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our pressing demand for the boundary of the base of the hills to the North open for further consideration at Pekin, I wrote an agreement which was signed by the Chinese Commissioner and Mr. Stewart Lockhart, I have explained the situation fully to Sir Claude MacDonald and sent him a copy of the map for which I enclose a copy being the only good survey of the boundary district that has yet been made. The provisional boundary is marked in red, the proposed boundary in blue. I have no doubt that it would be a great convenience to this Colony to have the two towns named included. But pending the further negotiations on the point the fixing of the boundary to the river will enable me to take over the territory which I shall do as soon as the necessary preparations are complete for having a police force and a Magistrate there. I shall inform you by telegraph when I can fix the date.
3. I hear conflicting accounts of the feeling of the people, but I think that in the main it is friendly. The inhabitants on the Deep Bay side do not bear a very good reputation and it will be necessary to have a fair show of force when hoisting the flag.
4. I assume that all the public buildings belonging to the Chinese Government are to be handed over to this Government, and that all Chinese officials are to be removed from the leased territory and their powers and duties are to cease and determine from the moment that the flag is hoisted.
5.