CO129-381 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1911 [11-12] — Page 258

OPY.

Your Excellency,

CO

405 243

R 4 JAN 12

I am glad to be able to report the complete

success of my visit to Nam 0 harbour. On the afternoon of the

25th. instant I went out to Taipo with Mr. Orme and Mr. McElderry

who on that day took over charge of the Northern District from

Mr. Tratman and Mr. A. E. Wood. We spent the night at Taipo.

At 7.30 a.m. today I started from Taipo in

No. 2 Police Launch with Mir. Orme and Mr. McElderry. The launch

was in charge of Sergeant Davies and P.C. Perkins. I also took with me as interpreter Mr. Chú Teng-chong of the District Office

at Taipo: he has been known to me for many years past, has

great experience among the natives of the Northern District and

is a man of tact and good humour.

We reached Nam 0 at about 9.30 a.m. and were

fortunate (pernaps owing to the rainy and inclement weather) in finding a very large number of junks of all kinds in Nam (

harbour. We anchored in the middle of them and I instructed the

Sergeant to take lir. Chü with him in the gig (which is rowed by

4 Chinese water-police) and to vist in turn each of the junks and

order the masters to come on board the Police launch with their

licences to see me. I further instructed the Sergeant, if there

was the slightest sign of trouble, to return at once to the

launch and fetch me. I did not go myself in the gig because,

according to Chinese ideas, it would have meant "loss of face* for your emissary to go round on such an errand. While the gig was visiting the junks I watched closely to detect any sign of

trouble. There was, however, not the slightest show of resistance

but on the contrary considerable alacrity on the part of the fishermen in complying with the orders given. Sergeant Davies

was fortunate in finding among the junks one of the tree which nad threatened the police launch on the occasion of her last visiš

and on board this junk were two of the men who had actually used

threats on the 17th. instant. Both of these men came off without

demur to the Police launch.

When