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On hearing this His Excellency the Governor instructed Sir, way to withdraw those Police, and it was for that purpose that the latter proceeded on Monday taking with him four mounted Policemen simply as a formal escort accompanying the hon. officer of the force.
In accordance with the telegram received from the Viceroy of Canton, the Chinese official at Kowloon sent five Chinese soldiers with Mr. May to ensure protection to the shed or the workmen so that at the moment when the riotous disturbance began the property was in charge of the Viceroy's troops and was guarded with his express sanction.
His Excellency the Viceroy has also been instructed to re-erect the structure. In accordance with the instructions issued by him to his officials the 10th Regiment, application was made by them to the Colonial Secretary to intimate where he wished the soldiers to be stationed and in what numbers. The Colonial Secretary requested that 200 men should be sent to Tai-po-hu and this done there was no reason at that time to suppose that they were not sent.
The re-construction of the mat-shed was begun on the 9th April and completed on the 14th. The Police were to take over possession on the 16th and to be on guard for the ceremony of hoisting the British flag on the 17th. They found the shed burnt and it was evident that the protection that the Viceroy had undertaken to give had not been afforded.