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can be early undue productive, the financial position of the Colony will be severer than subnormal, and may become disastrous.
11.
Your Lordship is already aware that we have been obliged to use the judicial deposits entrusted to the Government to the amount of $147,249 and against this liability but this morning's balance in the Treasury Cash Store vault I have nothing here to show Enclosure No. 2 viz: $59,556 and $320,000 of bullion now with the Master of the Mint.
Were it not for the total of only $79,556 therefore for the $90,000 subsidiary coinage now in transit by Her Majesty's ship Traill the Colony would be insolvent to the extent of $67,743
12.
As it is, Your Lordship is aware that I have had to request an indulgent permission to defer payment of the last Quarter's Military Contribution till the arrival of the above $90,000 - continued attention and, I trust (not, though such as according to the Memorialists marked the bitter experience of past years) is required in this place to make Hong Kong permanently attractive, and habitable, if we expect it to command its former pre-eminence among the present great rival ports on the Coast, and, if it is to continue the central emporium of commercial transactions, I see no prospect of meeting all these reasonable requirements with the present revenues