CO129-431 - Governor Sir May - 1916 [1-2] — Page 200

198

food we AL

Ek we

murdered by the robbers after they had seized the Station.

Rear-Admiral Anstruther was good mough at

once to send H. M. 8. *Virago" to Mira Bay, with instructions that she and H. K. Torpedo Boat stationed in the Bay should render assistance to the Police if help were needed, The Captain Superintendent of Police reported to me the same night that nothing had been seen at Sha-tau-kok of the robbers and that the Police were guarding the frontier to prevent my incursion into our territory.

2.

On the following day the 7th. information having been received that a large band of robbers was going to leave in junks in the early hours of the 8th. from a place called Tai Miu Sha to attack the Customs Stations at Sha-u-chung and Tip Fuk on the shores of Mira Bay, I gave orders to the Police, who had two armed launches in Mirs Bay, that my armed Chinese found in the waters of the Bay were to be at once arrested and that armed resistance was to be overcome by armed force. Further- -more after consultation with Rear-Admiral Anstruther I was enabled to instruct the Captain Superintendent of Police to call on the Commanders of H. M. Ships to act in co-operation with the Police, and I also instructed Mr. Messer if necessary to call

upon the Commander of the Revenue Cruiser of the Chinese Maritime

Customs which was in the Bay for assistance. At the same time I

sent a message by the Police to the Commander of the Revenue

Cruiser that he might take any steps he deemed necessary or desir-

-able to protect Customs property on the shores of Mire Bay. I

also personally informed Mr. Lowder, Commissioner of the Chinese

Maritime Customs,resident at Hongkong in the above sense and on the following morning sent him the letter copy of which is

attached.

3.

As expected in view of the considerable force no attempt was made by the robbers to embark on the waters of the Colony or to attack any other Customs Stations in the Bay, but reports were received that rebels to the number of some 6,000

were