CO129-365 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1910 [1-3] — Page 331

326

4.

A serious riot broke out in

Canton on February 10th. A considerable body of the

soldiery mutinied, attacked the Civil Police and wrecked a

Police Station, and attempted to capture the Arsenal.

Throughout the night of the 13th. the Viceroy continued to

telegraph to the Consul urgently requesting the withdrawal

of all the British Railway Engineers and their families

residing outside Canton at the Railway Headquarters and

early in the morning all took refuge in Shameen. The

mutineers destroyed the barracks by fire, and engaged the

loyal troops, who were but little superior to them in

numbers. They were defcated with an estimated loss of 400

or 500. The Consul-General reports that the mutineers were

prompted to violence by the agents of revolutionary

societies. I am told that many thousands of well-to-do

Chinese flocked to Hongkong for safety.

5.

It appears clear from this

account that the crisis was a serious one. No one knew to

what extent the disaffection among the troops might spread,

and no one could have counted upon the very able and

successful measures taken by Admiral Li who with the aid of

Wireless Telegraphy installed on the river boats rapidly

concentrated a sufficient body of loyal troops and at-

-tacked