1
CONFIDENTIAL
Bong Hong.
RE
CO. 428
17371
Rre 22 MAY 05
1554
1985
10272
Hong Kong.
sir,
LED FOR USE OF
EASTERN
COLONIAL
No. 44
OFFICE
Government Ho¤se. 21st April 1905.
I have the honour to enclose copies and enclair versions
A
of your telegram of the 19th inst and of my reply of the 20th on the subject of the refusal of the crews of the steamships
*St. Helena" and "Battersea Bridge" to proceed to Japan on
those vessels which were carrying cargoes of coal.
2. I also enclose a report by the Police Magistrate, Mr.F.A. Hazeland, who tried the crews on the 15th and 17th inst, for combining to disobey lawful orders, to neglect duty, and to impede the navigation of the steamers, and sentenced them in
each case to three weeks hard labour.
3. The case of the S.S."Lincolnshire" referred to in my telegram was one in which 9 firemen were tried by the same magistrate on a similar charge and only differed from the other cases in that there had been an unconfirmed report in
the interval that war vessels had left Vladivostook. The men
were discharged.
4. As it appeared to me that if probability of capture or
●xceptional personal danger to the crews existed in any of these cases it was due rather to the presence of fast belli- gerent cruisers in the waters South of Hong Kong than to the possibility of such vessels being free in Northern waters I considered that the leniency shown to the men tried on the 18 ti should be extended to those that had been convicted on the 15thị and 17th. I accordingly after consulting the Attorney General ordered the release of the crews of the "St. Helena" and
"Battersea Bridge" as reported to you.
Right Honourable
Alfred.
Lyttelton,K.C., M.P.,ato., etc.
通
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