Colonial Secretary's Office,
Hongkong, 7th May, 1901.
Sir,
I am directed by His Excellency the Governor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2nd instant, and to request you to convey to the Viceroy His Excellency's appreciation of the readiness with which the Viceroy has complied with the request that a British Official shall be permitted to be present as spectator at all stages of the trial of extradited criminals.
2. There are at present three prisoners confined in Gaol pending extradition, viz.- Chan Nam alias Lui Cheung, Cheng Yan and Leung Kwai, and His Excellency directs me to inform you that he is prepared to hand over all three persons into the charge of the Chinese Officials deputed to receive them, together with attested copies of all the evidence taken before the Magistrate in Hongkong.
3. His Excellency's request that an Official from this Colony should be permitted to attend the trial was based upon the statement in your letter of the 11th December, 1900, that you did not feel justified in permitting a Consular Officer to be present. As, however,
1* Britannic Majesty's Consul-General,
Canton.