.303. No. V.
RETURN SHOWING THE MORTALITY AMONGST THE CHINESE DURING THE YEAR 1854,
POPULATION DIED IN THE DIED OUT OF
OF
EACH FLACK.
TOTAL.
COLONY. THE COLONY
City of Victoria
27,524
193
193
}
Dead bodies found exposed in Victoria and bu-
ried by the Police.
64
64
No. of Chinese died in the Gaol and Government
Civil Hospital
27
27
Total in Victoria
27,524
284
284
Aberdeen Hongkong and vicinity
1,399
15
15
Stanley, Ty-tam and vicinity
1,131
15
15
Sheak'o
285
1
Sai-wan
423
15
"
15
Wong-nei-chong
465
7
Show-ke-wan
242
"
Soo-kan-poo
1,414
27
27
Dead bodies of Chinese found exposed by the
Police in the villages and buried
20
20
Total in Villages
5,359
93
38
93
Estimated mortality out of the colony as per
remark in No. 4
985
985
32,883
377
985
1.362
C. MAY
Officiating Registrar General.
OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF TRADE.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.
The following Despatch from Commander Vansittart of Her Majesty's Sloop Bittern, to the ad- dress of his Excellency, Rear Admiral Sir James Stirling, is published for general information.—
Victoria, Hongkong, 23rd March, 1855.
No. 12 of 1855.
W. WOODGATE.
H. M. SLOOP Bittern, Hongkong, 22d March, 1855.
SIR, I have the honour to report arrival of H. M. Sloop from Amoy on the 20th, and Straits of Namoa last evening.
2. On the 19th inst., Messrs. Tait of Amoy having represented that information had just reached them of a Piratical Fleet having lately settled itself in Namoa Straits, capturing Merchant Junks and indirectly greatly hindering European traffic, I determined to pass through and inquire into the case: Mr. Interpreter Gingell of Foochow was fortunately with us, and enabled me to communicate with a high Mandarin, the Chinhae of Namoa.
3. This official confirmed the worst accounts, sent an officer to point out the Pirates, came out from Nangan Bay with his Squadron, and bore down after the Bittern for Brig Island, under which, thanks to a fresh morning gale, the Pirates still lingered, consisting of six West Coast boats, four large Chinchew Junks, and numerous smaller vessels.
4. We anchored, opened fire, took possession of one West Coast boat and recaptured two large The Pirates cut or slipped, Merchant Junks, one very deep, taken outside some 14 days before. and made a feeble return to our fire as they attempted to escape in various directions, chiefly to seaward. The Mandarins might have seized most of the smaller craft, but they all gathered round a sinking West Coast boat, which fought them to the last.
5. Having placed the Chinese authorities in possession of the West Coast boat with prisoners, together with recaptured Merchant Junks, and driven on shore or sunk five of the squadron, we chased and came up with two more of the West Coast boats, which were soon disposed of-darkness only preventing a more complete success; however; eight of the fleet having been destroyed, (four of which were West Coast), and probably many of the others considerably damaged, it is to be hoped that they will not again settle in the straits of Namoa, where, as the Chinhae informed Mr. Gingell, it is their first appearance, and that within the last fortnight.
I have, &c.,
To
His Excellency Rear Admiral,
Sir James Stirling, Kt.
(Signed)
E. W. VANSITTART, Commander.
P
raticad
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