CO129-326 - Foreign Office - 1904 — Page 488

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty Government.)

# SOUTH-WEST CHINA,

## CONFIDENTIAL.

## AL

No. 1.

485

!

[August 29.]

## SECTION 1.

Sir E. Satow to the Marquess of Lansdowne.--(Received August 29.)

(No. 251.)

Peking, July 14, 1904.

My Lord,

I HAVE the honour to transmit to your Lordship herewith, a copy of a despatch which I have received from the Acting British Consul at Wuchow, reporting a serious outbreak of mutiny among the Chinese troops at Liu-chow Fu in Kuanghsi Province.

On first hearing rumours of this affair, I instructed His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton to make inquiry of the Viceroy, who informed Mr. Campbell that the mutinied troops, amounting to three battalions, had held the place for a few days and had carried off 2,000 rifles and a large quantity of ammunition. The Taotai in command committed suicide,

I have, &c.

(For Sir E. Satow)

(Signed)

LANCELOT D. CARNEGIE.

(No. 11.)

## Inclosure in No. 1.

Acting Consul Fox to Sir E. Satow.

Wuchow, July 2, 1904.

I HAVE the honour to report that an unusually serious outbreak has recently occurred among the Imperial troops stationed at Liu-chow Fu—in the head-quarters of the Lin-chow (Central) military district—in the course of which the city has been sacked, and at least two officials have lost their lives.

It seems that two yings, or battalions, of Cantonese soldiers, who, for disciplinary reasons, had been ordered to surrender their arms and return to Canton, broke out of camp on the evening of the 23rd June, and set to work to destroy the Yamêns, putting the Taotai and all the military officials to flight. Being joined later by large numbers of local banditti, who apparently came in by previous arrangement, the mutineers captured and put to death the Prefect, Ch'en Sung-li and the La-kin Deputy, Ying-kai. They then proceeded to wreck the telegraph office and loot the banks and pawnshops, and having unsuccessfully attempted to capture the gun-boat "Ting-hsi," which was lying off the city at the time, retired into the mountains, carrying with them large quantities of arms and ammunition collected from the various Yamêns.

Four small gun-boats have been sent up to Liu-chow, and reinforcements are being hurried on from both Nanning and Canton.

I venture to point out that this incident—and it is by no means the first time that such a thing has occurred—affords a simple explanation of the reason why the Kuanghsi rebels never seem to lack arms or ammunition. It is the constant complaint of the Chinese authorities in this province, and I think I may add, in the neighbouring Province of Kuangtung, that the rebels procure their supplies of arms from Hong Kong, whence they are smuggled up the West River in steamers. Rebels do derive their supply indirectly from Hong Kong, but in the first place the arms are imported by German firms to the order of the Chinese Government. I am quite certain that the amount of arms and ammunition now in the hands of the rebels, which have been smuggled in via the West River, is insignificant as compared to the amount which has been captured or purchased from the Imperial troops.

Yesterday morning a consignment of 700 rifles and 60,000 cartridges arrived in Wuchow, imported by Messrs. Curlowitz and Co., of Hong Kong, to the order of the District Magistrate of Lo Ch'uan Hsien, in whose district several large robberies have recently occurred.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

HARRY H. FOX.

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