130
cal
TO MUL E
JAIZVER
it is essential that the Customs Authorities should have the
necessary authority to deal with the situation independently
in case the Chinese show any laxity in co-operation, which may
be expected sooner or later: it should not be left to Admiral
Li to guide the situation, or to direct the Customs Authorities
to patrol such and such waters or to take such and such action.
The
4.
WAY TO
eviteles
..
With respect to para graph 4 of your despatch to
Sir Edward Grey, I would pint out that very little would be
gained by these launches steaming up and down the river: such is
the only procedure open to our own River Gunboats, and is
attended with poor results. The Commissioner of Customs should
have sufficient power to enable his launches to visit all parta
of the Delta, to search any vessels, and to arrest and hand
over to the proper authorities any criminal or suspect.
gione.
Po itOIT A
aw heroig bre
5.
AZOO ONS
not adol 188
If the report is true that the launches being built
by the Viceroy's order are only to cost $5,000 (Five thousand
dollars) each, they will not be of much good: and the six Cus-
toms launches, if of proper size and speed, would do far better
service. I think Sir Robert Hart does not realize why speed
is so necessary: it is true that there is no "piracy" properly
speaking, no piratical craft to chase: it is more often the case
of a certain number of passengers murderously attacking and
robbing the remainder. But speed is absolutely necessary for
rapidity of communications, for a launch to reach a certain spot
by a certain time, and our own Gunboats, two of the three being
very slow, have often failed to act in time in consequence of
not having sufficient speed to get over the ground fast enough
against a strong current.
.AIMI
6.
I gather that Sir Robert Hart is not much in sympathy
with
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