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12 Tavistock Crescent
Westbourne Park
26th November 1869.
My Lord,
The Titles which give me some claim
to the honor of addressing your Lordship upon the subjects of Hong Kong and its government will appear
in the course of this letter.
2.-
When I was a permanent resident in the South of China
from September 1838 until April 1867 and was
intimately associated with the Colony of Hong Kong from the date of its requisition. For the greater part of this period my pursuits involved the necessity of my employing a large number of Chinese in various capacities with
whom I came into constant and direct contact. I may safely say that no other European in China had nearly
so many Chinese under his supervision and control permanently, as I had. I may add that most of the Chinese whom I employed were of the nautical class.
My reason for mentioning these circumstances is to illustrate the fact that I was in a peculiarly favorable position for noticing and for obtaining information regarding all those abuses, which have tended to bring the Colony of Hong Kong into disrepute...
The Right Honorable
Earl Granville H. G.
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State
Colonial Department
Downing Street:
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