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Our past experience establishes very great difficulty attending negotiation which have for their object the cession or otherwise of land, or even of rocks that are within the limit of Chinese Empire; and knowing that under the direction of the Administrator, Light houses are being provided along the whole coast, I thought it best, before going further, to consult Mr. Hart, who as Inspector General of the Customs, is the Officer charged by the Chinese Government with the completion of the necessary system of Lights, the waters of Hongkong being also provided for. I showed him Your Excellency's letter of ...
Mr. Hart informs me that although unable, with the funds at his command, immediately to undertake the construction of the Light houses required by the Colony, still if the Colony will find money for the construction of those it is proposed to erect on the Gap Rock and Wang Ian Island, he is prepared, having Engineers, Mechanics and transport at his command, to build and maintain those two Light houses at the ...