ABSTRACT
On 18th July, 1844, the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir John F. Davis, reported to Rear-Admiral Cochrane, the naval commander, a piratical attack the previous night on Colonel Farquharson and Captain D'Aguilar, near Chang-chow, the third attack suffered by the British in less than three months. Shortly after this the Superintendent of Trade offered to Chinese authorities the assistance of the British Navy in putting down piracy, an offer "civilly declined". With a realistic grasp of the conditions along the China coast, the Board of Admiralty wrote to Rear-Admiral Collier:Within a few months the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, and the Admiralty were considering more specific means to accomplish this purpose. Chinese authorities Lordships' reply brought complete approval from the Foreign Secretary. The Lords Commissioners again showed themselves acutely aware of realities in China, and were the determining voice in the making of British policy.
