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Government will defray the cost of the passage to Hongkong from England of a locum tenens to discharge his duties while the Colonial Chaplain is on leave for six months on half pay. Mr. Jennings' application was brought before the Governor previous to his departure on the 19th instant, but Sir William Des Vœux had not time to address Your Lordship on the subject before he left.
I may mention, however, that Sir William Des Vœux considered that Mr Jennings' case was a very hard one, but felt unable to accede to his request, without Your Lordship's sanction, in view of the abolition of the principle under which subsidies are paid for ecclesiastical purposes (except as regards actual incumbents of office).
Mr Jennings has been