local press will find that the question of protection of the West River trade has been constantly cropping up since then. We whose lot has been cast in Hongkong during the period knew it as men know the nings that have become woven into their daily life. We need no re- cords to remind us that during the period of Li Hung Chang's vice- royalty these attacks became of much less trequent occurrence, and that towards the end of it they had practically ceased. LI Hung Chang, in fact, put down piracy.
I wish particularly to direct your attention to that fact, It is important inas- much as it serves to make clear that in the hands of a strong administrator the thing can be done. (Applause) Again no re- corts are needed to enable most of ils
recall the cir- cumstance that after Li Hung Chang's departure these outrages were renewed. This was predicted by the then Chairman of the Hong- kong China Association in his report dated, May, 1899. There you will
to
.find these words "A few months of feeble government on the part of La Hung Chang's successor will again fill the river and its back- waters with pirates and robbers as numerous and audacious as ever." Li Hung Chang's successor proved to be feeble, with the result indi cated. The piracies which occurred under his regime were, however, still confined to attacks on native craft. A noteworthy circumstance is that the acting Viceroy appeared to believe that the British flag had still sufficient prestige in the eyes of the pirates to secure protec tion to passengers travelling under it. In support of this statement I may remind you that he went so far as to suggest to the British Consul in Canton that it would be desirable for the steamer Company's vessels to eall at the smaller ports, then unopened, in order that Chinese pas- sengers might travel in safety. The result of this suggestion was a letter from the Steamboat Companies to the Chamber of Commerce on Sep- tember 19, 1902, requesting them to press for the opening of these ports. The outcome was that the Chinese anthorities declared the ports open in January, 1903. The idea worked. Passengers of all nationalities tra- velled in safety under the British flag-Chinese benefiting equally with foreigners in immunity from outrages then constantly being pre- petrated on passengers travelling in Chinese launches or other native craft.
These outrages increased in num- ber, as had been predicted, and things were in a bad way in the Delta when the present Viceroy was appointed. When he passed through Hongkong ou his way to
assUIOC
office he had an interiew with Sir Henry Blake in which he undertook to make the suppression of piracy one of his first duties. For a time people believed that he intended to
fulfil his promise. He started his
official career in Canton as a pro- fessed enemy to evil-doers of all sorts. Those interested in the development of the West River trade looked hopefully forward to the institution of a campaign having for its object the destruction of those villages which are practically robbers' strongholds, whose location
in the lower reaches of the river and in the upper Delta is well-known. For a time the Viceroy maintained some reputation as a reformer. His name apparently inspired a certain salutary awe. Outrages decreased in number while those that took place were confined, as during his prede cessor's regime, to attacks upon native craft. Unfortunately this satisfied him. Herein lay his weak-
nass.
As long as the pirates con- fined themselves to small offences he confined himself to tinkering with the evil instead of honestly trying to root it out. Wrongdoers are quick to take advantage of slackness in those placed in antho- ríty over them. Little by little the pirates gained confidence and their depredations assured more ambi tious shapes. Appetite grows by what it feeds on. The appetite of the more adventurous spirits grew until eventually small native craft were no longer large enough to satisfy it. The first symptom was en attack made near Wuchow on a launch flying the British flag, in the latter part of last year, which made it evident that a now state of things had arisen. This incident was al- lowed to pass without any striking measures of retribution being taken to impress the perpetrators with the enormity of the crime. Indeed by this time the Viceroy's attitude to all representatious of foreign rights had grown casual to a degree. Quite obviously he had come under the influence of the new
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614
of Chauvinism which now un- fortunately animates Mandarin. dom from one end of the Em- pire to the other. Not only was nothing really done in the måtter but about Chinese New Year many of the patrol launches were with- drawn from the waters of the upper Delta and laid up in the front reach at Canton, where they lay until the other day and where they may very well be lying now. Possibly it may have been about this time that the Viceroy made the suggestion to the British Consular authorities, be- hind which he is now trying to shel- ter himself. I allude to the idea of
making use of his braves to search Chinese passengers by foreign steamers. A great idea truly- worthy of a great administrator- just the sort of suggestion you might expect from a Haulin scholar with a fine contempt for trade and a learned ignorance of its require- ments! Moreover--a cheap means of enabling him to shirk his respon- sibilities. He would have saved the pay of the braves, who would no doubt have been well content to ex- change it for the squeeze exacted. The Chinese in obedience to their gambling instincts would naturally prefer to take the risks of being held up native craft to the ver- tainty of being thus bled. No bet- ter scheme for discouraging them from travelling by these steamers could possibly be devised. Th suggest on indicates that the Vice- roy was well aware of the existence of the dangers and also shows that he was unwilling to take effective measures to provide against thent. Either he was unwilling or incom petent to do so. In either case the position called for his removal. Assuming him to have been able to put a stop to the intolerable state of affairs, the fact that he did not
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