I have conveyed his opinion to Her Majesty's Treasury. I beg to refer to a Despatch No May, 1856, in which I called dated 5th the attention of Her Majesty's Government to this subject.
When I was appointed it was expected that any duties in Hongkong would be quite subordinate to the demands of the public service in China and that I should be very little in the Colony. The consequence of this were that additional powers were given to the Lieutenant Governor who was called upon to administer the Government of Hongkong, the details of which were committed to his guidance and a salary of £2000, with an allowance of $2000, £252 for costs of representations and entertainment was allowed to Colonel Caine. The salary of the Governor provincially to my appointment was £5000 a year. But the arrangement made experimentally by the Lords of the Admiralty was found inconvenient and unsatisfactory, and the whole of the functions of the Governor were re-conferred on me - all matters (except the Admiralty, being restored to my former position).
Nor was the expectation realized that I should be frequently absent from the Colony. On the contrary, I