CO129-392 - Governor Sir May - 1912 [9-10] — Page 92

COND

Dual

7 enclosures

REC

00026

[Race NCT 12

Government house.

25 September 1912.

85

You.30583

Closure

Sir,

In continuation of my confidential despatch

of the 30th. August, I have the honour to inform you that, as stated in my despatch, having obtained the consent of the Acting Governor of lacao to a joint expedition against the pirates, I sent Mr.IIallifax, Registrar General, to Canton to seok, with the pafenissi on Ponised on of 1.2.majesty's Consul General there, the co-operation

of the Chinese authorities. The latter declined to

consent to the landing of a British force in the island

of Wong Kan (more correctly ang Kum) but gladly

accepted the offer of assistance from .ll's Navy.

The Commissioner of Police, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and a paval officer, came to Hongkong with

Mr.Həllifax to arrange details with this Coverament

and with the Commodore here. These having been settled,

Taprose.

i scnt the Colonial Secretary to Macao to appraise the

vovernor there of the proposed arrangements and to

invite his co-operation.

Mr.Severa reached lacao at

pm. on the 5th.inst. and presented the letter (copy

enclosed) which I had, addressed to X. Sanches de Miranda.

I chose this method of making the arrangomont because

it gave the best promise of secrecy and despatch, both

of which were osaontial to the success of the enterprise.

You will observe that I had previously stipulated with

the Chinese Authorities that, if the Portuguese Author-

-ities agreed to abstain from the operations on land

their