89
transferred from the Hong-Kong & Shanghai Bank to another
Bank, I beg to report as follows:-
The directions of the Secretary of State in
despatch No.222 of 10th.October,1890 were "while the Praya
Reclamation works are being carried out,I desire that a se-
cond current account should be opened at another Bank for
the current expenses of those works which account should
not exceed $75,000 (and might probably be less)". So far
as I have been able to ascertain, this desire of Lord Knuts-
ford has never been complied with. The papers dealing with
C.0. D. 222 of 10th.October, 1890,seem confined to the ques-
tions of drafts by the Crown Agents and of the giving of
security by the Banks. In acknowleaging Lord Knutsford's des-
patch No.222 Governor Des Vaeux, in his despatch No.120 of
23ra. April,1991, wrote "under the circumstances I do not
doubt that Your Lordship will approve my postponement until
the receipt of further instructions of any steps in respect
of the redistribution of the Praya Fund among the various
#
banks. The reply of the Secretary of State was conveyed in
C.O.D.158 of 10th. July,1891, and enjoined the carrying out
of the directions given in C.0.D.222 of 10th.October,1890.
In a subsequent despatch 47 of 22nd. February, 1892,Lord Knut-
ford used language from which it might be inferred that the
object of the previous instructions as to the opening of a
second current account at another Bank for the Praya Fund
was to ensure as far as possible that the total amount of
7th ril
the
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