CO129-360 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 567

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.] 562

C.O.

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

8782

[January 25.]

SECTION 1,

RECR

Rec 12 MAR OF

No. 1.

[3258]

(No. 4.) Sir,

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.~(Received January 25.)

Peking, January 4, 1909. I HAVE the honour to report that a serious anti-foreign agitation has for the past month been in existence in Canton, the ostensible cause of which has been the death on the 30th November last of a Chinese passenger on board Messrs. Batterfield and Swire's river steamer "Fatshan." Fellow passengers of the deceased man asserted that his death had been caused by a Portuguese watchman on the steamer, who had kicked him when demanding his ticket, and this accusation seems to have aroused popular excitement and feeling almost as soon as the "Fatshan" had arrived at Canton.

Upon this occurrence being reported to His Majesty's Consul-General by the master of the "Fatshan," Dr. Davenport, medical officer to the Consulate-General, was at once sent on board to examine the body, and reported that the man had died a natural death, and that there were no signs of his having met with any violent treatment. At the request, however, of the Chinese authorities, who refused to take this statement as conclusive, a second examination of the body was held on the steamer, when Dr. Davenport adhered to his previous diagnosis, while several so-called Chinese medical men ventured to differ from him. This second examination was held in difficult surroundings, with a large crowd of soldiers, police, idlers, and roughs swarming about the steamer, giving their opinion in loud tones, and wrangling in the immediate vicinity of the body upon the merits of the case, and it was not until a guard had been "Moorhen that some semblance of sent to clear the ship from His Majesty's ship order was restored.

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In order to calm the apprehension of the Prefect and Magistrate, who were on the scene of the disturbance, and seemed genuinely concerned at the serious turn the affair The result of this was taking, Mr. Fox consented to hold an inquiry into the matter. inquiry was to show that there was no reliable evidence that the deceased had been kicked by the Portuguese watchman, and no sign that, even if he had been kicked, his death was caused by such treatment. Mr. Fox accordingly would not hand the watchman over to be tried by Portuguese Consul-General, but stated that it was open to the Chinese authorities to prefer a charge of manslaughter against him in the Portuguese Consular Court.

Instead of allaying the agitation, the result of the inquiry was to give a fresh impetus to the anti-foreign movement which, fanned by the well-known "Self-govern- ment Society," began to assume an alarming complexion. Abusive placards, denouncing Great Britain and His Majesty's Consul-General in unmeasured terms, were posted all over the city, meetings were held at which the speakers advocated a general boycott of British steamers, and the local press published numerous articles of an inflammatory

character.

As soon as the agitation had been brought to my notice by telegram from His Majesty's Consul-General, I lost no time in urging the Wai-wu Pu to instruct the Viceroy to take measures to repress it. A telegram in that sense was accordingly dispatched to the Viceroy by the Central Government on the 11th ultimo, and on the 14th his Excellency issued a Proclamation enjoining upon all and sundry to abstain from any further incitements to disorder. His Excellency pressed Mr. Fox to reopen the inquiry, but the latter explained that such action was beyond his powers, and that any further charge could only be heard by the Portuguese Consul, who had claimed jurisdiction.

On receiving a request to hold an inquiry, the Portuguese Consul was at first inclined to refuse, there being no fresh evidence to justify such a course, but, acting on my instructions, Mr. Fox urged upon him the advisability of acceding to the request, in order to remove all ground for further agitation, and, according to telegrams from Canton of the 15th and 17th ultimo, he finally consented to do so on certain conditions, The and negotiations with regard to the inquiry were proceeding satisfactorily. newspaper agitation temporarily ceased, and the "Fatshan" left Canton on the 14th with a full complement of Chinese passengers.

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