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Aberdeen would wish to have some further explanation as to the intentions of the Board of Treasury in that respect, instructions may be sent to her for his future guidance.
On Clause 4, Pottinger His Lordship would however in the first place observe that Sir H. Pottinger, or the Chief Superintendent for the time being, must alone receive from Chinese Govt the amount of the several instalments as they became due; but his Lordship would wish to be informed whether Sir H. Pottinger is to retain the instalments when paid, in his custody, or to pay immediately to the Commissariat, the Commissariat being restricted from setting apart any portion thereof for the payment of current expenses without the concurrence of his Excellency H. Pottinger; and in that case whether the Commissariat is itself to make arrangements for remitting to this country the balances which with the concurrence of Sir H. Pottinger, it may consider advisable to dispose of in that manner: or whether it is in the intention of the Board of Treasury that Sir H. Pottinger should retain in his own charge the whole of the Instalments when paid, and having set apart and paid to the Commissariat a sum sufficient to meet the current expenses according to the estimates presented to him H. Pottinger by the Commissariat and approved of by him, himself make arrangements for remitting to England the balances of the several instalments.
In this latter case, the service to be rendered by the Commissariat establishment under Sir H. Pottinger would be confined to the mere drawing up of his accounts in the same manner as they are now drawn up in the Superintendents Office.
Lord Aberdeen presumes that the Board of Treasury will apprize the Board of Admiralty, of the time at which remittances may be expected to be made from China to this Country, so that arrangements may be made by that Dept for the conveyance of the Treasure to England, without prejudice to the wants of the public service in the China Seas, and without reducing the naval force which it may be considered advisable to keep up in that quarter.
With regard to the passage in the Minute which