137
acceptable to China and
220
you reason for objecting to it, it will enable
this Government to co-operate with
China without Encounter.
Encountering
the
opposition of the whole of the Mercantile
Community of Hong Kong which is of itself, as your Excellency will no doubt
3
agree
with me, a reason of some importance.
In my
opinion the conditions
to which the Commercial Community
have expressed
their
willingness
to
consent, because they regard
as emanating from themselves, are
more stringent than those objected
to by them in the draft Bill before Council. These objections
are possibly based to a considerable extent
on sentiment, but it must be
remembered that the so-called
Blockade Question is one that caused
an immense
amount of
ill feeling
some years ago.
This had almost been
forgotten, but the sudden introduction of the Bill, which I was not at liberty
to make public until I received Your Excellency's telegram informing
of the adhesion of Portugal to
the arrangements, seemed to rouse the dormant feeling.
This Government
did what it could
to hasten the Bill, for I read the Bill
wire
a first time
preliminary
to Your Excellency's
Telegram
207