Governors, by telegraph, the course I was taking, and also the result attained; and the letters I received from them in reply, of which I beg to inclose copies, show that the infor. mation I supplied proved serviceable in both cases,
I have, &c. (Signed)
HARRY S. PARKES.
Sir,
Inclosure 1 in No. 5.
Administrator Mursh to Sir H. Parkes..
Government House, Hong Kong, October 4, 1884. YOUR Excelleney's telegram, stating that a very satisfactory Decree had been published in the "Peking Gazette" censuring the high Canton authorities for inciting the Chinese against the French, was received last night, and will be sent on to Singapore by steamer to-day, as the line is not yet restored.
It arrived at an oppor- tune moment, as serious disturbances had just taken place in the native part of Hong Kong, in consequence of a Proclamation of a similar nature to the one referred to in your Excellency's telegram, of which I annex a copy, which was specially addressed to the Chinese in Hong Kong and Macao. Criminal proceedings have been instituted against the native newspapers which published these Proclamations in Hong Kong.
In consequence of this Proclamation, Chinese refused to perform work of any kind for French vessels, both men-of-war and mail-steamers. The cargo boatmen were prosecuted by the Messageries Maritimes Company for refusing to work, and were fined. They then struck work in a body, but after three days' reflection returned to their usual vocations. They were prevented, however, from continuing to work by an excited crowd of roughs, many of whom have recently come from Canton, who pelted them with stones and drove them away from the Praya. The roughs then turned their attention to the jinrieksha and chair coolies, whom they would not allow to work, avowing their intention to stop all work for foreigners. An account of what then took place will be found in the extract from the "Daily Press" sent herewith. Only one dead body has been found as yet, but as some of the police had to use their rifles and revolvers in self-defence, it is supposed that there must be more of the rioters wounded, and possibly killed, and that they have been removed by their friends.
The news conveyed by your Excellency's telegram will be posted up about the Chinese quarter this morning, and will, I have little doubt, have a good effect. No disturbances took place last night, owing partly to the preparations made to suppress them with a strong hand, and partly to the prompt action of the Police Magistrates, who sentenced a number of the rioters at once to twelve months' hard labour. It had
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