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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 11тn APRIL, 1885.
myself and of the Executive of this Colony. I hope that this resolution will be carried unanimously. As the Honourable member said, it is owing to my exertions that the Un-official element in this Council was increased from two to five, and that the Chamber of Commerce was invited to nominate its own representative. I am sure from the able speeches my Honourable friend has made on this and other occasions, and from his high character and position, that the Chamber of Commerce could not have made a better choice. In fact I look upon my Honourable friend as a living, and I am happy to add, flourishing, proof of the success of my policy. I said just now that I hoped that this resolution would be passed unani- mously, and I said so because it would give great strength to recommendations I have already made on the same subject to Her Majesty's Government. The fact is, gentlemen, that a truly paternal Governor on this as on other occasions has anticipated the wishes of his children. A great English statesman some years ago--I refer to Sir ROBERT PEEL-said it was the first duty of a statesman to be a little, but not too much, in advance of the people over whom he rules. Now it can be proved by documentary evidence that I have been in this question of defence twelve months at least in advance, not of the Royal Engineer Officers, and others to whom my Honourable friend on my left (Honourable W. KESWICK) referred just now as having given special attention to the subject, but of general opinion in this community. I can only say that when I came here there was no general agitation on the subject of defences, and it was I who then first raised the question with the Imperial Government. I have prepared a minute showing exactly what has been done, and quoting from various documents, and with the permission of the Council I will now read that minute:-
"I arrived at Hongkong on March 30th, 1883; and six weeks afterwards, after careful study of the subject, I opened the question of the Defences of this Colony by an elaborate despatch to the Secretary of State (Lord DERBY), dated May 12th, 1883. In that Despatch, after entering fully into details, I concluded as follows:
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I submit that your Lordship should move the War Office to prepare a full and final plan for the defences of Hongkong, and that such plan should be transmitted by Her Majesty's Government to both the Governor and the General Commanding the troops, with instructions to use all the authority and influence of their respective offices in assisting in carrying it into execution. The Major-General Commanding has read this despatch, and authorises me to state that he cordially agrees with my views in every respect. He fully concurs as to the urgent necessity of the War Office finally deciding on a complete plan of defence, and of that plan being carried into execution without unavoidable delay.
I may here observe that in the phrase "full and final plan," I referred to those various and conflicting schemes to which my honourable friend alluded just now. I knew, of course, that various Engineer Officers had proposed various plans, but none had been adopted, and the great point was that a full and final plan should be decided upon.
"After several detailed statements and arguments, I proceeded as follows :-
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It has been frequently shown that Hongkong commands our Trade Routes in the Far East; that shipping to the amount of above five millions of tons (a larger tonnage than that which entered the port of London 40 years ago) yearly enters this port; and that it is of paramount importance not to suffer any nation, or any possible confederacy of nations, to destroy or lessen the prestige and influence of Great Britain with China and Japan, those rich and vast countries which have in all human probability a great future before them in the history of the world.
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"Such, Honourable gentlemen, was the language in which I opened the question of our defences just six weeks after my first arrival here. And I have followed up this opening by a long series of official despatches and (what has proved still more effective), of private letters to my personal friends among English statesmen and among the chief Military Authorities at the War Office. I cannot, of course, publish correspondence much of which is of a confidential character; but I am ready to show it to any member of this Council. I know that you, Honourable gentlemen, like myself, deprecate any 'irresponsible chatter' (as one you has truly called it), which could have no other result but to point out any weak point in the armour of our country to our possible enemies-to all who fear or who envy the greatness of England. A perusal of my correspondence on this subject will show that what has been done, and is doing, for the defences of this Colony, is due mainly to my constant and persistent representations, aided, of course, by General Sargent, and by the other naval and military authorities. I am in cordial co-operation with Admiral Sir W. DOWELL, and with General CAMERON, who possess the entire confidence of the Admiralty and of the War Office; and this community can place full reliance on their prudence and energy. Sir W. DOWELL is now temporarily absent in the execution of measures which, if they could be divulg ed, would be regarded by all of you as the best calculated alike for the protection of our trade and of English interests generally in this quarter of the globe, and also for the protection of Hongkong. The Admiral has authorised me to state, moreover, that there will remain perma- nently in this harbour the formidable ironclad Wivern-now fully manned and equipped-and five other men-of-war, together with four torpedo boats, and a large provision of submarine mines. I may add that I have recently received a letter from the highest official military
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