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Mr. Cooke's house, just behind the consulate, and from there proceeded to the Roman Catholic Mission, an enormous property, which they burnt out completely.
Being informed by Messrs. Butterfield and Swire's agent that it had been determined to fire on the two steamers from the city wall, from which they were well within range, I considered it advisable to drop about 1 mile down stream. We did this, and during the night the steam-ship "Kian "arrived and anchored beside us.
Between 630 P.M. of the 14th and 4 A.M. of the 15th all the property on the river front was destroyed, including the godowns and hulks of Messrs. Butterfield and Swire and of Messrs. Jardinc, Matheson, and Co., and also the customs-house. The work, I am told by eye-witnesses, was performed by at most twenty men, all the others being onlookers, and no attempt was made to stop it. The Japanese property, which is largely financed by Hunanese, was left untouched. During the night the Japanese consul and his staff, together with other Japanese, escaped via their bulk, where troops were stationed, to Chinese boats, but waited till next day to join their steamer which was anchored near me.
On the 15th April at 3:30 A.M. a fire-boat passed the steam-ship "Siangtan." The boat had obviously been filled with oil and was burning brightly; but it passed nowhere near the ship, and no other came.
At about 10 A.M. the Commissioner of Customs and his staff went up in the launch to see the damage done to the customs buildings and to guard their property on the island. Their arrival was the signal for the burning of the hotel, kept by a Chinaman, in which some of the members of the outdoor staff lived. It was not very long before I got a letter and a personal message from the treasurer that their presence was exciting the people, and that he would protect all property if I would persuade them to leave. I consequently urged Mr. Wakefield to retire, and as he had received a letter from the treasurer to say his property would be kept intact, he finally consented to abandon his position.
As the Chinese passengers on the "Siangtan" declared they would create a disturbance if we did not leave, and about the same time I received positive information from the river guard-boats and Captain Agassiz from the compradore of the firm that an organised attack on the steamers had been prepared, oil-boats and hand-grenades having been seen, and that all property having been destroyed they were the next objective, I felt, in view of all that had happened, that this warning could not be disregarded, and decided to move about 12 miles down out of sight of, though within touch of, the city. The Japanese consul not only endorsed this view, but stated, through his vice-consul, that it was not a riot but a revolution, and that he intended to go straight to Hankow whatever my course might be.
On the 16th April at 5 A.M. he left, and at 8 A.M. I sent the steam-ship "Siangtan" to Hankow, retaining in the steam-ship "Kian" a few who wished to return to Changsha.
On the 15th I had sent the launch to Siangtan, from which place I had received bad news, to give the residents the chance of reaching Changsha. They arrived on the night of the 16th, and I sent them to Yochou on the morning of the 17th under escort of Mr. Wrench and Mr. Morgan, as we were told there were riots at Siangyin and Chinkong, two places en route.
Messrs. Wrench and Morgan met Ilis Majesty's ship "Thistle" and returned with her. She arrived at the steam-ship "Kian' at 2:30 P.M., and I at one proceeded to Changsha.
I refused to see the Customs taotai, who immediately came to call, giving as my reason that I would only see the highest authority in the province. Besides, as I was anxious to secure his removal as the first step to a settlement, I did not wish him to think that I in any way thought he was friendly. The same evening His Majesty's ship Nightingale" arrived in port.
**
On the 19th April the treasurer came to call with Mr. Kwok, the Customs taotai, Taotai Lu (Governor Ta'en's French secretary), and a certain Hu taotai. The treasurer assured me most emphatically that he could afford protection, and asked me to give him the names of those who wished to enter the city, in order that the Customs taotai might see to residences for them.
During the interview the treasurer asked me if I had heard that “Ch'uan-fei" (the regular term for Boxers) were concerned in the trouble. I replied that I had not.
At about 2 P.M. I informed all that they could return into the city, and His Majesty's ship "Thistle" left for Chinkong. She had not been gone for half-an-
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hour when I was informed by the river guard-boats that the city was placarded with notices: "Slay Ts'en and oust the foreigner." A copy of this placard was also given me by Mr. Wakefield. I thereupon sent for Mr. Kwok, and finally urged him to tell the truth for once. He stated that the interview in the morning was meaningless, as the treasurer had to speak as he did before the Customs taotai, and that protection could not be afforded. I was also visited by the commandant of the guard-boats and his second in command, who told me just the same. I therefore told Mr. Kwok to return to the treasurer and to obtain from him a definite assurance as to affording protection, telling him that, if this could not be given, he should get the few foreigners in the city out as quietly as possible, and giving him a circular to show them as proof. The treasurer then told Mr. Kwok to get foreigners out, and wrote to me that he could not provide against any untoward event, and that the idea that foreigners should not be in the city should be followed out.
Thereupon I wrote a note to the captain of His Majesty's ship "Thistle" and sent it by my launch. The launch returned with an armed party at 3:30 A.M. on the morning of the 20th and was soon followed by His Majesty's ship "Thistle." A most earnest appeal was then made to me by the guard-boatmen to send
away all foreigners. I sent those who had really nothing to do in the steam-ship" Kian" and kept an efficient number of good reliable working members of the community. That evening, the American consul at Ilankow having telegraphed to me to order all his citizens out of Hunan, I sent launches to Siangtan and to Changtê to give foreigners the chance of coming to Changsha if they wished.
Throughout the 21st April I was constantly interviewed by Chinese officers, including the president of the polytechnic (referred to in my intelligence report for the December quarter 1909, p. 12).
The
I sent an armed launch, in charge of a warrant officer of His Majesty's ship "Thistle," to get the people out of Iyang from which we had bad rumours. journey was a complete success, all the women and children leaving and three men remaining. This evening reports came to me that two parties of rowdies armed with knives had crossed to the island, one to each end. The guard-boatmen and the troops were fully posted as to their movements and begged me to give them the chance of proving that they would fire, and asked some of the foreigners to join them in the defence. I was not, however, at this stage prepared to risk any lives and everyone was brought to His Majesty's ship "Thistle." The preparations made were so effective that nothing occurred, and after about three hours all returned to their boats and the houses on the island. The rumour was verified next day.
On the 24th April the new governor arrived escorted by three gun-boats, making a most imposing entry. The events subsequent to his arrival and my suggestions regarding the due apportionment of blame for the outbreak will form the subject of separate despatches."
I have, &c.
Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
W. MEYRICK HEWLETT.
Extract from the "North China Daily News" of April 25, 1910.
THE CHANGSHA RIOTS.
THROUGH Reuter's Agency we have received the following intelligence :-
"London, vid Bombay, April 23, 1910. "Despatches from Washington state that the United States Minister at Peking, Mr. W. J. Calhoun, has telegraphed that he fears that the trouble in Hunan is spreading. The United States Asiatic fleet has been ordered to leave Amoy, to assist if necessary."
"London, viá Bombay, April 24, 1910. "The British chargé d'affaires in Peking has telegraphed to the Foreign Office to the effect that organised hands have resumed rioting at Changsha, and all foreigners have taken refuge in two British vessels."
From subsequent news received from Changsha it would appear that the rioting referred to in the above telegram either did not take place or was not of a serious
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