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Piracy in Chinese Watera.
Claims for compeusetion.
75
"Jainan" 0886.
The question of claiming compenstion for loss or
injury as the result of piretical attacks on British
Vessels in Chinese waters does not appear to have arisen
earlier than 1906, and it is clear from the correspondence
in that year that the aetion then taken was the first of
the kind.
In July of 1906 the vessel "Sainas" was boarded 12
miles below Samshul in the West River and Dr. kaedonald,
British medical missionary was killed, while the Captain
and four Indian members of the drew were wounded. À claim
for compensation amounting in all to 84,000 dollars, in-
cluding £6,000 as compensation for the dependants of Dr.
Kaodonald was submitted by His Majesty's Consul General at
Ganton to the lcoal authorities while His Lajesty's kinister
at Peking brought the matter to the notice of the Central
Government with a view to their influence being brought to
bear upon the Viceroy at Canton. The olain was actually
presented on February 4, 1907 and was met with a definite
refusal by the Viceroy on the grounds that there was no
presedent for paying compensation in such cases and that
they were not provided for in existing treaties.
No progress having been made, and other cases of
piracy on a smaller scale having occurred, Sir J. Jordan
was instructed on October 20, 1907 to inform the Wal-wa-pu
that His Majesty's Government took a serious view of the
position and that they would hold the Chinese Government
responsible unless a satisfactory settlement were forth-
coming from the local authorities.
The
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