CO129-295 - Public Offices - 1899 — Page 596

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lives and property. This matter is now under consideration of Her Majesty's Govern- ment, but the officials of the Canton Province still continue in the same lazy and negligent course. When any outrage occurs they make a pretence of doing their duty by empty promises of a strict search for the robbers and their plunder.

In the present case the piracy was committed near Kong Mun, a notorious nest of river robbers. The local officials have failed to capture the offenders and to recover the plunder, and they should be called upon to make good the loss. In this manner it may he hoped that they will be brought to a sense of their duty.

I have the honour to request your Highness and your Excellencies to telegraph to the Governor-General of Canton to order his subordinates to act in accordance with the above demand. He should also be instructed to put a stop to these piratical outrages at once.

If this he not done I fear that some grave case will occur, with loss of life, which will be incapable of settlement in such an easy manner as is now proposed.

I inclose copies of correspondence between Her Majesty's Consul and the Governor- General.

I avail &c.

(Signed)

H. O. BAX-IRONSIDE.

(Translation.) Sir,

Inclosure 2 in No. 1.

The Tsung-li Yamên to Mr. Bax-Ironside.

Peking, July 29, 1899. THE Yamên has the honour to acknowlede the receipt of your note of the 23rd July, stating that the steamer " Wo-on," belonging to the British firm of Banker and Co., had been attacked and plundered by robbers at Kumchuk, near Kongmoon; that the officials of the Canton Province still continued in the same lazy and negligent course, that they should therefore be called upon to make good the loss sustained by the robbery, and that measures should be taken at once to put a stop to these piratical outrages.

"If

In reply the Yamén beg to observe that Article XIX of the Treaty provides that any British merchant vessel while within Chinese waters be plundered by robbers or pirates, it shall be the duty of the Chinese authorities, on being apprised of the fact,

to use every endeavour to capture and punish the robbers, and to recover the stolen property, that it may be handed over to the Consul for restoration to the owner."

In the present case of the piracy of the British steamer at Kumchuk it is there- fore the duty of the local authorities to capture and punish the robbers, and to recover the stolen property; but there is nothing said in the Treaty about making compen- sation for the stolen property.

The Yamên have instructed the Governor-General of the Liang Kuang Provinces to give strict orders to his subordinates to use their best endeavours to capture the

robbers, and trace out the stolen property, so that the case may be speedily settled.

On receipt of his Excellency's reply the Yamên will again communicate with you on the subject. In the meantime they have the honour to address this note to you as a preliminary reply to the note under acknowledgment.

(Seal of Yamên.)

MM. les Ministres,

Inclosure 3 in No. 1.

Mr. Bax-Ironside to the Tsung-li Yamén.

Peking, August 3, 1899. ON the 29th ultimo I received your Highness and your Excellencies' despatch with regard to the piracy of the steam-ship "Wo-on."

I have the honour to observe, in reply, that this case is the manifest result of the negligence of the local authorities, who permit these pirates to prey upon the people. I therefore requested that the amount of the loss might be made good by the officials, in order to awaken them to a sense of their duty to put a stop to this scourge of the country.

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