CO129-508-4 Cases of attacks by pirates 6-11-1927 - 23-11-1928 — Page 97

will have to rely on its own efforts or on the

British naval and military authorities for protection

against piracy.

6. On September 22nd, four days previous to

the seizure of the Anizing, I sent to the Commissioner

for Foreign Affairs a letter, of which a copy is

enclosed, communicating a warning from the Hongkong

police that a piracy was being planned and that it

was intended to take the ship to the Taichau inlet,

and asking that the naval and military authorities

should keer a vigilant waton near the inlet and in

Bias Bay.

My letter and its enclosure were in

Chinese as well as English and were delivered

personally by the Vice Consul with an urgent request

that immediate action should be taken, and a written

reply was received on the same day that the necessary

instructions had been issued by the military head-

quarters. Nevertheless, I ascertained after the

Anking piracy that the warning had not even been

communicated to the Canton naval headquarters, and

I doubt very much whether the military authorities

had taken any special precautions on account of it.

7. It is stated in the warning that the pirate

gang had left for Swatow, moy and Shanghai, which

makes me think that they might have embarked on the

"Anking" at Amoy or Swatow on the downward trip to

Singapore. They would thus have leisure to study

tue ship and their plan of campaign before seizing

the vessel on its next voyage northwards.

This,

however/

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