694171-1875-Blockade-by-Customs-Cruisers-Report-of-Commission- — Page 1

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No. 90.

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 15TH MAY, 1875.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.

Under instructions from the Right Honorable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the following Report is published for general information.

By Command,

CECIL C. SMITH, Acting Colonial Secretary.

SIR,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 10th May, 1875.

HONGKONG, 28th April, 1874.

1. The members of the Commission appointed by His Excellency the Governor, under a Warrant dated 15th December last, to enquire into, and investigate certain complaints made by Chinese traders, against the action of the Chinese Maritime Customs in the neighbourhood of this Colony, and the alleged detriment to trade arising from such action, have the.honor to submit the following Report:-

2. The Commission have carefully perused all the documents that could be obtained bearing on the subject, and have examined orally a number of Chinese witnesses who came forward to give evidence. The Commission found considerable difficulty in obtaining evidence from Chinese engaged in trade. between this and Canton, with regard to the action of the Chinese Customs to the detriment of the trade in that direction; those applied to, although acknowledging that irregularities were committed, were unwilling to come forward and give evidence, for fear of involving their connections with the native Authorities there. On the other hand, Chinese whose trading connections exist with Formosa and Northern ports, beyond the jurisdiction of the Farmer of the Customs Duties at Canton, came forward willingly to give their evidence.

3. The Commission, in course of their investigation, find that a most vexatious system of blockading is kept up, at all the entrances to the harbor, by a number of boats in the employ of the Hoppo of Canton, the Salt Farmer, and the Collector of the Lekin Tax. These boats are of various classes, steam-launches, pull-a-way gigs, snake boats, and hak-kows, often partially manned by Europeans, and apparently under the supervision of a steam cruizer named the Peng-chao Hai, commanded by a British subject and officered by Europeans. The proceedings of these craft have at various times been most unjustifiable, and when brought to the notice of the Chinese Authorities by the Government of this Colony, through H. B. M.'s Consul at Canton, the complaints have, in most instances, been met by denials and quibblings, and but slender satisfaction has, in any instance, been obtained. There is no doubt in the minds of the members of the Commission, that the craft above referred to continually make use of, and encroach into, the waters of the Colony, and they would particularly call attention to the case reported by the Harbor Master on 27th June last, and referred to in documents C. S. O. 1877, 1980, and 2191. This was a case where boats were found at anchor, and made fast to the shore of this island close to the Lye-e-moon. The falsehood of the statement made by the Chinese officials as to the facts of the case is apparent.

4. Another case is where a hak-kow boat, manned by 9 Chinese and 1 European, was found at anchor close to Green Island, vide C. S. O. 310 of 1874.

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5. In addition to the above, there are the cases of the junks Chiat-heng Sing, Ng-hop Shing, and Kum-chun Fat, (vide C. S. O. Nos. 1893, 2093, 2690), all of which junks, according to statements of the crews, were captured within the waters of the Colony; the Chiat-heng Sing had a cargo of saltpe- tre, rice, &c., and was bound from Hongkong to Cheong-po; the Ng-hop Shing had a cargo of sugar from Taiwan Foo to Hongkong; the Kum-chun Fat had a cargo of saltpetre, sinews, &c., &c., bound for Chin-chew; in the case of the latter, the facts were such as to induce even the Canton Authorities to admit that their employés were in the wrong, and compensation was made to the owner to the amount of $1,080.84, being about one-half of the declared value of his junk and cargo.

6. The Commission would call attention to the remarks of Her Britannic Majesty's Consul in his despatches Nos. 44 and 53, regarding these cases. The Consul in these despatches seems to ignore the fact that this Colony is a free port, and that no goods exported from it can be contraband, and that no vessel can be said to be smuggling until she endeavours to enter a Chinese port, or land her cargo on Chinese territory without paying duty.

7. With reference to the last portion of Consul Sir BROOKE ROBERTSON's letter No, 53, viz., “I "enclose two Chinese Bank orders, not a very satisfactory settlement of the case, I admit, as I should "have preferred to have had the junk and cargo handed over, but if Chinese residents in the Colony "will make it the basis of smuggling into the Chinese Empire thereby entailing much trouble on the "Colonial and this Office, and using the great protective privilege they enjoy under the British rule to "cover illegal acts, they must be content to risk something, indeed under such circumstances they "deserve to lose all.”