subject that passed last -
year among
the Foreign,
Colonial, and War Departments
of
Her Majesty's Government, and it remains only to
consider the advantage to ourselves and the loss or
gain to the Chinese that
would result from possession of Kowloong,
the extent of land next to it
which it is expedient to
consider, and lastly
the consideration to be given
by us in return for the
Concession.
Among
the advantages
to Hongkong I would class
as foremost the prevention of the occupation of Kowloong by either another foreign
power, or which is still
more to be feared, by irregular settlers acknowledging no
order, obeying no rule, and
setting the Chinese jurisdiction
at defiance. I believe the
fact of our making
at times a show of exercising authority there solely accounts for the absence of this class of people.
Another important
point is that the limits