Sessional_Paper_1884 — Page 99

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The opium was in the three boats. In the first lot that came across there were 40 men, and afterwards 59. The second lot came a few minutes afterwards. After search, I should say there were a number of muskets and about ten revolvers. These three boats were not sea-going vessels. I saw nothing of the fight. All I learned was from enquiries made by my coxswain on the Chinese mainland. I did not hear any firing. Ch'ak woling is distant about a mile from the Station.. I heard no firing, nor of anything to attract attention, till the men were within the Colony. As to the system to which I refer in my report, I got the information from my coxswain, who says he got the infor- mation from the head of the gang. I got my information from the coxswain in the course of general conversation. Inspector CRADOCK investigated the case with me. The boats were not seen the night before, and they were not boarded. They were not numbered and did not belong to the Colony. I have never seen a case of this kind before, or heard of such a case during my experience in the Police Force, extending over 11 years. I did not learn from the smugglers about any fight. The man in charge of the Customs Shed at Malautung told me about the man who was killed. The fight, I was informed, took place on Chinese territory, 400 or 500 yards from the shore..

FIFTH MEETING,

2nd February, 1883.

Present:-Sir George Phillippo, Chief Justice, (Chairman).

Honourable J. RUSSELL, Colonial Treasurer.

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F. B. JOHNSON, M.L.C.

Mr. J. H. STEWART-Lockhart, (Secretary).

The examination of Inspector MACKIE is continued :--

With regard to the Minute by the Governor on C.S.O. 2976 of 1879, where a junk was captured and taken out of British waters: "Let the Captain Superintendent inform "Inspector MACKIE that he must be more careful in future. He ought to have stated "in the first instance what he seems to have admitted when questioned by the Acting "Harbour Master, that no complaint whatever reached him on the subject.".

I took it as a censure when it was communicated to me, and in consequence I would not again report a similar case, although I thought the junk was captured within our

waters.

On the 31st August of last year, I reported the boarding of a junk in British waters in Ch'áiwán by 5 or 6 men belonging to a launch from the Fatt'auchau Customs Station.

J. P. SWANSTON, Inspector of Police and Harbour Officer at Stanley states:- I have been in the Police Force for eleven years, six years out of which I have been at out-stations-Aberdeen, Sháukiwán, and Stanley. When at Sháukiwán, I have boarded small boats near the Liümún Pass, either in Akungngám Bay or Sháukiwán harbour, and have found opium and saltpetre on board them, and they themselves have told me that they were going to smuggle. The most I have known these small boats to carry is 200 balls, but on an average they only carry two to three balls.

The crew ranges