CO129-464 - Public Offices - 1920 — Page 338

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JAPANESE ACTIVITIES IN THE PARACELS

327

China station.

The historical summary in it may

possibly prove of interest to you.

Yours sincerely,

According to a report from the British Consul at Tamsui, steps were in progress on 19th December 1919 to fit out Japanese vessels in Formosa to fish for trocas shells in the Paracels. Further, it was re- ported in the press that the islands have no definite omer and would be annexed by Japan. Information to this effect was forwarded by the British Minister in Tokyo to the Commander-in-Chief, China Station via Hong Kong.

The following historical summary has been prepared by the Hydro- grapher, and is circulated for information:-

The date of the first discovery of this group of islets and rocks by Europeans is uncertain, but from their situation it appears probable that they were fallen in with by the Portuguese voyagers who reached Canton in the early part of the 16th Century, and that they were already known to the Chinese at this date.

A

The name "Paracel" is probable a corruption of "Parcel", Portuguese word meaning a hidden rock or shoal. for the group is the Ts'ihchow (Seven Islets) group.

The Chinese name given as "Farcels" on Colom's

8 chart of 1669 published at Amsterdam. The group has been repeatedly surveyed (merely as constituting

The name is

a denger to navigation) by Captains Ross and Maughan, of the Indian Marine in 1808, by H.M.S. 'Rifleman' in 1865, and by the German men- of-war 'Freya' and 'Iltis' in 1881 83. So far as can be traced," however, none of these surveyors took formal possession of the group, which seems to have been regarded at that time as a dependency of Annam, being frequented by Cochin-Chinese for purposes of fishing etc. Formal possession does not appear to have been taken of the Paracels by any nation until Sunday June 6th 1909, on which date the Chinese ensign was hoisted on Duncan Island by Admiral Li Tsun of the Imperial Chinese Navy, with the Gurboats "Fupao" and "Chinhao". This action on the part of the Chinese Government was probably the 'outcome of their discovery earlier in the year that the Pratas group, about 360 miles N.E. of the Paracels was being worked for guano by a Japanese Company, whom they dislodged on the ground that the group was Chinese territory.

On February 2nd 1920, the British Minister in Peking was instruct- ed that China should be encouraged to exert her sovereignty over the islands.

It is considered that although the Paracels seem unlikely to be of great value in the event of war, it is undesirable that Japan, under the cloak of commercial enterprise, should further extend her influence; to the Southward by annexing a group of islands on the route between Hong Kong and Singapore.