$1390/19
To Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State For the Colonial Department. 119
"
The Petition of Howard Fox and Henry Pollard of Falmouth in the County of Cornwall Gentlemen,
"That your
Humbly Sheweth,
Mr
Petitioners are the Trustees of a certain Indenture of Settlement made on the Marriage of James Whitelock Trerise of Falmouth aforesaid accountant with Ellen Freeman Mitchell of the same place, Widow of the late Mr James Mitchell of Hong Kong deceased.
That amongst other property your Petitioners are entitled for the residue of a term of Ninety-nine years to a certain Messuage or Tenement Inn and premises commonly called or known by the name of the "London Inn" situate in Hong Kong aforesaid bounded South by Wellington Street, West by other buildings, on the North by the Queen's Road and East by Aberdeen Street and particularly delineated in the plan accompanying this Petition.
That previous to the facts next hereinafter mentioned the said premises were surrounded on three sides by a wide and convenient footway.
That at some time in the present year one thousand eight-hundred and sixty-nine the Government Authorities of the City of Hong Kong erected in front of the property held by them and upon the said footway and against the will of your said Petitioners within a few feet of your Petitioners' premises an Engine House for the Fire Brigade of Hong Kong, thereby obstructing the said footway and in fact completely blocking up the continuation of the footway in front of your petitioner's premises.
That such obstruction has considerably damaged and reduced the value of your Petitioners' premises and is a subject of continual annoyance, and loss to the tenants thereof and from an estimate which has been made on behalf of your said Petitioners based upon the falling off of the rents of the said premises since and in consequence of such erection, such damage amounts to the sum of One hundred and eighty Dollars or about Forty pounds per year.
That the agents on behalf of your Petitioners in Hong Kong have represented their grievance to the local authorities there, as have also the Owners of the property adjoining that of your Petitioners on the West, but without redress and your Petitioners have