the
special reason for adopting irregular course of communicating direct with the Secretary of State,
we
having forwarded by mail, leaving Hongkong tomorrow, a copy of the letter above referred to, to the Colonial Office.
In reply
we
are
to state
that we were unaware that in
simultaneously transmitting copy of
our communication direct to the Secretary of State
we
were committing any breach
of the Colonial Regulations
as we
forwarded original
through Your Excellency.
We would call
Your Excellency's attention to Governor
Sir C. William Des Voeux's letter to
us of the 31st
of April last in which he refuses to forward to the Secretary of State our views
and representations on
the Salaries question and declares his intention to take no part in a proceeding he regarded as something nearly allied to a breach of contract.
His Excellency's refusal
to wire to Lord Knutsford
compelled us to do so ourselves direct. We telegraphed therefore
on the 24th of April last and our
letter dated the 14th
of which we acknowledge receipt
have been in confirmation of
that telegram
and on the same subject.
If His Excellency the Governor had been in the Colony
we could not, of course, have asked him to send this letter of
ours and
we would have been compelled to have written to Lord Knutsford direct, and in addressing Your Excellency...