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herewith two letters and a requisition for 150 Carbines, from Lieutenant Colonel Crawford, Commanding Royal Artillery at this station, who is also Commandant of the Hongkong Volunteer Artillery.
2. The enclosed letters give a succinct account of the history and present condition of this local Corps. In the opinion of Colonel Crawford, W.A., and of the other Military Authorities, it is a very useful auxiliary to the Royal Artillery for defensive purposes, and a valuable adjunct to our small garrison of some eight hundred (800) men in all.
At first, arms and accoutrements were provided for the Volunteers at Hongkong, by the War Department, as for the Volunteers in England; but, (in the words of Colonel Crawford), in February 1881, for some unexplained cause, these guns, arms, and accoutrements were ordered to be returned to the Ordnance store; so the Volunteer interest soon became extinguished, and the Corps died out.
Enclosures 1 to 3.