521
2
It is hardly necessary to say that the country generally would welcome foreign intervention to rid them of this scourge, which has reached proportions almost incredible in the present day. The Viceroy would, of course, be very hostile to it, as he is to everything foreign. Though the evil-doers are, of course, somewhat scattered, they have several well-known haunts, where they could be surrounded and surprised in large numbers, and once it was made clear that their suppression was going to be carried out, the smaller and more isolated bands would no doubt be arrested and handed over to justice by the peaceable inhabitants of the country.
It is quite hopeless now to look for any vigorous action on the part of the Chinese authorities.
In conclusion, I have the honour to inclose copy of a letter, with its inclosure, from the chief British silk merchants of the port. The gravity of the interests involved will be apparent when I state that the total amount of contracts for silk undelivered made by these four firms alone is nearly 3,000,000 dollars, and that a considerable proportion of this vast quantity of silk is already overdue for delivery.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
R. W. MANSFIELD.
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Messrs. Dent and Co., and other Firms to Consul Mansfield.
Canton, July 25, 1899.
THE undersigned British firms beg to bring to your notice that they have received a letter from a number of silk dealers, referring to the unsettled state in the chief silk districts near Canton, which renders it impossible to them to deliver to us the silk previously sold to us for forward delivery.
We beg to inclose a copy of said letter received by us, giving details of a few of the robberies, piracies, and blackmailing cases committed lately.
Since several weeks our native friends have daily been reporting to us such cases, and explaining to us why the deliveries of silk should come in so slowly, but instead of diminishing, the danger to the trade in general, and particularly to the silk trade (owing to the great value of silk), has been growing daily, so that the interests of the foreign firms in Canton are now seriously affected.
As is usual in the silk trade, the native merchants have during the last four to six months made considerable contracts with the foreign firms for delivery, chiefly in June, July, and August. Some considerable deliveries were made in June, but since a few weeks, notwithstanding a good third crop having come forward since, deliveries are daily falling off.
As you will see from the information sent to you direct by each of the undersigned, the contracts they have still on hand are of considerable magnitude, and we would therefore ask you to find some means to protect as far as possible our threatened interests.
It is evident that all the silk bought by us from the natives has been sold in Europe and America, and that we are responsible for all claims arising from late or non-delivery of these silks.
We are, &c.
(Signed)
HERBERT DENT AND CO. (per J. Zundel).
REISS AND CO. (per E. Hug),
G. HOPPELER (per Proctn. T. E. Griffith).
JARDINE, MATHESON, AND CO. (per F. Schürch).
3
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Letter addressed to British Merchants.
WE, the undersigned silk merchants of Canton, having made contracts with fixed delivery with your firm, have to inform you that owing to the present unsettled state in the silk districts, we are afraid of being unable to fulfil the said engagements in due time.
Owing to the numerous robberies, piracies, and blackmailing cases which have occurred within the last few weeks in the chief silk districts, it has become almost impossible for us to get the silk down from the country, and our agents there have asked us not to forward any more money to them, as the boats carrying it would be likely to be intercepted.
As a few instances of the numerous robberies perpetrated lately, we may quote:
At 9 A.M. on the 9th July last, in Kong Tau Creek, some pirates abducted a supercargo and his cocoons belonging to the cocoon shops of Koon Shan, in Nam Hoi district.
Sheung Fung and Co., Kung Kee and Co., and other cocoon shops in Koon Shan have been threatened and asked for a sum of 500 taels from each shop, and as they refused to pay, they are pressed to pay a larger sum of 800 taels each.
At 8 A.M. on the 10th July last, in Ngao Hu, a cocoon dealer was robbed, and lost thirty odd packages of cocoons, one boatman killed, and supercargo wounded.
Each of the four cocoon shops in Lok Chung Hu, of Shun Tak, has been asked to pay a sum of 700 taels.
At noon on the 14th July last, a cocoon boat was robbed at the entrance of the creek of Kat Yau village, booty worth 1,000 odd taels.
The silk filatures of Saf Shiu and Siu Po have been asked to pay sums up to several thousand taels.
These occurrences do seriously interfere with the whole silk trade, and unless your firm in combination with the other foreign silk firms can, through your Consul, bring some pressure on the Chinese Government to make arrangements to clear the country from the hundreds of robbers and pirates, we fear that, by no fault of ours, we will not be able to fulfil our engagements punctually.
(Signatures follow.)
Canton, July 24, 1899.
521
2
It is hardly necessary to say that the country generally would welcome foreign intervention to rid them of this scourge, which has reached proportions almost incredible in the present day. The Viceroy would, of course, be very hostile to it, as he is to every- thing foreign. Though the evil-doers are, of course, somewhat scattered, they have several well known haunts, where they could be surrounded and surprised in large numbers, and once it was made clear that their suppression was going to be carried out, the smaller and more isolated bands would no doubt be arrested and handed over to justice by the peaceable inhabitants of the country.
It is quite hopeless now to look for any vigorous action on the part of the Chinese authorities.
In conclusion, I have the honour to inclose copy of a letter, with its inclosure, from the chief British silk merchants of the port. The gravity of the interests involved will be apparent when I state that the total amount of contracts for silk undelivered made by these four firms alone is nearly 3,000,000 dollars, and that a considerable proportion of this vast quantity of silk is already overdue for delivery.
I have, &c.
Dear Sir,
(Signed)
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
R. W. MANSFIELD.
Messrs. Dent and Co, and other Firms to Consul Mansfield.
Canton, July 25, 1899. THE undersigned British firms beg to bring to your notice that they have received a letter from a number of silk dealers, referring to the unsettled state in the chief silk districts near Canton, which renders it impossible to them to deliver to us the silk previously sold to us for forward delivery.
We beg to inclose a copy of said letter received by us, giving details of a few of the robberies, piracies, and blackmailing cases committed lately.
Since several weeks our native friends have daily been reporting to us such cases, and explaining to us why the deliveries of silk should come in so slowly, but instead of diminishing, the danger to the trade in general, and particularly to the silk trade (owing to the great value of silk), has been growing daily, so that the interests of the foreign firms in Canton are now seriously affected.
As is usual in the silk trade, the native merchants have during the last four to six months made considerable contracts with the foreign firms for delivery, chiefly in June, July, and August. Some considerable deliveries were made in June, but since a few weeks, notwithstanding a good third crop having come forward since, deliveries are daily falling off.
As you will see from the information sent to you direct by each of the undersigned, the contracts they have still on hand are of considerable magnitude, and we would therefore ask you to find some means to protect as far as possible our threatened interests.
It is evident that all the silk bought by us from the natives has been sold in Europe and America, and that we are responsible for all claims arising from late or non-delivery of these silks.
We are, &c.
(Signed)
HERBERT DENT AND CO. (per
J. Zundel).
REISS AND CO. (per E. Hug),
G. HOPPELER (per Proctn. T. E.
Griffith).
JARDINE, MATHESON, AND CO.
(per F. Schürch).
3
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Letter addressed to British Merchants.
WE, the undersigned silk merchants of Canton, having made contracts with fixed delivery with your firm, have to inform you that owing to the present unsettled state in the silk districts, we are afraid of being unable to fulfil the said engagements in
due time.
Owing to the numerous robberies, piracies, and blackmailing cases which have occurred within the last few weeks in the chief silk districts, it has become almost impossible for us to get the silk down from the country, and our agents there have asked us not to forward any more money to them, as the boats carrying it would be likely to be intercepted.
few instances of the numerous robberies perpetrated lately, we may
As a
quote:
At 9 A.M. on the 9th July last, in Kong Tau Creek, some pirates abducted a supercargo and his cocoons belonging to the cocoon shops of Koon Shan, in Nam Hoi
district.
Sheung Fung and Co., Kung Kee and Co., and other cocoon shops in Koon Shan have been threatened and asked for a sum of 500 taels from each shop, and as they refused to pay, they are pressed to pay a larger sum of 800 taels each.
At 8 A.M. on the 10th July last, in Ngao Hu, a cocoon dealer was robbed, and lost thirty odd packages of cocoons, one boatman killed, and supercargo wounded.
Each of the four cocoon shops in Lok Chung Hu, of Shun Tak, has been asked to
pay a sum of 700 taels.
At noon on the 14th July last, a cocoon boat was robbed at the entrance of the creek
of Kat Yau village, booty worth 1,000 odd taels.
The silk filatures of Saf Shiu and Siu Po have been asked to pay sums up to several thousand taels.
These occurrences do seriously interfere with the whole silk trade, and unless your firm in combination with the other foreign silk firms can, through your Consul, bring some pressure on the Chinese Government to make arrangements to clear the country from the hundreds of robbers and pirates, we fear that, by no fault of ours, we will not be able to fulfil our engagements punctually.
(Signatures follow.)
Canton, July 24, 1899.
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