CO129-304 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [1-4] — Page 387

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tain persons in Hongkong are dangerous to the security of the Chest Government, and requests are made either for their extradition or for their banishment. These requests are frequently based upon statements

extracted under torture, which are quite untrustworthy. Not that there

are not many Chinese in Hongkong who,contrasting the insecurity of person and property in China with the security enjoyed in this Colony most heartily desire to see the Chinese system changed. But so long as the police can prove no overt act, these people cannot be inter- fered with except by violating all the principles of liberty of thou

upon which our Empire has been built.

fession that could be verified here was false. Yeung Kui Wan was the son of the Chinese Interpreter who accompanied the British forces to Canton in 1860. He supported himself by teaching English. On the evening of the loth January, when six of his young men pupils entered for their evening's work, a seventh man entered with them who immed- iately fired four shots from a revolver, all of which took effect. Yeung Kui Wan died in hospital that night, having made, a statement that strongly points to the murder having been effected by order of the acting Viceroy of Canton. The police are still prosecuting in- quiries which have not yet been completed. When they have been I shall further address you on the subject.

6. In the 6th paragraph of his letter of the 14th

January Sir Chinchen Lo Fengluh mentions the discovery of the com- plicity of Kang Yu Wei in connection with the dynamite explosion in Canton. I have heard nothing showing that Kang Yu Wei was in any way connected with that attempt. An application for the extradition of a British Chinese subject named Yeung Kui Wan was made in November on the ground that he was the principal in that attempt. The application was based upon the confession of a man named Shih Sui Tung who was seized in Canton and having been tortured and the confession thus wrung from him after many attempts, was beheaded. It was evident that an application based upon such a confession could not be acceded to; however as there was one statement in the confession, namely that Shih Sui Tung bad been entrusted with the chief conduct of the con- spiracy by Yeung Kui Wan, and that money was remitted to Shih Sui Turby by Young Kui Wan, one thousand taels at a time through the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank at Shaneen (the Canton Agency), I applied for corro- boration to Sir Thomas Jackson, the General Manager of the Bank. He searched the books here for three years, and wrote to the Agent at Shameen whose answer was as follows: "Yours of yesterday to hand thi

7.A large number of people of the coolie class left Hongkong at the time of the late abortiye rebellion in the Wei Chou district and since their return the crime of armed robbery has become very frequent. I am now considering the question of banish- ing any of those people whom the police report to have no occupa- tion or to be living as gamblers &c.,but for those who have engaged in honest work I do not think that it was intended that the Banish- Bent Ordinance should be put into operation, as I take it that the protection of the British flag is given to all those who come here for work, and behave themselves peacefully, so long as the provisions of the Foreign Enlistment Act are not infringed, and where no evi- dence is offered on which extradition can be claimed.

I have the honour to be,

morning. In reply,No, we have not received any remittances from any of The Right Honourable

the Bank's agencies to be handed over to Shih Sui Tung or any other Chinaman". It was clear therefore that the only statement in the co

Joseph Chamberlain M.P.

800.

&C.

&C.

Sir,

Your most obedient

humble Servant

Starry altake

Governor,

80.