645361-1894-Despatches-re-Plague — Page 3

**

Enclosure 1.

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 1ST SEPTEMBER, 1894.

#

727

time defamatory and libellous placards were posted up in Hongkong and later on in larger numbers in Canton attributing the most ghastly cruelties to the Eng- lish doctors, charging them in fact with cutting open pregnant women and with scooping out the eyes of children in order to make medicines for the treat- ment of plague-stricken patients.

11. Your Lordship will find it difficult to believe that after upwards of 50 years' occupation of Hongkong, and after more than 50 years of benign, not to say paternal, Government, Chinamen residents in this British Dependency could be found who were ignorant enough to believe such statements, and treacherous enough to give them currency. Such, however, is unfortunately the case.

12. As there had been some opposition to the Police in the Chinese quarter the day previously, and these statements were likely to inflame the passions of the mob, I immediately requested the Commodore to anchor a gunboat opposite to the Tung Wah Hospital and Taipingshan, and Commodore BOYES at once moved the Tweed into the position I indicated. I also offered a handsome reward for tion which would lead to the arrest and conviction of the author of those disgraceful informa- placards. There can be no doubt that these steps had a very salutary effect as no more placards have been issued here.

any

13. The epidemic a little later than the date of the above mentioned occurrence notwithstanding the heavy rains amounting altogether to some 23 inches was evidently on the increase. The exodus of panic-stricken Chinese was also on the increase, hongs were being emptied of their clerks, chair coolies by hundreds deserted their employers without warning, and many domestic servants applied for the amount of their wages then due to enable them to go to Canton or to join their families on the mainland. No less than 300 men left the China Sugar Factory one morn- ing and crossing over to Kowloon started to walk to Swatow, a distance of 180 miles. At this time the admissions to the hospitals were 67, 70, and sometimes 80 a day, and the deaths in hospital and the dead bodies collected outside were on one occasion 109 in 24 hours.

14. When matters were at their worst I received information that the "literati," who were doubtless in a measure responsible for the dissemination of the disgusting statements respecting the medical men in this Colony, had recommenced operations in Canton. It was currently stated that if any portion of Taipingshan was burnt down as has been suggested an attack would be made upon the Consulate at Canton, and numerous defamatory placards involving not only the medical profes- sion but the "Red-haired Barbarian" generally were being posted broad cast over that City.

15. With a view of stopping the anti-foreign feeling which was thus assuming serious proportions in Canton at the instigation probably of persons here I requested the Consul, Mr. B. BRENAN, to seek an immediate interview with the Viceroy and to demand the contradiction of these libellous and malicious placards. The Vice- roy I am bound to say with apparent readiness issued a proclamation which, as you will see from my despatch No. 125 of the 29th May, I did not consider sufficiently explicit as it was in far too general terms. I therefore requested the Consul to see the Viceroy again and to point out to him that in my opinion his proclamation was not nearly adequate to the occasion. The Viceroy thereupon issued a second proclamation which appeared more to the purpose but which coming too late had little effect on the already exasperated ruffians in his Province. The Registrar General then at my desire drew up a proclamation which was issued throughout Hongkong warning persons from giving credence to the lies which were current as to the treatment of patients and others in our hospitals, and stating in the simplest language what the treatment was, what objects the Government had in view, and how carefully and with due regard to Chinese customs (as far as the nature of the disease would admit) the corpses of their dead friends and relatives were disposed of. I have forwarded all the correspondence which has passed bet- ween the Colonial Secretary and Mr. BRENAN on these subjects as well as subsequent correspondence respecting the brutal attack by the rowdies of Canton on two American Lady Missionary Doctors to Her Majesty's Minister at Peking requesting him to lay the correspondence before the Tsung-li Yamên.

16. It is to be hoped, though I fear such hope is not likely to be realised, that some strong repressive measures will be taken to prevent such outrageous proceedings in future in reference to the subjects of a friendly power.