CO129-318 - Governor Sir Blake - 1903 [7-10] — Page 263

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the subject and asked whether the Canton Government was actually

in possession of Bung's body. He explained, in reply, that the Admiral of the Bogue Forts had submitted a Report to the Viceroy to the effect that Hung had been captured on the high seas by one of his cruisers commanded by an officer named Lo Seng, and

that the body had been brought to Canton on the 26th. oltino.

His Authorities were accordingly satisfied that Hung had been captured. I informed Mr. Yang that I was satisfied, from inform-

ation furnished me by the Hongkong Government, that Hung had not

been captured on the high seas; on the contrary, Lo Seng and four

of his associates had been watched while in Hongkong, and were

known to have rented an empty house for some three weeks in March

going and coming mysteriously at night, and on the evening of

the 26th. or early on the morning of the 27th. to have left

Hongkong, carrying some bundle, said to be a human body, with

which they were traced to the Bogue Forts. I impressed on Mr.

Yang that I had no doubt as to the truth of these particulars,

and when I mentioned No. 305 Mai Kai as the house, the blank

stolidity so often assumed by Chinese disappeared, and he ejaculated "The Viceroy had nothing whatever to do with it". I

replied that I was satisfied that such was the case, otherwise

I should not be talking to him confidentially on the subject. he

assured me that whatever had been done was the work of the Admiral of the Bogue Forts and his subordinates. The one point that Mr. Yang seemed anxious about was whether the body obtained was that of Hung or not; but, of set purpose, I delayed giving him any information for some time, urging upon him the gravity of the irregularity, no matter whose body it was, and advising him and his authorities to return it to Hongkong. As he was leaving, I volunteered the information that the dead man was not Hung, a statement which came to him as a shock.

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