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British colony. And the Consuls in the acquiescence equity or legality of their decision should be our if not in all cases presumptive, if a sufficient guarantee of justice having been done.
And Your Excellency has thought otherwise, freely expressed an opinion that neither the Consular nor the diplomatic action taken in this case were satisfactory or calculated to reflect credit on those who are responsible. I do not feel called upon to make any reply to these statements so far as they comment upon myself I am concerned, but I must observe that as regards Her Majesty's Consul, having fully approved and sanctioned the course he has taken throughout and so reported to Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, I conceive it rests exclusively with His Lordship to confirm, call in question or otherwise censure the official acts of Her Majesty's Minister and Consuls in China.
As regards the final disposal of the case, it rests for the moment with Kwok-Cheong to profit by the leniency of the Chinese Authorities and take it on the conditions offered or to allow the confiscation to be carried out, as he may prefer. But it is not to be supposed that they will leave him that option for any indefinite time while he is denouncing them to the British Colonial Authorities as committing an act of...