Messrs. Banker & Ca, have received telegraphic information that on December 26, one of the Company's smaller steamers, the Tien Kwan wae attacked by a large body of pirates as she was on het return journey to Nanning from Po-she. The steamer was about twenty miles below the latter place when the pirates, who had entrenched themselves river, which great width, suddenly opened fire with rifles.
The pirates killed several passengers, seriously wounded the chief engineer, and wounded about a dozen others. No details are yet to hand as to whether the pirates succeeded in boarding the boat, and, if their booty amounted to.
This is the fourth steamer owned by Messrs. Banker & Ca. that has been pirated within the last two and a half months on the West River.
The Company has about ten vessels plying on different reaches of the West River, and, not unnatural; the persistent attacks by pirates h caused considerable anxiety and uneasiness. The most remarkable feature of the pirates of late is that while until quite recently vessels flying the Chinese flag were those which the pirates almost invariably selected for attack, latterly Messrs. boats, which are under the British flag, have received these unwelcome attentions. Perhaps the withdrawal of the British gunboats from the river has emboldened the pirates.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.