Circumstances of this place and it's reputation make it a plain duty to consider simply whether the proposed appointment would or would not advance British interests, seeing that there is no privilege which had ever been urged by the Chinese Authorities, and that the necessity for a Chinese Consul had never been experienced by either the Sovereign or Native Community.
I can only conceive such an officer being useful in one way, viz.: to save the delay of reference to Canton by at once backing warrants for the arrest of Criminals or other parties amenable to British Law, who might have escaped to the Mainland. Even in that respect a Consul would not be half so useful as the Mandarin at Kowloon, who is in daily correspondence with the Hong Kong Police.
Altogether, neither I nor my Colleagues, nor the representatives of the commercial and general interests of Hong Kong in the Legislative Council, are able to see in what manner the legitimate interests of either Great Britain or China are to be benefited by adopting this most unnecessary and uncalled for suggestion of Sir M. Alcock. We believe that such a creation of an "imperium in imperio" would produce alarm and dissatisfaction amongst Chinese residents here, and that by unnecessarily...
Page 18
F.O. 2259, 636-2354, 1114 June 1869.