Sessional_Paper_1899 — Page 589

586

SIR,

(Governor to General Officer Commanding.)

Hongrong, 21st April, 1899.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 20th instant informning me of the result of your expedition to Deep Bay.

I congratulate Your Excellency upon the thoroughness with which you have carried out your operations in the East and West of the New Territory and upon the able manner in which your orders have been exccuted.

I earnestly hope that the demonstration given of overwhelming force and rapidity of movement may induce the misguided peasantry of the New Territory to abandon any idea of further resistance and to settle down to their usual occupations. Such a result will be entirely due to the hearty co-operation of the Naval and Military Forces in carrying out the plan of operations so ably conceived by you.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,

His Excellency

Major-General W. J. GascoignE,

Commanding in China & Hongkong.

HENRY A. BLAKE.

SIR,

(From the General Officer Commanding in China and Hongkong to the Under-Secretary of State.)

HONGKONG, 5th May, 1899.

As I consider that you should be in possession of full information as regards the recent rising of the inhabitants of the New Territory which has just been added to the Colony so far as the troops under my command were concerned, I have the honour to submit the following report.

At midnight on April 3rd I was informed by His Excellency the Governor that the Captain Superintendent of Police and a party of his then had been attacked by a large number of Chinese at the villages of Táipó Hü, Tolo Harbour, Mirs Bay, where they were guarding some workinen employed in erecting matsheds which were being put up as a temporary police barracks, and His Excellency requested that I would at once send out some troops as the police were understood to be in a position of grave danger. Accordingly, having obtained the hearty co- operation of the Commodore in charge, a company of the Royal Welch Fusiliers were embarked in the Torpedo-boat destroyer H.M.S. Whiting and at 3.30 a.m. on the morning of April 4th instant proceeded to the scene of the outrage. I considered it adyable to accompany this small Force myself, as, at that time the territory not having been formally taken over, the Governor was naturally most anxious that no unnecessary force should be used. On arrival at Táipó Hi I found that the matsheds had been burnt down, but that under cover of the darkness the police had escaped and made their way some 12 miles overland to British Kowloon.

The villagers, who appeared frightened at the sudden appearance of the troops, expressed great regret for what had happened, and the incident was considered closed.

After consultation with the Governor, who had decided to hoist the British Flag at Táipó Hü on the 17th April, and with his concurrence, I determined that it would be advisable to encamp half a battalion of the Hongkong Regiment in the District as soon as the flag was hoisted, and the necessary camps were selected accordingly.