CO129-411 - Governor Sir May - 1914 [5-7] — Page 202

No

182.

Дире

C

gir,

C.O.

21727

RECO

193

( 15 N14)

GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

HONGKONG. 26th May,

1914.

I have the honour to inform you that on the 31st

of March the S.S. "Shing Tal" a steamer of 391 tons registered

in Canton, Chinese owned, and trading from Hongkong to wuchow

1

in the West River was pirated, as it now transpires by the same

gang who recently attempted to pirate the ill-fated "Tai On",

off Kio Island and taken to a point midway between Kio and Macao

where a sum of $20,580 in Chinese subsidiary coin was taken out

of her by the pirates who made their escape partly into Chinese

territory but chiefly to Macao.

2.

The piracy was organised in the usual manner. The

pirates embarked as passengers at Hodgkong. This vessel only

carries twelve passengers but the officers and crew, who are all

Chinese, number forty-six. The passengers were all searched by

the Police prior to embarking. The ringleader of the pirates

was dressed in European style and occupied a first class cabin.

As the names and addresses of ten of the passengers are known it

is probable that many of the pirates must have embarked as

members of the crew and it is almost certain that their arms were

The smuggled on board by one of the regular crew of the vessel.

Vessel had entered into a bond under the Piracy Prevention Ordinance, but had not complied with the prescribed conditions concerning precautions against piracy and the owners are being

prosecuted accordingly. The case is not yet concluded.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LEWIS HARCOURT, M.P.,

&c.

&0.1

&C.