CO129-294 - Governor Sir Blake - 1899 [10-12] — Page 16

consider the Chinese Imperial Customs not to have acted unreasonably. Personally Sir H. Blake said it was a good one]

seems to be one personally. M. 13/11

Also sand copy of 3065367-0

haltie

& Copy Despatch to

See also

306537

31174

admiralty 2.7. calling such dept that it has been

want to the other.

at

ma

Ju/13/11

No. 278,

C

Encl: 1403.

sir,

Japit prins

21st Sept. (2) 4.28th Sept. 1899.

Encl: 4. 26th July, 1899.

Government House,

Hong Kong, October, 1899.

I have the honour to forward three letters

13

'addressed to me by the Chamber of Commerce, with their enclosures,

also a copy of a letter addressed to Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Peking last July by Her Majesty's Consul at Canton.

Those letters and enclosures show the insecurity of life and

property on the West River, and the apparent inability of the

Chinese Government to prevent a state of affairs that is becoming intolerable. The correspondence shows that bands of

robbers dominate the districts bordering the West River, levying blackmail, while the various products in transit to Canton or other Treaty Ports for delivery to merchants are forcibly seized and carried away if demands for money be refused, the pirates not hesitating to commit murder in case of resistance. Or, in

some cases the producers having received payment in Canton are robbed on the return journey; or goods being imported are plundered, or money being remitted for purchase is unsafe. The result is that all progress is being checked, and as you will

The Right Honourable

JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.,

&C.

&C.

* •

see