6
to ordinary home leave. I would have thought that there was a strong case for this arrangement and that it would pay handsome dividends both in terms of export promotion and of the refreshment and all-round performance of the holder of a post, the importance and exacting character of which I personally had never realised until I went to Hong Kong.
14. Finally, it will be no surprise to you that I heard a number of very warm references to the Governor. Two may be worth mentioning. One was from Sir Sik-nin Chau whom I had known slightly years ago. The other was from the senior representative of my French employer, the B.N.P. (which is doing remarkably well in Hong Kong) a most intelligent man who is a percipient and friendly observer of the Hong Kong scene. were critical of MacLehose's predecessor. said that the pity was that MacLehose's appointment was "two years too late".
Both, I am sorry to say, Sir Sik-nin Chau actually
Jans
ever
Patrick.
Sir Thomas Brimelow, KCMG, OBE,
Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Whitehall,
LONDON, S.W.1