which it is proposed to leave there (which, if true would justify increase of the annual Military Contribution) but that the force left is insufficient for the protection of the Military Stores and Imperial Interests.
Your opinions on this subject will be weighed with careful thought and most likely accepted, but they must be considered not merely with reference to the recent situation in Hongkong, but with reference to the general numbers and disposition of the Forces in the Extreme...
I am not apprehensive that the officer entering upon Command in Hongkong will be unfit to be a Member of the Executive Council.