about which government department or individual cught to
deal with the disposition. The direction would be made
by the Attorney-General under his delegated power.
5.
I should perhaps add that the Sign Manual
procedure would be equally appropriate if (contrary to
the view of Senior Crown Counsel in Hong Kong) the gift
is held by the Crown on charitable trusts. It would then
be open to the Crown (as it would be to any other trustee
who is given a power to select suitable charitable
objects) to transfer the property to charitable
institutions or to declare the charitable purposes for
which the property is to be held. I do not think the
assistance of the Charity Commissioners by way of scheme
would be required in those circumstances.
6.
As discussed by telephone, I have not attempted
to draft a Sign Manual direction at this stage, because I
am not clear how the gift is to be administered.
7.
Until some time in 1989, the FCO envisaged that
the money would be handed over to the British Council and
the ICR (in the ratio of 2:1), subject to certain
stipulations about how the money was to be used. The
terms applicable to the ICR share were quite
straightforward and summarised in a draft letter dated
30th January 1989. The terms applicable to the British