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customs or to confiscate their land.
the 19
18.
This is a narrative of the events of
days in the New Territory. But there are other facts
that have a direct bearing upon the whole matter. It will be
remembered that there was a difficulty about the question of
the retention of the Customs stations in the leased area, as
I pointed out that by the automatic action of the Convention
the Chinese Customs officials could not continue to exercise
their functions while the leased area remained under British
jurisdiction, to which the Viceroy demurred. On the 10th instant, the Viceroy informed the Consul that there was no use in
my proceeding to hoist the flag on the 17th instant as he
declined to hand it over as the Chinese Customs were not to
be allowed to remain within the New Territory. To that despatch, after receiving your approval, I replied that under instructions from Her Majesty's Government I would proceed at
the 17th to hoist the British flag and invited His
Excellency to name an Official or suitable rank to be present
at the ceremony.
On the 15th, I was informed that Deputy Wang, who had been the Chinese Commissioner for the delimitation of the boundary, had been sent down by the Viceroy with 300 soldiers to Kowloon. On receipt of the message from Captain Berger of the Hong Kong Regiment that he was opposed by the Chinese troops with guns, I sent for Deputy Wang, and demanded to know if these men were Chinese troops. He said no, adding that the Viceroy had sent him down to see that 900 men should
be