The Editor of the Friend of China
Sir,
Victoria.
Hongkong, 18th March, 1844.
With reference to your letter of the 12th instant addressed to the Under Secretary I am directed to say that Government will be glad to receive a tender of the terms upon which the Proprietors of the Friend of China will contract to print Government Documents - the
Tenders to be framed on the principle of so much per page of Fool's cap Paper- not less than Fifty copies being always required and Government Supplying the Paper.
In framing the above tender with reference to the price at which printing is executed for private individuals it is for the Proprietors of the Friend of China to take into consideration whether the fact of that Paper being made the Official organ of Government for the publication of their documents will be an advantage or not - i.e. whether in addition to the gratuitous insertion of all Government notifications, Proclamations, Copies of Treaties &c., it would not be worth the while of the Proprietors to make some abatement in the rate of printing such documents (Ordinances Regulations &c.) as may be required on Fool's cap Paper for Records; or, on the other hand whether the expense and trouble of publishing the notifications &c. in the Gazette will render it necessary for them to make an additional