CO129-344 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 478

C. C.

PEKING.

26447

1476.

TRES.

May 29tUL 07

Sir:-

Since writing my despatch No.208 of May 1st on

the subject of the measures to be taken by the Chinese

Government for the suppression of piracy in Canton

waters, I have continued to keep the attention of the

Wai Wu Pu steadily directed to this question.

On May 14th I informed the Grand Secretaries Na

T'ung and Ch'ü Hung Chi in the course of an interview

that I had recently spoken to Sir Robert Hart on the

subject, and was surprised to learn from him that he

still had no instructions whatever from the Revenue

Council (Shui Wu Ch'u) respecting the four revenue

cruisers which I had been assured were to be purchased

and placed under his control.

The Grand Secretaries blamed the Revenue Council

for the delay, and promised to press that department

to issue its instructions to the Inspector General of

Customs.

When I next saw His Excellency Na T'ung on May

rey, Bart.,

M.P.

21st

&c.,