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which was attacked unsucessfully by the Pacific squadron, was on the China station.
To return to my piratical expedition. There is no doubt that the pirates at that time were very bold and aggressive; they almost blockaded Hongkong, but they usually kept out of the way of our boat expeditions. However, we brought in a piratical junk or two occasionally, though they often made a good fight of it, the Chinamen escaping to the shore usually when hard pressed. I was lucky enough twice to capture junks with a gig's crew after slight resistance, but on one occasion we had a narrow escape from a "stink pot," which a Chinaman had thrown from the mast-head at the boat. The junks were well armed, often with 10 to 12 guns, and “gingals" of various calibres, and when in close action their crews throw pots containing a mixture of gunpowder and resin from the mast-heads, which exploded on breaking, a horrible smoke and stink, hence the name. Fortunately the men in the junks had no muskets.
On the occasion to which I refer, a Chilian barque had been taken and scuttled at a place called Coulan, some 320 miles south-west of Hongkong, the captain, an Irishman called Rooney, escaping in a small boat to Hongkong. He reported that a Chinese merchant and a French lady who had been passengers in his ship had been taken prisoners, and a more than usually important expedition was organised to endeavour to recapture them and punish the pirates. Accordingly an English merchant steamer, the Anne, was chartered for the occasion and placed in charge of Lieutenant Palliser, our then First Lieutenant, the other officers being Lieutenant Morrell, Mr. Sarratt, second master, and Mr. Fremantle, midshipman. There were about seventy officers and men all told, the boats consisting of our two pinnaces armed with 12-pounder howitzers and the jollyboat.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
of the Admiral to Hongkong, when 100 junks were taken or burut, our loss being three men killed and a good many wounded,
But let me now turn to quite another story. It was my good fortune to be in China during the China-Japan war '94-95, and I had good opportunities of watching operations at Port Arthur and Weihaiwei from my flag-ship or another of my squadron It was bitterly cold, at times the thermometer ging down suddenly to 10 deg. or 15 deg. with a northerly wind, the sheets of floating ice making boat work difficult, while at Chefoo the juuks_inshore were frozen in but through it all the Japanese never ceased operations, and their arrangements both by sea and land were very complete. In the torpedo attacks on the Chinese ships at Weihaiwei especially they showed wonderful devotion and daring, though the service was so trying that there were several fatal cases of frost-bite.
The methods of the Chinese were peculiar, and they were very impartial in their attentions. One day in particular I remember I was lying off Weihaiwei with four or five ships at a distance of five miles, when they persistently fired at our squadron from their batteries, some shots falling quite close to us, but it was what used to be called in naval parlance "random firing," and they get tired of wasting their ammunition in due course. A curious fact is that the Chinese semaphored in English, and as they knew the commander of the Archer, who had been one of their instructors, they were good enough not to fire at him. I took advantage of this, and the Porpoise, her sister ship, nsed frequently to lie close in to Weihaiwei during the operations and report to me their signals. I remember one was, Captain of guns of western batteries to relieve those of eastern batteries. Officers coming off duty to report themselves at the Admiral's yamen" (house or office).
The Japanese never went to Chefoo, as I gave them a hint not to go there: but they had intended doing so, and the ideas of the Chinese Taotai, or Governor, were original. He told our Consul, Mr. Allen, that on the Japanese approaching he could not, of course, make any real defence, but that he must fire a few shots
"to save his face," and then he would take pium; "he was an old man and this would save his family from disgrace." Our Consul told him of course that he had better make terms without offering a useless resistance or committing suicide, which would only exasperate the Japanese, but he would not hear of it. However, as the Japanese never went to Chefbo he was saved from the fate of the Chinese Admiral Ting, who committed suicide by taking opium as soon as he found he could make no further defence.
Arriving off Coulan at daylight one morning two junks were seen, and the boats went in chase immediately. Taken by surprise the junks were rua on shore, the crew escaping as usual;
but fortunately they bad left the passen- gers we were looking for on board, so we were able to rescue them without firing a shot. That day we captured one of the piratical strongholds after a sharp skirmish, and recovered some of the barque's cargo, but it was known that Coulan itself, which was situated in a deep bay, would be a tougher job, and that it was filled with junks.
The next day our boats proceeded to the attack of Conlan, and I had the honour of com- manding the jollyboat; we counted about fifty junks in the bay, and we were received with a storm of fire both from the junks and from guns mounted on shore. Most of the shot fortunate- ly fell short, but one or two went over our heads, and one certainly splashed us well in the jolly- It would be interesting, did space permit, to boat, of which more presently. Palliser, per-compare the Hongkong of 1853 with 1900 when haps wisely, thought they were too strong for I was last there. The fine sailing tea clippers us, especially as our boats were crowded with
the Stornoway, the Granite City, the Pathfinder, men, and we pulled under the shelter of a rock, etc., are all gone; so are the opium schooners where, after a consultation with Morrell, the Nymphe, Zephyr and others, Sail has given attack was given up. An amusing part of this place to steam, and tea no longer comes chiefly informal conversation was that a fine old petty from China. But one thing has not changed. officer named Joe Jackson, who was in the jolly- The Chinese are Chinese still. The China boat with me, under the influence of some
merchants own steamers, but the habits and "samsbu or Chinese spirit, which he had
trade of the country are much as they were. somehow got hold of, kept on saying in a loud The juuks and boats, whether at Hongkong, tone "it all, let's have a go in at 'em." He Canton or Shanghai, are the same now as they had been badly splashed, and he wanted to have
were then, and probably as they were 1,000 years it out. There was another council of war held previously. Has the Chines character chang, d afterwards on board the Anne, when I proposed at all, and have recent events done anything to to attack the stronghold from the high ground. pull down the close veil of prejudice against I had in fact landed the previous day in chase the hated foreigner, which existed fifty years of a junk's crew, and climbing a hill I had looked ago? I cannot say. down on the war junks, and as the Chineso had no muskets I thought we might have landed forly to fifty men and driven them to sea, when our boats' guns could have dealt with them.
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I remember I was very proud of my plan, and I was listened to attentively for some time, when it occurred to Palliser that a midship- man's idea must be preposterous, and I was ignominiously dismissed. Nevertheless I think now that the plan was a good one, and that it might have succeeded.
However, we returned to Hongkong after our partial success, for which Palliser got the Legion of Honour, and he was promoted for this and other expeditions.
I ought to add that Conlan was eventually taken by the boats of the squadron on the return
L'Echo de Chine sees in the settlement of the Mixed Court jurisdiction question at Shanghai a victory for the consular body. This is interesting to read in conjunction with the leading article which we republished from the N.-C. Daily News last week.
The Chinese Special Coronation Ambassador, Prince Tsai Chen, according to a Shanghai native official report, will return to China by way of the United States and Japan. It is further stated that a China Merchants' steamer is to be sent to meet the Prince, at Nagasaki whence the Prince will proceed straight to Tientsin, and so on to Peking.
[Ĵuly 19, 1902.
THE CORONATION REVIEW,
WHAT SHOUld have bEEN.
[FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Portsmouth, 12th June. The first naval port of this vast Empire is just now particularly the attraction of the worll is to be held at Spitheat on Saturday, the 20th in consequence of the great Naval Review that inst. Among the large assembly will be the cruiser Orlando, Commander Philip H. Colomb, home from the China Station. who is acting Captain, which has just arrived This vessel has received orders to prepare for the great day and will pay off about the middle of July.
For this review Admiral Sir C. F. Hotham, G.C.V.O., Commander-in-Chief at the Port, will be in command and will. hoist his flag temporarily on the new battleship London, Captain J. E. C. Goodrich.
A notable feature on this occasion is that there will be twenty-four English admirals taking some part in the day's doings, whilst about twe:fe the Foreign Admira's. The following is a of them will fly their flags; this is not counting complete list of the foreign ships to be pre- sent, and it may be noticed that the President Sarmiento, Argentina training ship, well known in Hongkong, is amongst the number :-
Argentina-Presidente Sarmiento, 2,750 tons; training ship.
Chili-Chacabuco, 4,500 tons; cruiser. Denmark-Herluf Trolle, 3,470 tons; battļo-
ship.
France-Montcalm, 9,500 tons; armoured
cuiser.
Germany-Kaiser Friedrich III, 11,150 tons; battleship.
Greece-Peara, 4,885 tons; battleship. Italy-Carlo Alberto, 6,500 tons; armoured cruiser.
Japan-Asama, 9 750 tons; armoured cruiser. Tukusago; 4,160 tons; cruiser.
Netherlands-Holland, 3,900 tons; cruiser) Norway-Norge, 3,817 tons; battleship. Portugal-Dom Curlos Ț., 4,100,tons; cruiser. Russia-Pobieda, 12,600 tons; battleship.. Spain-Emperador Carlos V, 9,235 tons; armoured cruiser..
Sweden-Oden, 3,50 tons; battleship.
United States-Illinois, 11,565 tons; battle- ship.
Austria is the only naval Power that at present is not represented. The United States will also have in English waters the Albany and Chicago.
The day's proceedings will commence at 12.3) noon, when a signal gun will be fired from the flagship London for all private vessels to remore from the Review ground by 1.30. At two o'clock the King will leave Portsmouth Harbour and be received with the usual saluter,
and the completion of the Review will be indicated by a signal gun fired from each of the British Then private vessels can again flagships. cruise amongst the Fleet until 8.30 p.m., when preparations are made for the magnificent display of illuminations of the Fleet. At 11 p.m. His Majesty will again steam through the nes, and at 12 midnight all illuminations ill te by signal suddenly and simultaneously extinguished; then immediately afterwards a Royal salute will be fired by the entire fleet-a rather novel feature, a midnight salute.
་་ THE "ORLANDO AT HOME. The arrival here of the cruiser Orlando last
week from China has given the inhabitants great interest, as the crew were in the heroic defence of the British Legation at Peking and also for the gallant dash of Admiral Sir Ë, H. Seymour for the relief. I have had a chat with the officers and men and can gather some interesting details which perhaps have never been published.
During the siege of Peking Sergeant Preston, R.M.L.I., and the Armourer were specia ly mentioned by the British Ambassador for their bravery, and the former has been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. The opinion of the Chinese soldiers is "they are all right at a game of long bowls, but they can't stand cold If one can only get at them away they steel. run," said an officer to me. Leading Seaman George has been given the conspicuous gal-, lantry medal and the United States has conferred the gold medal for valour upon him
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