5
148
Your Grace's dispatch, No 164, of the 26th
December last, covering
communication
hom the Imperial Post Office hom which
it
appeared that in concert with the
I
Treasury the general arrangemento suggested by Maep'? Rea and Mitchell and approved by myself had been sanctioned, and immediately communicated this, usult to Sir Rutherford Alcock despatch of the 27th February.
5.
I received tivo
Alcock in the enclosed
days ago
the within
Post Office
17575/67
Enclosure Not
Enclosure No
reply from fir Rutherford Alsock, who Enchame [52
appears not to consider himself bound by the arrangements adapted by Her Majesty's Government, and conceives that
any
instructions which bonsular Officers might receive from this Government
should first
be
seen by him that he might judge of their profaiety. to I need scarcely say that, looking
to the distance of
"Pekin, any fucposal
to send by that route instructions
affecting the
ce
the simple postal duties of
Consular Officers
than
mearer
to
Hongtong
entirely defeat the
Bekin would entirely
objects proposed by her Moujesty's
Government, and which I should have
both fir Rutherford and
imagined
Myself
out.
were bound to apist in carying
7.
I cannot gather from Sir Rutherford's
to
communication whether he
means
prohibit "ad interim" the bonsular
Officers from acting in conformity with