CO129-508-4 Cases of attacks by pirates 6-11-1927 - 23-11-1928 — Page 211

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Hal.Consul General, Shanghai to Home Linister, Peking.

H.B.k. Conɛulate-dene ral,

2/0

No.104. (9986/27)

and three copies.

sir.

changhai.

£8 th December, 1927.

ith reference to my telegram 50.571 of today's

date on the subject of the piracy of the 5.5. "Irene". I

have the honour to enclose herewith copy and translati on

of the two letters addressed to me on this subject by the

Commissioner for Foreign Affairs.

The letter of the Elst instant, asking me to request the Government of Hongkong by telegraph to postpom the execution of the seven pirates sentenced to death by the

Supreme Court in Hongkong, was handed to me by a secretary

of the Bureau for Foreign Affairs, to whom I explained that

I could not communicate a request of this nature to the

dengkeng Government direct nor would any useful purpose be served by communicating it to His Majesty's Legution unlesE

the grounds for the request were made knowni.

The Beer tary

informed me that the Commissioner had no knowledge of the

grounds for the request and was awaiting the despatch on the

subject which was to follow from Nanking.

I added that in my personal opinion a request of this nature might produce an unfortunate impression on the

minds of the British Authorities and I gathered that an

expression of this view was not unexpected when the secretary stated that he would inform the Commissioner who, in his

capacity as Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, might bring

it to the netice of Dr. 3. 0.

1

The second letter from the Commissioner dated the

24th instant, enclosing Dr. 0. G. Wu'e communication to your address dated the 22nd instant, reached me today, and was

His Majesty's Minister,

British Legation, Poking.

sacompanied