called on river steamers in the river itself. The situation
on the river was that the banks were under the control of a series of Chinese Generals all of whom levied toll on vessels as they passed. In the existing chaos in South China this state of affairs is inevitable, but must not be confused with piracy proper. The shipowners, of course, wanted protection against this form of exaction as well as against piracy.
They had, however, always confused the two things. He thought that no system of patrol launches could possibly be effective against impositions of this sort. Moreover as it is mainly native craft which are subjected to these exactions, it would probably be good policy not to interfere. The more they are annoyed in this way, perhaps the sooner will the Chinese take steps themselves to put an end to the existing chaos.
He wished to emphasise a point which was of great importance and which must not be lost sight of, viz:- that the piracies were not by attacks from outside but by rising from within and he had continuously expressed the view (against which he had never heard any real argument advanced) that against such internal risings, external patrols must necessarily be useless.
In Sir E. Stubbs' view the only two effective ways of combating piracy were by destroying the pirates villages and by insisting that each ship should be prepared, and should recognise its obligation, to defend itself. Until the boycott occurred he had been successful in inducing local Chinese authorities to undertake expeditions against the pirate villages, and these expeditions had on several occasions been very successful; and it was with the object of ensuring that ships should be in a position to defend themselves that the Piracy Regulations had been framed. The proper policy to follow was to insist on the strict enforcement of these regulations.
Sir
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