CO129-253 - Public Offices & Others - 1891 — Page 109

to Sie John Walshame of September 18th which former the 2nd nidorme in the accompansing paper.

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Tit Sanderson

Acting Consul-General Mowat to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Received October 24.)

(No. 18.) My Lord,

HEREWITH I have the honour to inclose, for your Lordship's information, copies

Shanghae, September 18, 1891. of two despatches which I have addressed to Her Majesty's Minister at Peking relative to, a recent attempt to smuggle arms at this port, and to the apparent implication in this attempt of a British subject employed in the Chinese Customs service.

I have, &c. (Signed)

R. A. MOWAT.

Rec

REG

Inclosure 1 in No. 163.

114

Kong. The hatchets were marked with an American maker's name. of the consignment may be estimated at 5,000 dollars.

106

The whole value

According to the information furnished to Mr. Bredon, the Commissioner of Customs, by a Mr. C. W. Mason, a British subject and a 4th class Assistant in the Customs, the arms, &c., were intended for Chinkiang, where, he alleged, there was an extensive conspiracy, in which many local officials and the soldiery were implicated.

He

The part played by Mr. Mason himself in the matter is a very suspicious one. bad been for some years past stationed at Chinkiang, but about three weeks ago was given short leave on account of his health, after the expiry of which he was to be transferred to Peking. He seems to have proceeded at once to Hong Kong from Clrinkiang, and he returned in the steamer "Chi-yuen," the vessel in which the arms were shipped. He further had with him one of the bills of lading for the falsely-described “merchandize," which was deliverable to bearer, and produced it to Mr. Bredon. He represented to Mr. Bredon that he was acting throughout in the interests of the Chinese Government in the capacity of an amateur detective, by appearing to assist in the conveyance of the arms to Chinkiang, while as a fact he intended to frustrate the scheme by revealing it to the authorities. Certain it is, however, on the other hand, that he even proposed to Mr. Bredon that the cases, which had not then been opened, should be allowed to be transhipped to Chinkiang in the regular way, as if they contained the merchandize which they were represented as containing. Altogether his proceeding is very mysterious, besides being, as I have said, highly suspicious. But with our present information, it would seem idle to attempt to speculate as to what his real motive was. The further facts connected with his movements that I have learnt are that he proceeded to Chinkiang on the evening of the day on which the goods were seized instead of to Peking, as Mr. Bredon had advised him to do, and that on his arrival there some dynamite (the telegram from the Chinese officials did not state how much) was found in his baggage. He would thereafter seem to have been sent, or allowed to go, on board Her Majesty's ship "Redpole" for safety, as his life had been (according to his own statement) threatened since his arrival in Shanghae if he should betray those with whom he had been acting. He has since come, or been brought, to Shanghae in company with two officers of the Customs, and is now, voluntarily it is said, on board the Customs revenue cruizer "Ping Ching" in this port..

My information so far, I may state, comes entirely from the Chinese authorities and the Customs. I wrote to Her Majesty's Consul at Chinkiang on the 12th, and shall doubtless soon hear from him the particulars of what took place there.

This afternoon Mr. Bredon came to me on behalf of the Taotai, and, later, also the Taotai's deputy. They came in pursuance of a telegram from the Viceroy at Nanking, instructing the Taotal to request me to hold a joint investigation with him (the Taotai) into the proceedings of Mr. Mason in connection with the matter. This, I caused There could be, I said, no objection to the Taotai to be informed, I declined to do. Mr. Mason's making before me, if he were willing to do so, an ordinary statutory declara- tion as to facts within his knowledge, and (if he chose), as to his own share in the matter, but I should not examine him on the subject, or take part in any such examination. Or, again, I pointed out, he might, as a Customs employé, be disposed to make a statement, and give information on the subject, to the Taotai and the Commissioner of Customs; but in view of the possibility of criminal proceedings against him, great care would have to be taken that the statement was quite voluntary, and that no inducement was held out to him to make it. Indeed, I added, in consideration of this possible phase of the case, the authorities would do well to consult their Counsel, laying before him what facts they were already in possession of, and taking his advice as to the course they should follow in the

I have, &c

matter.

(Signed)

R. A. MOWAT.

me

Sir,

Acting Consul General Mowat to Sir J. Walsham.

Shanghae, September 15, 1891.

I HAVE the honour to report the seizure by the Customs at this place of thirty-five cases of arms and ammunition, which had been imported from Hong Kong in the China merchants' steamer "Chi-yuen," under a false description. Information had been received by telegram from Hong Kong which led to the Customs here detaining the cases on their arrival on the 12th instant and opening them. They were found to contain 100 Winchester carbines, 20 Martini-Henry rifles, with 2,000 cartridges, 221 bayonets, 127 revolvers, with 67,000 cartridges, 12 hatchets, and a quantity of leather pouches for cartridges and cases and belts for revolvers.

With Captain Clutterbuck, I had an opportunity yesterday afternoon of inspecting part of the articles in question, and he describes the arms generally as being all good weapons and of the latest make. With the exception of the Winchester rifles, they are evidently of European, probably of Continental, manufacture. The leather cases, belts, and pouches, on the other hand, are of native leather and inferior quality, and had doubtless been placed in the cases, where they were found with the bayonets, in Hong

(Confidential.)

Inclosure 2 in No. 163.

Acting Consul-General Mowat to Sir J. Walsham.

Shanghae, September 18, 1891, Sir,.

IN continuation of my despatch of the 15th instant on the subject of the recent seizure of arms at this place, I have the honour to report that the Commissioner of Customs informed me two days ago that the Faotai had determined to institute no