CO129-290 - Governor Sir Blake - 1899 [1-4] — Page 488

OOP Y.

Enclosure 3.ar

114021

The C MAY 9

Hongkong, 5th April, 1899.

478

From Major-General, I.J. Gascoigne

To His Excellency the Governor.

Sir,

I have the honour to report for Your Excellency's information that about midnight on 3rd and 4th April, 1899, I received a communication from Your Excellency informing me that Mr. May, Captain Superintendent of Police, was hemmed in by a crowd of unfriendly natives in the neighbourhood of Taipo Hui and that he required to be at once released. I at once communicated with Lieut.-Col. Mainwaring, Commdg. 2nd Bn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers, who arrived at Head-Quarter House in a remarkably short time. Subsequently, at about 1:50 A.M., I received from Your Excellency the attached order to send troops to relieve Mr. May. I ordered out 100 men of the Royal Welsh to be at Murray Pier in an hour's time to be ready to embark in any craft which could be prepared at so short a notice. At 2:50 A.M., the men were at Murray Pier ready for embarkation with food and ammunition.

Owing to Your Excellency's forethought, I found a number of police launches ready at the Pier, and having, by means of them, ascertained that H.M.S. "Whiting" was able to accommodate the whole party,