CO129-295 - Public Offices - 1899 — Page 382

:r༧༦ མྨཱ མ 6 -

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9th. of June last.

Mea-

In consequence of this outrage the Governor of

Hongkong proceeded to Canton and invited the Viceroy

to give protection to the matsheds and to preserve

the peace of the Territory until taken over.

sures were taken by the Viceroy accordingly and

soldiers sent into the territory, but the protec-

tion given was clearly inadequate as on the 14th.

of April the matsheds were burnt.

The Governor of Hongkong having telegraphed

to Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colo-

nies that he apprehended disturbances I instructed

Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Peking by tele-

graph to impress upon the Yamen the necessity of

taking adequate precautions against further troubles.

On the 16th. of April the territory was taken over

by the Hongkong Government.

On the same day the Governor of Hongkong tele-

graphed that the officer in command of the troops at

Taipohu

Taipohu had found, posted on the hill opposite, a

large Chinese force, which had fired on the British

troops.

18th.

Further attacks were made on the 17th. and

On the 18th. of April the Governor reported

that the Viceroy of Canton had declined to reply to

a request which he had sent to him through Her Majes-

ty's Consul at that port that the Chinese officials

and troops should be removed from the territory leas-

ed to Great Britain. The Governor further stated

that a force of 600 Chinese troops had been sent

into Kowloon city, where they were not required, the

need for protection being on the Northern frontier.

I thereupon instructed Mr. Bax-Ironside by tele-

graph to urge the Tsungli-Yamen to send stringent or-

ders to the Viceroy for the removal of the troops,

and to impress on them that the results of neglect

to observe the stipulations of the Convention would

be serious.

He reported on the 20th. of April that

he

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