CO129-381 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1911 [11-12] — Page 396

N°

82.429

383

C O

810

RECR

REGE & JAN 12

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG, 15th. December, 1911.

Eclosure

sir,

I have the honour to forward for your in- -formation copy of the Finding of a Marine Court which I appoint- -ed on 9th. instant to enquire into the circumstances attending the piracy on a British Ship, the S.S. "Shiu On" in the West River on the 23rd. November, together with a minute of 11th. December, 1911, by the Harbour Master.

2.

The chronicle of events preceding this affair

is briefly as follows:-

On the 26th. October the Master of the S. S. "Shun Lee" which is employed in the same trade reported to the Harbour Master that pirates were again becoming troublesome and that on the 23rd. of that month he was eyewitness of a daring act of piracy between Plover Island and Staunch Island, during which the "Shun Lee" came under fire from pirates. I thereupon inquired from the Commander-in-Chief whether he considered it advisable

to take any precautionary measures so as to avoid the possible recurrence of attacks on Bri ish vessels with consequent injury to trade and protracted disputes with the Chinese Authorities

such as had resulted from the piratical attack on S. S. "Sainam”

in 1907. On 7th. November the Senior Naval Officer (in the

absence of the Commodore) informed me in reply to my Despatch that

other

H. M. S. "Sandpiper" had been ordered to proceed to Kongmoon and

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LEWIS HARCOURT, M.P.,

&C.,

&C..

&C...