CO129-302 - Public Offices - 1900 — Page 519

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I had the honour to embody the above account in a code telegram to you this morning.

The village referred to is probably Ku-chen, a place notorious for the lawlessness of its people.

I venture respectfully to suggest that the village in question should be visited by a Chinese and a British gun-boat and burned to the ground as a salutary warning to the surrounding country.

No. 2.

I have, &c. (Signed)

HARRY H. FOX.

Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received April 2.)

(No. 27. Confidential.) My Lord,

Peking, February 2, 1900,

I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship translation of a sup- plementary Memorial by the Tsung-li Yamên to the Throne, suggesting instructions which they request may be issued to the Viceroy of the Two Kwang Provinces, with a view to the suppression of piracy on the West River and inland waters about Canton,

This document was forwarded to me by Her Majesty's Consul, who obtained it from an indirect source.

I have, &c. (Signed)

CLAUDE M. MACDONALD.

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boats to undertake the pursuit and capture of pirates on the inner waters of that province. This precedent can on no account be allowed to be established, and we have already, by way of putting a stop to this crafty plan, replied to the British Minister to the effect that the lower reaches of the West River are all under the juris- diction of the Viceroy of the Two Kwang, who can himself order his subordinates to restore order, and that it will not be necessary, therefore, to take measures on his behalf. But this matter cannot be glossed over with mere empty words, and we depend altogether upon the provincial officia.s to issue strict orders to the civil and military officials directing them to really exert themselves to catch pirates. It is only this which will suffice to put an end to interference from outside.

We request that instructions be sent to the Viceroy of the Two Kwang, directing him to dispatch additional naval forces without delay to take the matter in hand, and also to impose a limit of time in which the culprits in all outstanding cases of piracy must unfailingly be caught and punished with the utmost rigour by the law. Thus the locality in question will be tranquillized and complications will be avoided in international affairs.

Presented the 11th December, 1899.

Reached Canton the 25th December, 1899. Received at Consulate the 5th January, 1900.

Inclosure in No. 2.

Supplementary Memorial from the Tsung-li Yamén respecting Piracy in Kwangtung.

PIRACY is extremely rife in Kwangtung Province, and during the present year cases have repeatedly come to our knowledge. During the first moon of the present year the British Minister, Sir Claude MacDonald, in a despatch referred to several piracies committed on British vessels in Kwangtung waters, and stated that if China: did not take measures to afford protection, Great Britain would send ships to patrol the waters, and provide guards to escort British vessels, charging the expenses to the Chinese Government. We thereupon instructed Viceroy Tan by telegraph to order his subordinates to display extra care in policing the waterways, so as to stop the months of outsiders.

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In due course we received his telegraphic reply, to the effect that there were pirates everywhere; that the pirating of foreign steamers was inevitable; but that it was entirely out of the question for China to pay expenses. We therefore wrote to the British Minister, taking exception to his attitude, and pointing out that the Kwangtung waterways were in the interior of China, and that even supposing the British authorities were to pay the expenses themselves, they could not be suffered to send an armed force to police the waters, as this would militate against the indepen- dence of China. At the same time we instructed the Viceroy of the Two Kwang to: issue strict orders to his subordinates to patrol the waterways, so that trade might be peacefully carried on. During the 6th moon the British vessel “Wo-On was pirated, and the British Minister demanded an indemnity. We again wrote to Viceroy: Tan, and all be said in reply was that steamer passengers should be searched for arms; and that, in order to prevent pirates from mingling with the passengers, boats should not be allowed to take passengers en route. This was C municated to the British Minister, from whom we afterwards received a further communication to the effect that there had been, up to the present, no decrease in piracy in the Canton Province; that on the 25th October a Pritish launch had again been pirated near Kumchuk; that a telegram had been received from the British Government to the effect that the Governor of Hong Kong was desirous to at once restore to order the lower reaches of the West River, and would not allow the pirates to commit their depredations unchecked; that he (the British Minister) had therefore to request that we would instruct the Viceroy at Canton by telegraph to render assistance. To judge from the tone of this despatch, it is to be feared that there is an intention to send gun-

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