CIRCULAR.
F04823/56
368
Downing Street,
8th July, 1856.
The attention of Her Majesty's Government has been recently called to the inconvenience of the practice into which the Governors of Her Majesty's Colonies are occasionally drawn of communicating on questions affecting Foreign Countries with Captains of Ships of War belonging to those Countries instead of the proper Consuls or Consular Agents. I am, therefore, to instruct you as a general rule to decline all discussion on the acts of your administration or the conduct of Officers engaged in the Civil Service of the Crown, with Naval Officers commanding foreign ships of war, unless it be the ship of a country not having any Consul or accredited Civil Agent within the Colony under your Government, or unless there should appear to you to be some special circumstances demanding a departure from usual practice. Should any difficulty arise in the discussion of questions affecting the relations of this Country with Foreign Powers, the most prudent course for you to pursue, unless circumstances should necessitate immediate action, will be to reserve the questions for arrangement by the Governments of the respective Countries.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient
Humble Servant,