Government House, Hongkong, 9th February, 1900.
Sir,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No.293 of 23rd December, 1899, in which you ask why provision for the purchase of arms and other material for the police had not been made in the draft estimates, (requisition having been transmitted with my despatch No.517 of 9th November.
2. A portion of the estimates were being prepared by Mr. Buckle, Assistant Colonial Secretary, who resigned, unexpectedly on the 9th August, leaving his papers in some confusion. The papers referring to these items only turned up after the draft estimates had been submitted to you, and unfortunately my attention had not been called to the matter.
3. The re-armament of the force was considered necessary, first because the rifles, which were issued eighteen years ago, are no longer effective, and again because it is highly undesirable that a portion of the local defence force should be armed with a weapon requiring different...
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.,