Minute.

OCT 18

1308

an

1001 在300

early period of

the evil Government Secretary of State for

and set.

in

346

1852 a memorial from the officers Hong Kong

was

forwarded to the the Colonies. It was dated in December 18371

set forth very fully the grievance suffered by

payment of

their salaries in British

money,

them in the

and not in Dollars

the natural, the recognized, and practically the only, currency

in

trouble.

Copy by infer 28 act 758.

the Island.

I have not a

Copy of

the

paper by

me. but as it was drawn

up by the late Mr Hiller and myself. I am able to state briefly

from memory

the substance

of

the

In

1846 a

the

day

about

paid into

was

representation made. consequence of the introduction of British Coins into the Colony at the instance of the Chief Commercial Officer of large portion of the parliamentary Grant the Colonial Treasury in those coins and thence paid out to the

liquidation of Salaries and

wages "Foreign Mercantile Community to have there

different civil Establishments in

Owing to the and the

to the disinclination

monetary affairs

Coins were

disturbed (the cause however is immaterial) these

regarded with disfavor and were eventually circulated partially and with

difficulty

an average

at a discount that

may be stated

other

as

high

as from 10 to 15 though sometimes.

tender under the proclamation of 1 of May at the Colonial Treasury,

25 per cent.

They

were a

legal

tender to which

they found

their

way

in 1845, and consequently could not be refused

in

payment of Government Dues having

been purchased in the market with this object; again they

were

paid

out in Salaries viz. at the rate of 4/2d to the Dollar as fixed by Government-were subjected.

to a loss to the extent above Calculated

a conclusive incident-is wherein it is shown that a Chinese tradesman had one price

In the

paper.

to which I am

referring

given

for the general customer and another, increased · for the government

servant who would tender British money in payment,

In addition to this hardship on individuals the Government

Public works, good provisions too,

every suffered

as the Contractors

you

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