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Inclosure 5 in No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Prince Ch'ing.
Your Highness,
Peking, October 30, 1907. WITH reference to my note of the 26th instant, in which I informed your Highness of the pirating of a British-owned launch, the "Tung Feng," near Whampoa, I now regret to have to inform your Highness of yet another case, in which the British- owned launch "Ying Fat" was pirated near Maning on the 26th instant.
As I explained to their Excellencies Liang and Lien Ta-jên during my interview at the Wai-wu Pu yesterday afternoon, I do not feel called upon to reiterate all the arguments of the past twelve months, and shall confine myself to recording these cases as they occur, leaving it to His Majesty's Government and the Naval Commander-in- chief to decide what action they may consider necessary to secure the safety of British ships in Canton waters.
I avail, &c.
Your Highness,
(Signed)
Inclosure & in No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Prince Ching.
J. N. JORDAN.
Peking, October 31, 1907. WITH reference to my recent notes on the subject of piracy in Canton waters, I have now the honour to inform your Highness that I have received a telegram from His Majesty's Government under date of the 30th October, instructing me to inform the Chinese Government that these repeated outrages on British property are viewed nost seriously by His Majesty's Government; that, in their opinion, the Viceroy's repudiation of responsibility for the payment of compensation is quite untenable in view of the constant warnings which have been given by His Majesty's Government during the past eighteen months, and of the complete disregard which China has shown to the suggestions made by Great Britain for suppressing these acts of violence. It is obvious to His Majesty's Government that the continuance of these robberies is directly attributable to the negligence of successive Viceroys in taking effective precau- tions for the security of the waterways. If, therefore, compensation is not paid locally by the province, without further delay, His Majesty's Government will hold the Central Government responsible for its payment.
I am to state, further, that as regards the future, His Majesty's Government are already in communication with Vice-Admiral Sir A. Moore as to the measures to be taken by the ships under his command for the due protection of British shipping and
commerce.
I avail, &c.
(Signed)
J. N. JORDAN.
5
reporting a further case, in which the British-owned launch " Ying Fat" had been pirated near Maning.
In these communications your Excellency repeated your observation that the Canton authorities would never suppress piracy if left to deal with the matter by themselves, and that the only method of putting an end to these outrages was to enforce the system of patrol by Customs cruisers. Your Excellency requested to be informed whether or not the Chinese Government intended to introduce that scheme, and stated that you did not feel called upon to reiterate all the arguments you had already exhausted, but would leave it to His Majesty's Government to take action.
Your Excellency's note of the 31st October was also to the same effect, The continued piratical outrages in the neighbourhood of Canton, with the harm they do to the locality and involving British-owned steam-launches, are a source of the deepest solicitude to this Board, who have already arrauged with the Revenue Council to direct the Inspector-General of Customs to set aside a sum of 200,000 taels to provide for the purchase of preventive cruisers. The Board have at the saine time sent telegraphic instructions to the Viceroy at Canton to make arrangements to supply funds for the annual expenses of these vessels, and to adopt measures in concert with the Commissioner of Customs for the prevention of smuggling and the capture of pirates at the earliest possible date, so as to restore tranquillity to the neighbourhood.
Upon receipt of your Excellency's note of the 21st October, the Board again telegraphed to the Viceroy to take the matter earnestly in hand, and received from his Excellency a reply to the effect that the duties of police in Canton having become a dead letter, his Excellency had, since his arrival at his post, been devoting all energies to reform in that Departinent. His Excellency had been in correspondence with the Acting Admiral Ch'in, with regard to the adoption of measures for the prevention and capture of smugglers and pirates, and had deputed a trustworthy official to discuss with the Commissioner of Customs at Canton the drafting of regulations.
As soon as the Commissioner's reply should reach him, his Excellency would send a detailed telegraphic report. The Province of Canton would, as a matter of course, accept the duty of providing the annual cost. With regard to the piracies of British lanches, orders had already been issued to the Police Department to fix a limit of time within which the capture of the guilty parties was to be effected.
Upon receipt of the report quoted above, the Board sent an urgent telegram to the Viceroy to hasten to put into effect the telegraphic instructions previously sent him, and in the meantime to hire from the Canton and Hong Kong neighbourhood a number of fast vessels of merchant type and convert them into preventive cruisers, giving them a full complement of non-commissioned officers and man and arming them with rifles and guns. His Excellency was also to select well-tried officers to take command of them and to use these vessels to afford efficient protection to such merchant-vessels as ply locally* A stringent system of rewards and punishments was to be enforced, and the responsibility for the prevention of any recurrence of these piratical outrages imposed upon these vessels.
Upon receipt of a reply from his Excellency, I shall again have the honour to address your Excellency, and, in the meantime, I have the honour to make this communication, availing, &e.
Prince CHING.
(Translation.) Sir,
Inclosure 7 in No. 1.
Wai-wu Pu to Sir J. Jordan.
Peking, November 5, 1907.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's note of the 21st October last, announcing another piratical attack upon a British-owned launch near Walchow, in Kuangtung, and stating that, since no effective steps had yet been taken for the suppression of piracy, you could only reiterate your request that the provincial authorities might be ordered to inaugurate the scheme of a preventive service under Customs control without delay, and that they might be called upon to arrest the pirates and arrange with His Majesty's Consul-General for the compensation of the losses sustained.
I had also the honour to receive successively your Excellency's further note of the 26th October, to the effect that the British steam-launch " Tung Feng" had been pirated 7 miles below Whampoa, and of your Excellency's note of the 30th ultimo
Your Highness,
(Signed)
Inclosure 8 in No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Prince Ching.
Peking, November 9, 1907.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Highness' note of the 5th November informing me that the Board had arranged with the Revenue Council to set aside a sum of 200,000 tacis for the purchase of cruisers to deal with piracy in the Canton waters, and that instructions had been telegraphed to Canton to arrange for their up-keep, and to consult with the Commissioner of Customs in the adoption of measures for preventing smuggling and for capturing pirates. Your Highness added that the Viceroy had reported the appointment of a deputy to discuss the drafting of rules with the Commissioner of Customs, and that the Province of Canton, would, of course, accept the duty of providing for the annual cost of these vessels. The Board had thereupon telegraphed to his Excellency to charter a number of suitable launches to serve in the meantime as preventive cruisers.
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